This is probably my favourite painting by Matisse. It is full of colour, energy, and emotion. A fresh perspective on the world. The vibrancy and variety of colours is mesmerizing. Orange, green, and red tilting lines shooting up from the boats. The left window frame containing mixtures of pink and purple.

What does this have to do with writing, I hear you ask. Well, writing also requires variety. When you write articles, stories, essays, and even reports, there should be sentence variety. Some sentences may be short, while others may be long and descriptive. Complex sentences may be used to express complex concepts or arguments. Sentence fragments may be used to bring out a particlar mood, emotion, or energy.

Let’s look at some common sentence structures. We’ll take it slow, starting from the start. And we will keep it simple. Promise.

Five different types of sentences

1. Simple sentence

A simple sentence expresses a complete thought. Here is an example: I like chocolate ice-cream. (It’s hot right now, and I really could do with some ice-cream.) Now, a simple sentence need not be restricted to a few words. You could write: I really like almond covered, chocolate ice-cream served in a big, crunch cone. What is the essence of that sentence? Yes, I like chocolate ice-cream. Clear and simple. Even though there are many words, the long sentence expresses a complete thought. It is a simple sentence.

2. Compound sentence

A compound sentence joins two simple sentences. To join these sentences, we use co-ordinating conjunctions such as: and, but, or, so, and yet. Here is an example: I like chocolate ice-cream, but I’m too lazy to go to the market. Here we have two seperate thoughts. Thought one — I like ice-cream. Thought two — I’m too lazy to buy it. What is interesting is that both these thoughts have equal grammatical importance. They both can stand on their own two feet. Why I say this will be clearer in the next type of sentence we will look at.

3. Complex sentence

A complex sentence has two parts. One part can stand on its own two feet. The other part cannot stand on its own. It requires support. Let’s look at this example: I like chocolate ice-cream which is from the Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe. In this sentence there are two parts. Part one: I like chocolate ice-cream. It makes sense, by itself. Doesn’t it?

Part two: which is from the Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe. Does that make sense? What is from Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe? No idea. Not a clue. This part only makes sense when it is linked with Part one. So, let’s read the sentence again — I like chocolate ice-cream which is from the Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe. Do you see it now? The sentence has two parts. One part can stand on its own two feet. The other part needs to lean on someting. By itself, Part two’s meaning is not complete.

Apart from using which, in a complex sentence you can use words such as that, who, and when.

4. Sentences starting with ing-words

How does this sound? Having decided to buy chocalate ice-cream, he left for the market. Or: Meeting his friends at the market, they decided to go to the Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe. Do you like this sentence variation? It’s a change from the usual run of the mill sentences. Try it, sometime.

5. Fragments

Ice-Cream? Chocolate? Where to go? Then he remembered Mambo. The one and only Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe. This type of writing should not be used in a formal setting, neither at work nor university. But, you can use sentence fragments in more informal contexts, such as writing a blog post. These bursts of words may not always be grammatically correct, but they do bring a certain energy to the page.

Putting it all together

Let’s put all these different types of sentences in one paragraph:

Looking out the window, he saw the fishing boats bobbing in the harbour. He peered at the name on one of the boats. It was MAMBO. Mambo. Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe. He remembered the strong flavour of chocolate which exploded in his mouth. He called out to his wife and they crossed the harbour. Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe was waiting patiently for them.

In the above paragraph we have different types of sentences. The first sentence starts with an ing-word (Looking out the window…). Then there is a simple sentence. Another simple sentence — It was MAMBO. Followed by sentence fragments (Mambo. Mambo Ice-Cream Cafe.) Followed by a complex sentence (the one with which). Followed by a compound sentence (the one with and). And the last sentence is a simple sentence.

What do you think? Does this kind of sentence variety provide rhythm and pace to the writing? How would it be if there were only simple sentences? Would it be less interesting for the reader? I think it would.

Now, look at your writing. Do you use a variety of simple, compound, complex, and other types of sentences? Do you use a mix of short, medium, and long sentences?

Whether you are writing a page in a diary or a report for work, see how you can vary your sentences. It will bring more zest into your writing. Who knows? Maybe your writing will exude energy, freshness, and a sense of purpose, just like the Matisse painting.