Expanded Sentences

Take each of the following short, simple sentences and expand them, first into a sentence of fifteen words and then into a sentence of thirty words, and finally, into a sentence of one hundred words. Then write a brief paragraph analyzing how every added component of the expanded sentence functions to extend and maintain the set of relationships that holds the sentence together.

Sample Sentence:

John hit the ball.

Sample Expansions:

My friend John can only hit the billiard ball cleanly after downing a few brews. (15 words)

John, although he had never been very athletic, once on a cool autumn afternoon at the park managed to hit, or rather just barely clip, the ratty old soft ball. (30 words)

In the the sixth inning of a crucial game in the pennant race, John, batting third, weakly but precisely hit the nose of the ball pitched with great velocity by the sure-to-be Hall of Fame pitcher who presented an intimidating image to anyone facing him, especially as the shadows lengthened over the mound, obscuring the mechanics of his delivery and rendering it difficult even to see the ball as it curved its sinuous way toward the plate, behind which were the umpire, ready to say “ball” or “strike,” and the catcher, prepared for whatever was about to happen. (100 words)

Sample Analysis:

The phrase “My friend” tells us who the subject, John, is. The words “can” and “only” qualify and limit the verb hit. The word “billiard” tells us what kind of ball it is. The adverb “cleanly” tells us how the ball was hit. And the phrase “after downing a few brews” tells us when the ball can be hit.

On each day, write a set of THREE expanded sentences (15, 30, and 100 words long) based on the following short sentences, and then write an analysis of each expanded sentence.

Download: Expanded Sentences