Sentence Structure Types
Professional writers typically use four types of sentence structures when writing copy. Practice emulating each of these sentence structures when composing your yearbook copy.
THREE ACTIONS
The goalie positioned himself in front of the net, waited for his opponent to shoot and blocked the ball from crossing the goal line.
The actress waited for her cue, entered the stage and performed her part.
APPOSITIVE
The chess player, patient and persistent, awaited his opponent’s move. (APPOSITIVE ADJECTIVE)
Mr. Snyder, a guidance counselor at Lake High School, addressed the senior class. (APPOSITIVE NOUN)
Day after day the flag flew, a symbol of patriotism. (APPOSITIVE NOUN)
PARTICIPLE
Sitting in the center of the stands, we could see every play during the football game. (OPENER)
Louise Andrews, wearing a tangerine chiffon dress and silver stilettos, was named the homecoming queen. (SUBJECT-VERB SPLIT)
He dozed off in study hall, dreaming of the day that he would enter college. (CLOSER)
ABSOLUTE
His palms sweating, his heart pounding, Matthew approached Emily and asked her to the Senior Prom. (OPENER)
A spirited cheerleader, her eyes wide with delight, lead the squad in a cheer. (SUBJECT-NOUN SPLIT)
Ann focused on the exam, her eyes scanning the questions, her mind analyzing the answers, her fingers nervously rolling her pencil. (CLOSER)
Sources for this article include the Gettysburg Yearbook Experience notebook and the Yearbooks@thebeach notebook.
Additional Resources
Creating a Ladder for Traditional Coverage
Just as you would never attempt to build a house without blueprints, you should never begin a yearbook without a ladder. “Ladder” is the yearbook term for a page-by-page diagram showing the yearbook’s contents.
The Human Experience
All right, here’s the secret: We care about people, not things. That’s it. When it comes to yearbook copy, we want to remember how we felt about the year, not just the dates on which events happened and what their outcomes were.
Learn More and Be Inspired
Learning about yearbook journalism never quite ends. There is always room to grow, and widespread yearbook events could be the answer for you and your staff. With so many summer workshops and various conventions throughout the year, like JEA, NSPA and CSPA, the opportunity to learn, share ideas and improve …
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