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
Staging a Yearbook Rescue
Advisers Jim Govreau and Morgan Miltner both submitted their final yearbooks March 9. But, they still have a book to complete. Read how these staffs teamed up to create a book in two weeks for a neighboring school in need.
WE'VE ALL SAID IT BEFORE
If you’ve been a yearbooker very long, you’ve probably been in a conversation — or 15 —about how yearbook is forever.
You’ve likely preached it as you work with newbies — and when you’re reminding experienced staffers they can do better. Your mantra about creating the only permanent record of the school year probably echoes in the heads of staffers every time they recall their yearbook experiences.
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