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Crafting Vocabulary and Sentence Variety: Question 3

Syllabus W3

Structured 5 marks

Read the four short sentences below.

  1. The wind grew stronger.
  2. The waves crashed against the rocks.
  3. Sam gripped the railing.
  4. He did not look down.

These sentences are choppy because they are all short, simple sentences of a similar length and structure.

(a) Combine sentences 1 and 2 into one compound sentence, using a suitable coordinating conjunction. [2]

(b) Combine sentences 3 and 4 into one complex sentence, using a suitable subordinating conjunction. [2]

(c) In one sentence, explain why combining the sentences in this way creates more varied, controlled writing than leaving all four as separate simple sentences. [1]

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Worked solution

Assessment focus

This tests whether a candidate can combine short, repetitive simple sentences into grammatically correct compound and complex sentences, choosing conjunctions that reflect the logical relationship between the ideas rather than joining them mechanically.

Part (a): Compound sentence

Model: “The wind grew stronger, so the waves crashed against the rocks.”

This is a compound sentence: it contains two independent clauses (“the wind grew stronger” and “the waves crashed against the rocks”), each of which could stand alone as a sentence, joined by the coordinating conjunction “so.” “So” is chosen over “and” because it shows the cause-and-effect relationship between the strengthening wind and the crashing waves.

Part (b): Complex sentence

Model: “As Sam gripped the railing, he did not look down.”

This is a complex sentence: “As Sam gripped the railing” is a dependent (subordinate) clause, introduced by the subordinating conjunction “As” and unable to stand alone as a full sentence, attached to the independent clause “he did not look down.” “As” is used to show that the two actions happen at the same time.

Part (c): Why the variety matters

Combining sentences 1–2 and 3–4 in these two different ways (compound, then complex) breaks up the monotony of four short, identically structured simple sentences. It creates a more controlled rhythm, shows how the ideas relate to one another (cause, and simultaneous action), and reads as more fluent, deliberate writing rather than a flat list of facts.

Common pitfalls specific to this task

  • Writing “The wind grew stronger, the waves crashed against the rocks” with only a comma and no conjunction. This is a comma splice, not a correctly formed compound sentence.
  • Writing “Sam gripped the railing and he did not look down,” which is still a compound sentence (two independent clauses joined by “and”) rather than the complex sentence part (b) asks for.