Cheatsheet: from sentences to the essay

Semantic patterns

• Inference → Fact → Conclusion /Reason / Result / Action-Result

• Contrast → Then vs. Now / Although / Despite / Partial Concession

• Reasoning → All but / Unlike / Also

• Time → Before / Now / At this moment

• Condition → Given / Even if / Participial clause

• Process → Begins / Underway / Can be undone

• Effect → Makes / Leads to

• Prediction → Long-term / Casual

• Organization → Ranked ideas / Action series (modal + verbs)

Sentence qualities

• Crisp → fast, clear, easy, effective. Clarity and readability. Feels lighter.

• Tight → precise, controlled, dense, economical. Precision and efficiency

• Elegant → polished, smooth, sophisticated, flow, graceful. Grace, sophistication, or aesthetic pleasure

Pro strategy: Combine them when possible. A sentence can be crisp, tight, and elegant — sharp, efficient, and polished all at once.

Rhetorical effect of style

• Strong rhetoric → Persuasive, Argumentative, Critical

• Moderate rhetoric → Deliberative, Comparative, Interpretive

• Light rhetoric → Speculative, Discursive

• Low rhetoric (by default) → Expository, Analytical, Descriptive, Narrative, Reflective

Rhythmic variety

Every sentence makes a point. Too many short sentences overwhelm the reader with constant points, while too many long sentences increase the effort required to reach each one. A good paragraph balances the two.

• Syntactic Variety: Using different sentence lengths to keep the reader engaged.

• Pacing: The speed at which the reader consumes the information.

• The “Punchy” Conclusion: Using a short sentence at the end of a long paragraph to summarize the point.

Information package

Device	Marked Form (a)	Unmarked / Basic Form (b)
Preposing	This one you can keep.	You can keep this one.
Postposing	I’ve lent to Jill the only copy that has been corrected.	I’ve lent the only copy that has been corrected to Jill.
Inversion	In the bag was a gold watch.	A gold watch was in the bag.
Passive	The car was driven by Sue.	Sue drove the car.
Existential	There was a doctor on board.	A doctor was on board.
Extraposition	It’s clear that she is ill.	That she is ill is clear.
Cleft	It was Kim that suggested it.	Kim suggested it.
Pseudo-cleft	What I need is a cold drink.	I need a cold drink.
Dislocation	It’s excellent, this curry.	This curry is excellent.

Guidelines:

• Identify given vs. new information

• Locate the focus

• Check weight (length/complexity), heavy constituents, where they appear tend to go later.

• Pay attention to the topic, what the sentence is “about”

• What is the discourse work? Does the sentence construction serve it?

• Consider information flow across sentences

• One side of the sentence must be simple: better to put the details at the end, or, if required, start with a clause as subject. But not both!

• English readers naturally look for the “anchor” of a sentence within the first three words. Anchor early, and keep end-weight

• Consider the reader’s attention, cognitive pacing, and emotional response.