The Science Of Scientific Writing    Set D  Introduction   Multi-part Sentences   The End of the Sentence  Exercise 1   The Start of the Sentence  The Middle of the Sentence   Sentence, Paragraph compared   Mapping Multi-part Sentences   Exercise 2   Types of Sentence Part   Exercise X   Advanced Sentence Stories   Final Page   .

Course Home

OVERVIEW: The way to well-written science

How to do the Course

PART I: Paragraphs and Sentences

SET A: Paragraphs: The Maps Behind Them

SET B: Paragraphs: Using Maps to Meet Readers' Expectations

SET C: Paragraph Coherence and Cohesion

SET D: Sentences

SET E: Scientific Sections (including Methods)

SET F: Scientific Sections: The Discussion

SET G : Scientific Sections: The Introduction

SET H : The Paper as a Whole

Preamble: What is a 'multi-part' sentence?

For much of this set we will be concerned with what I will call "multi-part" sentences (rather than simple, "one-part"sentences). Despite being harder to write than short sentences, long multi-part sentences are a vital tool in scientfiic writing, and must be mastered. If you depend only on short simple sentences you will run into the same type of problem we discussed earlier with very short paragraphs: while in isolation a short sentence is easier to write, an entire text composed of them will feel disjointed and lack cohesion.

The examples below will hopefully give you a sense of what I mean by one-part and multi-part sentences. Notice how in a multi-part sentence (like this one!), its parts are often, but not necessarily, separated by commas. At this point we will not consider the grammatical nature of the various parts of a sentence, but we will come back to this later in the set.

Examples of a simple one part sentence

The hair samples were collected each day.

The hair samples were attached to low-lying branches.

The hair samples were examined microscopically.

The hair samples allowed us to identify species.

We correlated animal movements with weather conditions.

Examples of a two-part sentence:

The hair samples were collected each day and they were then examined microscopically.

We examined the hair samples microscopically, after we had collected them each day.

The hair samples were collected each day, which allowed us to correlate animal movements with weather conditions.

For species identification, the hair samples were collected each day.

The hair samples were collected each day, which allowed us to idenify the species.

Examples of a two-part sentence where the second part is inserted within the first

The hair samples, which could be found attached to low-lying branches, were collected each day.

The hair samples, gathered from low-lying branches, were collected each day.

Examples of a four-part sentence :

To identify species, and to correlate animal movements with weather condictions, the hair samples, which could be found attached to low-lying branches, were collected each day and were then examined microscopically.

The hair samples, which could be found attached to low-lying branches, were collected each day and were then examined microscopically, allowing us to identify species, and to correlate animal movements with weather condictions,

 

The "origin" and sequencing of multi-part sentences

These examples should also bring home to you the fact that a multi-part sentence can be formed by joining together two or more one-part sentences. They should also demonstrate that, when we come to order the parts sequentially, there are numerous possibilities.

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