College Composition / Unit 20 CMP 0481 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Moving a Sentence
The idea
Deciding where a sentence belongs means finding the spot where it continues the logic of what comes before and prepares what comes after.
In practice
Work in order. First, read the sentence and note what it depends on, such as a term, an event or evidence named earlier. Second, find the first place in the paragraph after which that dependency is met. Third, check what the sentence leads into; a general claim usually precedes its example, and evidence precedes its explanation. Fourth, check transitions and pronouns: a sentence beginning "this result" must follow the result. Fifth, read the paragraph with the sentence in its new place to confirm the order now makes sense.
Where people slip
Pronouns and transitions are the strongest clues. A sentence starting with however needs something to contrast with before it; one starting with for example needs the general point it illustrates.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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