長短句交插

改變一下句子的類型，把簡單句、并列句和復合句混合在一起使用。如果句子清一色是簡單句，文章必定很單調乏味。如果全篇充滿了冗長的復雜句，讀起來也很費力。最好的方法是以簡單句為基礎，配合適當的并列句和復雜句。簡單句可長可短，通常要加些附屬成分，如分詞短語、介詞短語、副詞短語、不定式動詞短語，以及節縮成分。如下面的一段例文：I have often wondered whether some people，who had no intention of making a purchase，would take advantage of this privilege． One day I asked this question to the shop girl， and I learned it was indeed the case。

總之，作者可根據情況，使句子多樣化，使文章靈活多姿。例如下列五個句子的基本概念一樣，但是句式不同，內容重點也有些差別：

(1) The goats grazed peacefully in the farm and were unaware of the approaching hunter. (并列分句)
(2) Grazing peacefully, the goats in the farm were unaware of the approaching hunter. (現在分語短語+簡單句)
(3) In the farm, the goats grazed peacefully and were unaware of the approaching hunter. (副詞短語+并列分句)
(4) There were goats grazing peacefully in the farm, unaware of the approaching hunter. (簡單句+形容語短語)
(5) As the goats grazed peacefully in the farm, they were unaware of the approaching hunter. (原因副詞從句+主句)
(1)和(5)的句式最常見；如果加上其他三種互相交替，句子不是更多樣化嗎？我們再來看看下面兩個句子要如何多樣化？

(1) The young pilot was on his first overseas training.
(2) He felt very uneasy.
(a) The young pilot on his first overseas training felt very uneasy.
(b) The young pilot felt very uneasy during his first overseas training.
(c) The young pilot's first overseas training made him feel very uneasy.
(d) Extreme uneasiness seized the young pilot on his first overseas training.
(e) The young pilot was on his first overseas training, feeling very uneasy.
(f) It being his first overseas training, the young pilot felt very uneasy.
(g) Being on his first overseas training, the young pilot felt very uneasy.
(h) The young pilot was on his first overseas training and felt very uneasy.
(i) The young pilot, who was on his first overseas training, felt very uneasy.
(j) When the young pilot was on his/first overseas training, he felt very uneasy.
(k) As the young pilot was on his first overseas training, he felt very uneasy.
(l) The young pilot was on his first overseas training, so that he felt very uneasy.

在上述12個句子中，(a)-(g)是簡單句；(h)是并列句；(i)-(l)是復雜句。簡單句除(b)和(g)之外，其他五樣，用的人并不多。人們最喜歡采用復雜句，尤其是(j)和(k)這兩款；接著便是并列句(h)。如果大多數人的句子只限于(b),(g), (h), (j)和(k)這五種，而其他的則棄如敝屣，不是很可惜嗎？