Why sentence-building is a foundation of great writing – and how to teach it

This article explores why sentence-building is essential for learning to write, how it builds pupils’ confidence, and what effective teaching looks like in practice. You will find practical strategies for supporting sentence construction in the classroom, alongside prompts to help you reflect on your current approach.

Why sentences matter

As highlighted in the Department for Education’s writing framework, sentences are the foundation of great writing and help pupils become confident writers. For many, composition feels daunting, so it makes sense to start with manageable, meaningful sentence-level work (Quigley, 2022). Mastering sentences supports the shift from spoken to written language (Department for Education, 2014). When you break down sentence-building into clear steps such as oral planning, structuring and editing, you give every pupil the tools to organise their ideas and write clearly (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). Modelling strong sentences and encouraging experimentation with structure and vocabulary benefit pupils across the curriculum (Hochman, 2017). By focusing on sentences, you help pupils develop clarity and confidence in any writing task.

Use oral composition to help pupils understand sentences

Every piece of writing begins with sentences. Helping pupils understand what a sentence is makes tackling longer texts easier (Saddler, 2012). Talking and listening are key. Reading together, having conversations and modelling well-structured sentences help pupils see how sentences work (Hochman, 2017). Building sentences is about clear communication, not just following rules (Myhill, 2021). Re-phrasing what pupils say and discussing stories shows how spoken language becomes effective writing. This works best when pupils can play with language and learn from mistakes.

Teaching sentence components supports flexible and varied writing. As pupils gain confidence, you can encourage them to experiment with new words, longer sentences and changes in word order (Needham, 2019). When pupils are starting to write, focus on building sentences through talk – saying ideas out loud helps them organise their thoughts before worrying about spelling or handwriting (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997).

Visual prompts, such as drawings, can support this process. Your role is key here: by modelling how to think through a sentence out loud, you show pupils how to put ideas together and choose words (Hochman, 2017). Even when pupils are ready to write, oral composition still matters. If you encourage them to talk through their sentence before writing, you take some of the pressure off. Pupils have already decided what they want to say and how to say it, so writing becomes much less daunting (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). This approach helps pupils focus on clarity, structure and vocabulary.

Reflection prompts

• How does your school use talk to support sentence construction?
• What opportunities do you create for pupils to practise oral composition before writing?

Action steps

• Provide scaffolds for pupils by providing sentence starters, word banks or frames to help them build sentences and experiment with structure.
• Think aloud as you create sentences, showing pupils how to choose words and structure their ideas before writing.
• Give pupils space to share their ideas and practise saying their sentences out loud before writing them down.

Teach sentences explicitly

Teaching sentences should be at the heart of your writing. When you focus on sentence-building, you help pupils move from writing as they speak to using the structures found in written language (Hochman, 2017).

Pupils learn best when you teach new skills in small, well-sequenced steps and check for mastery before moving on (Engelmann, 2014). By practising sentence-building, you help pupils organise their thoughts clearly for a reader. Using simple examples and encouraging experimentation with subjects, verbs and extra detail builds confidence.

To support pupils in developing strong sentence-writing skills, you might:

• Model simple sentences and key components Begin by modelling simple sentences and highlighting the subject and verb, such as ‘The tree swayed.’ Ask pupils to identify these components in different examples to build awareness. Support them to construct single-clause sentences using prompts or sentence frames, and encourage them to say their sentences aloud before writing.
• Add detail and combine ideas Once they are confident, introduce adjectives and adverbs to add detail, for instance, ‘The tall tree swayed gently.’ Teach pupils to expand sentences with conjunctions, combining ideas such as ‘The tall tree swayed gently and the leaves rustled.’ Encourage experimentation with word order to show how meaning can change.
• Teach sentence types and editing Introduce the four main sentence types: statements, questions, commands and exclamations. Ask pupils to write examples of each, such as ‘The book is open,’ ‘Where is the pencil?’ ‘Close the door,’ and ‘What a wonderful day!’ Build in regular opportunities for pupils to review and edit their sentences for clarity and accuracy.
• Practise with games and activities Use games and scaffolded activities to practise regularly, helping pupils apply what they have learned and develop confidence in their writing.

Teaching sentence skills step by step, and revisiting them regularly, gives pupils a strong foundation for all their writing – from short answers to full stories and essays (Hochman, 2017). As pupils practise, their fluency and confidence grow. By allowing time for practice and review and checking that pupils can apply what they have learned, you help them build confidence and flexibility in their writing. Pupils can experiment with sentence structure, adapt to different tasks and audiences, and express their ideas with greater precision. This prepares them to tackle new writing challenges effectively.

As Percival (2024) notes, focusing on explicit sentence teaching does not mean you should avoid composition altogether. Instead, be mindful about when and how you introduce it. By helping pupils to automate the key elements of writing early, you set them up to combine these skills later and produce coherent, well-structured pieces.

Reflection prompts:

• How does your school teach sentence construction explicitly?
• How do you provide pupils with regular opportunities to practise writing different types of sentences?

Action steps:

• Include activities that help pupils construct single-clause sentences with a clear subject and verb in your lessons. Use games, prompts or pictures to spark ideas.
• Once pupils are confident with simple sentences, introduce ways to add detail or combine ideas, such as using adjectives, conjunctions or extra clauses.
• Give pupils time to practise and review, helping them adapt their writing for different purposes and audiences.

Teach sentence combining

Sentence combining is a powerful strategy for developing pupils’ confidence and flexibility in writing. It involves taking two or more simple sentences and merging them into a single, more complex sentence. This process helps pupils experiment with sentence length, punctuation and structure, and encourages them to consider their writing from a reader’s perspective (Saddler, 2012). Building on this, Anderson (2014) suggests working with ‘propositions’ – the basic units of meaning in each sentence. By breaking down sentences and reconstructing them in new ways, pupils can see the many possibilities for combining ideas and developing more sophisticated writing.

To introduce and develop sentence combining in your classroom, you might:

Early stages

• Provide simple sentences to combine. Give pupils two or more short, related sentences. For example, ‘Plants need sunlight. Plants need water.’
• Break down sentences into propositions. Ask pupils to identify and separate the basic units of meaning in a complex sentence.
• Discuss possible ways to combine. Model how to merge sentences or propositions using conjunctions or by rearranging details.

Later stages

• Experiment with structure and language. Encourage pupils to try approaches such as rearranging words or phrases, deleting or changing words, or converting verbs to participle forms (for example, ‘moved’ to ‘moving’).
• Introduce complex punctuation. Model the use of punctuation such as semicolons, colons or dashes to combine ideas and clarify meaning.
• Embed clauses and phrases. Teach pupils how to add clauses or descriptive phrases within sentences to increase complexity and detail.
• Explore the effect of sentence combining. Discuss how combining sentences can change the rhythm, emphasis or meaning of the writing. Encourage pupils to reflect on which version best suits their purpose.
• Use sentence combining during revision. Encourage pupils to look for opportunities to combine sentences when editing longer pieces of writing.

Sentence combining activities can be used as short starters, regular grammar practice or targeted interventions for pupils who need extra support. By making sentence combining and proposition composition a routine part of writing, you help pupils become more confident, flexible writers who can adapt their style for different audiences and purposes. This approach not only strengthens technical skills, but also encourages creativity and precision in writing.

Reflection prompts:

• How do you introduce sentence combining to your pupils, and what strategies do you use to support them as they practise?
• How do you help pupils reflect on the impact of sentence combining on the clarity, emphasis and meaning of their writing?

Action steps:

• Build regular opportunities for sentence combining into lessons, such as short starters, grammar practice or targeted support.
• Allocate time in staff meetings to share practical approaches for sentence combining and discuss what is working in different classrooms.
• Consider which accessible resources and examples—such as model texts, sentence combining prompts and visual guides—will best support pupils to practise and build confidence with sentence combining in their writing.

This explainer is part of a series for teachers and school leaders on how to navigate the writing framework. Explore the other articles.

References

• Anderson, J., & Dean, D. (2014). Revision decisions: Talking through sentences and beyond. Stenhouse Publishers.
• Department for Education. (2014). National curriculum in England: English programmes of study – key stages 1 and 2
• EEF (Education Endowment Foundation). (2021). Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2
• Engelmann, s. (2014) Successful and Confident Students with Direct Instruction. Eugene, OR: NIFDI Press.
• Hochman, J., Wexler, N. and Lemov, D., 2017. The writing revolution: a guide to advancing thinking through writing in all subjects and grades. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Myhill, D. (2021) 'Grammar re-imagined: foregrounding understanding of language choice in writing', English in Education, 55(3), pp. 265-278.
• Needham, T. (2019). ‘Writing Skills’. In: T. Bennett (ed.) The researchED guide to primary literacy: An evidence-informed guide for teachers. Woodbridge: John Catt, pp. 93–106.
• Ofsted. (2022). Research review series: English.
• Percival, A. (2024). ‘Developing an evidence informed writing curriculum: A case study’. In: T. Bennett (ed.) The researchED guide to primary literacy: An evidence-informed guide for teachers. Woodbridge: John Catt, pp. 131–144.
• Quigley, A. (2022). Closing the writing gap. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Saddler, B., 2012. Teacher’s Guide to Effective Sentence Writing. New York: Guilford Press.
• Zimmerman, B. J. and Risemberg, R. (1997) 'Becoming a Self-Regulated Writer: A Social Cognitive Perspective', Contemporary Educational Psychology, 22(1), pp. 73-101.