Sentence structure – working with branching sentences

Earlier in this module, you looked at using connector words and phrases to establish a logical flow of ideas. Sentences that use connector words are usually compound or complex sentences – sentences that either coordinate ideas, or subordinate one idea to another. We use the term ‘sentence branching’ to identify sentences that ‘branch off’ to include secondary ideas and/or include qualifiers or conditional statements.

Branched sentences can be difficult for the reader to follow if they become too long and complex. A document in which sentence branching is out of control will seem long-winded and difficult to understand.