Sentence structure – working with branching sentences

When branching is not used effectively, the sentence presents the reader with two main problems:

• The subject and verb may be buried deep within the sentence, and therefore the reader may not be able to see the main idea of the sentence.
• The main subject and verb may be separated by a subordinate clause. In this case, the reader is forced to hold one thought while trying to understand another one before continuing on with the meaning of the sentence.

Here are three versions of the same sentence to illustrate the perils of sentence branching. For each example, try to find the main subject and verb and note its position in the sentence. Then compare your analysis with ours; click the Show Structure button to see the subject and verb underlined and the branching highlighted.

© WHO 2011