Sentence Structure & Syntax
The WHAT of sentence structure & syntax
Over the following few newsletters, we will be diving into the role and importance of sentence structure and syntax across the grades. You might be surprised by this topic, and we were too! When we first began researching writing instruction and developing the Layers of Writing Development framework, sentence construction did not even make the cut.
To be honest, we saw grammar instruction as an outdated relic of our own junior high days, filled with exercises like “circle the verb” or “identify the adjective”. Those activities felt disconnected from authentic writing and the meaningful work students do as writers.
However, as we looked deeper into the research on writing development, one finding appeared again and again: strong writers understand sentences. Not just how to punctuate them, but how they work in both structure and syntax. Below, we define sentence structure and sentence syntax to build clarity and to lay the foundation for the strategies we will share in upcoming editions.
Sentence structure
Sentence structure is the understanding of how to organize words in a sentence to form a complete thought. It also involves recognizing which ideas belong together and how to coordinate or expand those ideas to express precise thoughts.
Students learn that sentences can be classified by complexity, simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex, based on how many ideas they contain and the relationships between those ideas. Below is an example of how sentence structure progresses in complexity.
Sentence syntax
Sentence syntax refers to the specific arrangement of words or phrases to convey meaning or emphasize relationships. Knowing how and why we organize words matters. It is not just about adding more ideas, but about how word order signals focus, nuance, and relationship.
For example, consider these four simple words:
Same words, very different emphasis and meaning.
Consider how the meaning changes as you play with syntax in your classroom. Encourage students to notice how shifting a word or phrase changes tone, focus, or intent.
As students learn to combine, expand, and organize their ideas, their understanding of sentence structure and syntax deepens with each new skill. That is why it is essential to begin early, even when students express single, simple thoughts or share ideas verbally. Teaching sentence structure and syntax from the start gives students the tools to build meaning, clarity, and rhythm as their writing and thinking become more complex.
The WHY of sentence structure & syntax
If most adults already speak in complete sentences, why teach sentence structure and syntax? Knowing how to compose a sentence is not the same as understanding how sentences work.
Teaching sentence structure builds foundational skills that underpin fluent, expressive writing. It helps students internalize complex written patterns, develop automaticity with language, and reduce cognitive load, freeing up mental space for idea generation, organization, and creativity.
Here are three reasons why explicit instruction in sentence structure and syntax, paired with meaningful practice in context, matters for all writers.
1) Develops foundational skills
As students’ ideas grow in complexity, so must their sentences. Early on, students learn that a complete thought needs a subject and a predicate. To express more sophisticated thinking, students must know how to combine and expand ideas within a sentence.
Teaching sentence composition helps students communicate exactly what they mean, not almost what they mean. Explicitly modelling how to structure and combine ideas helps students emphasize key concepts, create variety, and engage their readers.
Understanding how sentences grow in complexity is a developmental skill, beginning with simple constructions and gradually layering in details. As students learn to expand and restructure sentences, they not only clarify meaning but also gain control over emphasis, rhythm, and variety, crafting writing that is both clear and engaging.
2) Internalizes sentence patterns
Strong writers carry an ‘auditory loop’ of well-formed sentences in their minds. This loop develops through wide reading and exposure to rich written language (Yagoda, 2006). However, many students today engage more with oral and visual media than with books. Explicit sentence instruction helps build an internal library of sentence patterns, giving all students a foundation for fluent, flexible writing.
3) Supports transfer and cognitive efficiency
Research shows that teaching sentence structure improves the quality and fluency of student writing (Rogers & Graham, 2008; Walter et al., 2021). When students know how to assemble sentences effectively, they use less cognitive effort on mechanics and more on idea generation, word choice, and organization. As they develop an understanding of how conjunctions and clauses connect ideas, they begin to select sentence structures intentionally to highlight meaning and relationships, a hallmark of mature writing.
Coming up next
Research is clear: when students receive explicit instruction in sentence construction within the context of meaningful writing, they become more confident and capable writers. But, how that instruction happens matters. This is not about returning to old-school grammar drills or dissecting words in isolation.
In our next learning newsletter (December 8th), we will share practical, classroom-tested strategies for embedding sentence instruction into everyday writing. Whether you teach elementary or secondary students, these approaches will help writers craft stronger sentences and begin to see themselves as masterful authors.
The HOW of sentence structure and syntax
Elementary (K-6) - December 8th
Secondary (7-12) - December 15th
