TYPE THREE SENTENCES. ------- , ------- , ------- .

The Type Three sentence is similar to the Type Two sentence, except that it has three clauses, and therefore two commas. You can write longer and more complex sentences with this sentence type. As before, you should (usually) use a conjunction after the commas, but other than that, you have much freedom in how you build up the sentence.
As before, you should first write a basic sentence plan, then extend it, and then build it up. More than ever before, it is important to have a topic and a sentence structure plan, as the sentences are becoming longer and more complex. When choosing a sentence structure, you can use either (a) an extended sentence, which keeps getting longer and longer, until you have no more commas and clauses to use, or (b) a shorter sentence with a subordinate clause in it somewhere (main clause + subordinate clause + rest of main clause, or a variation). You decide which one is best for you. Which one is best? As you write (and read literature) more, you will become more sensitive to the needs and “tastes” of each sentence you create. Like French sauces, you should learn to create and use your sentences at your discretion; in time, you will no longer need a “recipe book”!

Again, you must (usually) use a conjunction after each of the commas. Remember your grammar. Also, remember that commas in English and commas in Chinese are used differently; if in doubt, look at your grammar book.

When composing your Type Three sentence, follow the same procedure as with the other sentence types: Verbs – Nouns – Adjectives – Adverbs – others.

Keep everything short and simple at first. Making your sentence longer does not always make it better. Do not “over-extend’ the sentence; most sentences have a limit to how much they can be extended.

Here are some examples of how to make Type Three sentences:
(a) The “extended” type:
Example 1–
Soup – boil – pot + ????? + ????? (SVO + ????? + ????? construction)
The soup boiled in the pot + ????? + ?????. (Basic sentence)
The split-pea soup boiled in the earthenware pot + ????? + ?????. (Add adjectives)
The split-pea soup boiled softly in the earthenware pot + ????? + ?????. (Add adverbs)
The delicious split pea soup boiled softly in the earthenware pot my mother gave me + ????? + ?????. (Add more)
The delicious split-pea soup boiled softly in the earthenware pot my mother gave me, filling the room with the wonderful fragrance of home cooking, and making all of us hungry and eager to eat it. (Add still more)
(This kind of sentence can be added to, as your imagination sees fit. Remember, there is a limit; you cannot make super-long sentences, just to look “cool”; you must rather work within limits, and have restraint.)
Example 2–
Sun – set – tree-line + ????? + ????? (SVO + ????? + ????? construction)
The sun set behind the tree-line + ????? + ?????. (Basic sentence)
The cold orange sun set behind the dense tree-line + ????? + ?????. (Add adjectives)
The cold orange sun slowly set behind the dense tree-line + ????? + ????? (Add adverbs)
The cold orange sun of winter slowly set behind the dense tree-line of birch and pine next to my father’s house, the shadows of the encroaching night lengthened imperceptibly over the empty vegetable garden, and the places that had hitherto been easy to see hid themselves in the blankness of night.
(This sentence could be improved, but there is a point when too much is not good for the effect of the sentence. Remember, some Type Three sentences are effective when they are short. You must learn to discern when longer is better, or when shorter is better; this is not a question of grammar, as of style and intuition.)

There is something aesthetically beautiful about “groups of three” in writing (here, the “sun”, the “shadows”, and the “places”). I do not know why, but there it is. The Type Three sentence is particularly good for this form of expression.

(b) The shorter type, with a subordinate clause somewhere:
Example 1–
Tom – work – Alaska + (Subordinate Clause) + he – enjoys – challenge. (SVO + S.C. + SVO construction)
Tom works in Alaska + (S.C.) + and he enjoys the challenge. (Basic sentence)
Diligent Tom works in cold Alaska + (S.C.) + and he enjoys the rigorous challenge. (Add adjectives)
Diligent Tom frequently works in cold Alaska + (S.C.) + and he always enjoys the rigorous challenge. (Add adverbs)
Diligent Tom frequently works as a geologist in cold Alaska, where he looks for gold and zinc deposits in the remote mountains near Barrow, and he always enjoys the rigorous challenge of achieving his objectives in as short a time as possible. (Add more)
(This one was harder to make, due to the personal nouns and pronouns. Perhaps it would have been better to make a different structure at the beginning.)
Example 2–
Student – stood – balcony + (S.C.) + man – blew – kiss (SVO + S.C. + SVO construction)
The student stood on his balcony + (S.C.) + and the man “blew a kiss” at his girlfriend’s apartment. (Basic sentence)
The nervous student stood on his dormitory balcony + (S.C.) + and the young man “blew a kiss” at his girlfriend’s nearby apartment. (Add adjectives)
The nervous student briefly stood on his dormitory balcony + (S.C.) + and this young man nervously “blew a kiss” at his girlfriend’s nearby apartment. (Add adverbs)
The nervous student briefly stood on his dormitory balcony alone, as the peaceful darkness of night was settling over the tiled rooftops of Pamplona, and this young man nervously “blew a kiss” at his girlfriend’s nearby apartment. (Add more)

Here are some exercises for you. Using the above examples as a model, please choose five topics (unrelated), and develop a Type Three sentence for each topic.