TYPE FIVE. ------- , ------- ; ------- , ------- .

     These sentences are very versatile, and have many applications; they are also extremely romantic, and convey parallel feelings effectively.  For example: 
From the moment I first met you, I knew that my life until now had been incomplete; every night after our meetings, I saw the rest of my time apart from you as a complete waste of time. 
 
     The Type Five sentence allows you to develop a balanced thought, with more words at hand; it is like a Type Four sentence, with extra “body”.  Whereas a Type Four sentence allows you to say something short and “pithy”, the Type Five sentence gives you more space within which to develop a single idea–and remember, the more you can say within a single sentence, and not over a paragraph or a page, the better.  Both Type Four sentences and Type Five sentences have their own advantages and applications, as ways of expressing “balanced language”; when they are used in a paragraph along with Type One, Type Two and Type Three sentences, the result is effective and varied, which is good in writing. 
 
     When you are writing Type Five sentences, you should bear the following priorities in mind:  Topic – Content – Structure / Logic – Length / Extra Improvements.  I say this, because some writers tend to forget them, and want to dive right into the content of what is in their mind.  What makes these sentences beautiful is their clear and balanced structure, their closely-linked logic, and their unity of content.  They are like beautifully-balanced walnuts, with extra wings attached.  Being merely “long and complex” does not, in itself, make these sentences beautiful! 
 
     Writing these sentences is best done on a blackboard in your classroom, as a big blackboard allows a wide scope of creative thinking (since the blackboard is so big), and you can correct yourself easily (with the board eraser).  Often, paper does not give you that flexibility, and a computer is limited in this respect.  (By the way, do not allow yourself to be embarrassed by the other people in your classroom.) 
 
     First, concerning the topic.  You must know your topic–what will you write about?  If you know this, the other stages are easier to do.  If you are choosing the topic for a sentence by itself, then choose the topic carefully; if the sentence is part of a paragraph, then let it serve its function within the paragraph.  When doing your analysis of the “content”, make sure the two halves of the sentence have a close relationship with each other; they are, after all, two halves of the same sentence, two parts of a whole, and not two separate sentences.  Remember–“One sentence, one idea”–although here, the idea has two parts. 
 
     Second, concerning the parts of the sentence.  A Type Five sentence can be divided into four parts:  (a) , (b) ; (c) , (d) .  Although these parts cannot be moved around, they do have close relationship with each other.  We will talk more about this later. 
 
     Third, concerning the sentence plan.  Make a careful “sentence plan” first, to clearly lay out the structure and logic of the sentence.  You may think it very strange to write a “plan” for a mere sentence, but the results are very worthwhile.  When writing a sentence plan, use key words for each of the four sentence parts–(a) , (b) , (c) , and (d)–as it is much easier to develop phrases out of key words.  Do not use sentences when planning a Type Five sentence, as sentences written during the planning stage are very hard to “upgrade”, since you have already committed your ideas into a framework.  Use key words, which will change into sentences later on, much more easily.  Here is an example: 
 
     You want to write about vegetables and fruit.  You have the four parts–(a) , (b) , (c) , and (d), so you write down four key words–vegetables, healthy; fruit, tasty.  From these four words, you can develop a sentence like this: 
     I like to eat many vegetables for lunch, as they are very healthy; I also enjoy snacking on different types of fruit all day, as they are so tasty. 
 
     You could, of course, write this sentence in many other ways, but having your “sentence plan” so simple (vegetables, healthy; fruit, tasty) allows you to travel in many different directions.  Please remember this, when you write your plans! 
 
     Since the Type Five sentence has four parts, you can write each part on a separate line, so that it looks like four-line poetry: 
     I like to eat many vegetables for lunch, 
     as they are very healthy; 
     I also enjoy snacking on different types of fruit all day, 
     as they are so tasty. 
 
     Having your sentences arranged like this helps you to see the four parts by themselves, but also allows you to see them as parts of a whole–which is important, when one considers the need for sentence unity. 
     In order for a Type Five sentence to have good unity, it must have strong logical connections, internally; it cannot just look pretty on the outside.  How can you have “logic links” inside a sentence?  Look again at the Type Five sentence above: 
     I like to eat many vegetables for lunch, (a) 
     as they are very healthy; (b) 
     I also enjoy snacking on different types of fruit all day, (c)   
     as they are so tasty.  (d) 
In this sentence, there are connections between (a) and (b), as well as between (c) and (d); here, one idea leads to another.  There are also connections between (a) and (c), as well as between (b) and (d); each of the latter is a repetition and reinforcement of the former.  These “invisible ties” help to hold the sentence together more firmly; it also helps to build sentence unity.  Remember, for a sentence to have “unity”, it must have only one central idea.  The four parts–(a), (b), (c) and (d)–all work together to present the main idea (what I like to eat, and why). 
 
     Perhaps you might think this is all very artificial.  Well, it is.  However, the practice you go through to make such sentences is very healthy for your English-language development, and it makes very reasonable sentences. 
 
     After you have written the basic sentence, you can make it longer.  When you lengthen Type Five sentences, do so very conservatively, step by step, so that the structural balance is not upset.  Yes, you can make “super-long” sentences if you want, but I feel that order and balance is a more important goal to aspire for when crafting such sentences.  Begin by using simple words, especially verbs, so as to “map out” the general shape of the sentence; then play around with synonyms, so as to make the language more varied. 
 
     Here is an example of how to make a Type Five sentence, by stages: 
(a) write/day , (b) distracted ; (c) write/night , (d) tired .  (Key words.) 
(a) I want to write by day, (b) but I am distracted; (c) I want to write at night, (d) but I am tired.  (The basic sentence.)   
(a) I really want to write my book during the day, (b) but I am distracted by the demands of my family; (c) I hope to write at night, (d) but I am too tired to think about anything.  (Add more words.) 
(a) I really want to write my new book during the active hours of daylight,
(b) but I am often distracted by the constant demands of my family;
(c) I also hope to write something at night after ten o’clock, 
(d) but I am too tired and worn out then to think about anything creative.  (The final sentence.)     
  Here are some exercises for you.  Using the above examples, please make five Type Five sentences.  Remember, making a well-balanced sentence is more important than making a long sentence.