A good strategy to follow when ordering phrases andclauses within a sentence is to place the most familiar information at thebeginning of the sentence and the newest information at the end. Thus,information in the sentence will move from old to new, the old serving as a platform to support the new.
Anabolic steroids were used to rebuild the body weight ofconcentration camp survivors [new] after they were developedin the 1930s and gained recognition after World War II [old].
Anabolic steriods were developed in the 1930s but gainedrecognition only after World War II [old], when they were usedto rebuild the body weight of concentration camp survivors [new].
--"Steroids," Compton's Encyclopedia
Sometimes the old information is in a main clause,and sometimes it is in a dependent clause. (For howto decide whether to put information in a main clause or in a dependent clause,see Important Information in Main Clause.) Ineither case, put the clause containing the old information first.
If you decide to begin the sentence with a dependentclause, be sure to use the comma appropriately.
Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..
