句子也是如此，我们提倡简炼，但不是说都用简单句。有人认为在写作考试中，采用简单句、短句、容易掌握，不在会出错，因而也最保险。这话没有错，但简单句用得太多，造成简单句的堆彻实际上是语言技巧不成熟、不老练，甚至语言水平低下的表现。在阅卷人员看来，同样的意思内容，一个考生能够运用比较复杂的句子结构来表达，其语言水平当然要比只会用简单句来表达的考生的语言水平高出一截，就是有点错也不妨碍他比后者取得较高的分数，因为他的难度系数要高。在某种意义上来说，在词数相同的作文中，语言水平越高，语言技巧越熟练，句子的数目也就越少。这就意味着句子长了，句子结构复杂了。
当然，我们反对过多地使用简单句并不是鼓励学生去刻意追求长句、复杂句。我们追求的是句子结构的多变。一篇文章能根据表达的内容使用不同的句子结构，会产生较好的艺术效果。
例子1
The Career I pursue的主体段：
A variety of reasons have led me to choose this occupation over other more lucrative ones. First, teaching is learning. To make my lectures more interesting, I have to read more books, explore new knowledge and gain a better understanding of the world-the very thing I like to do in my life. Second, teaching means freedom. As a teacher, I can freely express my opinions and explain them in my own way since nobody will interfere with me. Finally, I like teaching because it offers a certain peace of mind. No more rushing to catching a morning bus, no more anxiety to please a boss, and no more worries about being laid off because you are getting old.
文中有4个词的短句:First, teaching is learning. 也有27个词的长句:To make my lectures more interesting, I have to read more books, explore new knowledge and gain a better understanding of the world-the very thing I like to do in my life. 有简单句,也有复杂句:As a teacher, I can freely express my opinions and explain them in my own way since nobody will interfere with me; 还有同位语句，断裂句，排比句，比较句等,因而文章读起来节奏感强。所谓句子变化，主要是指句子的开头要有变化，句子的结构要有变化，句子的长度要有变化。不要连续使用几个简单句，要学会使用复杂句。
例子2
a) Teenagers are pressured by school work. They are
also encouraged by their peers. Under such
circumstances, they resort to smoking. But sometimes
they feel a little guilty.
b) pressured by school work and encouraged by their
peers, teenagers often resort to smoking, tough
they feel a little guilty sometimes.
不要总是以有生命的名词和人称代词开头。
例子3
a) Many people think birth control is quite necessary
in China.
b) It is widely/commonly thought/believed/held/accepted
that birth control is quite necessary in China.
a) More and more people agree
that women should enjoy full equality with men.
b) There is a growing agreement
that women should enjoy full equality with men.
a) Many Chinese people have gone to the United
States in the past 15 years.
b) The past 15 years have brought many Chinese
people to the United States.
a) We almost forget this event.
b) This event is now almost fading from our memory.