What is a lockstep sentence? Usually, it’s a sentence which begins with a subject (a noun or pronoun) and is followed by a predicate (a verb and a direct object, or a verb and a linked noun or adjective). If there is a prepositional phrase, it comes at the end of the sentence.
Here is such a lockstep sentence pattern.
1 John watched the television news. 2 He saw an interesting discussion. 3 New York’s Congressman Newman debated Delaware’s Congressman Doe. 4 Congressman Newman took the conservative position and Congressman Doe took the liberal position. 5 “That’s a good discussion,” thought John.
Notice the sentence patterns:
1 subject, verb, direct object (five words)
2 subject, verb, direct object (five words)
3 subject, verb, direct object (eight words)
4 subject, verb, direct object, conjunction, subject, verb, direct object (13 words)
5 subject, verb, predicate noun, verb, subject (six words)
These five sentences follow a lockstep pattern. They all begin with a subject. Two have adjectives before the simple subject, but all start with the complete subject. Each subject is followed by a verb which is followed by a direct object in four cases and a predicate noun in the other case. The longer sentence is actually two simple sentences following the same pattern, but connected with a conjunction to form a compound sentence.
In this case, the lockstep sentences contain few words, adding to their tedium.
A lockstep sentence pattern needn’t be this particular pattern, but it is a pattern which repeats over and over, sentence after sentence.
For some writers, the pattern is a single subject and a compound predicate. “I ate dinner and took a walk. The night was warm but humid. I stood under a tree and waited for the rain to stop. Then I went home and drank hot tea.”
For other writers, the pattern is an adverb to start the sentence followed by a subject and a predicate. “Playfully, my dog licked my ankle. Then she walked to her mat. There she scratched herself. However, she heard thunder in the distance. Immediately, she returned to my side.”
For some writers, the pattern is a series of complex sentences with the subordinate clause always coming after the independent clause. “I stopped the car because a blue light flashed ahead. Soon cars parted as a fire engine passed. Then an ambulance wailed while I checked my GPS.”
What can a writer do to avoid lockstep patterns?
First, analyze your own writing. See if you consistently use a pattern.
Next, as your write, be aware of your tendency to use that pattern. Look over your work, and if you notice that pattern, change the sentences. If you usually begin with a subject followed by a verb, start some sentences with prepositional phrases, adverbs or gerund phrases. If you usually begin with an adverb, cross out half of them, and then cross out half the rest. If you write mostly short sentences, turn some of them into complicated simple sentences or complex sentences with double the words.
Lockstep sentence patterns are like familiar car routes. We become so comfortable using them that we don’t explore new ways of expressing ourselves. But we should to keep our writing fresh and our readers engaged.
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Make your sentences clear during a first read, so the reader doesn’t say, “Huh?” A reader shouldn’t need to backtrack to figure out what you’re trying to say.
English Writing Teacher 