A sentence brings together a noun, which names a thing, with a verb, which says something about that thing. That is all a sentence needs: everything else is optional. If you put the right nouns and verbs in the right slots, the other words fall into place around them. By varying the types of noun and verb, you give your sentences a grain and texture that begins to approximate life. The task is to layer reality without extracting too much verbal heat—to be intricate but not convoluted, and just as simple as is needed, but no more.
