Beginning with the simple two-word sentence and working up to multi-clause possibilities, Templates shows students how to manipulate syntactic patterns for maximum rhetorical effect. Although it teaches grammar, it does not do so with the goal of correcting mistakes. Rather, it encourages writers to make full use of the complexity and flexibility of English sentence structure. Combining an emphasis on the writing process with both an awareness of audience and a raised consciousness about English grammar, Templates takes a unique approach to sentence-level writing and revision.

Exercises throughout the book help students to move from simpler sentence structures to more complex multi-clause constructions.