10 Sentence Structures That Stop You Freezing in IB English

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If you’ve ever frozen up in IB English because you don’t have the right words, this is the fix for you. These ten sentence models help you write faster, sound more confident, and actually say what the examiner wants to see.

Original sentence:
The hyperbole “a million times” emphasises frustration.

1. Using inversion 

“A million times” is hyperbolic, expressing frustration.
→ The sentence starts with the example instead of the device, flipping the order to foreground the phrase itself.

2. Using a participial phrase

By exaggerating with the phrase “a million times,” the speaker highlights frustration.
→ A participial phrase is added at the start to explain how the effect is created before the main clause.

3. Using a cleft‑style structure

It is frustration that the hyperbole “a million times” conveys.
→ The sentence isolates and emphasises the key idea (frustration) using a cleft structure.

4. Cause–effect structure

The phrase “a million times” exaggerates repetition, which reinforces the speaker’s frustration.
→ The sentence is split into cause (exaggeration) and effect (frustration) using a linking clause.

5. Relative clause

The hyperbole “a million times,” which is not meant to be taken literally, underscores frustration.
→ Extra information is embedded in a relative clause instead of being stated directly.

6. Passive construction

Frustration is emphasised through the hyperbolic expression “a million times”.
→ The focus shifts from who/what does the action to the effect itself by using the passive voice.

7. Short, punchy

“A million times” conveys frustration.
The sentence is stripped down to its core for clarity and impact.

8. Explanatory appositive

The phrase “a million times”, a clear exaggeration, signals frustration.
→ An appositive briefly explains the phrase inside the sentence without adding length.

9. Nominalisation

The hyperbolic emphasis created by “a million times” reflects frustration.
→ The verb (emphasises) is turned into a noun phrase (the emphasis), creating a more formal tone.

10. Fronted prepositional phrase

As a hyperbole, “a million times” emphasises frustration.
→ A prepositional phrase is moved to the front to frame the analysis before the main clause.