ADVERTISEMENT

The beauty of reading is that you never know what strange word constructions your eyes might come across—it’s an exercise in expanding our imaginations. Meanwhile, the beauty of writing lies in the fact that sometimes, when you’re caught up in the flow of things, you never truly know what you’ll end up saying until you put pen to paper (or, rather, pixelated ink to word processing documents).

Any writer worth their salt knows the joy of writing something powerful, unique, and mesmerizing. However, people create new and interesting sentences all the time, whether they’re amateur writers, seasoned professionals, or hate writing altogether.

Sometimes, these new sentences appear entirely by accident. Sometimes, after someone slips the Muses a $5 bill. Don’t believe us? Well then, you’re in for a treat. Today, we’re featuring the r/BrandNewSentence subreddit, a community of nearly 1 million members, entirely dedicated to the sentence “never before written, found in the wild.” It’s a writer’s, reader’s, and language-lover’s dream subreddit.

Bored Panda reached out to Doug Murano to learn about how to write impactful sentences that jump off the page, and what mistakes new writers should avoid making. (Spoiler warning: the idea that less is more definitely still applies.) Doug is a writer, Bram Stoker Award-winning editor, and the founder of Bad Hand Books.

"A teacher of mine once told me words aren't the basic units of meaning—sentences are. So this is an important consideration," he told us. According to Doug, a lot of what makes sentences shine comes down to context and rhythm, not the "particular ingredients" of a sentence. "If you're a writer, that means vary up your sentence lengths and listen to the momentum you're creating. You can lull your reader into a groove with sentences that stretch on, describe setting, investigate a character's state of mind or follow action. Then add a punch at the end with a shorter sentence. It works."

When you’re done upvoting the most unusual and fresh sentences in this list, Bored Panda invites you to read through our first article about r/BrandNewStence. You can find it right over here. And if you can remember the most bizarre sentence you’ve ever written, dear Pandas, we’d love it if you shared it in the comment section.

Writer and editor Doug told Bored Panda that in order to get a reader's attention, a sentence doesn't necessarily have to be bizarre or unusual. However, it all depends on the context.

"Opening lines for stories or essays often benefit from a little twist because they're meant to draw a reader into the world you're creating. Then again, one of the most famous sentences in the English language is 'Jesus wept,' which is short, straightforward, and not bizarre, unusual, or even that descriptive. I'll bang this drum again: if context isn't everything, it's most of it."

#2

Supportive Grandma

Supportive Grandma

wittyotter_ Report

Doug told Bored Panda that many new writers cannot grasp the idea that they should be writing less and omitting some details. "New writers often believe more is more and, as a result, they'll start doing something I call 'tap-dancing in front of a burning building.' Essentially, this means you're drawing more attention to yourself as a writer than the picture you're trying to create because you lack restraint. Let the reader fill in some of the gaps in their own minds and resist the urge to toss descriptive and figurative language in every sentence."

ADVERTISEMENT

Founded back in the summer of 2018, r/BrandNewSentence celebrates the idea that never before seen sentences can pop up at any time, in any place. Whatever you might think of social media, you can’t deny that it’s a goldmine of awesome content if you know where to look. And the members of r/BrandNewSentence definitely know where to look.

Naturally, the subreddit is all about uniqueness, so reposts aren’t allowed. According to the mods, in order for a sentence to qualify for being posted on the sub, it has to “never been said before,” cannot be an idiom, and has to be “humorous or confusingly worded.”

#4

That'd Be Great

That'd Be Great

jonacuff Report

#5

A Two Pound Meat Potato

A Two Pound Meat Potato

Cleverusername531 Report

Add photo comments
POST
rebeccaflanagan avatar
Rebecca Flanagan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG! True on every account. I can "hear" my childhood pet guinea pig; is name was Weepa as in the noise he screeched day and night.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#6

What If I'm That One?

What If I'm That One?

regian24 Report

Add photo comments
POST
the_true_opifex avatar
Katie Lutesinger
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was on my way to the pub and I found a street sign that had fallen off its post and thought it would look cool in my window at home, so I stuffed it in my bag with at least half of it poking out and spent the next couple of hours at the pub drinking with this thing sitting next to me on the bench. Just as I was leaving some guy sneaked up behind me and snapped a picture of the girl carrying a huge street sign around in her tiny backpack, and I just KNOW it ended up on Facebook. (I've still got the sign).

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

The subreddit’s moderators suggest that people check the uniqueness of a sentence by searching for it on Google (don’t forget the double quotation marks to look for exact quotes) before posting anything.

“If the results produced are many and have various apparition dates, it is most likely that the sentence is brand new. If there are many results, but all on the same day, the sentence is likely new (and therefore qualifies for this sub) but has become popular (which is OK),” they explain.

ADVERTISEMENT
#7

Individually Assigned Rodent Friend

Individually Assigned Rodent Friend

MainSWish Report

Add photo comments
POST
popapach avatar
troufaki13
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe each rodent has special skills like Ratatouille and is seeking its human so they can work together

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Previously, Bored Panda spoke to Dr. Lisa McLendon, from the University of Kansas, about keeping our English skills sharp and our grammar game up to par. According to her, there are some pitfalls that non-native speakers tend to fall into when learning English.

“For students whose native language lacks articles (a, an, the), articles are by far the hardest category of words to master. Verb tense/aspect is also really hard—the difference between ‘I read,’ ‘I am reading,’ and ‘I do read’ is nonexistent in many other languages,” Lisa told us. However, native speakers deal with their own linguistic challenges.

#10

Beer Angel

Beer Angel

vcole37 Report

Add photo comments
POST
keith-johnson avatar
KJ
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When your smashing tiny projectiles around at high speed is a great time to have a beer.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#11

Stop Judging Yourself For Not Being A Hive Insect

Stop Judging Yourself For Not Being A Hive Insect

diveonfire Report

Add photo comments
POST
alexa-sooter avatar
ThatOneWriter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know this is supposed to be a thread on weird sentences but this is also REALLY GOOD advice.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#12

Exclusively By

Exclusively By

tim_locky Report

ADVERTISEMENT

In her experience as an editor, as well as a teacher, Lisa noticed that native speakers have a lot of trouble with past passive participles in speech (for example. saying ‘I had went’). When it comes to writing, they find punctuation, homophones (for instance, peek vs. peak), and misplaced modifiers challenging.

“Read! Read widely and frequently. Read magazines, newspapers, novels, even cereal boxes. But be careful when scrolling through social media, which although it can give you a good idea of current slang and shorthand, is often not a great model of clarity, accuracy, or good grammar,” the professor gave advice for anyone wanting to improve.

According to her, if we rely too much on spell-check and autocorrect, we can end up turning off our critical thinking skills. In short, we can forget how to think and write.

“Because spell-check and autocorrect are everywhere, what seems to be the biggest problem is words that are spelled correctly but aren’t the right word, like ‘form’ instead of ‘from,’ ‘it’s’ instead of ‘its,’ or ‘defiantly’ instead of ‘definitely.’”

ADVERTISEMENT
#18

Brand New Sentence And I Don’t Think My Mans Took One Breath

Brand New Sentence And I Don’t Think My Mans Took One Breath

Amphibian_Decent Report

The professor also suggests having someone look over your work in order to find any mistakes that you might have left behind.

“When you’ve written something, your brain already knows what you’re thinking and what you meant to say, even if you didn’t actually say it. So when you read your own writing, you unconsciously fill in missing words, skip over typos, fail to see ambiguity, etc. Another person, someone who sees only what’s on the page and not what’s in your head, can help you spot mistakes and improve your writing. This is especially important if you are carving something in stone or getting a tattoo with words in it.”

#19

Have Fun Moving To Kansas You Tiny Idiot

Have Fun Moving To Kansas You Tiny Idiot

dave_cactus Report

Add photo comments
POST
laurencaswell4 avatar
Lauren Caswell
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A moth flew into my freezer last night when I opened the door, I got him out within 5-8 seconds but he was still and on his back. Put my fingertip gently on his legs and to his body, finger felt cold suddenly, moth woke up and flew away. TLDR: moth tried out cryogenics in my freezer, he was successful 😃

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#20

Hönkhalt

Hönkhalt

genius23sarcasm Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#22

Poor Syntax Error

Poor Syntax Error

manescaped Report

Add photo comments
POST
ner_diz avatar
Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

X Æ A-12 is going to become 2 x X Æ A-6 and thus the custody will be evenly distributed.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#23

Cleetus Had Been Up For 3 Days Drinking Paint Tinner

Cleetus Had Been Up For 3 Days Drinking Paint Tinner

DrakeGatsby Report

#25

Hp P*ssyjet V5000

Hp P*ssyjet V5000

Napthus Report

Add photo comments
POST
shopgirl012974 avatar
Alicia M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's sad that the older kids in these extremely large families are burdened with caring for the younger children and a lot of housework b/c the parents can't possibly do it all by themselves. I think this is selfish.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

Lies And December

Lies And December

QueeeenEllie Report

Add photo comments
POST
wendillon avatar
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And that is why he gets an A despite the fact he's spouting bullshit....it's beautiful, poetic bullshit.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

Fax-Sending Samurai

Fax-Sending Samurai

badvibeskei Report

Add photo comments
POST
ner_diz avatar
Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Robert. E. Lee. Is. An. A*hole. Racist. Send. Him. To. Japan. The reply: Will. Do. Send. Sushi.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

Raptor

 Raptor

sarromae Report

#30

Frenchman's Sock

Frenchman's Sock

ijiessur Report

Add photo comments
POST
chrismugea avatar
C. Wade
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah I'm pretty sh*t at chess but no one can touch my Frenchman's cumsock game.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#32

Illegal Occupation Of November

Illegal Occupation Of November

SaltNVinegarNips Report

#33

Imagine Being Abducted By Aliens And They Give You A Gucci Belt

Imagine Being Abducted By Aliens And They Give You A Gucci Belt

Zulrambe Report

Add photo comments
POST
napalmglop avatar
Rod Egret
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But I don't want to mate with people attracted by Gucci belts!!!!

View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

Anybody?

Anybody?

regian24 Report

#35

Lower Case T's Started Hurting

Lower Case T's Started Hurting

TheAndrewNadeau Report

#37

Blaise

Blaise

MarcSnetiker Report

Add photo comments
POST
laurencaswell4 avatar
Lauren Caswell
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If she doesn't like getting shocks, she should skip Lt. Surge. She will end up Brock-en hearted

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#38

"I Guess God Does Hair"

"I Guess God Does Hair"

jellydude69 Report

Add photo comments
POST
eppetot avatar
Eppe
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why was she wearing clothes? That t-shirt is just a big mask for your torso.

View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#41

Missed An Opportunity There

Missed An Opportunity There

livsfjernfo Report

Add photo comments
POST
shopgirl012974 avatar
Alicia M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine having gonorrhea and diarrhea at the same time. There's absolutely no place in your nether regions that doesn't hurt.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#42

Wondering When That Point Comes

Wondering When That Point Comes

KylePlantEmoj Report

#43

The Pomegranate Trials

The Pomegranate Trials

Un_FaZed211 Report

Add photo comments
POST
dianabuckland_2 avatar
Diana Buckland
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a person with ADHD, depending on where you're at the pomegranate can be your greatest delight or worst nightmare...you know what I'm talking about...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#44

Never Heard That One Before. Am I Wrong?

Never Heard That One Before. Am I Wrong?

voododildo Report

Add photo comments
POST
chrismugea avatar
C. Wade
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

F*ck yeah. Reddit, where posting content is just an excuse to create comments like this. I swear it's 25% the content and 75% the comments for me lol

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#46

I'm Going To Eat Rocks To Find The Good Ones

I'm Going To Eat Rocks To Find The Good Ones

therealcbrad Report

#47

Owning An Old Home

Owning An Old Home

braidednosehair Report

Add photo comments
POST
kifflington avatar
BigOrangeTractor
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, old is good, you just need to go older. Our place was built in the 1700s (possibly earlier, nobody's sure) and we were concerned about the ability of the attic beams to carry the workman's weight when he went up there to install loft insulation. When he came down he told us we had no problem there, they were about a foot square... Old can be gooooood.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#48

Grape On Endangered Species List

Grape On Endangered Species List

harry_hall Report

#49

"They Know So Much About Loafers It Ruined Their Life"

"They Know So Much About Loafers It Ruined Their Life"

Western-Edge-965 Report

Add photo comments
POST
levpertsov avatar
Loty
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, the girlfriend has NO idea. I'm a proud member of 250,000 strong planted aquarium community on reddit mostly discussing different types of algae and micro-dosing. Daily. I don't even own an aquarium anymore.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#50

Ska In A Nutshell

Ska In A Nutshell

regian24 Report

Add photo comments
POST
randomcitizen avatar
XenoMurph
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Halloumi fries, and not many 13 year olds know what Ska is. This whole comment is Madness.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

See Also on Bored Panda