中国人喜欢使用"but"从句：同中文一样，在英文中这也是连接两个短句的简单方法。要避免单一的"but"从句，可以考虑采用以下这些变化形式：

Plain: The children at school were familiar with many games, but Li Hua had never even heard of them.
Interesting: The children at school were familiar with games Li Hua had never even heard of.

Plain: The room was silent, but suddenly there was a clap of thunder outside.
Interesting: The silence of the room was broken by a sudden clap of thunder outside.

Plain: They were passionate lovers not only onstage but also off stage.
Better: They were passionate lovers onstage and off.

Plain: Outside the cinema, she lit a cigarette, not necessarily because she had a desire to smoke, but because she felt the need for warmth.
Better: Outside the cinema, she lit a cigarette, as much from the need for warmth as from any desire to smoke.

Plain: It was meant to be a brief kiss, but it turned into a long, lingering one.
Interesting: What was meant to be a brief kiss turned into a long, lingering one.

Plain: Music lightens life, but literature deepens it.
Interesting: Music lightens life; literature deepens it.

Plain: The film "Chariots of Fire" is about some young runners, but it is more than just that.
Interesting: The film "Chariots of Fire" is much more than just a story of young runners.

Plain: It is not his height but his weight that prevented him from competing in the race.
Interesting: His weight, not his height, prevented him from competing in the race.

Plain: Susan seemed unsuitable for the part, but she turned out to be the best actress in the production.
Interesting: Susan seemed unsuitable for the part, yet she turned out to be the best actress in the production.

Plain: Old Wang is often described as a happy-go-lucky person, but the last half hour of the hike home he was interested in nothing but a bath and a bed.
Interesting: Old Wang, an otherwise happy-go-lucky person, thought of only two things the last half hour of the hike home: a bath and a bed.

关于"if...then"和"if"从句
除了"but"从句，很多学英语的人还会过多使用"if … then"或是"if"从句。这些从句本身并不是不好。但我们这里讨论的是多样性及其必要性。看看下例：

Before: If you fail to pass the drug test, we will have to dismiss you from your job.
After: Failure to pass the drug test will result in job dismissal.

修改后的句子语气显得稍强一些。同时因为句中省掉了"you"，使句子在语气上减少了对抗性。这个解题对策适用于每种人称，不单单指"you"。

Plain: If one imitates, one cannot expect to be great.
Interesting: No person ever yet became great by imitation.

Plain: If we want to end a war quickly, we must lose it.
Interesting: The quickest way to end a war is to lose it.

Plain: If we were directed from government bureaucracy when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.
Interesting: Were we directed from government bureaucracy when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.

Plain: Several staff members have checked the manuscript to see if it is accurate and easy to use.
Interesting: Several staff members have checked the manuscript for accuracy and ease of use.

Plain: If words are taken out of context, they are not very likely to mean the same as they do when they are in context.
Interesting: Words taken out of context do not always mean what they do in context.