Chapter 26 Achieving Variety
To make sentences work together effectively, you need to vary their length, structure, and word order to reflect the importance and complexity.
You can practice established techniques for achieving varied sentences.
Ways to achieve variety among sentences
1. Varying sentence length and structure.
2. Varying sentence beginnings
3. Inverting the normal word order.
4. Mixing types of sentences
26a. Varying sentence length and structure.
① Varying length
In most contemporary writing, sentences vary from about ten to about forty words. If most of your sentences get out of this range, you break some of the long sentences into shorter one, or try combining sentences with coordination and subordination.② Rewriting strings of brief and simple sentences
You can combine some of sentences into longer units that emphasize and link important ideas while de-emphasizing incidental information.(See p. 414 example)③ Rewriting strings of compound sentences
Compound sentences are usually just simple sentences linked with conjunctions.(See p.415 example)26b. Varying sentence beginnings
You can vary this subject-first pattern by adding modifiers or other elements before the subject.Note! The final arrangement of sentence elements should always depend on two concerns: the relation of a sentence to those preceding and following it and the emphasis required by your meaning.
① Adverb modifiers
Consider these sentences different emphases.(See p.416 example on middle paragraph)★ In standard American English, placing certain adverb modifiers at the beginning of a sentence requires you to change the normal subject-verb order as well. The most common of these modifiers are negatives, including seldom, rarely, in no case, not since, and not until.
② Adjective modifiers
These modifiers may sometimes fall at the beginning of a sentence to postpone the subject.(See p.416 example on bottom paragraph)③ Coordinating conjunctions and transitional expressions
For successive sentences, you may begin the follow such as and or but or first, for instance, however, therefore.④ Occasional expletive constructions
It or there + be~ : occasionally be useful to delay and thus emphasize the subject.However, you should use them rarely because it is more likely to flatten writing by adding extra words.
26c. Inverting the normal word order.
An inverted sentence can be emphatic. And it can be useful in two successive sentences when the second expands on the first.Ex) Particularly explicit was the curt verdict of one critic of President Hoover.
26d. Mixing types of sentences
Questions, commands, exclamations may enhance variety.Questions may set the direction of a paragraph, and more often used in exposition or simply emphasize ideas.
Commands occur frequently in an explanation of a process, particularly in directions.
Homework
With reference to learning contents, write a today’s diary using variety sentences.Posted by Minkee
