Lesson
Four: Style andTone
Sentence
Variety
Many
students think that the longer the sentence they write,
the better the sentence. This is far from the truth. You
do not need long, complicated sentences to show that you
are a good writer. In fact, short sentences often pack the
most punch. The best essays contain a variety of sentence
lengths, mixed within any given paragraph. Try reading your
essay out-loud, pausing at every period. Listen to the rhythm
of your prose. Are all of the sentences the same length?
If each of your sentences twists and turns for an entire
paragraph, or you run out of breath at any point, break
them up into smaller statements. You may also want to try
a more methodical approach:
EXERICISE
#3: SENTENCE VARIETY
Once
you have completed your essay, try labeling each sentence
“short” (under 10 words), “medium” (under 20 words), or
“long” (20 or more words). A nice paragraph might read something
like M S M L M S. A dry essay would be S S S M L L L.
 Continue
to Word Choice
|
,
by Amy Burnham, Daniel Kaufman, and Chris Dowhan.
Copyright 1998 by Dan Kaufman. Reprinted by
arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
