Writing Is Smooth and Easy on the Ear

Sentence Fluency . . .

·  Writing is smooth and easy on the ear.

·  Writing is easy to read aloud.

·  Sentences begin in a variety of ways.

·  Sentences vary in length.

·  Sentences do not feel choppy or go on aimlessly.

Sentence Crafting

Goal: To understand the difference between writing a sentence and “crafting” it. You should be able to explain the thinking behind the words you are choosing and the way you are writing a sentence.

Your task. Take one paragraph from your prompt writing and revise it with sentence fluency in mind. You can choose which element of sentence fluency you want to work on. Be ready to share your old paragraph and new paragraph with a partner. After getting feedback, revise your paragraph one more time. Please submit the old paragraph and the new one via google docs by Thursday, Nov. 13.

·  If you want to work on smooth writing, think about alliteration (same beginning sounds) and consonance (same ending sounds). Recraft your paragraph using one of these techniques, but be careful not to over do it.

·  If you want to work on the way your writing flows, read it aloud and “re-craft” any places that are hard to read or require taking a breath before a sentence break.

·  If you want to work on sentence beginnings, choose one sentence in your paragraph and re-write it in at least five different ways. Decide which one works best and be able to explain why.

·  If you want to work on sentence length or balance, count your sentences. If you have a few, really long sentences, remove any “ands,” “buts,” or “becauses.” If you have several short sentences, work on combining two or more. If you just have long paragraphs, work on reducing the total number of sentences, going from 8 to 4, for example.