AP Language and Composition Mrs. Hampsey /Ms. DiSavino

NAME ______

______

EDIT NOTE 26B: ACHIEVING SENTENCE VARIETY 20 pts.

NOTE: When every sentence in a passage begins in the same way, the effect can be monotonous.

Ex: Then the fog came. It did not roll in like a wave; it came from nowhere. It was not there – then it was. It wove its gray veil with shocking speed.

Sentence variety can be achieved by beginning a succession of sentences in different ways – with adverb modifiers, phrases, or clauses.

Ex: Then the fog came in. Rolling in like a wave, it came from nowhere. Because it sometimes was not there and then was there, with shocking speed it wove its gray veil silently surrounding and isolating our island.

INSTRUCTIONS: Rewrite the following paragraph that has sentences beginning with the same kind of phrase (type and double space):

Walking along the road, he felt the ache from the pull of the heavy pack. Climbing steadily, it was hard work. Muscles aching, Nick felt happy. Leaving everything behind, Nick felt happy.

INSTRUCTIONS: A monotonous style occurs from overuse of compound sentences. A compound sentence is a good and useful tool, but overuse dulls its edge. A succession of compound sentences is boring because the rhythm is so monotonous. Rewrite the following, varying the style of each sentence.

Ex: The storm arose without warning, and waves started to bounce our boat around. Herb pulled in the anchor, and I reeled in our lines. It was impossible to get back to our dock, so Herb steered for the point. The wind was behind us, or we would never have made it. We got fairly close, and we jumped into the water, and we pulled the boat ashore.

A succession of compound sentences can be avoided by changing one of the independent clauses into a subordinate clause or a participial phrase. Some compound sentences can be changed into simple sentences with a compound predicate.

INSTRUCTIONS: Revise the following paragraph using the various techniques for sentence variety. No sentence should be the same construction. (Type and double space)

Many of today's novelists write as if by rote. Their works all appear to be taken from the same pattern. Readers must be more critical in their choice of books. The shelves of bookstores are teeming with mediocre and inferior tales. The books are praised by their publishers as being "the greatest romance of the time" or "the year's most suspenseful novel." Even the writing is poor. Many writers are interested only in making money and not in producing good, solid literature. Few writers today are interested in contributing to the growth of the novel as a literary genre. Never have there been so many poorly written literary works available.

(Continued on back)

______

Cumulative, Periodic and Inverted Sentences 18 pts.

Use your Language of Composition books to complete the following.

Read pp. 893- 900. Type exercises 1 and 2.