Sentence Fluency

“Clarity, Clarity, clarity. When you become hopelessly mired in a sentence, it is best to start fresh…”
-    Strunk and White
The Elements of Style

Read what you write aloud and listen to the rhythm of the language. Do you like what you hear? Does it make you sit up and take notice, or are you lulled to sleep by the sing-song sameness of each sentence pattern? Writers who read a lot notice that they develop a feeling for sentences that some people call “sentence sense.” It’s that sense that there’s more than one way to say a thing – but some ways just sound better than others.

Your sentences should be clear; they should make sense. Cut the deadwood. Don’t say: “At this point in time, we feel we are about ready to begin to fight.” Say, “Now we’re ready to fight.” Make every word work hard and your sentences will be powerful, full of punch.

Notice how your sentences begin. These beginnings are repetitive and boring: “We went to the beach. We had fun. We saw seagulls. We went home.” Yawn! Vary the openings and combine very short sentences: “Despite being overrun with pesky seagulls, we had fun at the beach.”

Don’t let sentences drift on too long, either. If a sentence feels unwieldy, out of control, slice it in half. Make two sentences. As William Zinsser tells us, “There is no minimum length for a sentence that’s acceptable…Among good writers it is the short sentence that predominates.”

Read your work aloud and listen to the rhythm and flow of the words. Does the fluency match the mood and content? Long and flowing where the piece is descriptive and thoughtful; short and snappy where you need to make a point.

To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write.
- Gertrude Stein

 

Sentence Fluency

1.    Paper-Varied and Natural
The sentences in my paper are clear and delightful to read aloud.

•    Some sentences are long and stretchy, while some are short and snappy.
•    It’s easy to read my paper aloud. I love the sound.
•    Sentence beginnings vary; they show how ideas connect.
•    You can tell that I have good ‘sentence sense’ because my paper just flows.
•    All excess baggage has been cut. I’ve economized with words.

3.    Paper-Routine and Functional
Some sentences are choppy or awkward, but most are clear.

•    Some of my sentences are smooth and natural, but others are halting.
•    Sentence beginnings are more alike than different.
•    I need to add linking words (Therefore… Later… For this reason… When this happened…) to show how sentences connect.
•    Some sentences should merge; others need to be cut in two.
•    I have used more words than necessary ~ I still need to trim some deadwood.

1.    Paper-Needs Work
Because there isn’t enough ‘sentence sense’ yet, this paper is difficult to read aloud, even with practice.

•    As I read my paper, I have to go back, stop, and read over, just to figure out the sentence.
•    I’m having a hard time telling where one sentence stops and another begins.
•    The sentence patterns in my paper are so repetitive they might put my reader to sleep!
•    I have to do quite a bit of oral editing (leaving some words out, putting some others in) just to help the listener get the meaning.

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