6 Traits of Good Writing

1. 6 Traits of Good Writing Sentence Fluency

2. Definition: The way individual words and phrases sound together within a sentence, and how groups of sentences sound when read one after the other

3. Elements of Sentence Fluency • The sentences are well constructed; they are complete and correct. • The sentences vary in length, structure, and complexity. • The sentences have varied beginnings. • The sentences include creative and appropriate connectives (transitions). • The writing has rhythm and cadence. • The sentences showcase the meaning.

4. Sentence Fluency in The Writing Process Prewriting Drafting Publishing Sentence Fluency Sharing Editing Revising

5. Two Faces of Sentence Fluency Creative and Personal • Sentences are easy to read • Sentence beginnings are varied and purposeful • Play with style; short and long sentences • Fragments ok when used for emphasis Informational • Sentences are clear, direct, concise • Direct subject-verb structure dominates • Sentences are grammatically correct and complete • More technical the content, the shorter the sentences

6. Here’s a student example… When I came home from school I headed right down to the lakefront. It had been a rough day, and it’s always been easier to think when I’m looking at that big, blank expanse of water. My guidance counselor was really upset with me when I told him I wasn’t going to college next year. He kept going on about my good science grades, my potential, my future. But that’s just it. It’s my future, and I just don’t see college as part of it—at least not right now. My parents aren’t thrilled about my decision, either, but it’s too late to do anything about it now. I missed all the application deadlines. Tomorrow I’m going down to enlist in the navy. I know it’s not what people expect of a girl my age, but I want to experience those big ships, to spend time out on the ocean. I can study oceanography in the navy better than at any school. And there’s always been something pulling me to the water. My biology teacher used to talk about how we all came from the sea, and I laughed and said I always thought I had seawater in my veins. I just know this is the right decision, and that I am finally steering the right course.

7. Always ask… • Is it fun to read aloud? Can you read it with expression? • Can you breeze through sentences quickly, never losing the main thought? • Do too many sentences start the same way? Am I doing that for effect or as an accident? • When I read this aloud, does anything sound awkward or repetitive?

8. Varying Sentence Length • Variety in length can help the reader stay engaged with smooth and/or abrupt changes in length. • You can measure the length of a sentence simply by counting the words. • Short sentences = 3 to 6 words • Average sentences = approximately 8 to15 words • Long sentences may be as long as 20 words or more

9. Varying Sentence Length • Too many short sentences in a row? • Juvenile writing • I like dogs. Dogs are loyal. They like to bark. • Too many average sentences in a row? • BORING • Too many long sentences in a row? • Overwhelming and confusing • Reader feels lost.

11. Sentence Combining • What is it? • 1 + 1 = 1 • Why is it beneficial? • Helps you develop style/voice—multiple options • Focuses on how writing sounds to others • Vary sentence combinations to convey different ideas • Reduces repetition and choppiness

12. Basic Practice • Kernels • Kernel sentence = “irreducible” sentence • The dog ran. • The boy played. • The bird sang. • The lesson is boring. • Combine kernels with punctuation, words, or phrases to create new sentences.

13. Combine the kernels • The students are happy. • The students are smart.

14. Combined • The smart students are happy. • The happy students are smart. • The students are smart and happy. • Happy students are smart. • Smart students are happy. • Happy and smart are the students

15. Combination possibilities • Combine without changing anything—just make sure it’s grammatically correct • Rearrange words (parts of speech) • Add transitional words • For instance • However • In reality • Nonetheless • For/and/nor/but/yet/so • because • Add or eliminate details (what is important?) • Change word forms • “threw” to “was throwing”

16. How to decide on combinations • Think about… • What information is redundant? • Take it out! • What information is most important? • Should be the main focus of your combined sentenced • What is the relationship between the kernels? • Clue with linking words—because of, which, however, and, so, but, yet, or, etc.

17. More isn’t always better.Cut the extra words. Example: The stadium has enough parking space for fans’ automobiles and other vehicles. The stadium has ample parking space.

18. Final thought • As long as you follow grammar rules, no combinations are wrong. • However, some combinations may be more effective than others. This depends on: • Context within paragraph—content and structure • Audience • Topic/purpose

19. Varying Sentence Beginnings We can’t start every sentence the same way. We can’t expect people to read our writing if we do. We can’t keep using the same words over and over at the beginning. We can’t do this because it drives readers crazy! It also makes the writing hard to understand. Why? Because readers start paying more attention to the repetition of the sounds than they do to the meaning of the words.

20. For Example: We went to the baseball game. We had fun. It was raining hard. We got soaked. Vary the beginnings and combine sentences : Despite being soaked from the driving rain, we had fun at the baseball game.

21. Varying Sentence Beginnings • Julian, my ten-year old brother, has an irrational dislike of cheese. Julian will not knowingly eat anything that has cheese, and in fact the simple mention of cheese may very well throw him into a fit. Julian’s favorite food is bizarrely pizza. Julian will quite happily eat any dish so long as no one mentions it contains cheese. Julian’s predilection annoys me not only because my favorite thing to eat is cheesecake, but also because it reminds me that as a kid I had an even stranger quirk: I refused to eat Asian food. 

22. Varying Sentence Beginnings • Julian, my ten-year old brother, has an irrational dislike of cheese. He will not knowingly eat anything that has cheese, and in fact the simple mention of cheese may very well throw him into a fit. Bizarrely, one of his favorite foods is pizza, and he will quite happily eat any dish so long as no one mentions it contains cheese. Julian’s predilection annoys me not only because my favorite thing to eat is cheesecake, but also because it reminds me that as a kid I had an even stranger quirk: I refused to eat Asian food. 

23. Varying Sentence Beginnings Rewrite the following sentence as many ways as you can WITHOUT CHANGING THE MEANING You have to be clever to survive school.

24. Varying Sentence Beginnings You have to be clever to survive school. Need help? Use the following sentence starters: • “Being clever… • “Surviving school… • “School…

25. Varying Transitions/Conjunctions • We have a tendency to rely on certain transitions and conjunctions, and that can get repetitive. Sometimes we don’t even realize our tendencies and don’t take the time to reread. Overuse can cause readers to focus on the repetition, and that causes a loss of meaning. Reading your writing out loud and having someone read it to you and listening while they read can help you find areas where you should delete and change words. Doing this will make your writing smoother and better and easier to understand for you and your readers.

26. Rewrite the explanation without using “and” • We have a tendency to rely on certain transitions and conjunctions, and that can get repetitive. Sometimes we don’t even realize our tendencies and don’t take the time to reread. Overuse can cause readers to focus on the repetition, and that causes a loss of meaning. Reading your writing out loud and having someone read it to you and listening while they read can help you find areas where you should delete and change words. Doing this will make your writing smoother and better and easier to understand for you and your readers.

27. Final practice with sentence combining… 1.I live in a house. 2. The house is made of brick. 3. The brick is red. 4. The house has a garage. 5. The garage is brown. 6. The garage is made of wood 7. There is a fence. 8. The fence is high. 9. The fence goes around the house • I like the backyard. • The backyard has trees. Combine all of these details into 2 to 4 sentences using the three things we talked about: vary the length, vary the beginnings, and vary the transitions/conjunctions (you can’t use “and” or “but”)

28. Final Tips • Read it out loud. • Have someone read it to you. • Combine. • Don’t get breathless. • Check out those first four words. • Look for repetition. • Read other people’s writing out loud.

29. Your Task • Read through your personal statement. Make changes to intentionally… • Vary sentence lengths • Vary sentence beginnings • Vary transitions and conjunctions Think about what information you want to emphasize—how can you make that stand out with the sentence structure?