WRITING SENTENCES WITH STYLE

WRITING SENTENCES WITH STYLE

Writing good sentences is the key to improving one‟s style of writing. It requires concentration, patience and a lot of practice. It is much more than stringing words together as they tumble out of writers‟ mind! Everyone can learn to write better sentences and improve sentences already written if writers observe the following five rules meticulously:

 Creating interest
 Making meaning clear
 Keeping sentences brief
 Making every word count
 Varying sentence pattern


(1) Creating interest
If one goes by the formal, academic styles that are commonplace in most writings, there is a strong tendency to „impress‟ rather to „express‟. Writings can be made more interesting by writing in an informal, conversational style. Since this style is used in everyday life, readers can understand easily. One must always remember that readers are customers and they should become receptive to writers‟ thoughts and ideas.
After all, the core purpose of the process of communication including written one, is to influence them to achieve some common objectives!

(2) Making meaning clear
Knowledge and application of various rules of grammar help us to focus the readers on the meanings we wish to convey. Once writers have clarity about an issue, grammar would take care of the conveyance of correct meanings. This involves the followings:
(i) Emphasizing the main idea
This can be ensured by:
(a) Using devices like capital letters, italics or blocking in word processing and printing. Using headings, inverted commas and other punctuations is also be helpful.
(b) Placing the idea effectively in a sentence. The most emphatic place is in the beginning of a sentence; next best is placing it at the end and the least important place is putting it anywhere in the middle of a sentence.
(ii) Avoiding wandering sentences
All parts of a sentence should contribute to one clear idea or impression. Long, winding and straggling sentences usually contain hodge-podge of unrelated ideas. Such long sentences should be broken up in to smaller ones or at the least, should move subordinate ideas in a subordinate form.
(iii) Avoiding ambiguity
Always remember that if a sentence can be misunderstood, it will be.
(iv) Making sure your modifiers say what you mean
Every modification to a sentence should improve the conveyance of clearer thought or idea.

(3) Keeping sentences brief
One can achieve brevity by dividing complex sentences in to small, bite-size ones. Writers must avoid unnecessary words and phrases. Needless repetition and elaborations must be deleted. A few suggestions are:
(i) Using strong verbs
Words are strongest in the verb form. Strong verbs liven up and electrify the sentence. The strong verbs add action to thoughts.
(ii) Using active forms
Active form is always preferable to a passive form of a sentence. It gives ones‟ writing a sense of energy, vitality and motion. In passive form, actor in the
sentence is not allowed to act and the verbs are made weak and feeble. Before using a passive form, make sure that there is a strong justification for it.
(iii) Changing long modifiers to shorter ones
It enhances readability and comprehension of the thought process.

(4) Making every word count
Writers must always be sincere to their readers. One should never cheat them. When readers read the message, they are really looking for ideas, thoughts and meanings. A few tips are:
(i) Making each word advance your thoughts
Following example
Look for every superfluous word and eliminate it. It will save customers‟ effort.
(ii) Consolidating thoughts
Writers can do several things to pack a sentence by combining, summarizing and consolidating thoughts succinctly.

(5) Varying sentence patterns
Varying sentence patterns imparts variety and makes the sentence reading interesting and invites attention of the readers. A few rules worthy of emulation are:
(i) Varying length of sentences
Readability experts are of the opinion that length of a sentence should not exceed 20 words (average being16 to 18 words) for the most effective communication. It is a good rule of thumb. Experienced communicators suggest that length of sentence should vary. An occasional long sentence is acceptable if it is followed by a shorter one.
(ii) Varying construction of sentences
There are four types of sentences:
 Simple
 Compound
 Complex
 Compound-complex

(a) If two or more sentences have the same idea, combine them in to one simple sentence with compound verb.
(b) If two thoughts are of equal or parallel weight, write them as two clauses in a compound sentence.
(c) If one thought is more important than the other, put it in the main clause of a complex sentence.