Sentence Fluency
From 7th Grade Wiki
Contents |
Mr. Cronin’s Really Bad Sentence Fluency
I woke up. It was Sunday. I went downstairs. I ate cereal. The cereal was good. I watched SportsCenter. SportsCenter said the Patriots were good. I took a shower. I got changed. I went to the store. I bought food. I went home. I read for a little bit. I worked on the computer. I made dinner. I burned the bread. I watched some dumb show. I got tired. I went to bed.
What’s Wrong:
It's choppy, the sentences are too short, the sentences all start the same way, they all follow the same pattern, there is no transition between sentences
How to Fix It:
- Vary the start of the sentence
- You can start with the subject (Burt went to the concert.)
- Begin with a modifier (Quickly, Burt ran to get in line.)
- Start with a clause or phrase (At the end of the line, Burt waited patiently. Knowing the line would move quickly, Burt continued to wait.)
- Use prepositional phrases (On my way to the store, After breakfast)
- Use transition words
- Prepositions: on, near, at above, across, under, after, below
- Time: then, next, when, finally
- Comparison: similarly, also, like
- Contrast: however, yet, still, although
- Add info: another, finally, in addition, moreover, besides
- Use a variety of simple / complex / compound sentences (ex. I decided to go to the store. On my way there, it started to rain. Although the rain fell softly at first, within minutes it became a deluge.)
- Combine sentences by listing items in a series, or by making more complex sentence.
- Don't use any of the solutions too much
On Your Own
Write a paragraph about one of your days in the last week. Use atrocious sentence fluency.
