Choice of sentence structure

Writing style:

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       In literature, writing style is the manner of expressing thought in language characteristic of an individual, period, school, or nation. Thus, style is a term that may refer, at one and the same time, to both conventions that go beyond the individual writer and to singular aspects of individual writing. Beyond the essential elements of  spelling, grammer, and puncuation , writing style is the choice of  words,sentence structure, and  paragraph structure, used to convey the meaning effectively. The former are referred to as rules, elements, essentials, mechanics, or handbook; the latter are referred to as style, or rhetoric. The rules are about whata writer does; style is about how the writer does it. While following the rules drawn from established English usage, a writer has great flexibility in how to express a concept. The point of good writing style is to

• express the message to the reader simply, clearly, and convincingly;
• keep the reader attentive, engaged, and interested;

not to

• display the writer’s personality
• demonstrate the writer’s skills, knowledge, or abilities;

although these are usually evident and are what experts consider the writer’s individual style.

Choice of words:

      Diction, or the choice of words, is obviously a central element in every writer’s style. Although good diction is partly a matter of trial and error, of tinkering with sentences until they sound right, it is also a matter of following certain general preferences that careful readers and writers tend to share.

Some methods for using diction effectively in writing:

• Use a dictionary and thesaurus
• Seek a middle level of diction
• Call things by their names
• Avoid redundancy and circumlocution
• Avoid clichés
• Avoid jargon
• Avoid obsolete, archaic, or invented words
• Avoid slang, regional expressions, and nonstandard English
• Avoid qualifiers
• Avoid fancy words
• Use words in their established senses
• Avoid offensive or sexist language
• Say no more than you mean
• Be as concrete as your meaning allows
• Use logical terms precisely
• Put statements in positive form
• Make metaphors vivid and appropriate
• Prefer vivid nouns and active verbs to adjectives and adverbs

Choice of sentence structure :

         Sooner or later, a writer will have the essential elements of formal sentence correctness under control and will want to find the best ways of making sentences convey meaning effectively: how to phrase statements definitely, place coordinate thoughts in coordinate structures,  subordinate to sharpen the relation between main assertions and modifying elements, eliminate unnecessary words, vary sentence structure, maintain consistency of tone , and smooth the general flow of words. Seemingly minor improvements—the moving of a  clause from one position to another, a shift from the passive to the active voice , even a slight change in rhythm—can make the difference between drab sentences and pointed ones.

Some methods for writing effective sentences:

• Avoid irrelevancy
• Make real assertions
• Rely on the active voice
• Coordinate to show that ideas belong together
• Repeat words, phrases, and clauses for emphasis
• Make series consistent and climactic
• Subordinate to show which is the main statement
• Subordinate to avoid monotony
• Subordinate to break up lengthy compound sentences
• Choose an appropriate means of subordination
• Place subordinate elements where they will convey the exact meaning
• Subordinate in one direction per sentence
• Be concise but do not omit necessary words
• Break the monopoly of declarative sentences
• Vary the order and complexity of sentence elements
• Vary the length of the sentences.
• Be consistent
• Avoid distracting repetitions of sound
• Listen for sentence rhythm
• Use parallel construction
• Keep related words together

Choice of paragraph structure:

        The most important unit of meaning in every literary work is the paragraph. Although each sentence conveys a thought, a literary work is not just a sequence of, say, eighty thoughts; it is rather a development of one central thesis through certain steps. Those steps are paragraphs. Within an effective paragraph the sentences support and extend one another in various ways, making a single, usually complex, unfolding idea.

Apart from outright incoherence, choppiness, or long- windedness , perhaps the most common flaw in paragraph construction is rigidity of presentation. Having something to say, the writer merely says it—and goes on to do just the same in the following paragraph. As a result, the reader feels, not like a participant in the writer’s thought, but like someone receiving instructions or being shown a rapid succession of images.

Some methods for writing effective paragraphs:

• Pursue one main idea
• Place the main idea emphatically
• Choose a suitable pattern of development
• Link sentences within each paragraph
• Link each paragraph to the next
• Vary the length of the paragraphs
• Move between generality and detail
• Keep things moving
• Write in paragraph blocks
• Make the first paragraph count
• End with a strong paragraph