In this first lesson, we are going to discuss sentence structure. Some questions we will explore include: What are the required elements of a sentence? How can complicated sentences be broken down into smaller parts? How can we combine sentence elements grammatically?
Although as native speakers of English we instinctively know how to speak grammatically, as writers we can make errors if we don't fully understand how the parts of a sentence work together. For writers, another important issue is knowing how we can manipulate or play with these sentence elements to make our writing more lively. Varying our sentence structure can make our writing more rhythmic or emphasize certain information.
In Lesson 1, we discussed basic sentence structure, breaking sentences down into their essential elements. In this lesson, we will continue our analysis of sentences by examining two types of sentences and practicing ways to use them most effectively.
Chapter 6 in Kolln's book focuses on brevity and subordination. When used thoughtfully, very brief sentences can be a powerful way to highlight an important point, especially when used in a paragraph with mostly long sentences. On the other hand, longer sentences are useful too. When writers add adverbials or dependent clauses to a simple noun phrase + verb phrase sentence, they can both highlight important relationships between ideas and manipulate the prose rhythm.
In this lesson, we are going to discuss ways to make your writing more cohesive. In doing so, we will first learn about something called the "known-new contract" and then discuss issues of pronoun case and reference.
Have you ever had a teacher write "Awkward" on an essay? Have you ever needed to read another person's writing two or three times to understand the meaning? Violating the "known-new contract" or using pronouns incorrectly can make our writing vague and familyusing to the reader. Even when our sentences are grammatical, they can still be awkward if they don't allow the ideas from one sentence to flow gracefully into the next or if they contain pronouns whose referents are unclear. Understanding grammatical issues empowers writers to make their writing graceful through cohesion.
In Lesson 4, we are going to focus on verb usage. First, we will work on using precise verbs and then we will explore verb tenses, working to gain a deeper understanding of each tense and also looking at problem areas for writers.
A writer's prose becomes more powerful as he or she learns to use vivid, precise verbs more effectively. Studying verbs can also help writers improve clarity. Not only can a thorough understanding of verb tenses help writers avoid errors, it can also help writers avoid the familyusion caused by ambiguous verb tense usage.
This lesson focuses on the passive voice. First, we will study the structural transformation from active to passive voice, and then we will analyze ways the passive voice can be used appropriately.
Although many traditional grammar texts discourage the use of the passive voice, when used appropriately, it can become a tool that produces interesting rhetorical effects. Also, knowing how to use the passive voice effectively can make you a better reader. This knowledge can help you understand the subtleties of a writer's prose and also recognize when the passive makes writing unnecessarily wordy or impersonal.
