A Guide to Developing a Dynamic Writing Style

Admin Posts : 46 Join date : 2007-12-09

olordyx wrote:: The Masterful Stylist: A Guide to Developing a Dynamic Writing Style

Part One: Introduction

Welcome to olordyx’s writing guide! The goal of this guide is to show you how much you already know as a language user as well as to help you improve your skills in English.

As you read through this guide, you will see that you know quite a bit of the information within it. However, as I hope, you might also encounter material that is new to you. With that said, use this guide to help you. If anything puzzles you, don’t be afraid to ask.

Well, everything considered, I wish you well as you work to become a powerful and masterful reader and writer!

Part Two: Writing Great Sentences

Alright, so, before we look at such issues as grammar and punctuation, I think that it’s important that we cover sentence style. First off, keep your sentences clear, concise, and active. The reader shoul be able to tell what the subject and verb of the sentence is (clarity). Also, the writing needs to be crisp and straightforward so that it’s easy to follow (concise). Finally, the sentences should contain strong, active verbs.

Examples:

Dull: The stadium was filled with many spectators.
Dynamic: Their voices echoing against the concrete, thousands of spectators packed the stadium.

Dull: He went to the library. He needed books for research.
Dynamic: He hurried to the library to get some much-needed books for his research.

Dull: The sky was dark. Clouds were forming. A storm was approaching.
Dynamic: Dark clouds loomed above, foretelling of a major storm.

Now, take a look at these dynamic sentences from literature. Note how they grab the reader’s attention and hold it. They use sentence variety, strong verbs, interesting phrasing, visual imagery, and great rhythm:

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
--Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

“For the most wild, yet homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief.”
-Edgar Allan Poe, “The Black Cat”

“Everyone is born with some special talent, and Eliza Sommers discovered early on that she had two: a good sense of smell and a good memory.”
--Isabel Allende, Daughter of Fortune

Part Three: Seven Confusing Sets of Words

The follow sets of words are often misused. They are standard flaws in writing, so see which ones apply to you and learn the difference between the words.

1. accept/except
accept = to take or receive ( I accept your invitation).
except = to exclude (Everyone went except for Jane).

2. affect/effect
affect = (a verb) to change or influence (Smoking will affect your health.)
effect = (most often used as a noun) means the result (The effect of the double espresso was lots of energy.)

3. alot/a lot
There is no such word as alot. Use a lot; it is correct.

4. all right/alright
The word alright doesn't exist. Use all right.

5. among/between
Use among when referring to three or more people or objects. Use between when referring to two people or objects.

6. further/farther
Further refers to depth, time, or degree. (The case needs further investigation.)
Farther refers to distance. (I hope to travel farther next summer.)

7. who/whom
Who refers to the person doing the action. (Who is leading the parade?)
Whom refers to the person receiving the action. (Whom will you take to the party?)

Part Four: Phrases and Clauses

Phrase: A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject, or a verb, or both. A phrase cannot stand alone. It must be connected to a sentence. Here are some types of phrases:

Prepositional phrase: in the beginning; at the stroke of midnight

Participle (-ing) phrase: running through the street; singing a high note

Past participle phrase: frightened by the sound of footsteps; saddened by the death of her dog.

Infinitive phrase: to sing at the Metropolitan Opera; to perform in front of an audience

Appositive phrase: Mr. Perkins, an influential lawyer, visited our class.

Clause (Independent and Dependent)

An independent clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb. It can stand alone and function in a sentence.

Example:

The airplane ride seemed endless. (complete sentence)

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb, but it does not express a complete thought. Oftentimes, this dependent clause begins with what we call a “dependent marker word” (i.e., after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, in order to, since, though, unless, until, when, whenever, whether, and while).

Example:

Although the airplane ride seemed endless (cannot stand alone)

The clause above is dependent; it needs to be attached to an independent clause in order to become complete:

Example:

Although the airplane ride seemed endless, we had a fun time anyway. (The second clause is independent; it can stand alone).

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-Courtesy of olordyx

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