Sentence Fluency

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Sentence Fluency
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• Rhythmic Patterns
• Sentence Variety-Different phrases, clauses,
  structures, and lengths
• Poetic and musical
• Easy to read aloud
• NOT choppy
• Smooth and natural
• The rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of
  word patterns, the way in which the writing plays
  to the ears.

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• Your sentences should be clear and each word
  should be deliberately chosen.
• CUT the DEADWOOD! Never write things like Now
  I am going to tell you about, or This is what I
  think about _____, I hope you enjoyed reading my
  essay,
• ALWAYS avoid using the word YOU in ANY writing!
  You should never wear dirty tennis shoes.
  Instead, plug a pronoun in there. A person
  should never wear dirty tennis shoes.
• ALWAYS read your work out loud. Does it sound
  pleasing to the ear? Do you get tongue tied or
  confused? Is it difficult to read? If so, go
  back and make it smoother.
• Avoid sentences that just go on and on and on and
  on.

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USE SENTENCE VARIETY and Your Notes on Sentence
Variety!

• Notes on Gerunds
• Like nouns, gerunds can act as subjects and this
  is where your sentence variety comes in to
  practice.
• A gerund is a verb form that ends in ing and acts
  as a noun.
• Running across the yard tired out the puppy.
• Whispering in class is disruptive.
• Cooking in my moms kitchen is a memory I have
  always cherished.
• Dreaming is a common experience for people.
•  
• Notes on Infinitives
• An infinitive is a verb that usually begins with
  to. It is used as a noun at the beginning of the
  sentence and this is how we will use it for
  sentence variety. An infinitive is TO plus a
  VERB FORM
• To buy the stereo would be a mistake.
• To give something back to society is important.

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• Notes on Appositives and Appositive Phrases
• Extra information that renames a subject. A
  hunk of junk
• My sister plays the cornet, a wind instrument.
• Voyager I photographed Jupiter, our largest
  planet, in 1979.
• Juneau, the capital of Alaska, has a deep harbor.
•  
• Notes on Participle Phrases
• A participle is a verb phrase, usually but not
  always ending in ING or ED, which can be used as
  an adjective to describe a noun.
• The car sliding out of control toward building is
  going to hit the window.
• The astronaut chosen to ride the space shuttle to
  Mars is afraid of heights.
• Running down the street, Alicia tripped and fell.
  
• Scared by the spider crawling on my bed, I
  shrieked in fright!

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• Notes on Adjective Clauses
• An adjective clause is a clause that modifies a
  NOUN and begins with a RELATIVE pronoun which,
  who, whom, whose, that,
• The store which was going out of business had a
  sale!
• My sister who is also my best friend loaned me
  her jacket.
• The meeting that lasted forever bored me to
  tears!
•  
• Notes on Adverb Clauses
• A clause that modifies a verb and begins with a
  SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTION.
• after, although, as, as if, as long as, as soon
  as, because, before, even though, if, in order
  that, once, since, so that, than, though, unless,
  until, when, whenever, where, wherever, where,
  wherever, whether, while
• Because he was afraid of the monster, he ran
  home.
• When the lights went out, we lit candles.
• I ate my dinner while I was watching T.V.
•  

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• Notes on Phrases Adjective and Adverb
• An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase
  that modifies as noun. An adverb phrase is a
  prepositional phrase that modifies a verb and can
  go at the beginning of the sentence! That is how
  you will use it for sentence variety.
• Common Prepositions across, after, along,
  around, as, at, before, behind, below, beneath,
  beside, between, beyond, by, down, during,
  except, from, in, inside, into, near, on, onto,
  off, outside, over, past, since, through,
  throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, until,
  up, upon, with, within, without, according to, as
  of, aside from, because of, in front of, in place
  of, in spite of, instead of, next to, out of,
  prior to, in addition to,
• Adverb Phrases
• After dinner, I will go running.
• With all of my energy, I ran home.
• Adjective Phrases
• The boat in the water is slowly floating away.
• The store across the street is going out of
  business.
•  

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• Opening Sentences with One Word Modifiers
  Adjectives or Adverbs
• Another way to incorporate sentence variety is to
  use one word modifiers like adjectives and
  adverbs.
• Adverbs Slowly, the cat crept on the
  unsuspecting victim. Sadly, the game will be
  postponed. Adjectives Exhausted, I collapsed on
  the sofa after my run.
• Frightened, I ran into my room to avoid the
  monster
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• accidentally afterwards almost always angrily
  annually faithfully anxiously awkwardly badly
  blindly boastfully boldly bravely briefly
  brightly busily calmly carefully carelessly
  cautiously cheerfully clearly correctly
  courageously cruelly daily defiantly
  deliberately doubtfully easily elegantly
  enormously enthusiastically equally eventually
  exactly
• gladly gracefully greedily happily hastily
  honestly hourly hungrily innocently
  inquisitively joyously justly regularly
  lazily loosely loudly madly merrily monthly
  mysteriously nearly neatly nervously noisily
  obediently obnoxiously only painfully perfectly
  politely poorly powerfully promptly quickly
  quietly rapidly rarely
• reluctantly repeatedly rightfully roughly rudely
  sadly safely selfishly seriously shakily
  sharply shrilly shyly silently sleepily slowly
  smoothly softly solemnly speedily stealthily
  sternly successfully suddenly suspiciously
  swiftly tenderly tensely thoughtfully tightly
  truthfully weakly unexpectedly wildly

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• Open with a Participle phrases
• Open with adjective
• Open with prepositional phrase
• Open with a gerund phrase
• Use appositives or appositive phrases
• Open with an adverb clause
• Open with an adverb
• Cascading down the mossy cliffs, the water hummed
  like a murmur of whispers in my sleep. Crisp and
  fresh, the water settled tranquilly into a pool
  after rushing frantically down the sides of the
  rocks. Among the jungle, lush green plants
  mature wildly. Hidden behind the exotic trees
  lie mysteries of another world, one where life is
  slower. Smelling the clean scent of unpolluted
  water, I stop to take a drink of the blue,
  untainted water. The sanctuary, tucked away in a
  hidden place, is full of peace. Breathing
  deeply, I smell the sweet aroma of the pure,
  untouched freshness of this place. Because I am
  standing under the waterfall, I feel cool
  splashes of water as the rapids rush down the
  sides of the cliff. Listlessly, I allow the
  beauty to consume me.

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Homework

• Do the Worksheet on Sentence Fluency Worksheet
  SENTENCE TYPES
• ALL of your writing MUST contain sentence
  fluency, including your journals!!!
• Your journals are the perfect place to practice
  sentence variety and it is part of how I will be
  grading them.