This exercise from Josten's Digital Classroom really illustrates the importance of variety in sentence structure. You will be required to complete this exercise by Wednesday September 24th.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I will vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I
will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals — sounds that say listen to this, it is important.” — Gary Provost
Considering this quote, write about the photo of students racing to their lockers. Then, reread your work and try to vary your sentence length. Edit your work, considering not only punctuation and grammar, but also descriptive detail and sequence.
(from Jostens Digital classroom)
