Sentence variety

Would you like to vary your sentence structure to improve your writing style? This 5-point assignment might help. Check your syllabus for the due date.

1. Read four selections from the OWL at Purdue: Variation, For short, choppy sentences, For repeated subjects or topics, and For similar sentence patterns or rhythms.
2. Read the draft of your essay to find sentences that show your understanding of sentence variety and/or could use improvement.
   • Copy and paste your longest sentence from your draft into a document for this assignment. How many words is it? Are you sure it’s a correct sentence?
   • Copy and paste your shortest sentence from your draft. How many words is it?
   • Copy and paste the sentence with the most interesting opening.
   • Identify two spots in your draft that need improvement because of short, choppy sentences or repeated subjects/topics or similar sentence patterns. Copy and paste the two “before” examples from your draft and show how to improve each one to produce stronger “after” sentences. (The selections from the OWL provide good examples of this.)