GOOD WRITING 12345

SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

GOOD WRITING

1. SIX TRAITS OF GOOD WRITING
 IDEAS
 ORGANIZATION
 VOICE
 WORD CHOICE
 SENTENCE FLUENCY
 CONVENTIONS

2. What is sentence fluency?

It refers to the way individual words and phrases sound together within a sentence and how
groups of sentences sound when read one after the other.

3. SENTENCE FLUENCY involves:
 VARIED BEGINNING
 VARIED LENGTH AND STRUCTURES
 EASY TO READ ALOUD
 RHYTHM AND FLOW
 WELL-BUILT SENTENCES

4. Varied Beginnings

Purpose: add variety and energy.
HOW: use ADJECTIVE/ADJECTIVE PHRASE or ADVERB OR ADVERBIAL PHRASE

Begin using adjective:

Look at how an adjective at the beginning of a sentence makes a difference.
Example:

1. Thomas ate two portions of meat, nothing else. Versus
Hungry, Thomas ate two portions of meat, nothing else.

2. Six-year-old Little Man never allowed dirt or tears or stains to mar anything he owned.

Always meticulously neat, six-year-old Little Man never allowed dirt or tears or stains to mar
anything he owned.
Next, begin using adverb. Adverbs at the beginning of a sentence bring a sentence energy and
variety.

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

Look at how an adverb at the beginning of a sentence makes a difference.
There are 3 basic adverbs. They are adverb of TIME, PLACE and MANNER.
Example:
When (adverb of time): Overnight, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose

them on me.
Where (adverb of place): Outside, beyond the low, white fence, a wagonette with a pair of cabs was

waiting.
How (adverb of manner): Quickly and quietly, over the guard’s head, George walked away.

Practice: Put in a relevant adverb.
_________, Jonas concentrated on the screen, waiting for what would happen next.

5. Varied Length and Structure

What is one of the best ways to make your writing boring and monotonous?
Never vary the length of your sentences.

How do I use sentence variety?
 Combine sentences.
 Don’t use all simple sentences. This makes your writing choppy.
 Choppy: We went to the movies. We went out eat. We came home. We went to bed.
 Combine independent and dependent clauses to create compound and complex sentences.

Also, use transitions!
 We went to the movies, and then we went out to eat. After that, we came home and went to

bed.

 Begin sentences with an adverb.
Luckily, I won the lottery last night.
Unfortunately, no one passed the exam.
Yesterday, we went to the zoo.

 Begin sentences with a prepositional phrase/ Adverb phrase
In the morning, I hope to feel better.
At lunchtime, I’m going to meet some friends at Red Lobster.
Under the desk, you’ll find your notebook.

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

 Join ideas using an –ing verb form. (present participle)
Two sentences:
She studied all night.
She passed the exam.
Combined:
Having studied all night, she passed the exam.

 Join ideas using an –ed or –en verb form. (past participle)
Two sentences:
The student ran through the hall screaming.
The student was amazed at his grade.
Combined:
Amazed at his grade, the student ran through the hall screaming.

 Join ideas using an appositive
What is an appositive? An appositive is a noun phrase that renames a noun.
Two sentences:
Ms. Bonnie helped me with my paper.
Ms. Bonnie is our class tutor.
Combined:
Ms. Bonnie, our class tutor, helped me with my paper.

 Join ideas using a relative clause.
Review: What is relative clause? A relative clause is a group of words that begins with who, which, or
that, has a subject & a verb, and modifies or describes a noun.
Two sentences:
Ms. Bonnie helped me with my paper.
Ms. Bonnie is our class tutor.
Combined:
Ms. Bonnie, who is our class tutor, helped me with my paper.

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

6. Sentence Length

Counting the words in a sentence is one way to measure the length.

Short sentences tend to have 3-6 words
Average sentences have 8-14 words
Long sentences may have 20 words or more.

7. Sentence Construction

Analyzing the structure of a sentence by looking at how many parts it contains and what kinds of parts
those are.

What makes a sentence?

A sentence has at least one subject (noun), at least one predicate (verb), and is a complete thought.

What are the different types of sentences?

FOUR TYPES OF SENTENCES

1. Simple
2. Compound
3. Complex
4. Compound-Complex

What is a clause?

A clause contains a subject, a verb, and either a complete thought or no complete thought.

1. Independent Clause

An INDEPENDENT clause contains a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. It stands on its own and is a
simple sentence.

Examples: I woke up early this morning./ Ka’oi went biking in the rain storm.

2. Dependent Clause

A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb, but is only part of a thought. It is not a complete
thought or a complete sentence.

It depends on an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE to make the whole thought.

Examples: after I woke up in the morning

while biking through the rain storm

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

3. Linking Clauses and Types of Sentences
SIMPLE SENTENCE:

A simple sentence is one independent clause.
Example: Kai bought a new surfboard.
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
A compound sentence has two independent clauses that are joined together, usually with a
coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so – remember FANBOYS). It can also be joined by a
conjunctive adverb (however, therefore) or a semicolon alone (;).
Example:

Kai bought a new surfboard, and he is ready to ride.
COMPLEX SENTENCE:
A complex sentence has one independent clause, and one or more dependent clauses.
Example:
Although he surfs well, Kai never surfs waves over 15 feet
COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE:
A compound-complex sentence has two or more independent
clauses, and one or more dependent clauses.
EXAMPLE:
While Ka’oi writes emails, Sue texts friends, and Leigh talks on the phone.

So, what is one of the best ways to prevent your writing from
being boring and monotonous?

Vary the length and structure of your sentences.

8. Easy to Read Aloud
What makes reading text aloud easy?
Writing that flows smoothly from word to word, phrase to phrase, and sentence to sentence.
There are 4 things you can do to read expressively. You can change your…

1. Pitch
2. Rhythm
3. Volume
4. Tone (e.g.: loud, soft, excited, scared)

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

9. Rhythm & Flow

Rhythm is the cadence, beat or tempo.

How might you vary the rhythm or flow of a writing piece?

 alternating short and long sentences.
 using “sound” effects.

READ THE TWO FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH. WHICH ONE SOUNDS BETTER

Example: The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find some native American art.
In Anchorage stores they found some excellent examples of soapstone carvings. But they couldn't find a
dealer selling any of the woven wall hangings they wanted. They were very disappointed when they left
Anchorage empty-handed.

Revision: The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find some native American art,
such as soapstone carvings and wall hangings. Anchorage stores had many soapstone items available.
Still, they were disappointed to learn that wall hangings, which they had especially wanted, were
difficult to find. Sadly, they left empty-handed.

10. Well Built Sentences

Sentences can be simple or complex but they must be structured in ways that make them easy to
understand.

Strong and varied structure.

 Arrange “parts” of a sentence to create a simple structure.
 Understand that the parts can be arranged in different ways and still be meaningful.
 Use connecting words and punctuation marks

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

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SPM 1119 SM SAINS LABUAN ENGLISH PANEL Good Writing

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