A REASON TO WRITE1. To inform (biography, autobiography,

editorial, essay, article, technical writing…)

2. To persuade (political cartoon, speech, essay, advertise, debate, editorial…)

3. To entertain ( various)4. Describe (I think that descriptive can

also be informative)

AUDIENCE

Your audience determines how you write. Know who your audience is so you can determine your strategy.

Never offend your audience when trying to persuade.

Your choice of diction will be affected by who your audience is.

Your tone may or may not be “gotten” by your audience (e.g., a person who knows little about your subject matter will not understand sarcasm, or a five year old will not “read between the lines.”)

Expression is effective…

When

Parallel structure is important in expression.

Parallel lines look like this: ______________ ______________

Parallel parking looks like this:

A parallelogram looks like this:

In writing, parallel looks like this:

Writing is parallel when grammatical structures are alike in a sentence.

Examples of parallel elements: Thinking, running

To study, to procrastinate

At the time, in the house, over the hill

These elements are not parallel because they are different grammatical structures:

To pretend, telling secrets For example, this sentence is NOT parallel: To pretend and telling secrets are not good ways to make friends. Now, write the previous sentence correctly.

Running, to skip For example, this sentence is NOT parallel: Running and to skip are two skills every kindergartner should

know. Correct the previous sentence.

To meet, being there For example, the following sentence is NOT parallel:

I enjoy being there for you and to meet your relatives, too!

Check your work

To pretend and to tell secrets are not good ways to make friends.

Running and skipping are two skills every kindergartner should know.

I enjoy being there for you and meeting your relatives, too!

Re-write the following sentences using parallel structure:

In English class, Marquis learned to read poems critically and he appreciated good prose. 

My income is smaller than my wife.

Garrett wanted three things out of college: to learn a skill, to make good friends, and learning about life.

We found the film repulsive, offensive, and we thought it was embarrassing.

Famous Parallel structure:

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.

Winston Churchill

Use precise diction and specific details

Show what you are writing about-don’t tell me what you are writing about!

Linking verbs can be an indication that the writer is telling, not showing.

Specific diction and details imply meaning and create interest.

Example of telling: The little girl looked so tired, she

clearly needed a nap.  (How so? How did she clearly need a nap?)

Better

The brown-eyed little girl wore a

plastic Viking cap, and her mouth

was sticky from candy. Standing

there in her dress-up clothes, she

looked more tired than I had ever

seen a child look. But she was so

very stubborn, I saw we were

headed for a battle.

Even better…

Her sleepy brown eyes hardened into red-

rimmed slits. She cocked her plastic Viking

helmet aggressively, the horns sticking

out only a little more than her curls. One

fist clutched a decapitated lollipop, the

other a cardboard sword. She leveled the

point at my chest. “You mean dragon!”

she growled. “You’ll never make me nap!”

Does this sentence effectively create interest and show, not tell?

Why or why not?

I’ll never forget how I felt after Fido died. I was miserable.

Better

If I live for a thousand years, I’ll never

forget how utterly and terribly alone I felt

after Fido died. Months and months went

by, and it seemed that every little thing

reminded me of him. I don’t know whether

I am ever going to get over his death.

BEST

Whenever puppies in the pet store window

distracted me from our walk, Fido flattened his

scruffy ears, growling. But he always forgave

me. As his sight faded, the smell of fresh air and

the feel of grass would make him try to caper.

Eventually, at the sound of my voice, his tail

thumped weakly on the ground. This morning, I

filled his water bowl all the way to the top–just

the way he likes it–before I remembered.

Snoozer

I like many different sports, from

skiing to rock-climbing, but when it

comes right down to it, I would have to

say that ping-pong is my favorite

sport.

Can you improve on the previous

statement with details and precise

language?

Details that snooze:

Telling (Dry Details) 

Ping-pong is a really interesting sport. Casual players may find it relaxing, but to get really good,

you need manual dexterity, agility and endurance.

Showing with  Informative Detail 

Ping-pong may look like a relaxing

pastime, but for experts, winning the

game requires manual dexterity,

agility, and endurance.

Showing with Emotional Language 

He’s drenched in sweat, his

knuckles are white, he’s on

the other side of the ping-

pong table, and I’m about

to bring him down.

Your Turn: Show, Don’t Tell!

All the kids knew that Lucinda was the

meanest kid in the third grade. She

was prissy and cute, and she thought

that meant she could get away with

anything.

Sentence Variety

Sentence variety improves expression.Syntax is the structure of a sentence.

See sentence variety power point next!