How to make your writing sing

Mastering the rhythm of varying sentence structures

Dearest reader,

There is a rhythm to good writing. Whether you read aloud or silently, you are allowing the instruments of language to play. Rather than a repetitive, monotonous drone, you can compose symphonies. Delightful—no?

This concept is illustrated beautifully by Gary Provost in a section from his book 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing.

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 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.

So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader's ear. Don't just write words. Write music.

As Gary suggests, varying your sentence length is key to achieving this musical quality. However, it may be wise to revisit the different sentence types. Here are four fundamental sentence structures:

Simple sentences

A single clause with at least one subject and verb—essentially, a main clause.

For example:

Miss Everly adjusted her bonnet.

Compound sentences

When you join two or more main clauses with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.) or a semicolon, you form a compound sentence.

Each clause is equally important, so if you remove the conjunction, both would still make sense as individual sentences.

For example:

Miss Everly adjusted her bonnet, and she stepped into the carriage.

Note: Generally, it is preferable to use a comma before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses.

Complex sentences

These join clauses with a subordinating conjunction (although, because, when, until, after, since, where, etc.) or a relative pronoun (who, that, which, whom, when, where, etc.).

At least one clause becomes dependent on the other. Remove the dependent clause, and the main clause still stands alone.

For example:

Miss Everly stepped into the carriage, although a foreboding sense of inevitability gnawed at her.

Compound-Complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

This is the most sophisticated type of sentence you can use.

For example:

Miss Everly adjusted her bonnet and she stepped into the carriage, although a foreboding sense of inevitability gnawed at her.

Other sentence types

English also includes declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences. You may even encounter incomplete sentences—like “Music.” in Gary Provost’s excerpt.

Though incomplete sentences lack a subject, a verb, or both, such sentences can still be effective when used deliberately in conjunction with other clauses.

Bringing It All Together

As with anything delicious, moderation is a virtue, and variety truly is the spice of life. The next time you draft an email, write a text message, or pen a handwritten letter, experiment with different sentence types and then read your work back to yourself—aloud. Listen. Does it sing?

Yours faithfully,
Thomas

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Thank you for reading, and may your words always find their perfect form.