Sentence Variety
A string of short, same-length sentences marches in place. Combining them, joined with the word that fits (and adds, but contrasts, so shows a result), gives your writing a rhythm a reader can feel.
The Writer's Workshop, where the Mayor reads finished writing himself, returns soon.
Connie the Conjunction combines sentences, and her move is the join: take two short thoughts and stitch them with because, but, or so into one that flows.
The full Writing Company lesson cycle is coming.
The egg broke. The yolk spilled. Garvin laughed. I grabbed a towel.
The egg broke, and the yolk spilled across the counter, but Garvin just laughed, so I grabbed a towel.
Four short sentences in a row march. Connie joins them with and, but, and so, and the same events move with a rhythm. The conjunctions are doing the rhythm work.
- Find two short sentences that belong together.
- Pick the conjunction that fits: and adds, but contrasts, so shows a result, because gives a reason.
- Combine them into one sentence, then read it aloud to check the rhythm.
Play it in the Arcade.
Take the craft move onto the floor with the live game. Free, and it plays daily.
A paragraph came apart. Put the sentences back in order, and let the transition words show you the thread that holds them together.
Play Follow the Thread →We made dinner. It was hard. We tried. It worked.
We made dinner, and it was harder than we expected, but we kept trying, so it finally worked.
The choppy version is not wrong, it is just flat. Joining the short thoughts with and, but, and so gives the reader a sentence that rises and lands.
A real writing skill, Grades 1 through 8.
Sentence Variety is one of the nine Writing Company chapters, where Grammaropolis teaches writing and composition. It maps to a Common Core writing strand; the per-grade, per-framework alignment fills in as the workbook line and the lesson cycle come online.
The Writer's Workshop, where the Mayor reads finished writing himself, returns soon.
Sentence Variety serves CCSS L.x.3.A (sentence patterns for effect) and L.x.1 (sentence structure).
Other Writing Company chapters.
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The Writer's Workshop, where the Mayor reads finished writing himself, returns soon.
Ready to write?
Play the live game to practice the move. The Writer's Workshop, where the Mayor reads a finished piece himself and certifies it Gold, Silver, or Bronze, returns soon. The full Writing Company lesson cycle is coming.