Some rules are made to be broken Adding voice by destroying grammar Some rules are made to be broken

Hyphens Why? To connect words together in a rush or make a "category" From Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon "A few seconds later she gives me her best I'm-the-doctor-and-I'm- afraid-I-have-some-bad-news-for-you-face."

Italics Why? To add emphasis or imply sarcasm From Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell "Wren couldn't wait for all this college stuff to start. She and her roommate —Courtney –- had been talking for weeks." *bonus- you can use a dash (--) to make a parenthetical aside!

ALL CAPS Why? To add emphasis or irony From Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan "I've held on to the hope of surprising him by showing up in South Africa, yet when he was RIGHT THERE in front of me in Manhattan, what did I do? I froze."

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words 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.

Short, simple sentences for dramatic emphasis or effect Sentence Structure Good writers know that to keep a reader’s interest, they have to vary their sentence structure.  Two effective ways to do this are: Short, simple sentences for dramatic emphasis or effect Parenthetical asides (good way to impress Mr. Thomas. . . And add humor!)