A Reason to Write To inform (biography, autobiography, editorial, essay, article, technical writing…) To persuade (political cartoon, speech, essay, advertise, debate, editorial…) To entertain ( various) 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 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!