1. Style
Sentence Variation

2. For today, you will need:
Your sentence variation models packet
Your own paper
Your research paper

3. What is “style”?
Style in writing is the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood and meaning in the text.

4. Today, we will work specifically with sentence structure to help develop the style of our papers
I can use varied and grammatically correct sentences to develop the style of my research paper.
I can revise my paper for style.

5. Why does sentence variation matter?
The typical construction of a sentence in English is this: Subject before Verb. The dog walks. The author states. The evidence suggests. So why stray from this construction?

6. Why does sentence variation matter?
We vary our sentence construction depending on the meaning we want to convey. Often, changing the sentence structure changes the emphasis on certain parts of that sentence, and emphasis suggests importance. So, you should consider what you want your audience to perceive as the most important part of that sentence when considering the sentence structure.

7. Consider these two sentences:
I sat next to David at the Super Bowl, which was a tremendous coincidence. A tremendous coincidence, I sat next to David at the Super Bowl. What do you see as the difference here?

8. Why vary our sentence structures and lengths?
Discuss the importance of sentence variation with a partner and then we will discuss as a class!

9. Application:
You will need your sentence variation models packet and your own sheet of paper. I want you to choose 1 sentence from your research paper. Choose a sentence where you are doing analysis or interpretation not a sentence with a direct quotation. Then, choose 4 different sentence models and re-write your sentence using each. You may have to add or remove words—that’s okay!

10. Application:
If time, do this for another sentence from your research paper. As you revise and work on your final draft. Think about which sentence construction would work best for the idea/meaning you’re trying to convey in each sentence. Happy revising!