{"id":4015,"date":"2016-03-30T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T04:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.pothi.com\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2016-03-30T10:00:47","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T04:30:47","slug":"how-to-write-a-good-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/30\/how-to-write-a-good-sentence\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Good Sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Many times those of you are in the business of writing worry about making that word count. &#8216;How will I write 80,000 words?&#8217; is a question you ask yourself.<\/p>\n<p>What you really ought to worry about though is how you will write a good sentence.<\/p>\n<p>A sentence is made up of words and words don\u2019t just come one after the other. They indicate a particular situation or action. These sentences make up a paragraph. So they are the building blocks of your novel and for that reason ought to be well thought out and well-connected to each other and the overall story.<\/p>\n<p>There are so many aspects to sentence making. This is where the grammar of the sentence comes in.\u00a0 There are simple, compound and complex sentences. Then there are clauses, prepositions and phrases.\u00a0 Even the seasoned writer can have grammatical doubts. Always carry a copy of Strunk and White&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.in\/The-Elements-Style-William-Strunk\/dp\/020530902X\" target=\"_blank\">The Elements of Style<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And be in doubt; this is very important. Just because something is in print doesn\u2019t mean it is correct. You should double check to see if your sentences are correct. Also if you are reading a copy of popular books in the market today, keep your eyes open for any obvious errors! You can learn from the mistakes of others.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/sentence-1.jpg?ssl=1\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3746\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-3746 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/sentence-1.jpg?resize=500%2C377&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"sentence\" width=\"500\" height=\"377\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>What should you keep in mind when you write a sentence?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Besides grammar like sticking more to active than passive voice, a great deal goes into a sentence. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What do you really want to say?<\/li>\n<li>Is it best to use the vocabulary you have at your fingertips or do you need to visit the thesaurus?<\/li>\n<li>Has someone else been able to express the sentiment you have better than you have? Read it.<\/li>\n<li>Is a long sentence going to help you describe better?<\/li>\n<li>Is a short sentence sufficient to express a strong emotion like a mother\u2019s grief at losing her child?<\/li>\n<li>Does this sentence deserve to stand alone, separate from the rest of the paragraph?<\/li>\n<li>Is this sentence good enough to start your essay or novel or is it a better ending?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Being conscientious about every sentence that you write will make the prose flow and whether your book is a commercial or literary one, it should be readable. For this, the sentences should flow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Some links to help you write good sentences:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newstatesman.com\/books\/2011\/02\/write-sentence-comes\">http:\/\/www.newstatesman.com\/books\/2011\/02\/write-sentence-comes<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2011\/01\/25\/133214521\/stanley-fish-demystifies-how-to-write-a-sentence\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2011\/01\/25\/133214521\/stanley-fish-demystifies-how-to-write-a-sentence<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.writersdigest.com\/writing-articles\/by-writing-goal\/business-legal-matters\/sentence-sleuth-0608\">http:\/\/www.writersdigest.com\/writing-articles\/by-writing-goal\/business-legal-matters\/sentence-sleuth-0608<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.quickanddirtytips.com\/education\/grammar\/how-to-write-clear-sentences\">http:\/\/www.quickanddirtytips.com\/education\/grammar\/how-to-write-clear-sentences<\/a><\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/humor\/daily-shouts\/write-sentence<\/p>\n<p>PS:\u00a0Check out this\u00a0Twitter post that explains the difference between short, medium and long sentences: https:\/\/twitter.com\/lfoulkesy\/status\/715077404700631041<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many times those of you are in the business of writing worry about making that word count. &#8216;How will I write 80,000 words?&#8217; is a question you ask yourself. What you really ought to worry about though is how you will write a good sentence. A sentence is made up of words and words don\u2019t &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/30\/how-to-write-a-good-sentence\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to Write a Good Sentence&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[31,116,159,168],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7vAZr-12L","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5031,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/25\/author-resources-editing-tools-hemingway-app\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":0},"title":"Author Resource: How to Trim the Fat with Hemingway Editor","date":"November 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize-winning American writer, is famous for his writing efficiency. \u201cTo be successful in writing, use short sentences,\" he said. The Hemingway Editor app is based on this premise. Write Sweet and Short Prose like Hemingway If you've been advised to write like Hemingway, it's one way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Author Resources&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Quote by Ernest Hemingway on purple background: If I started to write elaborately, or like someone introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple declarative sentence I had written.","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/hemingway.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5097,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/17\/author-resource-prowriting-aid-editing\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":1},"title":"Author Resource: Editing like a Pro with ProWriting Aid \ud83d\udc53","date":"December 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There are a surprising number of grammar checkers that are available for budding as well as accomplished writers. ProWritingAid, based in London, is one such virtual writing assistant. What kind of Grammar Perks does ProWriting Provide? ProWriting Aid does a thorough grammar and spell-check of your manuscript. You are also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Author Resources&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"A decorative image with a quote: To write is human, to edit is divine","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/prowriting-aid.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5051,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/11\/author-edit-writer-grammarly\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":2},"title":"Author Resource: Grammarly- Get the Writer's Touch!\u2712\ufe0f","date":"December 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"If you are looking for an editing app, check out Grammarly, a\u00a0comprehensive algorithmic tool that removes the ugh from editing. Five Sticky Situations When it Helps to Use Grammarly Wrote an email in a hurry, it's full of typos and you need to send it to your boss right now?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Author Resources&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Quote by Lynne Truss: The rule is: don\u2019t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/lynn-truss.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5345,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/19\/distraction-free-writing-focus\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":3},"title":"Author Resource: Focus on Writing with FocusWriter \ud83d\udd0d","date":"March 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"There are so many apps that help writers but ironically the internet also throws up an equal number of distractions. The screen is usually cluttered with tabs and endless notifications pop up, so how does a writer write? FocusWriter is a free open source writing program that can provide some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Author Resources&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Decorative Image quote","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-prowriting-aid.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4518,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/01\/interview-nitheesh-reddy-gaddam\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":4},"title":"Interview: Nitheesh Reddy Gaddam","date":"March 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"We spoke to the poet Nitheesh Reddy Gaddam. Nitheesh Reddy Gaddam was born in Mamidipally, Telangana. He currently works as a software engineer in Atlanta, USA. He is popularly known as niteesh_writings on Instagram. His writing style is unique, particularly due to his original technique of writing on pieces of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews &amp; Stories&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Picture-577x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5025,"url":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/18\/author-resource-cliche-finder\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":5},"title":"Author Resource: How to Be Unpredictable with the Clich\u00e9 Finder","date":"November 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In the Author Resources series, we explore the different author tools at our disposal. Be it editing, formatting or designing your cover, there are quite a few options that you can explore online. Today we look at the Clich\u00e9 Finder. How the Clich\u00e9 Finder Fixes Your Text Clich\u00e9s are stale\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Author Resources&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Quote by Hannah Ahendt- Clich\u00e9s, stock phrases, adherence to conventional standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Clich\u00e9s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of-expression-and-conduct-have-the-socially-recognized-function-of-protecting-us-against-reality..._.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4015"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4768,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions\/4768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pothi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}