5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow

5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow 5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow 5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow By Mark Nichol Sentences can be short. They can also be long. This is a good thing. Lack of variety is wearying. It may drive you to distraction. It’s a good thing that sentences can be short or long, because lack of variety is wearying and may drive you to distraction. Which paragraph was easier to read? If you’re like me (and why wouldn’t you be?), you’ll pick the latter example, which employs combination and subordination (the process of making one of two sentences part of the other). It’s easy to get caught up in a ratcheted conveyor belt of short, staccato sentences, but it’s also simple to introducing some variety of sentence length through these two frequently paired strategies. 1. â€Å"The money was doled out in what are known as State Revolving Funds. These are pots of cash that finance each state’s drinking-water and clean-water infrastructure improvements. â€Å" If a sentence constitutes a definition for a term introduced in the previous sentence, delete the subject from the defining sentence and link the two sentences: â€Å"The money was doled out in what are known as State Revolving Funds, pots of cash that finance each state’s drinking-water and clean-water infrastructure improvements.† 2. â€Å"The most famous was called the Wonder Fountain. The attraction shot river water 150 feet into the air from a round pool. It drew visitors from Charlotte and beyond.† This â€Å"See Dick run. See Jane run.† succession is easily folded together: Delete the first verb and make the noun phrase after it an appositive. Link the defining sentence to it as a parenthetical phrase, and emerge from that phrase to close with an additional phrase consisting of the final sentence shorn of its subject. The result: â€Å"The most famous, the Wonder Fountain, which shot river water 150 feet into the air from a round pool, drew visitors from Charlotte and beyond.† 3. â€Å"Religious or purely spiritual models are found in several faiths. They are often considered folk models because they derive from the rank-and-file citizenry.† A sentence that provides additional detail about the previous sentence can often, absent its subject, be inserted into the midst of the first sentence as a parenthetical phrase: â€Å"Religious or purely spiritual models, often considered folk models because they derive from the rank-and-file citizenry, are found in several faiths.† 4. â€Å"He stood in front of the half-empty San Luis Reservoir, built in 1962 to store water for the feds’ Central Valley Project. He painted a Dust Bowl-grim picture of Central Valley’s storied farming economy.† Replace a sentence’s subject with a participle (a verb with an -ing ending), then clip the following sentence’s subject and tack the rest of the sentence on: â€Å"Standing in front of the half-empty San Luis Reservoir, built in 1962 to store water for the feds’ Central Valley Project, he painted a Dust Bowl–grim picture of Central Valley’s storied farming economy.† 5. â€Å"Following the principles of Ayurvedic medicine, the flavors, numbering six, are defined as follows: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, astringent, and spicy. These flavors are divided into six categories, which are associated with earth, water, and fire.† When combining and subordinating sentences, look for opportunities to make a passage more concise as well. Stating the number of listed flavors is superfluous, and â€Å"are defined as follows† is a verbose and unnecessary obstacle between the reader and the list. Note, too, how em dashes are employed in order to avoid a bewildering succession of commas: â€Å"Following the principles of Ayurvedic medicine, the flavors- divided into categories associated with earth, water, and fire- are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, astringent, and spicy.† Successions of sentences don’t always merit these steps, but judicious application will improve the flow of your writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of LanguageConnotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleRunning Errands and Doing Chores

7 Simple Best Practices to Speed Up Your Job Search

7 Simple Best Practices to Speed Up Your Job Search When an individual has spent some time looking for a new work, it can be easy to get into a rut, especially if that perfect job hasn’t come along. Worse yet, the few interviews that came your way did not result in a job offer. There is no reason to panic. Changing your tactics and being more proactive can change your luck and land you that job. 1. Look Over Your ResumeOne mistake made by resume writers is using stock phrases in a resume. Saying things such as â€Å"team leader† sounds good but tells the recruiter nothing about your skills. Making yourself stand out in the crowd is more likely to get your resume noticed. If you are qualified for a job and applied for numerous classified ad jobs but don’t get callbacks for interviews, then the problem may lie with your resume. Gear a resume toward the job you are seeking, highlight your skills and make this information easy to find such as placing this information in short bullet points. Before you send a resume, c heck to make sure your contact information is correct. A surprising number of job applicants are never contacted because they listed an old phone number or email address.2. Improve Your Job SkillsWhile you are waiting for that interview, go over your resume and see if there is anything you can do to make yourself more desirable as an employee in your job niche. Perhaps taking a course to improve your skills may make the difference in whether you are selected. Even if it doesn’t, it adds to your skills and shows that you keep on top of the latest information. This can leave a positive impression on recruiters.3. Work on Interviewing SkillsThe all-important interview can make or break getting a job. Polish your interview skills by practicing in front of friends or family or even in front of a mirror. Remember that you will probably be asked to tell the recruiter about yourself. Keep this response under two minutes and include education, what you accomplished that benefitted you r previous job and how you can be an asset for the current job opening.4. Try NetworkingSometimes, jobs can be found right under your nose. By networking through friends and business acquaintances, you can find job position openings. In addition, you can make a list of companies where you would like to work and submit an application for a current job listing or make inquiries about future job openings.5. Reevaluate Your SearchYou’ve submitted dozens of applications at job search sites and haven’t heard anything back. Maybe you need to reevaluate the way you are conducting your job search and the information you are putting out. This might be the time to ramp up your LinkedIn profile or your personal web page, which gives you plenty of room to list your qualifications, awards and experience. If searching job boards online isn’t helping, maybe it’s time to expand your job hunting by using other means.6. Follow Up on ApplicationsRather than waste time waitin g for a call or email from a recruiter, wait about a week and follow up on your job application. If the interest isn’t there, check it off your list to avoid wasting your time. In addition, recruiters may appreciate that an applicant wants the job badly enough to follow up. This might make a recruiter reconsider your application or bring it to his or her notice when contacting applicants for interviews.7. Take Your Job Search SeriouslySome job seekers simply send in stock resumes and wait for responses. Being proactive when searching for a job is more likely to get you called in for that first interview. Conducting a job search is work in itself and should be treated as seriously as you would a new job. Attention to detail, being proactive and making necessary changes will get you that dream job more quickly.When your job search stalls out, then it is time to re-evaluate, make changes and keep searching. TheJobNetwork helps by doing the searching for you. This service lets yo u list your qualifications and job interests and searches 24-hours a day for appropriate job openings, which it sends to you in the form of alerts. In addition, you can be proactive by searching the jobs yourself. Sign up for job match alert to get your job search going.