TRAIT
PRACTICE:
SENTENCE
FLUENCY
PRACTICE FOR:
• Beginning sentences in different ways
• Writing sentences of varying lengths
• Writing sentences that flow well
HOT
TIPS
FOR
WRITING
BETTER
SENTENCES:
1. Combine
a
series
of
little,
choppy
sentences
into
one
smooth
sentence:
• The
tornado
struck.
• It
struck
without
warning.
• It
caused
damage.
• The
damage
was
extensive.
Write
one
sentence
using
all
four
of
sentences:
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2.Use
connecting
words
(but,
also,
and,
yet,
however, because) to show how ideas relate.
• The
speaker
was
young,
nervous,
and
inexperienced.
• She
mesmerized
the
crowd.
Write
one
sentence
using
a
connecting
word:
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_____________________________________________________________________________
3. Add
details
to
complete
the
picture.
• She
stood
there,
looking
at
us.
Write
this
sentence
adding
detail:
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4. Watch
out
for
run‐ons
(multiple
sentences
jammed
together).
 I thought his boring lecture woue never end my eyelids were drooping my feet were going numb.
Rewrite
the
sentence
using
more
than
one
sentence:
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_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Watch
out
for
ramblers
–
run‐ons
with
“and”
inserted.
•
Herby
was
clumsy
and
he
served
the
salad
and
it
spilled
on
everything
and
my
mother
about
had
a
fit
and
she
screamed
and
the
cat
hid
under
the
stairs.
Rewrite
the
sentence
using
more
than
one
sentence:
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6.
Make
sure
pronoun
reference
is
clear.
 When
he
stuffed
the
parrot
into
the
cage,
it
made
an
odd
squeaky
sound.
(What
made the
sound
‐
the
parrot
or
the
cage?)
Rewrite
the
sentence
making
it
clear:
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7.
Avoid
shifts
in
voice.
 I
was
walking
down
the
street
on
this
cold,
clear
day,
and
suddenly,
you
saw
this
dark
cloud
on
the
horizon.
Rewrite
the
sentence
with
consistent
voice:
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_____________________________________________________________________________
SENTENCE FLUENCEY
Read the following paragraphs.
SASHA
I love my dog Sasha. She is cute. She is black. She has white spots around her eyes. She has
a short tail. Her tail is short because it got run over once. She has a little black nose. She has one ear
that stands up. She has another ear that lays down. She has a pink tongue. She licks everyone. She
has wet licks.
Sasha is curious. Sasha digs holes. Sasha looks for things in the holes. She dug up a bone
once. She stuck her nose down a deep hole once. She got surprised when she heard bees. Sasha got
stung and ran away. Sasha doesn’t go by that hole anymore.
Sasha drags home different things. Once she brought home a box. She also brought home a
bicycle wheel. She even dragged home a Tiny Tike tricycle. She got in trouble. She had to give it
back. I hope Sasha lives forever!
Directions:
In the space below list the first word in each sentence. Count how many sentences
begin with the same word. Do you see a pattern? Are all the beginnings the same or different?
Count the number of words in each sentence and make a list of the numbers below. Are the
sentences all about the same length? If so, the writing is probably monotonous (boring) and not
written with very good sentence fluency. There should be short and long sentences.
Now read the revised version of the paragraph about Sasha.
Sasha
I love my dog Sasha, from the tip of her little black nose to the end of her stumpy tail, still bent
from when she got ran over. Sasha has one ear that stands up and one that lies down. She also has a
pink tongue she uses to lick everyone’s face.
Unfortunately for Sasha, she is very curious, and this gets her into trouble. She loves to dig,
and she often finds bones in the yard. Once, however, she dug up a nest of bees and got stung.
Boy,
did she run fast!
Sasha is also a collector. She has collected everything from boxes to bicycle wheels to a small
tricycle. When she had to give the tricycle back, she pouted for a week.
Can you see how special Sasha is?
In spite of all her bad habits and funny looks, I hope she
lives forever!
Directions:
In the space below list the first word in each sentence. Count how many sentences
begin with the same word. Do you see a pattern? Are all the beginnings the same or different? Is the
sentence fluency different in this sample?
Count the number of words in each sentence and make a list of the numbers below. Are the
sentences all about the same length or are they different lengths? Is the writing smoother?
Revising
Your
Draft
Think
about
it
/Write
it
down
Dinosarus ruled the land. They lived for more than 140 million years. Then they disappeared. It
happened suddenly. Some scientists think the climate changed. They think it became very cold.
Dinosaurs could not live in the cold. They died off.
1. This
paragraph
has
eight
sentences.
Most
of
them
are
very
short.
Revise
this
paragraph
by
combining.
Try
to
make
it
four
sentences
in
all:
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The brontosaurus was the largest dinosaur. It was the giant of the dinosaur world. It stood 12 to 15 feet
high. It was more than 70 feet long. It walked on four legs. It had heavy legs like an elephant. It had a
gigantic body. It lived in marshy places. It ate plants.
2. Most
of
these
sentences
begin
with
the
same
word.
Revise
the
paragraph
by
changing
some
of
the
words
and
by
combining
sentences.
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_____________________________________________________________________________
Smoothing
Out
the
Writing
Directions: Revise these drafts so that the writing sound smooth. Take out or add words. Move words
around. Combine short sentences when too many of them begin in the same way.
When
you
are
finished,
write
a
clean, better
copy
of
the
revised
draft on the next page.
A. This
is
part
of
a
news
report.
An
oil
tanker
spilled
oil.
It
spilled
into
the
Gulf
of
Alaska.
It
spilled
over
11
million
gallons
of
oil.
The
oil
spread
over
600
square
miles
of
the
gulf.
The
oil
washed
up
on
the
beaches
also.
The
spill
threatens
the
lives
of
whales
who
live
in
the
area.
It
threatens
the
sea
lions
who
live
in
the
area
too.
It
threatens
other
animals.
It
threatens
the
fishing
industry
in
Alaska
also.
It
will
be
a
difficult
job
cleaning
up
the
spill.
It
will
take
many
months.
It
will
cost
millions
of
dollars.
B. This
is
a
draft
of
a
thank‐you
note.
Dear
Nadia,
Thanks
for
the
birthday
present
you
gave
me.
Thank
you
for
the
blue
shirt,
I
like
the
blue
shirt.
I
like
its
style.
I
like
its
color.
It
fits
me
just
right.
It’s
a
great
present. It’s
perfect.
I
can
wear
it
a
lot.
I
can
wear
it
for
a
lot
of
things. I can wear it with many outfits. I’ll ask
someone to take a picture of me. I’ll wear the shirt. I’ll send the picture to you. You’ll see how handsome
your brother has become!
Nick
A. The News Report:
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B. The Thank You Letter:
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