The whole point of writing is to
create something a great deal better than we "really" talk - a great deal more
interesting, more thoughtful, and more effective in every way - but to make it
sound as natural and effortless as talk. What can help us? Only one thing - the
rhythm of speech. This is the one thing we can borrow from it, the one thing we
must borrow if our written words are ever to achieve an air of naturalness.
All spoken language, no matter who the speaker may be or what his
subject is, has a natural rhythm. We hear this rhythm, wherever we hear talk.
Rhythm is the way how the writing sounds. "It is considered to be a delicate
and subtle aspect of writing, which is felt deep inside, and is actually, quite
tough to teach." Michele Pariza Wacek
Rhythm is a powerful element in
your writing, which helps you generate sound images, sight, and feelings for
your reader.
NB! The first principle of rhythm in writing, to capture
the basic rhythm of speech, is variation of sentence length.
The
important thing to remember is that the length of sentences in all speech is
always erratic, always changing. One can notice that in written language, quite
on the contrary, every sentence has exactly the same length. And as frequently
happens when does not vary, almost every sentence has the same monotonous
structure. Nobody talks like that.
* Hence, it's advisable to
write with a talking rhythm varying the length of sentences to suit the
material. Generally the short, choppy and sharp sentence gives emphasis; the
long, involved sentence provides depth and color. Together with the
medium-length sentence they give writing the tone and rhythm of speech.
A cultivated awareness of rhythm inevitably increases the reader's
pleasure, and heightening an emotional experience.
* Another
requirement for good sentence rhythm is regularity in the larger design of the
sentence. This is a most attractive and effective rhetorical device, known as
the balanced or parallel constructions. The matching of phrase against phrase,
clause against clause, lends an unmistakable eloquence to your writing.
Daniel Kies asserts in his article "Sentence Euphony" that good writing is
euphonic, which is pleasing to the ear and affirms that "...establishing and
maintaining effective rhythm in writing is a combination of using parallelism
for balance and controlling sentence endings for emphasis."
*
One more significant requirement for rhythm is that it should be appropriate to
the context; a passage of exciting and vivid nature demands a rapid rhythm,
while a passage of quite imaginative beauty - a slow one. Readers come to
associate certain rhythmic effects with certain intentions on the part of the
writer or speaker.
Rhythm, in other words, has its connotative value.
In this meaning connotation may be employed to affect emotions. Consider the
following example:
"Who can say at what point the revelations come? A
man falls in love..... or suddenly sees the growing character of his son.....
or knows the quick pride of being needed, although no longer young. Each has
his discoveries .... a series, making up the sharp core of life. From birth and
being.....through youth, maturity, and lengthening years...each follows his own
way, and hopes to find it good. We believe that this is as it should be... we
believe, too, that this is as it should be... we believe, too, that we can help
plan to make your way a little easier, whatever it may be."
* The key
to the effective writing is the carefully wrought sentences. Many of the
devices of good writing are demonstrated in this passage; these are the
balanced clauses, the repetition of sound to give the effect of alliteration or
internal rhyme, as well as the selection of words weighted with a certain kind
of connotation.
Here the dots are used as rhetorical method of
suggesting continuation of thought and mood even after the actual words are
spoken. The reader is expected to imagine more than the words themselves
convey.
Reading this passage a person is put into a meditative frame
of mind: he is asked to meditate, that is, on whether he has enough insurance.
This passage appears to be an extract from a book of meditations, and only the
last sentence identifies it as a commercial appeal.
In short, written
sentences should have the sound of speech, and the means to the naturalness is
through variety in sentence length, avoiding long sentences, using parallel and
balanced constructions, and making your writing rhythm appropriate to the
context.
About the Author Linda Correli is a staff
writer of
http://www.CustomResearchPapers.us and an author of the
popular online tutorial for students "What Teachers Want: Master the Art of
Essay Writing in 10 Days", available at
http://www.Go2Essay.com 
