MAKING YOUR WRITING FLOW, PART II: KEY POINTS Beginnings and Endings; Simplicity and Complexity In this

second part of the short course, well discuss how to tie your sentences together promote maximum flow and how to insure that the complexity of your thought isnt obscured by complicated grammar. 1. BEGINNINGS . . . Use the beginning of your sentences to refer to (a) what youve already mentioned or (b) knowledge that you can assume you and your reader readily share. Example: Jon Stewart is perhaps the most accomplished satirist working today. Satire, as mentioned previously, attacks those in power in the name of truth. Revised: Satire attacks those in power in the name of truth. Perhaps the most accomplished satirist working today is Jon Stewart. Example: The number of wounded and dead in World War I exceeded all the other wars in European history. One of the reasons for the lingering animosity between some nations today is the memory of this terrible carnage. Revised: Of all the wars in European history up to that point, none exceeded World War I in the number of wounded and dead. The memory of this terrible carnage is one of the reasons for the animosity between some European nations today. 2. . . . ENDINGS Put your most important ideas at the end of your sentence, as well as the information you intend to develop in the next sentence. Example: I crashed the car last Saturday afternoon, on my way home from a trip to the supermarket and the Laundromat. I escaped without a scratch, though the car was totaled. Revised: Last Saturday afternoon, on my way home from a trip to the supermarket and the Laundromat, I crashed the car. The car was totaled, but I escaped without a scratch. Example: President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, while watching a play at Fords Theater. The nation was shocked by this act of violence. Revised: On April 14, 1865, while watching a play at Fords Theater, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. This act of violence shocked the nation. COMPLEXITY AND SIMPLICITY If your sentences feel tangled, observe this rule: The greater the logical complexity of the thought is, the simpler the syntax of the sentences expressing it ought to be. Example: Democracy has been around since the time of Socrates and has continued into the present day, in countries such as the United States, where the citizens hold power under a free electoral system. Even though democracy operates differently in different places, all democracies have two characteristic features, which are that all citizens have equal access to power, and that all citizens enjoy universally recognized liberties, including freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech. Revised: Democracy has been around since Socratess day. It continues to thrive today. Democracy operates differently in different places. However, all democracies share two characteristic features. First, all citizens have equal access to power. Second, all citizens enjoy universally recognized liberties. These liberties include freedom of thought, of expression, and of speech.