How Sentences Become Illogical

Logical sentences aren’t difficult to produce. If you have a subject and a verb, you can construct a simple sentence that makes sense. However, sticking to such basic construction throughout your work can lead to writing that reads very poorly, so you combine sentences and vary your structures.

Sometimes, though, the results aren’t as you hoped they would be.

No logical connection. Does your sentence even make sense? Many times, we’re so invested in our work that we fail to see logical failings even when it’s staring us in the face. That’s why having a second set of eyes to read your paper (or, at the least, waiting overnight before revising) is a necessary step.

Lists that don’t belong together. Look for lists of items in your work and make sure they make logical sense. Many times, students end up including logical unequals in a haste to satisfty word count requirements.

Be careful with your metaphors. Some people are good at figures of speech; others suck. The incongruence a bad metaphor can cause between your subject and your verb can leave many readers scratching their heads.

Plain ambiguity. Sometimes, your statements are just ambiguous. Make sure there’s only one way to interpret any sentence you put together, lest risk giving people the wrong idea.

As always, a good writing assistant software can help in more ways than you probably imagine. Laden with advanced algorithms, they may not be able to catch every writing folly, but they can definitely help show you the way.

7 Ways To Vary Your Sentences

The SVO sequence (subject, verb, object) is the most basic sentence pattern in the English language.  Many who begin writing for the first time string words together in this manner.  If your writing skills are currently limited to this structure, here are seven ways you can adjust your SVO formations so that your paragraphs sounds vibrant and energetic.

1. Turn your sentence into a question.  Rearrange the statement so that it asks a question and you’ve got instant variance.

2. Turn it into an exclamatory statement.  Similar to the first technique, changing it up to express stronger emotion helps you alter the way your paragraphs come across.

3. If it’s active, make it passive (and vice versa).   Even though active verbs are better generally better, inserting a few passive constructions help vary the way your sentences sound.

4. Combine it with your next sentence.  Rather than writing out a basic sentence, turn it into a compound or complex one by combining it with succeeding sentences.

5. Add a transitional phrase.  Insert a way to transition from the previous statement to both vary your sentences, as well as keep your ideas connected.

6. Start with a participle.  Change your verb by using a participle form, rearranging the sentence so that you lead with it.

7. Throw in new modifiers.  Add new adverbs and adjectives to change the way it reads, altering your verbs whenever necessary.

As always, make sure to check your new sentences with a good grammar checking software.  It’s even more crucial when changing text up to vary your sentences to ensure you don’t accidentally include mistakes during revision.


Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - © 2024 Grammar Software. All Rights Reserved.