Topic: Sentence Pattern???

[carmzy]

Someone told me that as a writer or an author, one should should write a sentence correctly and must follow the sentence pattern. However, we all know that no one is perfect.  So, do you read books about grammars? or perhaps follow the sentence patterns as you write? (sentences in your novel?)


Sorry about this funny questions. I am just curious you know. . . 

[Julia]

Most all of my writing follows recommended grammar & style rules (per Strunk & White's Elements of Style) - however, there are times when I break the rules. Sometimes the story and/or character(s) demand it!

[Lill]

Perhaps too many inverted sentences you are writing. Or frequent fragments. (If you have sentences like this in your writing, that might be what
the person is talking about.)

You pick up a lot of this from reading, especially if English is not your first language. A basic grammar course or reading a book might help also.

I'm in a hurry, but wanted to respond to this. I hope others come by soon.

[Marissa Doyle]

It depends--I think it's all right to be less grammatical in dialogue or internal narrative, because human beings don't always speak in perfectly grammatical, fully formed sentences--they use fragments, or don't finish sentences, and so on.  For narrative, sticking more closely to accepted grammatical sentence structure is probably a good idea.

[andracill]

I'd say it's the overall rhythm -- some sentences should be long and full; others might be short and choppy.  But you blend those together to make an overall rhythm of words.  However, each basic sentence should (for the most part) be built on a solid foundation of good grammar.

[olmue]

Yes, narrative and dialogue are two different things. Incorrect grammar in narration looks like a mistake. But dialogue can have incorrect grammar *if it's true to the character.*

As far as fragments, they can be used effectively in either situation, but it's possible to overdo it, of course.

[justjoan]

It's best to follow the rules--until you know how to break them right. ;-)

You've gotten some great responses here already, but I wanted to add that if you stick too closely to the rules of grammar and proper sentence structure, your writing might come off stilted and awkward. In my opinion (that's my disclaimer), it's best to write in YOUR voice and follow your character's voices/personalities even if they aren't grammatically or structurally perfect.

[Whizbee]

A writer should master her craft. That includes grammar and spelling. Of course, it also includes style but that comes after grammar.

[PatEsden]

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe there is an event at Writeon Con which is about building better sentences. You might want to check it out.

Writeon Con begins next week, so you could check their site for more information.

[Lill]

Forgive me if I'm remembering incorrectly, but I thought I saw you say somewhere that English is your third or fourth language.

If that is so, that may be causing trouble since sentence word order varies in other languages. There are a ton of websites to help. Google.

My sister-in-law houses foreign exchange students, and she was looking for sites to help them with their English. I just don't remember where
they all are now.

[Kris]

You've got to know your craft in order to be able to break the rules. Because, of course, there are exceptions to the rules. Read as much as you can. Take some online workshops (http://www.writeruniv.com/ has some good, affordable courses). Go to conferences. Read books on craft.

You've heard the 10,000 rule? In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell says to achieve success in any field, you need to log 10,000 hours. So basically, practice makes perfect.