Being structure sound 5 pptx

13. Which version is more objective?

a. paragraph A

b. paragraph B

14. Which version makes you feel excited about

Eleanor Cartwright’s appointment?

a. paragraph A

b. paragraph B

You noticed, of course, that paragraph B is much

more descriptive than paragraph A—it tells you more

about both Mark Spencer and Eleanor Cartwright.

Paragraph A just provides the facts—specific details,

but no description. Paragraph A is very objective. We

do not learn anything about Mark Spencer other than

his job title. For example, we don’t know how people

feel about him. In paragraph A, we also learn very lit￾tle about Eleanor Cartwright other than her new job.

We don’t know what she looks like or how people in the

room respond to her.

Paragraph B, however, tells us about Mark

Spencer’s reputation (“popular” and responsible for

making the annual fundraising dinner “the hottest

ticket in town”). Paragraph B also provides many details

about Eleanor Cartwright (“striking woman with a

crimson suit,” “impressive credentials”). We also learn

a good deal about the general tone of the room and how

this announcement was received (“the room was

buzzing,” “reporters hung on her every word,” “they left

the room convinced that the Smithfield Museum, once

barely known, was truly becoming a major force in the

art world”). All these details help us feel something

about the announcement and the people involved

because the characters and the situation are presented

visually; we can almost see what happens.

Summary

Style, as you can see, is an important aspect of reading

comprehension. It can tell us about the writer’s rela￾tionship to the reader; it can distance us with its objec￾tivity or draw us in with its description and detail. As

readers, we tend to react strongly to style, often with￾out knowing why. But now you do know why, and you

can use that knowledge to help you understand what

you read.

–STYLE: IT’S NOT WHAT THEY SAY BUT HOW THEY SAY IT–

106

■ As you come across sentences or paragraphs written in different styles, see how they would sound if

the style were altered. Change the level of formality, the degree of description and detail, or the sen￾tence structure to create a new style.

■ Do you have a favorite author? Take a second look at a particularly memorable work by this author, pay￾ing close attention to the style elements at work. If you are a Jane Austen fan, pick out features that

make her novels enjoyable for you. Do you like her degree of formality, the way she uses detail to

describe fancy parties, or the way she varies her sentence structure? After you’ve taken a close look

at this work, try your own hand at it. Can you write a letter to a friend in the same style that Jane Austen

would have? How about Ernest Hemingway or Stephen King?

Skill Building until Next Time