Right-Branching Sentences Will Make You A Better Writer
Write subject and verb first. The rest will follow.
Are you a writer? Great. The following two sentences are for you.
Roy Peter Clark wrote a book you need in your life. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer is a goldmine of expert knowledge that costs a mere $9.99 USD on Kindle.
Clark does not waste time with nonsense. In fact, his very first chapter has so much punch, I think my nose is broken. “Begin sentences with subjects and verbs,” it commands. Okay, but why?
Leading with subject and verb in your writing creates what’s called a right-branching sentence. It lessens reader confusion and establishes the strong roots needed for flowing, detail-rich writing.
Clark calls on Lydia Polgreen of the New York Times for an example of a great right-branching sentence. I advise you to re-read this excerpt until its majesty has washed over you.
Rebels seized control of Cap Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city, on Sunday, meeting little resistance as hundreds of residents cheered, burned the police station, plundered food from port warehouses and looted the airport, which was quickly closed. Police officers and armed supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled.
LOOK AT THAT SENTENCE. What a beauty. Don’t you feel like you were there, witnessing the rebellion? Someone should make a movie about that sentence.
There is so much going on. There are six commas. Six! Often, a sentence of that length confuses readers. So why were we able to stay with Polgreen as she fed us breathless detail?
Look at the first three words.
Rebels seized control
Polgreen made sure to lead with subject and verb. As we took in more and more information, we never lost the foundation built by those three sturdy words.
Practice writing right-branching sentences, and your writing will become clearer and stronger. That’s a good thing.
