Updated
Style--the way writers string their words together--is affected by many things, and these "things" can be sorted into the following four categories:
Sentences--long/short, simple/complex, many modifiers/few modifiers, normal word order/frequent inversions or "interrupters", mostly main clauses/several subordinate clauses and/or embedded phrases
Word choice--abstract/concrete, formal/colloquial, familiar/unusual, figurative/literal, scientific/literary
Persona (voice)--expert/ordinary, scholar/student, insider/outsider, liberal/conservative/independent, observer/participant
Tone (how reader perceives the writer)--aloof/involved, intimate/outsider, personal/impersonal, caring/impersonal, entertaining/informative, calm/angry, serious/comical, literal/ironic
By making style choices, writer's create an image of themselves in the minds of their readers. Images may be characterized as being friendly/antagonistic, warm/cold, insider/outsider, passionate/detached, "hip"/scholarly. What style writers adopt depends on their purpose for writing, audience, and genre.
|
|
Created Oct. 10, 2005 Updated |