Flow – Ensure Sentences Are in a Logical Order

By WR!TERS@WORK

Logical thinking is a big part of writing good compositions. Sentences need to flow with fluidity, as a fragmented composition will attract undue attention. Transitioning from paragraph to paragraph needs to be done well, using appropriate transition words. Paragraphs should be nicely signposted and wrapped up in a coherent and concise manner. These skills are not necessarily writing mechanics – many of them involve higher order thinking skills such as critical thinking, logic, and inference. WRITERS AT WORK teachers are here to help guide students towards developing these essential skills that will serve them well in future studies.

Why is It Important to Create a Logical Flow of Sentences?

Logic is an important skill for students to develop when writing their compositions. The last thing you want is for an examiner to scratch their heads and wonder why a student has written something in that particular order. A good essay will allow the reader to follow the narrative and completely understand the plot. There should not be any confusion as to what is happening and why – such confusion will cost the student dearly in terms of the marks they receive.

When writing a persuasive or argumentative essay, a logical flow will allow the reader to understand your train of thought. When the readers can understand your position or how you arrived at a conclusion, it strengthens your position. This will allow the examiner to find that your essay has persuaded them as to your stance, and they will award you more marks.

What is Sentence Order?

The sentence order is the way the sentence is structured and what sequence it follows. This is the crucial concept to having a good flow, because a logical order will show the relationships between the ideas being presented. There are a few ways to order your sentences:

1. Chronologically

2. According to the order of importance

3. To support your thesis statement

When writing your essay, it will be easier to recognise when sentences flow poorly as opposed to well, because effective flow will be unnoticeable to your readers. When sentences flow well together, readers will move through the text seamlessly, like how a hot knife cuts through butter or aunties sliding towards the MRT seats.

What Are Some Ways of Knowing That a Sentence is Poorly Constructed?

Poorly constructed sentences will change in the content and tone very often. The reader will feel like they are being ushered from one topic to the next without any meaningful conclusion. Generally, the reader will feel confused because the information in the paragraph will be redundant and does not further the main argument of the paragraph. Lastly, a badly constructed sentence will feel like it is out of order – there are no transition words or phrases in between. Using transition words like “additionally”, “above all”, “moreover”, “furthermore”, “nevertheless”, “with that being said”, and “therefore/thus” helps the reader navigate the essay.

How Can Students Ensure Sentences Are in a Logical Order?

WRITERS AT WORK students are taught to re-read previous drafts of the essay they have written and see whether the content flows. If a student cannot do this by themselves, they can get a teacher to read the essay and point out where the flow could be better. Students are encouraged to look for places where the reader might feel confused by poor sentence transitions or incoherent topics from rambling and going on unrelated tangents.

Try to find places to introduce transition words – they are usually at the beginning of the paragraph or at the end. Then, make sure that each sentence expands on the idea presented by the sentence which came before it. Students should stick to making one point per paragraph as a general rule of thumb – introducing too many new ideas in one single paragraph does not help your flow. Lastly, students should look for any sentences which repeat themselves or are redundant and remove these sentences – they will hinder the overall flow of the essay if not.

Examples of Good and Poor Sentence Flow:

Describe an event that you looked forward to which turned out to be disappointing. Explain why you were excited about it and why it didn’t live up to your expectations.

(O Level Composition Question, 2018)

Good Sentence Flow

The loud music hurt my ears – I was feeling rather uncomfortable in the corner, next to the speakers. This was the first party I had attended – after hearing my parents say that they wanted me to get out and socialise more, I felt slightly excited about going. I thought of the prospect of meeting new friends and cheered up a little. Now, standing in the corner, all I wanted to do was leave. Suddenly, a familiar face caught my eye – it was Stacey! I waved her over and we chatted excitedly. We talked of school, and our hobbies, and what we planned to do over the summer. When our favourite song came on, I gestured for her to come dance with me, and she did. We felt many pairs of eyes on us as we did so, and I felt rather shy and wanted to stop.

Poor Sentence Flow

I knew that I would not enjoy the party. Last time, when they had parties like this, I never came because I did not want to interact with others because I am shy. This party is equally a failure and I just wanted to leave. Then, I saw my friend Stacey. We are in the same class together. We shared recess together as well. I approached her and started to chat with her. Then, I asked her to dance. Then, we saw other people looking at us. I was embarrassed and wanted to stop.

To conclude, students need to develop higher order thinking skills, which go beyond learning how to write with good grammar and sentence structure. Planning your essay will help you with the logical flow of things – having a bird’s eye view of the paragraphs will be useful. Picking up logic and inference takes time and practice – just like any other skill. Knowing what a good sentence is also entails knowing another good sentence to write after that. With proper guidance and back-and-forth questioning about what makes sense and what doesn’t, your child will learn how to write in a coherent and concise manner at WRITERS AT WORK in no time!

Master the English Language with WRITERS AT WORK!

English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.

At WRITERS@WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. W@W reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how W@W makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS@WORK has expanded to 9 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS@WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. What is Creative Writing in Primary School?

In primary school, creative writing starts from using pictures to develop a coherent storyline. Students will learn how to use key phrases to build tension and develop a satisfying conclusion. The plots of the stories crafted at the primary school level are usually simple and have a central conflict which is usually resolved at the end of the story. Students will need to use good grammar and appropriate vocabulary to describe the things they see in the pictures when writing.

2. What is an Enrichment Class in English?

An enrichment class allows your child to not only learn the basics of the mechanics of English such as good grammar and sentence structure, but it also teaches your child to appreciate the nuances of the English language. Students in an English enrichment class will learn skills like inference and critical reading – these skills are highly important even when students graduate out of school and go into higher education or the working world, as it will teach them to process and filter information to determine what is being said and evaluate the veracity of the information.

3. What Does a Writing Specialist Teach?

A writing specialist teaches your child how to formulate sentences in a logical manner. Writing has various contexts, and if the assignment is a narrative essay, there are certain requirements such as a well thought-out plot, fleshed-out characters, and a good denouement. There are other types of essays a student will learn in his lifetime, such as an argumentative essay, expository essay, and descriptive writing, which all require different skill sets learned during class.

4. How Does My Child Benefit From Writing Classes?

Writing classes build systematic thinking and logic in children. Crafting a story plot is the same as thinking, step by step, what events chronologically happen in the context of a given scenario. Students will be able to express their ideas and thought processes in a coherent and concise manner, which will help them in their other subjects as they will be able to formulate sentences to better understand the material. English proficiency is a highly transferable skill.