1. To make your language fluid, you must do two things Vary sentence rhythms Bridge discontinuities Sentence #1 Sentence #2

2. Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. A cloud of hot rock and gas surged northward from its collapsing slope. The cloud devastated more than 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. The effects of Mount St. Helens were well documented with geophysical instruments. The origin of the eruption is not well understood. Volcanic explosions are driven by a rapid expansion of steam. Some scientists believe the steam comes from groundwater heated by the magma. Other scientists believe the steam comes from water originally dissolved in the magma. We need to understand the source of steam in volcanic eruptions. We need to determine how much water the magma contains. When sentence openers do not vary, the sentences do not seem to connect Z Z Z

3. Varying sentence openers allows for more kinds of transitions between sentences Sentence #1 Sentence #2 Sentence #3 Topic of SentenceSubject Time of actionPrepositional Phrase Location of actionPrepositional Phrase Manner of action Adverb Subordinate actionDependent Clause Reason for actionInfinitive Phrase

4. Vary sentence openers to vary rhythm Mount St. Helens erupted on May… l subject-verb In minutes, the mountain emitted… l prepositional phrase Recently, debate has arisen... l adverb Although the exact time of the eruption surprised scientists, evidence had been collected... l dependent clause In the town below, people… l prepositional phrase

5. Vary sentence openers to vary rhythm l infinitive phrase To understand the eruption, we have to... l gerundial phraseCalculating the amount of ash will require many assumptions. l dependent clauseHow the blast occurred remains as subjecta mystery. l verb-subjectIs it groundwater heated by…

6. Still other openers exist, but sometimes seem out of place in scientific writing l appositive One of the largest on record in North America, the Mount St. Helens’ eruption killed more than sixty people. l introductory seriesSeismic activity, cone deformation, electromagnetic changes—all these are precursors of an eruption. l adjective phraseDark and ominous, the smoke cloud billowed for days.

7. Varying sentence openers enlivens the writing and allows connections Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes, the cloud devastated more than 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, the origin is not well understood. Volcanic explosions are driven by a rapid expansion of steam. Recently, debate has arisen over the source for the steam. Is it groundwater heated by magma or water originally dissolved in the magma itself? To understand the source of steam in volcanic eruptions, we need to determine how much water the magma contains.

8. If you vary sentence openers, you will vary sentence lengths and structures Keep average length in teens Don't fear short sentences (3, 4, or 5 words), but avoid stacking short sentences Be selective with long sentences

9. To make connections, use transitional phrases early in sentences Also, Moreover, First…Second... For that reason, Therefore, and For instance, For example, Strictly speaking, In other words, In effect, or However, On the other hand, Conversely, Nevertheless, Otherwise, but Continuation Pause Reversal This shows... This means...

10. Replace the standalone “this” with a noun phrase that specifies the subject The finite element modeling technique does not take into account the flexibility of the truss. This results in a low stiffness, which causes the natural frequency to be off. Weak Transition …truss. This disregard for flexibility results in a low stiffness causing the natural frequency to be off. Successful Transition …truss. Not accounting for the flexibility results in a low stiffness causing the natural frequency to be off. Fluid Transition

11. Use a variety of long, medium, and short paragraphs Average paragraphs: 5-6 lines Short paragraphs: 1-4 lines Use sparingly and don’t stack Long paragraphs: 8-10 lines Try to avoid long paragraphs

12. Use lists for easy reading Advice or examples Conclusions/recommendations Criteria for evaluation Errors to avoid Material for a procedures Equipment in a procedure Parts of a mechanism Steps in a sequence Items you might list:

13. White space gives shape to a document and orients the user

14. space for margins space for illustrations space for headings White space