Lists

Making a list of ideas, especially from a summary, can help you work out how to develop a sophisticated sentence.

Sample Text

Touted as a promising alternative energy source for decades, solar panels crown rooftops and roadside signs, and help keep spacecraft powered. But how do solar panels work? Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Solar panels actually comprise many, smaller units called photovoltaic cells. (Photovoltaic simply means they convert sunlight into electricity.) Many cells linked together make up a solar panel. Each photovoltaic cell is basically a sandwich made up of two slices of semi-conducting material, usually silicon — the same stuff used in microelectronics.

Example Paraphrased List of Points

Here are some points from the text that have been summarised and paraphrased, into a list.

Solar panels are used to power houses, signs and spacecraft.
Solar panels generate power by allowing photons to knock electrons free from atoms, creating a flow of electricity.
Solar panels are made up of cells made from semiconducting silicon.

Example

Used to power houses, signs and spacecraft, solar panels are made up of semiconducting silicon cells that allow photons to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity.

Vary Sentence Lengths

This sentence has five words. Here are five more. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. Sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage them with a sentence of considerable length, one that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of drums, the crash of cymbals - sounds that say listen to this, it is important. So write with a combination of short, medium and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the readers ear. Don't just write words. Write music.

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