These short little words are the grease of English
When I write, I try to write in a conversational style. I make a conscious effort to structure my sentences so that they sound out just like a person would when speaking. I write so as to make the words flow smoothly when spoken.
Here is an interesting example: choosing between "a" and "an" in a sentence. Here are a couple of examples:
A crab is a crustacean.
I have an earache.
Notice here in the first example, the differences in the words that follow a and an. In the first case, a is followed by a word that starts with a consonant. Try speaking that sentence and you will see what I mean. If you use an before crustacean, you will notice a bit of resistance to doing so. It won't feel natural.
On the other hand, the a allows for the hard break in pronunciation of the word that follows. Conversely, using an an before the hard c sound does not allow for a smooth transition to the next word.
In the second example above, I've put an an before a word that starts with a vowel. That allows for a smoother transition from one word to another. Now observe the converse of the above, below:
A crab is an crustacean.
I have a earache.
We can test this out by actually speaking the words above and noticing the tension between the words as we speak. Try speaking the words I gave in the first two examples given earlier, and then speaking the pair just above, and do that a few times to get a sense of what I mean.
I know, it seems like a little thing, doesn't it? But when people read, they actually sound out the words in their minds. That sound comes from an inner voice that everyone hears when they think.
Reading is a form of thinking, but it is a way to take information from outside ourselves and internalize it. We internalize outside information all the time, but reading is a conscious decision to take information from outside of us and internalize it, to remember it for future reference. We call that, learning.
So when I write, I sound out in my mind everything I write. I want it to be easy for others to read, not just to themselves, but also to read aloud to others if that opportunity should ever come to pass.
These little words are to me, the grease of my native language:
a
an
and
so
to
it
is
This is not an exhaustive list, but rather, a short list of examples that I consider when writing a sentence. Those little 1, 2, and 3 letter words are the grease that makes a sentence flow better, easier. They make a sentence easier to read aloud, and easier to speak.
Here is why I think they are so important. When I'm reading someone else's prose, and I notice a word missing from a sentence, that interrupts my train of thought. See, when I'm reading, I'm asking questions. I do this while listening to others, too. I'm a very active listener. A missing word in a sentence may stop the train for some people, and I want to keep it rolling.
To put this in perspective, that interruption I experience from a missing word is like someone saying the word "but" after every fourth word. And after awhile, I learn to ignore the "but" and interpret the rest of the sentence. And that requires extra effort that I would rather spend on an article that has better diction, that sounds better in my mind.
This isn't to say that I will spend a lot of time thinking about the missing word or, that I won't finish reading an article just because of a missing word. This is to say that I will learn to fill it in myself and sound it out then, in my mind. I do this a lot when I read articles on the internet.
The practice of writing includes learning how to solve the problem of sentence construction. Those little words have solved a lot problems for me when writing. I hope they solve a few sentence problems for you, too.
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I'm fascinated by the connection between thought, speech, and writing (and reading for that matter).
We have a thought - studies show that thoughts are represented in the body by 'sub-vocalisations'. Thus the mind-body connection. And the relationship between thought, speech and consciousness.
Then we use writing, both as a tool to document experience and share information, and to clarify our thoughts themselves. So the act of writing serves as a mechanism to improve our thoughts. Thus improving our speech and future writing.
Yes, language evolved to flow as easily as possible. In language, those little words mean a lot.
Thank you for your post!
Your welcome. And thanks for yours, too. You seem to have summed it up well.
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Write on.
I personally always enjoy reading things where it seems like the person is using natual speech. Some people try to hard with finding words that don't feel natural.
So what does a writer do to sound more colloquial? A crab is uh crustacean?* The only reason I ask is because I love to write in a soft conversational manner too. But that's always stumped me.
You pose an interesting question. The simplest solution seems to be to write in a style that reflect's one's own manner of speech. For example, of the people that know me and read my articles, they often say that they can hear my voice when they read my words. This suggests to me that what I write reflects my style and manner of speaking.
To exercise this style of writing trying reading aloud what you write. Does it feel stiff when you read it aloud? Do you feel resistance in the reading of any sentence? I suggest that if you feel some discomfort while reading it aloud, you may not necessarily be writing words in the style of your speech.
I do try to write in my own style of speech, but for certain topics, that isn't always so easy as a more formal style may be required for the audience that is relevant to the topic. On some days, I'm in the mood for a bit of catharsis, so in that case, I tend to relax my writing style and add a bit more edge to it.
Ultimately, colloquialism is a matter of personal preference and taste, as well as a sense of what your audience expects from you. You want to welcome your audience, and avoid alienating them by being too familiar with them (or not enough), in a manner of speaking. Like any other skill, such a style requires time to try it, test it, and see what the response is.
This spectrum for variation in style is what makes writing fun for me. I hope you find this information helpful.
Have a fine day. Write on. :)
Knowledge is acquired and transmitted thanks for its teaching...😁