However, here's how you can use underlining as a visual aid to help you edit for sentence length variety:
1. Highlight short sentences: Underline short sentences (5 words or less) in your draft. This will make them stand out and help you identify if you have too many short sentences in a row.
2. Highlight long sentences: Underline long sentences (20 words or more) in your draft. This will help you identify overly long sentences that might need to be broken down for clarity.
Example:
Original:
> The cat sat on the mat. It was a fluffy cat with soft fur. The cat purred contentedly as it watched the birds outside.
Edited (underlined for length):
> The cat sat on the mat. _It was a fluffy cat with soft fur._ The cat purred contentedly as it watched the birds outside.
Benefits:
* Visual clarity: Underlining helps you quickly see the different sentence lengths and identify patterns.
* Focus: It allows you to focus on sentence length variation while editing.
* Easy to remove: You can easily remove the underlining once you've finished editing.
Important Note:
* Don't rely solely on underlining: It's just a visual tool. You should also use your judgment and understanding of sentence structure while editing.
* Consider other techniques: Use other techniques like reading aloud, using a readability checker, or asking a peer to review your work to identify sentence length issues.
By using underlining in this way, you can make your writing more engaging and impactful by creating a variety of sentence lengths that keep your readers interested.