Deploy syntactic variety as a craft move — periodic, cumulative, fragment, sentence-length rhythm (CCSS L.7.1.b applied)

Treat sentence rhythm as a literary tool. Construct PERIODIC sentences (delaying the main clause for emphasis) and CUMULATIVE sentences (main clause first, then accumulating). Use DELIBERATE FRAGMENTS for emphasis, pace, voice, or closure. Vary sentence length within paragraphs. Read drafts aloud to test rhythm.

Mastery threshold

85%

Min instances

Typical minutes

Spaced intervals (days)

1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60

Prereqs

Successors

Common misconceptions

Treats fragment as inherently wrong — misses fragment-as-craft.
Treats syntactic variety as 'sometimes long sometimes short' rather than as deliberate choice for meaning/effect.

Exercise pool (6)

Diff	Stem	Type
2	For each fragment, identify the purpose (emphasis / pace / voice / closure / mistake). (1) 'My great-grandmother. I would have liked to...	fragment classification
3	Audit this paragraph (provided). Count: how many simple, compound, complex, compound-complex sentences? How many openers begin with the...	sentence variety audit
3	Revise this paragraph (all sentences are 15-18 words) to include: 1 short sentence (<10 words), 1 long sentence (>25 words), 1 medium sentence.	length variation revision
3	In this paragraph, every sentence opens with 'The author.' Revise so no more than 2 consecutive sentences begin the same way.	pass 2 opener variation
4	Revise this flat paragraph so it includes: at least 1 of each sentence type (simple/compound/complex/compound-complex), at least 2...	sentence variety revision
4	Take this claim: 'Angelou's diction transforms silence.' Write it as (a) a PERIODIC sentence (subject + verb at the end after layered...	periodic cumulative construction