Start with the basics for mechanics of writing

By Ron Fletcher  |  August 1, 2004

My two high school sons have not been blessed with good English teachers. How can we make sure that they learn how to write well? Since our experience has been that doing is a large part of learning, we thought that each should start journaling. That sort of writing, however, differs from what they will have to master to do well academically and, later, professionally.

Michael B., Utica, N.Y.

Well, Michael, if your sons have the knack for diction that you display in your opening sentence, they should fare well.

Kidding aside, I compliment your willingness to address the subject of writing before it becomes an issue. Sure, there's no formula for transforming ideas into lucid, cogent prose. No two English teachers approach the subject the same way -- and those of a cynical stripe wonder if it can be taught at all. That said, there are skills that students can master through sound instruction and study. Understanding the mechanics of a sentence and the function of punctuation provides the necessary foundation for the academic essay, or any other genre of writing. If your sons need to brush up on issues such as the active voice, topic sentences, thesis statements, or the uses of a semicolon, I recommend purchasing a usage guide that includes exercises and explanatory answers. Where I teach, we've had good luck with Diane Hacker's ''Rules for Writers" (Bedford/St. Martin's). Hacker walks students through lessons on run-on sentences, fragments, and dangling modifiers, providing examples and exercises along the way. The fifth edition offers a helpful interactive website.

Should your sons already have a command of the basics, encourage them to take a look at ''On Writing Well" (HarperResource) by William Zinsser. Though more than a quarter-century old, the recently updated classic can still engage today's students on topics that Nintendo is not addressing: nonfiction as literature, the sound of your voice, and a writer's decisions. Likewise, Strunk and White's ''Elements of Style" (Pearson Higher Education) has remained dust-free in its damning of verbosity and praising of pithiness and precision. (And, yes, it would pooh-pooh the alliterative phrasing of the latter.)

Better yet, encourage your sons to read often -- and with a writer's eye. Attempt to pique their interest in magazines such as the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, or The Economist. Challenge them to see and explain how the essays in these publications were put together: word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. Discussing introductions, anecdotes, language, tone, transitions, themes, images, or conclusions can sharpen their sense of how such elements function in their writing.

Yes to the journal, Michael. Though its lines might lack the formality of a scholarly essay, there's value in putting pen to paper every day. Finding the language for an impression or fear, desire or dilemma will help your sons develop a comfort and confidence with the written word. Too often students regard writing as daunting mystery rather than daily act. Lastly, buy your boys some stationery this summer. Come up with an incentive to have them author a letter per week to a relative or friend. Patience and precision lie at the heart of good writing. A letter, unlike e-mail, cultivates those qualities.

Ron Fletcher teaches English at Boston College High. To submit a question, e-mail asktheteacher@globe.com. Include your name, town and e-mail address. Questions, at reader's request, can be printed anonymously.