Review & Discuss Gopen & Swan ideas:

* Subject-Verb separation & meaning

  - readers expect grammatical verb to follow the subject almost
    immediately; extra words before the verb tend to be igonred!

  - make the verb meaningful

* Single Function

  - Each unit of discourse, no matter what the size, is expected to
    serve a single function, to make a single point.
 
* A sentence structure that meets readers' expectations;

  [Topic position] [details] [stress position].

       (1) The beginning of the sentence (the "topic position") serves
           two reader expectations:
	   (a) what the story of the sentence is about
	   (b) links back to familiar information and/or frames sentence
	   (c) "what's it about": perspective and context

       (2) The end of the sentence ("stress position")
           (a) what the reader will remember / take away
	   (b) leans forward into the next sentence or other bit of
	       writing.
	   (c) "what's the point": primary emphasis

       Topic and stress are *especially* for skimmers (but all readers
       expect them!);
       
       middle has the details for the truly interested reader.

* Don't make reader construct linkages between units of writing by
  themselves. 

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On paragraphs:

(1) It is much more complicated to think of the various expectations
that readers have about paragraphs.  We will continue discussion of
paragraphs on Thursday.

(2) Some good heuristics:

    A common (but not the only) form of paragraph defines an "issue"
    and makes a "point" about it.

    (a) Treat a paragraph like a sentence:
        -- the beginning is the "topic position" (the "issue" is here)
	-- the end is the "stress position" (the "point" can be
               anywhere but is often here)
	-- the middle contains the details

    (b) To give a paragraph "flow":
        -- the topic position of each sentence should reach back to
           old info and frame the sentence.
	-- the stress position should have new information
	-- each sentence should lean into the next

    (c) Each writing unit should serve a single function.
        -- as a simple check: the last sentence should match the
           first.
              (I usually ask if I can "get the point" by looking only
	       at the beginning and end of the paragraph)
	-- More broadly, each sentence in the paragraph
           should support the main point of that paragraph.

    Other kinds of paragraphs, e.g.:

    -- tell a story (can be very satisfying if well-signaled)
    -- collect together a list of facts, definitions, instructions,
       etc. (sometimes necessary, but usually not too satisfying)