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Vocabulary Workout: Add Rhythm

Here's a great way to flex your power to summon words and bend them to your will!

With this power, you can write rhythmic sentences full of detail and authority. Start with any sentence you've written, zoom in on a string of words, then turn that string into a rhythmic pair (or a rhythmic list) by repeating its structure, summoning new words to fit it. Let's see some examples from writers who've done this!

Here's Alaina Demopoulos: "They just fell down a garbage chute and lived to tell the tale." The two highlighted details are rhythmic: about the same in length, and about the same in structure.

Here's James Gorman: "Xephos is at the tail-wagging, face-licking, cozy-cuddling end of dog friendliness." The three highlighted details are rhythmic: the same in length, and the same in structure.

One more! Here's Elizabeth Weil: "But [California] was gorgeous, and she brought into our lives... all the treasure and magic we'd need. The beaches. The mountains. The clean waves at Malibu. The seal pups at Año Nuevo State Park." The four highlighted details are rhythmic: the same in structure, and gradually increasing in length.

To create those rhythmic details, the writers had to summon precisely the right words: words that would coordinate with each other in meaning, length, and grammatical structure.

How can we do the same?

Start with any sentence you've written. Add more detail to it by duplicating an existing structure at least one time, transforming one string of words into a pair or a list. You'll need to invent details and summon the words to express them. 

Let's walk through an example...

Let's say that you just wrote this sentence: "I imagined a comedy moving so fast that it couldn’t maintain its own structural integrity anymore—a fighter jet losing its wings and tail to air resistance."

Visualize where to add some rhythm: "I imagined a comedy moving so fast that it couldn’t maintain its own structural integrity anymore—a fighter jet losing its wings and tail to air resistance, _________________________________________________________."

Here's how Ken Jennings did it: "I imagined a comedy moving so fast that it couldn’t maintain its own structural integrity anymore—a fighter jet losing its wings and tail to air resistance, a space capsule shedding heat tiles as it attempts reentry."

Try this one for yourself...

Imagine that you just wrote this sentence: "Like a perfectly roasted chicken, a good omelette is considered the mark of a good cook."

Visualize where to add some rhythm: "Like a perfectly roasted chicken or ________________________, a good omelette is considered the mark of a good cook."

When you're ready to see how Jenn Segal did it, scroll down a bit...

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"Like a perfectly roasted chicken or basic green salad with vinaigrette, a good omelette is considered the mark of a good cook." 
   — Jenn Segal, Once Upon a Chef, 26 January 2022

Your sentence will likely be very different! Here's another way we could add rhythm: "Like a perfectly roasted chicken or a chewy oatmeal cookie, a good omelette is considered the mark of a good cook." 

You can do this workout however often you want! Use your own sentences, or use sentences you spot anywhere. The effort will strengthen your vocabulary!


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