It’s All about Sound
Alliteration is often considered clever when used as hype by a newscaster such as Geraldo Rivera, but horribly annoying to a lot of people when the novelty wears off or the technique is overused. Sibilant sounds are funny when spoken via a cartoon character such as Donald Duck, while not so humorous when part of someone’s long-winded pontification
at a school board meeting. And while writing numerous consecutive words beginning with or containing letters such as a “c” or a “p” can be catchy in a commercial jingle, they might not be as well received when abundantly decorating a run of narrative.
Sound Means Everything to Text, as it Facilitates Both Rhythm and Pitch
Strong words, but true, since we hear what we read. Reason number 10,000 why it’s critical to read out loud whatever we write before we consider posting it, mailing it, offering it, or publishing it. But reading out loud also means a lot of sometimes painstakingly slow work for the writer, and why this cardinal rule is often so easy to side-step. Yet listening for certain untoward sounds, and modifying the rhetoric that enables them, has as much to do with readability as any other factor.
Start with the Obvious and Work toward Ferreting out the Subtler Grating Performers
“S’s” are the easiest culprits to recognize, since the hissing sound they engender is what sibilance refers to. And alliteration and sibilance combined are impossible for most readers to deal with. Phrases like, “She shifted seductively as she swayed towards his seat” are enough to turn off any reader. But what about subtle inflections such as “prepossessing smile,” “successful city servant” (soft “c’s” count too, ha ha), and “seven consecutive series.” There are indeed times when “smile” has to be modified to “allure,” “servant” to “employee,” and “consecutive” dropped and the phrase changed to “seven times in a row.”
Too Many “C’s and “P’s can Spoil the Soup
Soft “c’s” were mentioned in the earlier paragraph, but a preponderance of hard
“c’s” can be annoying in their own right. “Accommodating change encourages actionable outcomes,” is beyond a mouthful. And so is, “They appealed to the people in the principal opposition party.” Consider how both phrases are sitting on your mind right now, and then read either phrase out loud and see if you don’t come away with a sore jaw.
The Key is Balance
No writer sets out to aggravate the reader when the intent is to craft fluent prose. But the tendency for many writers is to be complacent and not look for the little tics that can sometimes evolve into major trouble spots. Reading material out loud, and listening closely to how it sounds, is the best advice anyone can give or receive. If it sounds bad, it reads bad. It’s that simple. Again, it’s all about sound.
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