9.12: Style Exercise- Voice

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 5434

Lumen Learning
Lumen Learning

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

The de copia exercise is useful in showing how style—the third canon of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery)—has a major impact on one’s writing. Paragraphs and essays that feature combined and varied sentences often shine the most.

For this exercise, I would like for you to try to transform your own writing to mimic another’s voice. This type of exercise is designed to help make you think about the choices a writer makes in designing his or her writing style.

You’ll complete four steps:

Write a brief one-paragraph story that describes a key quality of yours to someone not in our class.
Read the some sample passages and note their distinct writing styles. These are in very different genres, of course, but that’s part of the fun.
Mimic one of those writing styles to re-tell your story. You can choose a different “audience” for your description if you’d like.
Answer the questions: What choices did you make in re-designing your story? What obstacles did you face? How would you characterize your voice vs. the one you mimicked?