We’re taking you one baby step past our first tip to proofread without reading.  Now, try proofreading by only reading the very first word and letter of each sentence and paragraph.  What are you looking for?  Repetition.

If you notice that your sentences often begin with “The,” for example, rewriting a few of them will help create flow and interest for your readers.  Why?

First of all, repetition can be tedious and distracting to your reader.  Starting sentences the same way not only repeats words but is also a sign that your sentence structure is similarly repetitive.Second, commonly-repeated first words can indicate boring sentences.  I look for “T” words such as “That,” “The,” and “There.”  Other culprits are “I,” “You,” and “It.”  Personally, I find this is especially easy to do when reciting facts or procedure.  Starting with a prepositional phrase or verb, for example, can engage your reader and make your writing more compelling.  Even if you don’t know your grammar, just try rearranging a few sentences and you’ll get there (or read an example for inspiration).  “T” sentences can have their place, but they are best mixed in.

As lawyers know, most rules have exceptions. There are many effective rhetorical uses of repetition, but it will be clear to you when it’s purposeful instead of unnecessary or distracting.  For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. repeating “I have a dream . . .” is one of the most memorable moments of rhetorical repetition in the last century.  But if you aren’t doing it for rhetorical purposes and it wasn’t carefully crafted and intentional, it’s probably out of place.

Don’t forget to compare paragraphs too.  Maybe each paragraph has good sentence variety within, but if you have four paragraphs in a row starting with “The,” the same concerns as above apply.

Extra credit: If this exercise makes you notice other kinds of repetition in your sentences, try rearranging those sentences too.  I’m personally guilty of repeating sentence structure, especially in emails and other informal writing.  I often use the same conjunction (“and,” “but,” or “or”) several sentences in a row, which is usually solved by making sentences shorter or inverting clauses to get rid of the conjunction.