Reading a Narrative Out Loud

There are several benefits in reading your narrative out loud illustrated by Leigh Ryan in The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors, they include:

1. Making sure the words you hear match and illustrate the experiences you are trying to express in words.
2. Locating word phrases that do not flow well to help you to find areas with errors in grammar, coherence, sentence structure, and development.
3. Sharpening your style and writing technique.

Why does reading your narrative out loud help you to revise and clarify your composition? In his article entitled "Collaborative Learning and the 'Conversation of Mankind,' " Kenneth A. Bruffee describes the relationship between speech and writing.

Conversation is speech and discussion between people; however, individuals also have conversation within their own mind. Often times, this is called reflective thought.

Narrative writing is primarily reflective in nature, and therefore, narrative writing can be linked to internal conversation.

By reading your narrative out loud to yourself and to others, you are listening to an internal conversation.

To fully understand and evaluate an internal conversation, you must recognize it is speech and not only critique its content but reflect on how it sounds and flows as well.

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