Three's a charm

Today's close reading of a piece of writing comes is the lead, or first two paragraphs, from a March 25 Washington Post story, and leads readers into a photo essay.  You can find the entire post here.

"At the center of Kabul, a city of traditional bazaars and tattered shopping malls, horse-drawn carts and crumbling streets thronged with automobile traffic, lies a heavily fortified district that is a mystery to most Afghans.

"What was once a cluster of key offices and compounds has evolved into a 21^st-century fortress encircled by blast wall, checkpoints and security cameras, creating what for many is an impenetrable urban void known as the Green Zone."

First off, notice that each graf is one long complex sentence. Starting an essay or report this way requires a strong foundation in mechanics, and risks both losing readers along the way as well as losing control of your sentences.

But both of these sentences worked for me. In the opening sentence, the writers include a very long appositive after "Kabul," designed to provide readers likely unfamiliar with the Afghan city a quick description. It makes use of the always-dependable "rule of three," with three descriptors -- bazaars, carts, and streets. 

Three is usually a convincing number of support items for claims. One example could be random, and two could be coincidence. Three examples indicate a pattern for readers. Four is usually just one too many. Let's move along, the reader thinks.

So when in doubt, consider three examples or adjectives or anecdotes when you want to persuade readers.

The appositive is set off from the primary clause by commas. Using commas or dashes create parentheticals without the parentheses.

The second sentence also uses the rule of three, with the fortress being encircled by blast wall, checkpoints, and security cameras.

An element in rhetoric that could use more attention is that of rhythm. Readers prefer a bit of variety in sentence length, for instance. Incorporating the "rule of three" into more of your writing may help your personal rhythm. 

A bonus is that when you find yourself unable to come up with a third example or third descriptor, you might go back and reexamine your original claim. It may be be as strong as you originally thought.