Be Careful with Your Essays and Statements of Purpose! Writing Style (Sentence Endings: Plain vs. Polite) and Sentence Rhythm
Last updated: 2025/09/12
This series, [Basics of Writing], introduces the fundamental points of composition that I, Shineno, an essay and composition instructor, teach during my regular correction and grading sessions.
(You can see Shineno's self-introduction here.)
Here, I will talk about "writing style" in terms of sentence endings and the "rhythm" of a text.
"Writing style (plain and polite forms)" and "rhythm" that you should be careful about in essays and statements of purpose.
Unify your sentence endings to either plain or polite form to improve the rhythm of your writing.
In the "Haiku" segment of the TV program "Pre-bat!!", I often see the teacher Itsuki Natsui comment on poorly crafted haiku by saying, "(That is) prosaic." This seems to mean that "(the poem) is explanatory, monotonous, and lacks rhythm." In contrast to "verse" such as tanka and haiku, which value the rhythm of words, general texts such as novels, essays, and critical papers are called "prose," so she likely means that the poem is "not verse." However, it is not the case that prose is completely unrelated to the rhythm of words. Even in general writing, the rhythm of the text should be considered.
I have heard that when comedian and Akutagawa Prize-winning author Naoki Matayoshi was writing "Hibana" (Spark), he would read his draft aloud to his fellow comedian friends and juniors to check if there was any unnaturalness in the text when spoken. This is not unusual, and many books on writing techniques often introduce "reading aloud to check if there is any discomfort in the rhythm of the text" as an effective method for writing easy-to-read prose. If even someone with the writing ability of Mr. Matayoshi checks by reading aloud, then it goes without saying for the average person.
However, when I look at the essays of middle and high school students, they do not seem to pay much attention to the rhythm of their writing. As proof, I often see texts that continue with the same sentence ending, such as "~thought." "Also, ~thought." "And, ~thought." In such cases, I provide feedback in red, saying, "The expression is redundant as a development of the text, so please refine your sentence endings."
Some middle and high school students might think, "If the content is fine, why should I care about such things?" However, a text is something that develops through the integration of notation, expression, and more. It is true that I sometimes add comments in red saying, "The content is appropriate, but let's refine the expression." But in reality, if there are flaws in the expression, the content will naturally not be conveyed accurately to the reader. Therefore, a "text with poor expression but good content" does not exist in reality.Even if the author has excellent thoughts in their head, if the text is written with the same sentence endings repeated in a monotonous and redundant way, those excellent ideas will not be conveyed to the reader as the content of the text (or rather, the reader will stop reading because they are distracted by the discomfort of the text's rhythm).
To create a text with an appropriate rhythm, it is first important to unify the writing style. There are two types of writing styles: plain form (da/dearu style) and polite form (desu/masu style), so please unify it to one or the other. I see many middle and high school students who do not follow this basic rule. Mixing writing styles creates a poor rhythm and a disjointed impression, which makes the reader feel uncomfortable and prevents the content from being conveyed appropriately.Please be sure to unify your writing style.
How to use sentence endings (plain and polite forms) in essays and statements of purpose.
The plain form (ordinary style) uses simple phrasing like "~da" and "~dearu," so it is suitable for texts that convey information objectively, such as reports, papers, critical essays, and columns. Middle and high school students will have opportunities to write essays for entrance exams, and the principle is that essays should be written in a unified plain form.
On the other hand, the polite form (courteous style) uses phrasing like "~desu" and "~masu," which is considerate of the reader, so it is suitable for texts written to "readers who should be addressed politely," such as letters, resumes, curriculum vitae, and statements of purpose for universities or companies you wish to apply to. High school students often write statements of purpose for school recommendation-based or comprehensive selection processes, and it is appropriate to write statements of purpose in a unified polite form (though writing in plain form is also acceptable).
Furthermore, as mentioned above, if the same sentence ending continues, such as "~think" and "~think," let's refine the sentence endings by replacing them with other expressions, such as "~consider."Try to vary your sentence endings and adjust the rhythm of the entire text so that it does not become monotonous.
Summary: Writing Style (Sentence Endings) That Determines the Rhythm of the Text
There are many points to be careful about in various types of writing, but everything is "for the reader." Of course, adjusting the rhythm of the text is also based on "consideration for the reader." The aforementioned Mr. Matayoshi read his writing to his comedian friends to confirm whether his text was something that would be clearly conveyed to those listening (i.e., the readers). I want middle and high school students to firmly understand that without this "consideration for the reader," you will not be able to write "easy-to-read" or "easy-to-understand" texts.
<Appendix>
In practice, there is also a way of writing that intentionally mixes writing styles to deliberately add variation to the rhythm of the text. However, while I can recommend this to adults who are used to writing, I do not recommend it to middle and high school students (examinees). Since it is an advanced writing method that deviates from the basics, it may lead to a negative evaluation.Please absolutely avoid it during entrance exams. However, I will provide a reference text just to show that this way of writing exists.
Today (April 7th), an article appeared in some newspaper saying that I had committed suicide by jumping from the third floor of the University of Tokyo's neurology department. According to Dr. Chitani (my attending physician), reporters and photographers from various companies swarmed in from the morning, and he had a hard time fending them off.
The University of Tokyo's neurology department only has one floor. It's also a place like a semi-basement where even stray cats that don't seem very clever can jump onto the windows without concern, so you can't commit suicide by jumping off. In the first place, unless you are a ninja, you can't jump out of a window with bars in the neurology department, and if you could do such a convenient thing, all the patients here would have escaped.
Four or five days ago, a trio from the Metropolitan Police Department's narcotics division appeared and troubled Dr. Chitani, the nurse in charge, and my attendant, saying, "Sakaguchi must be a drug addict, don't lie." I am at a loss to understand where such rumors come from.
Although written primarily in the plain style, there is one section written in the polite style. Amidst the calm and detached tone of the plain style, the polite style suddenly appears. Ango's anger—"There's only one floor and there are bars, so there's no way I could jump out! What is this newspaper article! Are they idiots?"—is emphasized by being written in the polite style (deliberately creating a sense of dissonance). If this part had been written in the plain style like "all the patients here have escaped," the rhythm of the text would have been flat, and this anger would not have stood out and would have been buried.While this is absolutely forbidden in entrance exams, it is a writing technique you might consider for entertainment writing such as blogs or essays.
Furthermore, for this reference citation, I have once again utilized Aozora Bunko.
For those struggling with "how to write a statement of purpose," I recommend this "Shimeno-style Template for Creating a Statement of Purpose"!
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