Formal flow: given before new, and nominalisation

Given before new

A paragraph flows when each sentence starts from something the reader already has and ends on something new. The new part of one sentence becomes the start of the next:

• La novela trata de un viaje. - The novel is about a journey.
• El viaje cruza tres países. - The journey crosses three countries.
• El último es el más peligroso. - The last one is the most dangerous.

Spanish will even put the subject after the verb so that the new information comes last:

• ¿Quién ganó? Ganó mi hermana. - Who won? My sister won.

More on this in word order.

Nominalisation: the formal register

Formal Spanish (essays, reports, the news) turns verbs and adjectives into nouns. It sounds objective and packs an idea into a phrase:

The same fact in two registers:

• Cuando los precios suben, la gente compra menos. - When prices go up, people buy less. (everyday)
• La subida de los precios reduce el consumo. - The rise in prices reduces consumption. (formal)

The formal style pairs with the impersonal se, which removes the person doing it: Se analizaron los datos. (The data were analysed.) See the passive and impersonal se. In a message to a friend, keep the plain verb.

Mistakes English speakers make

A common flaw is not a mistake at all: a run of short sentences joined by y... y... y. Swap in a signpost, a pronoun or a full stop.