USE AN APPROPRIATE POINT OF VIEW - IF USE “I,” USE IT WITH A CAVEAT WRONG: As you know… WRONG: As one knows… RIGHT: As many people know… WRONG: You have undoubtedly seen… RIGHT: As you may have seen… MAXIM VI: BE CONSISTENT - CONSISTENT STYLE STYLE IS CREATED PRIMARILY THROUGH WORD CHOICE AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE. - CONSISTENT TONE - CONSISTENT POINT OF VIEW IT IS OFTEN USEFUL TO EXPORE CONTRASTING POINTS OF VIEW WHITNIN YOUR ESSAY-IN FACT, CONSIDERATION OF OTHER OPINIONS IS ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF AN EFFECTIVE ARGUMENT. MAXIM VII: BE ASSERTIVE STATE YOUR POINTS WIHTOU HESITATION - BE ASSERTIVE: TAKE A STAND - AVOID NEEDLESS SELF-REFERENCE OVERLY SELF-REFERENT: I used to believe that we should have a choice on matters of personal safety such as whether or not to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, but I now realize that personal safety is actually a matter of public welfare. JUST RIGHT: Personal safety is a matter of public welfare.
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MAXIM 3: BE CONCISE
Avoid fluff. Being concise - being effective. Concise writing is clear writing; it avoids clutter and confusion that often results from unnecessary wordiness. CLUTTERED CONSTRUCTIONS There is, it is, and that ident unnecessarily clutter sentences. MAXIM 4: BE EXACT IMPRECISE: Paris is a very beautiful city. PRECISE: Paris is a stunning city. MAXIM 5: BE APPROPRIATE You need to maintain the appropriate level of formality. In addition, the essay should not be so formal that it reads as stiff or like an academic essay. INTENSIFIERS - AVOID awfully, incredibly, really, totally - AVOID. DOWN-TONERS - AVOID Kind of, sort of, pretty much - AVOID QUANTIFIERS Instead of lots, a lot of, a bunch of and other colloquial (and vague modifiers), try many, much, a number of, a substantial number of, quite a few, numerous. USE SOPHISTICATED VOCABULARY - Instead of like, use such as - Instead of different, use various - instead of big, use large, important, substantial, prestigious, significant - instead of okay, use acceptable, satisfactory, appropriate. - instead of etc, use a Important Insights From Punctuation
CORRECT: I wonder, How can politicians fairly represent such a diverse constituency? CORRECT: The question is, Do we need more students? In abbreviations, no space follows internal periods. E.G.: Ph.D., U.S.S.R (not U. S. S. R) Quoted Phrases: the period is placed within the quotation marks. CORRECT: The prevailing ethos of our westward expansion is summed up in the phrase “Manifest Destiny.” Question Mark. Use question marks only to indicate a direct question is being asked. CORRECT: We often wonder, where has the time gone? FEW IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT QUOTATION MARKS: - In American usage, commas and periods should be placed inside quotation marks, even when they are not properly part of the quoted material: CORRECT: “Ask not what your country can do for you,” urged the president. “Ask what you can do for your country.” - Colons and semicolons on the other hand, should follow the closing quotation mark: CORRECT: I was not one who believed “my country right or wrong”; in fact, having come to age during the Vietnam War, I tended to assume that our foreign policy was devoid of moral principle. - Question marks and exclamation marks should be placed inside the quotation marks when they are part of the quoted material and outside when they are not. CORRECT: The judge asked the jurors, “Have you reached a verdict?” MAXIM 2: BE CLEAR IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOUR SENTENCES AND WORD CHOICES ARE AS PRECISE AS POSSIBLE. USE STRAIGHTFORWARD SENTENCE STRUCTURE Seek clarity and stick to straightforward sentence structure: subject, verb, indirect object, object. Be careful about where you put modifying clauses and phrases. FORMULA: Make sure your modifiers are as close as possible to the words they modify. AVOID VAGUE OR AMBITIOUS LANGUAGE Words like lots, somewhat, and really are vague. UNCLEAR AND AMBIGUOUS PRONOUN REFERENCE Occasionally, you may have to repeat a noun, rather than rely on a pronoun that may make your sentence ambiguous. E. G.: it may be cost-effective to rely on sub-contractors instead of company personnel, as the company personnel would certainly require extra training. Avoid using this, that, it, or which to refer to a whole phrase, sentence, or idea. UNCLEAR: the candidate changed his position on all the key issues, which made the voters extremely nervous. CLEAR: the candidate changed his position on all the key issues, making the voters extremely nervous. Important Insights From Punctuation
CORRECT: I wonder, How can politicians fairly represent such a diverse constituency? CORRECT: The question is, Do we need more students? In abbreviations, no space follows internal periods. E.G.: Ph.D., U.S.S.R (not U. S. S. R) Quoted Phrases: the period is placed within the quotation marks. CORRECT: The prevailing ethos of our westward expansion is summed up in the phrase “Manifest Destiny.” Question Mark. Use question marks only to indicate a direct question is being asked. CORRECT: We often wonder, where has the time gone? FEW IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT QUOTATION MARKS: - In American usage, commas and periods should be placed inside quotation marks, even when they are not properly part of the quoted material: CORRECT: “Ask not what your country can do for you,” urged the president. “Ask what you can do for your country.” - Colons and semicolons on the other hand, should follow the closing quotation mark: CORRECT: I was not one who believed “my country right or wrong”; in fact, having come to age during the Vietnam War, I tended to assume that our foreign policy was devoid of moral principle. - Question marks and exclamation marks should be placed inside the quotation marks when they are part of the quoted material and outside when they are not. CORRECT: The judge asked the jurors, “Have you reached a verdict?” In writing, you should always emphasize your own understanding and developed principles and use other techniques and styles to complement your writing, rather than heavily emphasize the latter and barely use your own writing abilities.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
THE MOST IMPORTANT TAKE AWAY: INCORRECT: Every one of the delegates has cast their vote. CORRECT: Every one of the delegates has cast his or her vote FORMULA: IF EVERY => ALWAYS USE HE/SHE/IT AND NEVER THEY. GROUP NOUNS: !!! CORRECT: A number of politicians have urged passage of a Constitutional amendment making same-sex marriage illegal. CORRECT: The number of politicians who refuse donations from political action groups is extremely small. FORMULA: IF A NUMBER => PLURAL IF THE NUMBER => SINGULAR EITHER/NEITHER: CORRECT: Either the senators or the president is misinformed. CORRECT: Either the president or the senators are misinformed. FORMULA: WHEN THE SUBJECT CONSISTS OF TWO OR MORE NOUNS CONNECTED BY OR OR NOR, THE VERB AGREES WITH THE CLOSEST NOUN. Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds should always follow prepositions and the following verbs: admit appreciate avoid cannot help consider delay deny discuss dislike enjoy escape finish imagine keep miss postpone practice put off quit recall recommend resist risk suggest tolerate Infinitives generally follow these verbs: Rule of 4As: - advise - agree - allow - ask beg bother cause claim command convince decide offer order persuade plan pretend promise refuse remind encourage expect fail force hope manage need require tel urge venture want warn wish I. BE CORRECT.
Grammar and Usage: Helping Verbs: can/could = ability may/might = permission/possibility should = expectation/recommendation must (have/had) = necessity will/shall/would = intention Troublesome Verbs Intransitive (no object) Transitive (takes an object) lie = to rest or recline lay = to put or place (something) rise = to go up raise = to lift or move (something) sit = to rest set = to put place (something |
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