Act.1 : List down important elements that contribute towards effective writing?
NO | FACTS | EXAMPLE |
1 | Convincing (Use the active voice (emphasizes who does what) instead of the passive voice (Emphasizes what is done). | Format: passive sentence format: [subject acted upon] [action] [actor] active sentence format: [actor] [action] [subject acted upon] Example: Passive - The prison lawn is mowed by the inmates. Active - The inmates mow the prison lawn. |
2 | Comprehensible Eliminate words that are nonessential to meaning or mood. | Words that weakly emphasize adjectives include: very, really, terribly, and awfully. See Words to Avoid for more help eliminating ineffective words |
3 | Easy to read Combine short sentences to consolidate ideas, but don't ramble. Consecutive lengthy Sentences burden readers and appear intimidating. | Ineffective - I dropped an egg and it landed on my dog. The egg was boiled and it did not crack open. Effective - When I dropped a boiled egg, it landed on my dog without breaking. |
4 | Interesting throughout Vary the structure of your sentences | Dull - We own seven barns in that town. We also own forty-two horses there. We like to ride horses in that countryside. Intriguing - Riding horses is enjoyable for us in that country town. We own seven barns and forty-two horses there. |
5 | Exhibits a clear voice Reword redundant or wordy phrases. | Phrase: It is a _____ one. Replacement: It is _____. e.g. : Ineffective - It is a [musical] one. Effective - It is [musical]. |
6 | May impact the reader emotionally People can have different opinions about an author's work. Therefore, an author should consider the target audience (i.e. the audience's interests and literacy). | If you are trying to excite an environmentalist about a paper product then emphasize that it is recyclable, instead of its annual consumption. |
7 | Avoid overusing there is, there are, it is, it was, and so on. | Example: There is a case of meningitis that was reported in the newspaper Correction: A case of meningitis was reported in the newspaper. Even Better: The newspaper reported a case of meningitis. (Active voice) |
8 | To avoid confusion, don't use two negatives to make a positive. | Incorrect: He is not unwilling to help. Correct: He is willing to help |
9 | If you start a sentence with an action, place the actor immediately after or you will have created the infamous dangling modifier | Incorrect: While walking across the street, the bus hit her. Correct: While walking across the street, she was hit by a bus. OR She was hit by a bus while walking across the street. |
10 | A sentence fragment occurs when you have only a phrase or weak clause but are missing a strong clause. | Example of Sentence Fragment: After the show ended. Example of Sentence: After the show ended, we had coffee. |
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