| use
PRESENT tense when writing in the humanities (except for History) |
| avoid the passive
voice: The treat was waten by the cat -> The cat ate the treat (flip
pancakes: make the object of the preposition the new subject and the
subject the new direct object. simplify the verb. |
| Once in a while, reshape
a sentence so that the new information appears
at the end. |
| Close
loud and interesting words. (When writing in the humanities, you have
more room for expression. We can learn how YOU feel about a subject
by the tone of the adjuctives and adverbs you use even more effectively
than if you resort to using "I".) |
Search for "and"
to check for parallel structure
Not Parallel: candy,
make-up, costumes, running wild on Franklin Street, toilet paper
Parallel: candy, make-up,
costumes, and toilet paper (running. . . doesn't belong because
it represents an action and not a thing)
|
| Replace "to
be" verbs [am, is, are, was, were, be, being, become, been]
with interesting, action packed verbs. |
| Reduce the # of prepositions:
about, by, on, for, from, with, in, into, of, to (remember,
that if the "to" goes with the verb, you cannot eliminate it b/c it forms
part of the infinitive.) |
| Search
for "to" (Do not split your infinities as in :"to boldly
go". "Boldly" splits the infinitive form of the verb,
"to go".) |
| Eliminate expletives:
it is, there are, this is. . . at the BEGINNING of sentences. |
Eliminate expletive constructions
within a sentence (who was, that was etc.)
The child, who was eating
a popsicle, choked on the stick when he tripped on a rock.
The child, eating a popsicle,
choked on the stick when he tripped on a rock.
|
| Eliminate
vague words (such as pronoun references [you, we, they] or other
vague phrases [some people]) |
| Eliminate absolutes
(all, none, every etc.) |
Use simple possessive
rather than an "of gerund" phrase
The reaction of the patient.
. . -> PATIENT'S reaction . .
|
| Eliminate buzz words
(check the list in your book) |
Common Errors (use the
computer's find / replace feature to locate these):
Do not end a sentence with a
preposition.
Do not begin a sentence with
"and."
Do not put a comma before a
BECAUSE clause (He is interesting because. . . NO COMMA!)
Distinguish between:
it's and its
then and than
WHO (for people: The patients
WHO suffer from. . . ) but THAT for things (The invention THAT led to.
. . )
|
|
OTHER THINGS TO CHECK
|
| Aim for precise &
concise language. Use 1 word instead of 2 or 2 words instead
of a long phrase |
| Use the apostrophe for POSSESSIVE,
NOT PLURAL : 1930's -> 1930s (plural!) |
Use a comma after
an introductory phrase, clause, or word.
On the other hand, SHE
(the subject) loves. . .
To do this, look
for the subject. If you have a string of words before
it, set it off with a comma.
|
| Combine
sentences as one way to eliminate wordiness and redundancy. |
| Maintain a professional
& objective tone by using middle to high level diction.
Avoid slang, clichés and colloquialisms. |
| Vary your transitions (see
list on p. 135 in A & B.) |
| USE A COMMA before the AND
if your list has 3 or more items. |