Writing Clearly and Concisely
Monica Fernandes, Academic Skills Adviser
ASK WEEK Pathways to Success 18-22 November 2013
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Objectives Consider 4 key writing lessons
to ensure our work is clear
and concise Review 5 key steps Review a piece
concise
to make your writing more concise
of writing that has been made more
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How is this different from your writing process?
E.B. White writing in his boathouse http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ll98eoGxlw1qhn55co1_500.jpg
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#1 Writing is hard
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Writing takes time and effort Writing is
developmental but if you work at it you will see
results Good
writer’s READ
There
is no such thing as one draft!
Good writers will go through 3, 4, 5 even 10 drafts before they are happy
This
is a skill that is constantly developing from strength to strength
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#2 Write to express not to impress
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What makes writing confusing? A sentence, overly and perhaps overtly complexified, turgid with rarified language, gains the semblance of scholarship though it may indeed lack the capacity to communicate its import to any but a reader utterly dedicated in his attentions.
Which means: A complex sentence may seem scholarly but will confuse casual readers.
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How? The Five Steps. 1.
Circle the prepositions
2.
Bracket adverbs and adjectives
3.
Replace the passive with strong active verbs
4.
Eliminate redundancies
5.
Say what you mean (and say it once)
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1. Prepositions Too many prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into) can drain all the action out of a sentence. Instead, use a strong active verb to make the sentence direct
In this passage is an example of the use of the rule of justice in argumentation. This passage exemplifies argumentation using the rule of justice.
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2. Bracket Adverbs and Adjectives Adverbs (often ending in ‘-ly’) can almost always be removed from academic writing because they do not add real information
Sometimes, instead of removing adverbs, it is better to replace them with actual data
a)
Keynes’ theories are (really) significant.
b)
Keynes’ theories are significant.
c)
Keynes’ theories continue to influence UK economic policy.
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Adjectives
Adjectives are harder to ‘find’ than adverbs because they don’t have a common ending
They can be useful in clarifying or highlighting a point but use with care
innovative strategy
declining interest
end result
new innovations
particular interest
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3. Replace passive with active verbs. Who is
doing what to whom?
In
a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of sentence performs the action.
In a
sentence written in the passive voice the subject receives the action.
Active:
The dog bit the man.
Passive:
The man was bitten by the dog.
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Passive vs. Active The passive voice can make a sentence seem vague, wordy, or awkward. It is often stronger to write in the active voice.
Active: Symptoms of Anemia include fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.
Passive: Fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations are all symptoms of Anemia.
Active: I now understand the active voice!
Passive: The active voice is understood by me now!
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Use active sentences with strong verbs The
situation would not have got better if it wasn’t for the intervention.
The
situation would not have improved if we had not intervened.
The
two studies allow us to make a comparison between results.
The
two studies allow us to compare results.
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4. Eliminate wordiness and redundancies ‘at this moment in time’
now
‘take into consideration’
consider
‘until such time as’
until
‘last but not least’
lastly
‘in the event that’
if
‘due to the fact that’
because
‘the way in which’
how
‘in order to’
so
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5. Say what you mean and say it once My opinion
is that....
The
point I wish to make is that ...
The
fact of the matter is that...
A number
There
of cases point towards…
has been a marked and drastic increase in…
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Repetition Every
time you make a point, ask the reader: have I already made this clear?
Compare each sentence to
the one preceding and following – can they be combined?
Often
you need to combine short sentences under the same subject and verb.
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For Example The interactions between the children were observed. The children seemed to get along. The children were told to choose a toy from the box and did not fight for certain toys. The toys were somewhat similar, so this may have been a factor. The children also willingly shared toys when prompted.
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Practice 1.
The point I wish to make is that the employees working at this company are in need of a much better manager of their money. (26)
2.
Employees at this company need a better money manager. (10).
3.
It is widely known that the engineers at Sandia Labs have become active participants in the Search and Rescue operations in most years. (24)
4.
In recent years, engineers at Sandia Labs have participated in the Search and Rescue operations. (16).
Taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/635/01/
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#3 Clear thinking = Clear writing
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Planning Strategies Free-writing
Mind-maps
Linear
plans
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SEE Paragraph
What are the three main elements of a paragraph?
S E E
Statement
= TOPIC SENTENCE
Evidence
= References or experiences
Explanation
= Significance
Think of paragraphs as containers for separate points of your argument
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#4 Be ruthless
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Editing
Proofreading
…is about actively improving your writing in terms of both form and content. Ideas Arguments Logic Style Clarity ‘Flow’
…is mostly about catching the small errors and inconsistencies.
Spelling Grammar Repetition Typos Consistency (reference style, abbreviations, etc)
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Editing and Proofing Tips Read your work aloud
off your work
Read from the
Use
last sentence back
the ‘find’ tool to check for common mistakes
Learn
which mistakes you tend to make and prioritise from the feedback you receive
Repetition?
Unstructured?
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Summary 1.
Writing is hard
2.
Confident writers say less
3.
Clear thinking is clear writing
4.
Be ruthless
Resources Strunk, W & White, EB (2000) Elements of Style. Boston ; London : Allyn and Bacon.
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