Princesleah Aguilera WRIT 3330 March 26, 2018 RA #4 – Diction Trimble begins his “Diction,” chapter the way that targets his audience the most, a subsection names “Conciseness,” reminding us that although we learned a certain way, we need to be able to change it. My favorite thing that he says in the section is “A skilled writer writes as if she were paid a dime for each word she deleted” (49). As a writer, you want the version of the sentence with greater vigor and pleasing directness he explains in that same page after reducing a 14-word sentence to half as many words. He continues the chapter with the “Vigorous Verbs,” section. He explains active versus passive but assures the reader that one isn’t better than the other. He instead explains that “Active verbs move us forward; passive verbs move us backward. Active verbs give us the actor up front; passive verbs make us wait to learn the actor” (50). The section continues to give the reader examples and instances that each verb may work and how you could make the verb active or passive in certain instances. His third and last section is named “Freshness.” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this section at first, but he best explains this section with, “you have to keep the reader in a state of near-perpetual surprise. Not suspense, but surprise” (53). Then he further explains, “They’re constantly feeding our appetite for novelty, be it with a fresh idea, a fresh phrase, or a fresh image” (54). He continues this section and ends the chapter with examples from professionals who attempt to ‘keep it fresh’ in their field of expertise. Concluding that freshness, conciseness, and vigorous verbs can keep diction in place.
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.