Belajar Bahasa Inggris: Effective Writing
Effective writing can be built by various ways or rules and the following are the rules that can help students have effective writing if they follow them.
Rule 1.
Use concrete rather than vague language.
Example:
Vague: The weather was of an extreme nature on the west coast.
Concrete: California had very cold weather last week.
Rule 2.
Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice means the subject is performing the verb.
Example:
Active: Barry hit the ball.
Passive: The ball was hit.
Notice that the responsible party may not even appear when using passive voice.
Rule 3.
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)
Example: It is important to signal before making a left turn.
Correction: Signaling before making a left turn is important.
OR
Signaling before a left turn is important.
OR
You should signal before making a left turn. (Active voice)
Rule 4.
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.
Rule 5.
Use similar grammatical form when offering several ideas. This is called parallel construction.
Correct: You should check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Incorrect:You should check your spelling, grammar, and punctuating.
Rule 6.
If you start a sentence with an action, place the actor immediately after or you will have created 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.
Rule 7.
Place modifiers near the words they modify.
Incorrect: I have some pound cake Mira baked in my lunch bag.
Correct: In my lunch bag, I have some pound cake that Mira baked.
Rule 8.
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 snow ended.
Example of sentence: After the snow ended, we had coffee.
Sentence fragment:
The Egyptian pyramids are a remarkable accomplishment. Showing much knowledge of the laws of physics. [Participial phrase]
Revised:
The Egyptian pyramids are a remarkable accomplishment, showing much knowledge of the laws of physics.
Rule 9.
Less frequently, meaning may justify a shift from active to passive voice within a sentence. The shift in the following sentence is unnecessary.
Incorrect:
As the boys approached the swamp, frogs could be heard croaking. [Here the focus of the sentence is on the boys. The shift of subject from the boys to frogs and of the voice of the verb from the active to the passive is unnecessary and distracting]
Revised:
As the boys approached the swamp, they could hear frogs croaking.
Rule 10.
Do not connect two main clauses with only a comma. Placing a comma between two main clauses without a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) results in the comma fault or comma splice.
Comma splices may be corrected in one of the following ways:
1. Connect the main clauses with a coordinating conjunction.
2. Replace the comma with a semicolon.
3. Make a separate sentence of each main clause.
4. Change one of the main clauses to a subordinate clause.
Incorrect:
I avoided desserts, I was trying to lose weight.
Revised:
I avoided desserts, for I was trying to lose weight.
I avoided desserts; I was trying to lose weight.
I avoided desserts. I was trying to lose weight.
Because I was trying to lose weight, I avoided desserts.
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