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Write Better English

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12 views

Write Better English

Uploaded by

adityachouhan000777
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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“Our language reflect the quality of our Mind”

“If you try to obey all the rules of English Grammar all the time, you risk becoming so obsessed with
rules that you tie yourself in knots”

1 ➡ Correctness
Correctness relies on memorising established rules whereas Clarity demands understanding and
decision making.

Rule 1 : Information that readers know comes before less familiar


information

If you want to begin a sentence with a clause expressing familiar information about causation,
introduce the clause with since, because since implies that the reader already knows what is in the
clause.

Rule 2 : Use the relative pronoun that – not which – for restrictive clauses

Restrictive Clauses: It is essential to the meaning of the sentence. If removed, the sentence would
lose critical information

The book that is on the table belongs to me.


(The clause "that is on the table" restricts the meaning to a specific book. Without it, the sentence
would be incomplete.)

Non-restrictive Clauses: it adds extra, non-essential information to a sentence. It can be removed


without altering the sentence's core meaning.

The book, which is on the table, belongs to me.


(The clause "which is on the table" is just additional information. The sentence "The book belongs to
me" would still make sense without it.)

“Most readers do not notice when you observe a Real Rule, but do when you violate it”

Rule 3 : Always use whom as the object of a preposition

Ex- The committee chose someone in whom they had confidence.

Rule 4 : Don’t modify absolute words such as perfect, unique, final, or


complete with very, more, quite, and so on…

In informal or rhetorical language, people sometimes modify absolute words for emphasis or stylistic
effect, even though it is technically incorrect. Ex- That was a truly unique experience ; The results
were almost perfect.

In formal writing, however, it's best to avoid these modifications to maintain precision and clarity.
Clarity
➡ Make Main Characters Subjects
➡ Make Important Actions Verbs

2 ➡ Action
“Everything that can be thought at all
can be thought clearly.
Everything that can be said can be said clearly”

Rule : A sentence seems clear when its important actions are in verbs.
Less clear: "There was an analysis of the data by the researchers. Clearer: "The researchers
analyzed the data.” ;

Less clear: "The exploration of the cave was undertaken by a team of scientists." Clearer: "A team of
scientists explored the cave.”

Readers will think your writing is dense if you use lots of abstract nouns, especially those derived from
verbs and adjectives, nouns ending in -tion, -ment, -ence, and so on, especially when you make those
abstract nouns the subjects of verbs.

A noun derived from a verb or adjective has a technical name: Nominalization

When you match characters to subjects and actions to verbs in most of your sentences, readers are
likely to think your prose is clear, direct, and readable.

3 ➡ Character
“Whatever is translatable in other and simpler words of the same language, without loss of
sense or dignity, is bad”

Rule : Make the subjects of most of your verbs the main characters in your
story.

Readers want actions in verbs, but they want characters as subjects even more.

The first step in diagnosing a dense style is to Look at Subjects. If you do not see main characters
there expressed in a few short, concrete words, you have to look for them. They can be in objects of
prepositions, in possessive pronouns, or in adjectives. Once you find them, look for actions they are
involved in.
When you are revising your writing : Make those characters the subjects of verbs naming those
actions. Then string together those character-action pairs into complete sentences.
When you are reading : Focusing on the characters, try to retell the story in the sentences, one
action at a time. If that fails, list character-action pairs and rewrite the sentences yourself.

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