Language Review: Sentences

Lesson #33

Topics Covered:

• Stacked Modifiers and Nouns
• Wordiness
• Passive Voice and Active Voice
• Nominalizations
• Unnecessary Repetition
• Unnecessary Words and Phrases
• Overloaded Sentences
• Sentence Fragments
• Comma Splice
• Fused Sentences
• Stringy Sentences
• Agreement

Stacked Modifiers and Nouns

• Avoid using long strings of modifiers or nouns.

• These stacked modifiers and nouns can be hard to read and sometimes create ambiguity.

• Add a few words (especially prepositions and conjunctions) to make the relationships between nouns clear to the reader.

Wordiness

• Say what you have to say in as few words as possible without sacrificing clarity or omitting vital information.

• Conciseness is desirable in all writing, but especially so in technical writing.

• Excessive use of the passive voice, excessive unnecessary repetition, and unnecessary words and phrases are common causes of wordy writing.

Passive Voice and Active Voice

• Use the active voice whenever the passive voice is not appropriate.

• Active verbs make for concise prose; sentences with passive verbs use more words.

• Passive verbs de-emphasize or eliminate mention of the performer of the action conveyed by the verb.

Nominalizations

• Where possible, use verb forms instead of noun forms.

• Excessive or unnecessary nominalization (turning verbs into nouns) can make your writing wordy because it requires a noun and a verb instead of just the verb form.

Unnecessary Repetition

• Avoid unnecessary repetition.

• One common type involves modifiers that repeat information given in the word modified.

Unnecessary Words and Phrases

• Make sure each word and phrase in your sentences contributes to meaning and clarity.

• Avoid constructions like There is/are ... and It is ...

• Delete superfluous material when revising your draft.

Overloaded Sentences

• Avoid sentences that contain more information than the reader can easily follow.

• Divide such sentences into smaller, manageable pieces.

Sentence Fragments

• A sentence fragment is missing a subject, a verb, or both, but is punctuated as if complete.

Comma Splice

• Never link two independent clauses with just a comma; this is a comma splice.

• Correct it by:

• Separating clauses into two sentences, punctuated with periods.
• Replacing the comma with a semicolon or semicolon plus a conjunctive adverb like however or furthermore.
• Replacing the comma with a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
• Making one clause a subordinate clause.

Fused Sentences

• Do not allow two independent clauses to run together without a conjunction or punctuation.

Stringy Sentences

• Avoid stringing several clauses together; break them into separate clauses for clarity.

Agreement

• Agreement between subjects and verbs and between pronouns and their antecedents is crucial for coherence and style.

• Ensure subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

• Make sure pronouns are appropriate for their context (pronoun case) and closely linked to antecedents (pronoun reference).

Practical Tool for Writers

To check your text for word count, you can use this Word Counter tool before submission.