Word Power! Verbs that Do Something
- Avoid "nominalizations"
(Williams), the addition of -ion or -ness onto words that could be verbs
or adjectives
Circle words that end in -ion and look at the word's root. Could "the essay is a clarification of the law" become "the essay clarifies the law"?
- Use active voice
to attribute agency to the subject, passive voice to deflect agency.
"The community celebrates Easter" is active voice, while "Easter
was celebrated by the community" is passive. The former would be
best if the previous sentence is about the community; the latter might
be best if you have just discussed Easter.
Consciously decide which voice is better for your purposes. Active voice results in more lively prose, but take into account the order in which you want to present concepts and the conventions of your discipline.
Errr, Umm, oops, what I meant to say was...
Do any passages seem weak and apologetic?
Commit to Point of View and have Confidance of Language, but also nuance your concepts and avoid unfounded generalizations.
Before: People always say that a college education will help students obtain better jobs, but I tend to think that maybe college has a somewhat different purpose.
After: Many people believe that a college education will help students obtain better jobs. I believe that college actually serves a different purpose.
SNIP
Have you cut the cord to your computer's spelling
and grammar checker? While spell check is an invaluable resource,
it can also change "thar" to "that" when you meant
"than."
Be your own best editor.
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Department
of English
Armitage Hall, Fourth Floor
Rutgers University,Camden, NJ 08102
Tel: (856) 225-6121, Fax: (856) 225-6602
