STYLE / USAGE / LANGUAGE

Why should you never use the word "you" in academic and formal writing?

'You' should never be used in academic writing because it does not sound objective instead it appears that the writer has a personal opinion about the topic.

How do you know if something is in formal style?

-Avoid using colloquial words/expressions (substitute , man/boy, wonderful, many, etc.) -Avoid contractions (write out full words - cannot, will not,should not, etc.). -Write in third person (except in business letters where first person may be used). -Avoid clichés (use many, was absent, etc.) -Avoid addressing readers using second person pronouns (use one,one's, the reader, the reader's, etc.) -Avoid using abbreviated words (use full versions - likephotograph, television, etc.) -Avoid imperative voice (use Please refer to.....) -Use passive voice (e.g. It has been noticed that....) -Longer and more complex sentences are preferred (short simple sentences reflects poorly on the writer) -State your points confidently and offer your argument firm support.

How do you know if something is informal style?

-May use colloquial words/expressions (kids, guy, awesome, a lot, etc.). -May use contractions (can't, won't, shouldn't, etc.). -May use first, second, or third person. -May use clichés (loads of, conspicuous by absence, etc.) -May address readers using second person pronouns (you, your, etc) -May use abbreviated words (photo, TV, etc) -May use imperative voice (e.g. Remember....) -May use short and simple sentences. -Difficulty of subject may be acknowledged and empathy shown to the reader. -May use active voice (e.g. We have noticed that.....)

A dangling or misplaced modifier is

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. It can be fixed by naming the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the subject of the main clause, 2. Change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory clause by naming the doer of the action in that clause, or 3. Combine the phrase and main clause into one.

What is a hortative sentence?

A sentence in which the verb's action is to beg or exhort the reader

What is a telegraphic sentence?

A sentence shorter than 5 words

What is an interrogative sentence?

A sentence that asks a question

What is a declarative sentence?

A sentence that declares something, makes a statement

What is the rhetorical effect of a short simple sentence after many complex sentences?

A short sentence in the middle of several long sentences draws attention and emphasis to the short sentence.

What is the difference between a clause and a phrase?

A simply active declarative sentence containing no modifiers or connectives that maybe used in making more elaborate sentences ex: Good tests are short. (made from two kernel sentences 1. the tests are short 2. tests are good

What is a simile?

An Explicit comparison between to unlike things (using like or as)

What is a metaphor?

An implied comparison between two unlike things.

What is a trope?

Artful diction, artful word choice, diction

What is a scheme?

Artful word arrangement; artful syntax

What is a rhetorical question / erotesis?

Asking a question that does not expect an answer. Asking a question just to emphasize a point. ( Are we real? - not good in writing )

Why do new words enter our language?

Because Human beings evolve and create and discover new things and ideas that need a way to be identified and discussed.

Why should you try to avoid fanciness in your writing?

Because fanciness can seem pretentious and is not natural.

What are the two marks of a good writing style?

Clarity and gracefulness

What is the difference between a clause and a phrase?

Clause: statement or question that generally consists of a subject and a verb phrase and completes a thought Phrase: a small group of words standing together as an unit typically forming a component of the clause

What is slang?

Extremely casual and informal language; includes swear words

What is the difference between formality and polish in a piece of writing?

Formality: determined by the expectations of your audience and purpose. Polished: to improve or perfect or refine a piece of writing by getting rid of minor errors

What is a strong verb?

Forms the past tense of the past participle. Usually changes vowel of present tense. List of strong verbs: abrogate, affirm, entail, launch, reap, signify, solidify. (There is a whole list of strong verbs on a handout we received called: Writing with Verbs. It also talks about passive/active and weak v.s. strong verbs.) Active verbs are: -We are *building* a house for a family of four. -I did not *make* that call. -The dog *bit* our mail carrier. -He *has fixed* our computer twice already. Passive verbs are: -The house *is being built* for a family of four. -That call *was not made* by me. -Our mail carrier *was bit* by the dog. -My computer *has been fixed* twice already.

What is the difference between an independent and a subordinate clause?

Independent clause:An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence. Subordinate clause:A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent clause is marked by a dependent marker word.

What is a colloquialism?

Informal conversational diction

Why is it better to use Anglo-Saxon words?

It is better to use Anglo-Saxon words because they are less pretentious and are easily understood by the reader.

When is it good to use complicated sentences and fancy words?

It is good to use fancy words when a simpler word cannot convey the idea as clearly.

What is the correct use of italics vs. quotation marks for titles?

Italics are used for longer completed works (novels) and quotes are used for short works (poems)or parts of other works (chapters).

Why is language natural to human beings?

Language is natural to human beings because evolutionary we needed ways to communicate to better survive.

What is jargon?

Language of a particular group

What is archaic language?

Outdated words; words no longer used in the language

Why is it good to use parallelism in your writing?

Parallelism in writing makes the piece of writing easier to read.

What is the correct use of dashes and parentheses?

Parenthesis can be used for an aside,the date a clarification, or a commentary. Dashes can be used to enclose dates, and spotlight something os importance for the reader to notice

What is antithesis?

Placing contrasts side by side, usually in parallel statements. Ex) good and bad, the distinctions of heaven...

Why is it good to read your writing out loud?

Reading your writing out loud can help the writer to pick up on new mistakes and hear how the reader would interpret the writing. Reading your writing out loud can be very helpful with comma placement as well.

What is ineffective repetition called?

Redundancy

What is anaphora?

Repeating the same word at the beginning of a sequence of sentences or clauses. Ex) now... now... now... (starts every sentence with now)

What is epistrophe?

Repeating the same word or a group of words at the end of a sequence of sentences or clauses. (anaphora but reversed) ex) I am pepper, she is pepper, you are pepper, don't you want to be a pepper?

What is antimetabole / chiasmus?

Repetition of words in reverse grammatical order in a successive clause or statement. Ex) I'm stuck on bandaids and bandaids stuck on me.

Why is rhetoric natural to human beings?

Rhetoric is natural to human being because we need a way to better communicate with other people in a way that makes sense.

What is the definition of style?

Style describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text. Style describes how the author describes events, objects, and ideas.

What is nomialization?

The usage of a verb, adjective, or adverb as the head of a noun phrase. How to turn it into a verb: careless into carelessness.

A comma splice is...

The use of a comma to join two independent clauses. If there are two independent thoughts with a comma it is a comma splice and you can fix them by using one of the four ways (see previous answer) to correctly join two independent clauses

What characterizes the three different levels of style: high, medium, and low?

The word choice, sentence placement and structure, and tone.

What is " Authorial voice"?

The writer's voice is the individual writing style of an author, a combination of idiotypical usage of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text. To turn a sentence into the authorial voice you must use strong diction and syntax

Why is it good to use metaphorical language and sensory images in your writing?

This is good because it makes you seem more intelligent and shows good writing skills. It also gives the reader another way to understand the topic.

What is Anglo-Saxon diction?

Typically simpler words derived from Germanic languages.

What are fluff words?

Unnecessary words that slow the reader down. EX. It should be pointed out It is interesting to note, A bit, Sort of, I'm tempted to say, In a sense.

What is parallelism?

Using similar structure in phrases, words, or clauses that are paired in a series.

Why do we spell things the way we do?

We do this because of different languages influencing English and change pronunciation of words over time.

How did William the Conqueror (1066) influence the English language in ways that we still feel today?

When William the Conqueror conquered Anglo-Saxon England we brought with him an Old French dialect that became known as Anglo-Norman. This dialect had many germanic influences on the latin roots in England.

What number of verb is taken by a compound subject with one singular noun and one plural noun? Know the rule and be able to apply it.

When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. For example: The boy or his friends run every day. Or His friends or the boy runs every day.

When are questions rhetorically effective?

When the answer is not obvious

The correct ways to join two independent clauses are..

With a period to create two sentences Comma plus a conjunction (and, but, for , nor, or, yet) Semi colon Semi colon plus a conjunction or a transition word

What is diction?

Word choice

What is syntax?

Word order

What is Latinate diction?

Words derived from Latin

Are rhetorical questions effective?

Yes, it is used to make a point

What is a cliché?

a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought

What is a pun?

a play on words

What is a sentence?

a set of words that is complete in itself typically containing a subject and predicate conveying a statement question exclamation or command and consisting of a main clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses

What is synecdoche?

a whole represented by naming one of its parts

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

active - the subject is doing the action Ex: Jane Austen wrote Emma in 1816 passive - target of action is switched to subject position Ex: The novel was written in 1816

What is connotation of a word?

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

What is Decorum?

aptness, appropriateness

What is hypophora?

asking a question in order to answer it

A sentence fragment

is a dependant clause that is not a complete thought but is written as a sentence. You can correct it by joining it with another sentence or adding in to it.

What is an exclamatory sentence?

makes an exclamation. Ex: The king is dead!

What is the historical reason why we tend to associate French cognates with fancy

nice things?,swine vs. pig; to dine vs. to eat; beef vs. cow) (might not be true) We do this because the aristocracy,who came from french background, language with French cognates therfore we associate the words used by aristocracy as fancier and nicer.

The rules of using apostrophes- Use the apostrophe with contractions. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed. Use the apostrophe to show possession. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession. c.Use the apostrophe where the noun that should follow is implied. (ex. This was his father's

not his, jacket.) d.To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe. (EX. two boys' hats two women's hats ;two actresses' hats) e. With a singular compound noun, show possession with 's at the end of the word. (Ex. my mother-in-law's hat) f. Use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item. (Ex. Cesar and Maribel's home is constructed of redwood.) g. Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose.

What are the two most important kinds of words in writing?

nouns and verbs

Complex sentence:

one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

A short simple sentence is

one independent clause that is seven to less words

Why is poetry natural to human beings?

poetry is natural because human are expressive beings that can express themselves through language

What is the difference between polished and unpolished prose?

polish prose: to improve or perfect or refine a piece of writing by getting rid of minor errors. Unpolished: not edited or polished very rough *opposite of polished*

What is polyptoton?

repeating a word from the same root but in a different form

What is bad repetition?

repetition for no reason. Bad repetition says: Ex. I don't have a lot to say here, so I'm going to spin my wheels

What is an imperative sentence?

sentence that gives advice or instructions or that expresses a request or command

Juxtaposition:

setting things side by side

A complex sentence

subordinates ideas and makes a hierarchy of ideas, it helps defend one side of a point.

A collective noun

such as team, heard of deer, flock of sheep, family or gaggle of geese act as singular nouns. You would use a singular verb so they would agree. For example: the team is excited that they won.

How does a writer establish tone?

the attitude a writer takes toward his or her characters subject or readers

What is denotation of a word?

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests

Most professional writers use complex sentences for

the majority of their sentences.

What is hyperbole?

the use of exaggerated, even grotesque, terms to add emphasis or a heightened effect

What is the proper way to handle demonstrative pronouns? {was unclear what was being asked} near in distance or time (this

these) far in distance or time (that, those) near farsingular= this, that plural= these, those Here are some examples with demonstrative pronouns, followed by an illustration: This tastes good. Have you seen this? These are bad times. Do you like these? That is beautiful. Look at that! Those were the days! Can you see those? This is heavier than that. These are bigger than those.

A compound sentence-

two more more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a similar colon.

A compound sentence compares

two or more ideas.

What is litotes?

understating a point as a means of drawing attention to its significance (oppisite of hyperbole)

They already show possession so they do not require an apostrophe. h. Use the possessive case in front of a gerund (-ing word). (EX. Alex's skating was a joy to behold.) I. If the gerund has a pronoun in front of it

use the possessive form of that pronoun. (Ex. I appreciate your inviting me to dinner. I appreciated his working with me to resolve the conflict.)

When do you use the pronoun "who" instead of "that"?

use who when you are talking about a person and that when you are talking about an object.

What is zeugma / syllepsis?

using a word differently in relation to two or more words that it modifies or governs ( You are free to execute your laws and citizens as you see fit)

Besides French

what other languages have significantly influenced English?,Greek, Latin, and Scandinavian

A run on sentence is

when two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction. A comma splice is an example of a run on sentence and they can both be corrected by using one of the four ways of connecting independent clauses.

Is poetry natural to human beings?

yes

Is rhetoric natural to human beings?

yes

Is language natural to human beings?

yes.