PowerPoints for Writers

Style, Sentences, and Mechanics

The Five Cs of Style

1. Cut repetition, wordiness, and references to your intentions. 2. Check for action by scrutinizing passive constructions and there are or it is sentences. 3. Connect ideas within and between your paragraphs. 4. Commit to a personal presence, an appropriate tone, and a confident stance. 5. Choose words that are exact, are inclusive, and convey the right tone.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|2

Sentence Variety
1. Vary sentence types and clause connections. 2. Vary the length of your sentences. 3. Use coordination to connect clauses of equal importance. 4. Balance coordination with subordination. Subordinate less important ideas. 5. Vary the beginnings of your sentences. 6. Experiment with word order.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|3

Avoid Formulaic Phrases

Formulaic at the present time due to the fact that are of the opinion that have the ability to in spite of the fact that last but not least prior to Concise now because believe can although finally before

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|4

Avoid Exclusionary Language

Avoid using divisive terms or mentioning traits unnecessarily.
Gender Race Place Age Politics Religion Health and abilities Sexual orientation The word normal
4|5

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Tips for Style

1. Be adaptable. Consider the style your readers will expect. 2. When in doubt, favor a plain style. 3. Less is often better. Don't overload your writing with adjectives and adverbs. 4. Focus on rhythm, not rules. Ask yourself how you can provide pleasant surprises for your readers.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|6

Top Ten Sentence Problems

1. Fragment 2. Run-on sentence 3. Sentence snarl 4. Wrong verb form or tense 5. Tense shift 6. Lack of subject-verb agreement 7. Pronoun error 8. Pronoun case and reference 9. Adjective/adverb confusion 10. Double negative

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|7

Parts of Speech: Part 1

Nouns

Name people, places, things, concepts.

Represent a noun or noun phrase. Tell what a person, place, thing, or concept does or is. Describe, point to, or tell quantity of nouns or pronouns.

Pronouns Verbs Adjectives

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|8

Parts of Speech: Part 2

Adverbs
Modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or clauses. Join words, phrases, or clauses. Make an adjectival or adverbial phrase.

Conjunctions

Prepositions
Interjections
Express emotion.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4|9

Use the Passive Voice . . .

Sparingly. When the doer or agent in your sentence is unknown or unimportant. In scientific writing to indicate objective procedures. To connect the subject of a sentence to what has gone before.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 10

Types of Pronouns
Personal (I, me, you, him) Possessive + noun (my, your, her) Possessive, no noun (mine, yours) Demonstrative (this, that, these) Indefinite (any, anybody) Reflexive/intensive (myself, yourself) Interrogative (who, what) Relative (who, which, that)

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 11

Relative Pronouns
Human antecedent
Subject: who Object: whom, that Possessive: whose

Nonhuman antecedent
Subject: that, which Object: that, which Possessive: of which, whose

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 12

When to Use a Comma

1. Before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) that connects independent clauses 2. After most introductory words, phrases, or clauses 3. To set off extra (nonrestrictive) information 4. To set off a transitional expression 5. To separate three or more items in a series 6. Between adjectives that can be reversed 7. After a verb that introduces a quotation
Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 4 | 13

Semicolon: Yes and No

Use a semicolon...
Between independent clauses Between clauses or items in a series containing internal commas

Do not use a semicolon...

Interchangeably with a colon After an introductory phrase or dependent clause When you can use a period instead

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 14

When to Use an Apostrophe

Use -s for the possessive form of all nouns except plurals that end with -s. Use alone for the possessive form of plural nouns that end in -s. Use an apostrophe in contracted forms. Use its only for it is or it has.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 15

Quotation Marks: Guidelines

1. Quote the writers exact words. 2. Pair opening and closing quotation marks to indicate where the quotation ends and your ideas begin. 3. Use correct punctuation to introduce and end a quotation. 4. Enclose titles of articles, short stories, songs, and poems in quotation marks. 5. Enclose any added or changed material in square brackets. Show omitted material with ellipsis dots.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 16

Titles: Quotation Marks or Italics/Underlining

Use quotation marks with the title of an article, short story, poem, song, or chapter. Use italics or underlining with the title of a book, journal, magazine, newspaper, film, play, or a long poem published alone.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 17

When to Use a Colon

1. After an independent clause to introduce a list 2. After an independent clause to introduce an explanation, expansion, or elaboration 3. To introduce a rule or principle, which may begin with a capital letter 4. To introduce a quotation not integrated into your sentence and not introduced by a verb 5. In salutations, precise time notations, titles, and biblical citations

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 18

When to Use a Hyphen

With some prefixes In some compound words In spelled-out numbers At the end of a line

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 19

Online Punctuation and Mechanics

1. Include all punctuation in URLs and e-mail addresses. 2. Be sure capitalization is exact. 3. Avoid splitting URLs and addresses. 4. In writing for the Web, underlining indicates a hyperlink. To indicate titles, use italics instead. 5. In formal contexts, avoid abbreviations such as BTW (by the way). 6. Avoid shouting. Use capitals with restraint.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4 | 20