ENGL 3502: 18/08/05
To communicate as much as possible in as little as possible.
Features in how to do this:
Structure -> paragraphing
very short: one sentence
30 word maximum
2 clause maximum
limited complexity
use of relative clauses only when necessary and only once in a sentence.
Grammatical Structures:
to make easier to read and removes bias...
co-ordination - but, and -> info of equal weight
used less because it prioritises info thus creates bias...
sub-ordination - while, if, since, when -> drop on former clause
ACTIVE over the PASSIVE when at all POSSIBLE
-> look at the relevance
if, the passive places emphasis on the subject of relevance then use it.
Verb Usage:
concrete, fact-stating, verbs - not sensational.
+ try and avoid two-step, compund, verbs => use single word.
+ avoid attitudinal or judgemental words -> use direct quotes for this.
+ avoid: cliche - euphemisms - technical jargon - formal conjunctions - archaic/formal expressions - slang/natural expressions
Punctuation:
not used... the colon and the semi-colon, brackets.
used.... fullstop, comma, quotation marks, hyphen, dash, CAPITALISATION, parentheses.
Labels: english, notes