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English Skills Week 2 Reading - Elementary Principles of Composition (Make…
English Skills Week 2 Reading - Elementary Principles of Composition
Choose a suitable design and hold to it
first principle of composition - foresee or determine the shape of what is to come, and pursue it
writing should closely follow the thought process of the writer, but not necessarily in the order they occur --> this calls for a scheme of procedure
example - A sonnet has 14 lines, most schemes are not this strict but they should work as the 'skeleton' of the writing
Make the paragraph the unit of composition
If a subject is intended to be treated briefly, no need to divide it into topics --> a brief description, brief account etc. is best written in 1 single paragraph
Ordinarily, a subject requires division into topics, each dealt with in a paragraph -(aids the reader)
Single sentences should not be written as paragraphs, exception: sentences of transition
In dialogue - each speech is a paragraph by itself
Begin each paragraph with a transition sentence or topic sentence
Use the active voice
more direct and vigorous than passive (less direct, less bold, less concise)
passive CAN be convenient and sometimes necessary
brevity usually makes a stronger sentence
Put statements in positive form
Make definitive assertions
Use the word not as denial or in antithesis, never as a means of evasion e.g. he was not often on time --> he was usually late
Express even a negative in a positive form - say what is, not what is not e.g. he was not honest --> he was dishonest
Placing negative and positive in opposition makes a stronger structure e.g. not charity, but simple justice
Statements with unnecessary conditionals or auxiliaries sound irresolute (uncertain) - save auxiliaries (can, should, may, could etc.) for real uncertainty
Use definite, specific, concrete language
prefer specific > general, definite > vague, concrete > abstract
ALL significant details should be given so the reader can imagine it but not ALL details (impossible and unnecessary)
Omit needless words
Vigorous writing is concise - a sentence should not contain unnecessary words, paragraph no unnecessary sentences etc.
e.g. the reason why is that --> because
Avoid a succession of loose sentences
Especially sentences containing 2 clauses, the second introduced by a conjunction or relative
Connectives like 'and' 'but' 'who' 'which' etc.
Too many should be recasted with simple sentences, 2 sentences/clauses joined by a semicolon etc.
Express coordinate ideas in similar form
Expressions similar in content/function should be outwardly similar
An article or preposition applying to all members of a series must be used before the first or all e.g. In spring, summer and winter OR IN spring, IN summer and IN winter
Some words require a preposition in certain uses, all prepositions must be included e.g. his speech was marked by disagreement WITH and scorn FOR his opponent's position (try read it without)
Correlative expressions should be followed by the same grammatical construction e.g. my objections are first THAT the measure is unjust; second THAT it is unconstitutional
If you need to express a lot of similar ideas, would you write many consecutive sentences of the same pattern? No - group them and apply the principles to each group, if not put the statements in a table
Keep related words together
Position of words in a sentence is the means of showing their relationship - bring together words and groups of words that are related, keep apart those not so related
The subject of a sentence and the principle verb should not be separated by a phrase or clause that can be transferred to the beginning
e.g. A dog, if you fail to discipline him, becomes a household pest --> Unless disciplined, a dog becomes a household pest
Relative pronoun should come immediately after its antecedent
e.g. 'There was a stir that suggested disapproval' --> 'A stir that suggested disapproval swept the audience'
If the antecedent consists of a group of words, the relative comes at the end of the group, unless this would cause ambiguity
e.g. The grandson of William Henry Harrison, who... --> William Henry Harrison's grandson, Benjamin Harrison, who...
Modifiers should come next to the words they modify - if several expressions modify the same word, they should be arranged so that no wrong relation is suggested
All the members were present --> Not all the members were present
She only found two mistakes --> She found only two mistakes
In summaries, keep to one tense
summarising action of a drama - present tense // summarising poem, story or novel - present tense
Whatever tense is used in the summary, a past tense in indirect discourse or in indirect question remains unchanged
Place emphatic words of a sentence at the end
word of group of words entitled to this position of prominence is usually the logical predicate, the new element in the sentence
Principle also applies equally to the words of a sentence, the sentences of a paragraph, the paragraphs of a composition - emphatic at the end