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Some Common Problems . Eng. 111 Fall 2011. Get. “Get” is pedestrian. Using “get” is cheap; it says next to nothing. Try “have” or “became”: He got mad at the dog. She gets sick in the winter. You.
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Some Common Problems Eng.111 Fall 2011
Get • “Get” is pedestrian. Using “get” is cheap; it says next to nothing. • Try “have” or “became”: • He got mad at the dog. • She gets sick in the winter.
You • “You” is a problem. It alienates the audience by telling them what they are thinking, feeling or doing. • When you declare war on a country… • When you are black… • When you hate gay people…
Superlatives • This also alienates your audience by over-generalizing or being exclusive or too inclusive. • Try using degrees of speech or making a caveat. • Everyone knows all of Steinbeck’s writing is the best ever-written.
Indefinite stuff • “This” is often empty unless accompanied by a defining statement. (Same goes for “that” and “these”/ “those”) • This means that I love ice cream. • That will lead to certain destruction.
Semi-colons • Semi-colons tie two complete sentences together; however, they are difficult to use correctly. (Okay, that’s a little contrived; give me a break….) • Semi-colons tie two sentences together. They are difficult to use. • Semi-colons tie sentences together, and they are difficult to use. • Semi-colons are a difficult way to tie two sentences together.
You thought it was over, but it’s not. • In most cases, you need a comma before “but.” This is especially true when the second clause of the sentence is in opposition to the first. • Dustin is a great guy but sometimes he acts like a jerk.