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Tightening Syntax

Tightening Syntax. By Matt Neal. Definition. Syntax is the technical word that is used to describe sentence structure. Why is it Important?. A well-ordered sentence makes meaning clear and concise, whereas a badly-ordered sentence makes it difficult for the reader to understand.

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Tightening Syntax

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  1. Tightening Syntax By Matt Neal

  2. Definition Syntax is the technical word that is used to describe sentence structure.

  3. Why is it Important? A well-ordered sentence makes meaning clear and concise, whereas a badly-ordered sentence makes it difficult for the reader to understand.

  4. Example - Bad Syntax Although the current law for establishing whether something is a fixture or fitting can be argued to be rather messy and incoherent.

  5. Example - Good Syntax Although it could be argued that the current law for establishing whether something is a fixture or fitting is rather messy and incoherent.

  6. Example - Bad Syntax The client’s home we worked on was very pleased and called me later to make sure I understood that she was thrilled. What’s wrong with this structure?

  7. Example - Good Syntax The house was not the one who called and was pleased, instead the sentence could be written like this: The client was very pleased. She called specifically to tell me that she was thrilled with the work we did on her home.

  8. Example - Bad Syntax "The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front." What’s wrong with this structure?

  9. Example - Good Syntax “Room” is the subject of the sentence, so you have a dangling modifier; therefore everything from "cluttered" to the end of the sentence is presumed to apply to "room," not to "counter." Instead it should be written like this: The room was cut in half by a long counter that was cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to it’s front.

  10. Works Cited Payne, Lucile V. The Lively Art of Writing. N.p.: Mentor, n.d. Print. University of Essex. How to Improve Your Academic Writing. N.p.: UE, 1995. Print. https://www.essex.ac.uk/myskills/How_to_improve_your_academic_writing.pdf Wordpress. "Sentence Structure/Bad Example | Writing Tips." Bad Syntax. Twenty Ten Theme, 15 Nov. 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. http://writingtips.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/sentence-structurebad-example/

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