Chapter Five The Fourth Step in Essay Writing

1. Chapter FiveThe Fourth Step in Essay Writing College Writing Skills, 6E and College Writing Skills with Readings, 6EJohn Langan

2. Useparallelism. Use a consistent point of view. Use specific words. Use active verbs. Use concise words. Varyyour sentences. Step 4Revise and Edit Your Work Strategies for revising sentences::

3. Use Parallelism By balancingthe items in a sentence, you will make the sentence clearer and easier to read. Ex.: My job includes checking inventory, initialing orders, and to call the suppliers. calling

4. Use a Consistent Point of View:Verbs Do not shift verb tenses unnecessarily. Ex.: Jean punched down the risen dough. Then she dumps it onto the worktable. dumped

5. Use a Consistent Point of View:Pronouns Do not shift point of view unnecessarily. Ex.: One of the fringe benefits of my job is that you can use a company credit card for gasoline. I

6. Use Specific Words To be an effective writer, you must use specificwords rather than general words. General: The dog ran down the street. Specific: The mangy stray loped down Broadway, dodging cars and startled pedestrians.

7. Specific Sentences 1: Use exact names.(Not “the boy,” but “Vince.”) 2: Use lively verbs.(Not “ate,” but “slurped.”) 3: Use descriptive words.(Not “the car,” but “the rickety old Buick.”) 4: Use sense descriptions.(“Vince slurped his ice-cold chocolate milkshake while sitting on the squeaking front seat of his rickety old Buick.”)

8. Use Active Verbs Prefer the active voice. When the subject receives the action, the verb is in the passive voice. The computer was bought by Hakim. When the subject of a sentence performs the action of the verb, the verb is in theactive voice. Hakimbought the computer.

9. Use Concise Words Preferconcision. Wordiness -- using more words than necessary -- is often a sign of lazy or careless writing. In this paper, I am planning to describethe hobbythat I enjoy of collecting old comic books. Revision: I enjoy collecting old comic books.

10. Vary Your Sentences Effective writingis writing that is varied and interesting. Vary your sentences by: 1: Adding a second complete thought. 2: Adding a dependent thought. 3: Beginning with an opening wordorphrase. 4: Placing adjectives or verbs in a series.

11. Adding a Second Complete Thought Transform simple sentences (which can be monotonous) -- Greg worked on the engine. The car still wouldn’t start. intocompound sentences: Greg worked on the engine, but the car still wouldn’t start.

12. Adding a Dependent Thought Transform simple sentences (which can be monotonous) -- The library was very quiet. I couldn’t concentrate. intocomplex sentences: Although the library was very quiet, I couldn’t concentrate.

13. Beginning with an Opening Word or Phrase ...transforms simple sentences (which can be monotonous) -- Paul was concerned about his daughter’s fever. Paul called a doctor. intovaried sentences: Concerned about his daughter’s fever, Paul called a doctor.

14. Placing Adjectives or Verbs in a Series ...transforms simple sentences (which can be monotonous) -- The truck bounced off a guardrail. It sideswiped a tree. It plunged into the ditch. intovaried sentences: The truck bounced off a guardrail, sideswiped a tree, and plunged into the ditch.

15. Editing Sentences After revising, check for mistakes in grammar, punctuation, mechanics, usage, and spelling. Edit according to the conventions of written English, aka sentence skills.

16. Proofreading Check the edited draft of your paper for typosand otherothercareless errors.