Chapter 3 Construction of Effective Sentences and Paragraphs

1. Chapter 3 Construction of Effective Sentences and Paragraphs Jessica

2. Suggestions for developing effective sentences • 1. Emphasize Short Sentences. • 2. Determine Emphasis in Sentence Design. • 3. Give the Sentence Unity. • 4. Avoid Sentence Faults.

3. Emphasize Short Sentences • 1) Limiting Sentence Content • 2) Economizing on Words • Avoid cluttering phrases. • Eliminate surplus words. • Avoid unnecessary repetition of words or ideas.

4. Avoid cluttering phrases. • at the present time now • for the purpose of for • for the reason that since, because • in view of the fact that since. because • with a view to to • with regard to/ • with reference to about

5. Eliminate surplus words • There are five rules that should be observed. • Five rules should be observed. • In the period between June and August they found the error. • Between June and August they found the error.

6. Avoid unnecessary repetition of words or ideas • The consensus of opinion is that the tax is unfair. • The consensus is that the tax is unfair. • Please endorse your name on the back of this check. • Please endorse this check.

7. Determine Emphasis in Sentence Design • a) The company earned profit. The profit occurred in spite of the price rise in raw materials. • b) Although there was price rise in raw materials last year, the company earned profit. • c) The company suffered from price rise in materials last years although it earned profit.

8. Give the Sentence Unity • Avoid the error of putting unrelated ideas in a sentence. • Avoid putting excessive detail into one sentence. • Avoid illogical constructions.

9. Avoid Sentence Faults • Avoid fragments. • Avoid comma splices. • Avoid run-on sentences.

10. Avoid fragments • A sentence fragment lacks either a subject (Actor) or verb (Action). • Myresearch report in business communication took a long time to prepare. And turned out badly. • Myresearch report in business communication took a long time to prepare but it turned out badly.

11. Avoid comma splices • A comma splice results when two sentences are incorrectly joined or spliced together with a comma. • Profits were down in 1993, the Board blamed the recession. • Profits were down in 1998. The Board blamed the recession.

12. Avoid run-on sentences • A run-on sentence joins two complete thoughts without proper punctuation. • Employees want to keep their jobs they will work hard for promotions. • Employees want to keep their jobs. They will work hard for promotions.