Sentence Style!

1. ENG 101 – 3/5/2014 Sentence Style!

2. Parallelism • Parallel: A kiss can be a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point. • Not parallel: A kiss be a comma, questioning, or exclaiming. • Parallel: In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current. • Not parallel: In matters of principle, stand like a rock; when it comes to taste you should go swimming with the current. • Reasons for parallelism: clarity, correctness, style

3. Parallelism cont’d • Be consistent with verb tense • Parallel: Emily Dickinson’s poetry features the use of dashes and the capitalization of common words. • Not parallel: Emily Dickinson’s poetry features the use of dashes and capitalizing common words. • Parallel: it is easier to speak in abstractions than to ground one’s thoughts in reality. • Not parallel: It is easier to speak in abstractions than grounding one’s thoughts in reality

4. Needed Words • “That” may be omitted if there is no danger of misunderstanding the sentence without it • Not needed: The value of a principle is the number of things [that] it will explain. • Needed: Stanley Milgram discovered that ordinary people were willing to inflict physical pain on strangers.

5. Articles • In paired items, repeat articles when necessary: • Not necessary: We bought a computer and photoshop program. • Necessary: We bought a computer and an antivirus program.

6. Modifiers • Limiting modifiers • Only • Even • Almost • Nearly • Just • Modifiers should be placed next to the word they modify • Misplaced: If you just interview chemistry majors, your picture of the student body will be skewed. • Correct: If you interview just chemistry majors…

7. Modifying words/phrases • Although modifying words/phrases can appear at a distance from what they modify, keeping them closer will add to clarity • Misleading: There are many pictures of comedians who have performed at Gavin’s on the walls. • Correct: On the walls there are many pictures of comedians who have performed at Gavin’s. • Misleading: The robber was described as a six-foot-tall man with a large mustache weighing 170 pounds. • Correct: The robber was described as a 170-pund, six-foot-tall man with a large mustache.

8. Avoid Split Infinitives • Split: The patient should try to, if possible, avoid putting weight on his foot. • Corrected: If possible, the patient should try to avoid putting weight on his foot. • Split: We decided actually to enforce the law. • Corrected: We decided to actually enforce the law. • Split: Nursing students learn to accurately record a patient’s vital signs. • Corrected: Nursing students learn to record a patient’s vital signs accurately.

9. Dangling Modifiers • Dangling modifiers fail to refer logically to any word in the sentence • Upon entering the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention. • To satisfy her mother, the piano had to be practiced every day. • Though not eligible for the clinical trial, the doctor was willing to prescribe the drug for Ethan on compassionate grounds.

10. Dangling Modifiers cont’d • They are hard to recognize, especially in your own writing • Repair: • Name the actor in the subject of the sentence • Name the actor in the modifier • Look at chart on 122

11. Shifts • Don’t shift in person: • One needs to learn how to take care of yourself. • Our class did an activity together. I was graded on effort and correctness. • An authentic artist is one whose music aligns with their morals. They must also write their own songs. One must connect with one’s fans.

12. Construction • Avoid “is when,” “is where,” and “reason . . . Is because” • The reason the experiment failed is because the conditions in the lab were not sterile • The experiment failed because the conditions… • Anorexia is when people think they are too fat and diet to the point of starvation • Anorexia is a disorder suffered by people who think they…

13. Sentence variety • Type • Length • Beginning • Ending • Emphasis • Order