Transcript The Lively Art of Writing

The Lively Art of
Writing
Chapter 1
 Note the non-biblical perspective.
 To communicate
 To share knowledge, ideas, and feelings
 Purpose of all writing
 Beware of what hinders communication
The Essay
 Essay- written expression of its author’s opinion
 Blends fact with imagination and knowledge with
feeling—BALANCE!
 Purpose- to express an opinion
 An essay author is not a machine, but a human
being.
 You must have an opinion before you can write an
essay!
Subjects for Essays
 Limitless choices
 You can write about anything you know enough ab/
to have an opinion.
 Essays of knowledge and experience
 Know what you’re talking about!
 You must have an opinion!
Opinion
 Opinion- a belief not based on absolute certainty or
positive knowledge but on what seems true, valid,
or probable to one’s own mind; what one thinks;
judgment- p. 17
 Must be debatable on some level
 Ask yourself questions about your subject.
 Yes/No questions
 How, Why? What?
Interesting Opinions
 Usually have some opposition
 The beginner will find it easier to write his first
essays on topics that have a clearly defined
opposition.
 No argument, no essay!
Examining Opposition
 Helps to form your opinion
 Study, don’t just blindly argue!
 Use the other side to form your argument.
 Every opinion should be checked against these
questions:
 Can a valid argument be made against it?
 Can I defend it logically against this argument?
 You should be able to answer “yes” to both these
questions.
Believe What you Say
 You should have an honest and intelligent
argument, not a bizarre one.
 Do not arrive at an opinion without examining,
thoroughly and fairly, every legitimate argument
against it.
Summary
 Pick a subject.
 Examine what you know about it.
 Arrive at an honest opinion.
 Think before you write.
 Opinion always comes first.
 You can write an essay only when you have
something to say.
Chapter 1 Assignment- p. 24
 Due Monday, 12/16/13
 Typed, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced
 MLA heading (Name, Miss MacQuarrie, English
12, 16 December 2013 in the top left-hand corner)
 Follow the directions for numbers 1-4 under
Assignment.
 Save this assignment and all other writing
assignments. We will return to several of these
assignments throughout the year.
Chapter 2: “From Opinion to
Thesis”
 Again, you cannot write an essay without first
having an opinion.
 Opinion for an essay- thesis
 Thesis- your opinion boiled down to one arguable
statement
 Your one major point
 On which your entire essay depends
 What your entire essay proves
“Closing In” on Your Thesis
 Is your essay formal or informal?
 Do you want to research for your essay?
5 Step Process
 1. Take inventory.
 What do you know?- usually taken from experience
 2. Ask questions.
 Avoid yes/no questions
 Ask how? Why? What?
 Avoid questions that can be directly answered with simple
facts.
 Keep on topic.
5 Step Process
 3. Look for relationships.
 4. Ask the yes-or-no question.
 Is there an opposing viewpoint to your opinion?
 Avoid the words always and never unless dealing with a
biblical absolute.
 Should bring you to an either/or position that you can
defend
 5. Qualify
 To what degree will you prove your point?
 Use words like many, some, often, mostly, etc.
5 Step Process
 5. Qualify
 Avoid the negative. Do not use the word not in your
thesis. Make it positive.
 Does the opposing argument seem valid?
 After having considered both sides, you can settle on the
thesis that you believe is closest to the truth.
 You may have to qualify even more to line your thesis up
with your point.
 You must be able to defend your thesis with real
conviction.
Example on p. 30
 Your thesis should become more accurate with
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every step.
Remember to make sure that your thesis can be
proved.
Avoid “sweeping” words like perfect.
Avoid vague words like wonderful.
Remember to qualify. Usually the other side does
have at least one point, or no one would hold to
that position.
Summary
 Every essay is an opinion, but not every opinion is
a good essay topic.
 A good topic can be boiled down to one arguable
statement about one major point (thesis).
Miss MacQuarrie’s Method
 Although drag racing can develop skilled
mechanics and good drivers, today’s drag-racing
teenager is usually an irresponsible show-off
whose ignorant love for speed makes him a public
menace. (Thesis)
 Even though teenagers can improve their driving
skills and foster mechanical abilities by
participating in drag-racing, drag-racing usually
cultivates show-offs who endanger others with their
need for speed. (Restatement of Thesis)
Chapter 2 Assignment- p. 32
 Follow the seven steps.
 Also for an eighth step, format your thesis like I
showed you on the previous slide.
 For a ninth step, format a restatement of thesis like
I showed you on the previous slide.
Chapter 3: “The Full and Final
Thesis”
 Your thesis is a kind of ignition key to your essay;
until you turn it your writing will generate no power.
 A full thesis contains the following three elements:
 Thesis
 Points that can be made against your thesis
 Points in favor of your thesis
 The full thesis statement never appears in its
original form in the finished essay.
“The Full and Final Thesis”
 The three elements of a full thesis represent the
psychology of all argument, whether written or oral.
The goal in an argument is identical to the goal in
any essay—to win others to a particular point of
view, to persuade.
 Nothing softens the opposition so much as a
graceful admission that it has some points in its
favor.
 The strongest argument should be listed last.
“The Full and Final Thesis”
 Every successful argument, written or oral,
conforms to the pattern: statement of case,
recognition of opposition, and defense, with the
strongest argument placed last. An essay,
regardless of how it is written, should have this
core or iron logic.
 You should compose your full thesis as soon as
you come up with your topic. Keep it in view while
you write your essay.
 Example on p. 37
“The Full and Final Thesis”
 Your thesis should guide you, it does not have to
dictate you, the but the basic core of your thesis
should remain the same.
 Focusing on your thesis will keep you on track and
prevent you from wandering completely off course.
Your full thesis is your check against the
temptations of irrelevancy.
“The Full and Final Thesis”
 The full thesis disciplines the writer who has too
many ideas, forcing him to organize his scattered
thoughts and to check each one for relevance.
 The full thesis stimulates the writer who has too
few ideas, reminds him of the exact points that he
must bring out.
 Prepare your thesis carefully, refer to it often, and
use it wisely.
Chapter 3 Assignment
 Due Monday, 1/27/14
 Typed, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced
 Write a full thesis statement for the topic you have
chosen for your essay.
 You may use a topic from p. 39 or chapter 2’s
assignment topic.
Chapter 3 Assignment
 Using your full thesis statement as a guide, write an
essay of three to five paragraphs on your topic. You
must work into your essay most of the pro material
suggested by your full thesis. You should also consider
the cons wile you shape your essay. Develop and
arrange your paragraphs in any way that seems
effective, bearing in mind that your purpose is to
persuade the reader to agree with your thesis, but
please remember that your strongest argument should
probably be placed last.
 Hold on to this assignment. You will use it again later.
Chapter 4: “Structure”
 3 parts- introduction, body, conclusion
 Funnel structure- see diagram on p. 41
 This basic structure should NEVER change
regardless of the length of the paper.
Introduction
 Prepares the reader
 Begins broadly and narrows to a point
 Grabs the reader’s attention (quotation, questions,
story, hypothetical situation, startling fact, statistic,
definition, etc.)
 Ends with the paper’s thesis statement
 The thesis should not be the first sentence of a
paper: This would explode the author’s opinion in
the reader’s face.
 Your opening statement will relate to your thesis
but will not take a position on it.
Openings to Avoid
 Don’t try to be cute!
 Sound effects
 Exclamatory sentences
 “Recipe-writing”
Introduction
 You may want to write your introduction after the
body of your paper.
Body
 Can be any length
 Your argument
 Refer to your full thesis!
 Make the necessary concessions (for an
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argumentative essay).
Consider the other side.
Address all your pro points.
Save your best argument for last.
Simple to complex
Transitions!
Conclusion
 Should begin with your restatement of thesis
 Opposite of introduction
 Specific to general
 Do not completely list your points; suggest the
points instead.
 Remind your reader of your argument.
 Your last words to prove your argument
W Assignment for Tuesday, 2/11
 Revise your chapter 3 essay.
 Transform it into a 5 paragraph essay.
 Keep in mind the points from W ch 4.
 This essay should be double-spaced in 12 pt. Times New
Roman font.
“First Steps Toward Style”:
Chapter 5
 The final judgment of a piece of writing depends
upon the writer’s use of words.
 Writing
 Choosing the best words
 Shaping sentences
 Developing paragraphs
 Saying what you want to say
Style
 Some special quality that commands interest
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and/or gives pleasure
The ability to do something difficult as though it
were easy
Not laborious, painful, dull, or awkward
Easy to understand as a conversation
Holds interest without apparent effort
Style
 The secret is control.
 Can be learned through self-discipline and
practice
 Not a mysterious gift reserved for select people
 You can learn style because style is a technique.
 The “how” of writing, not the “what” of writing.
The Two Commandments
 Can be broken only when you are more
experienced- let’s just say the graduate level
 1. Do not use first person.
 2. Do not use word “there”—ever.
The First Commandment
 Shows conviction
 I believe that God exists.
 God exists.
 It is my opinion that smoking causes cancer.
 Smoking causes cancer.
 Makes an opinion authoritative instead of
apologetic, weak, and defensive
 Don’t write about yourself; write about the
subject.
The First Commandment
 “I think” and “I feel” are not needed; they are
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redundant.
Don’t conceal an “I think” with “this writer thinks.”
This is the same thing.
Also, you should never use the second person
unless otherwise instructed.
The word one makes your writing impersonal.
Examples on p. 63
The First Commandment
 Shortens writing and makes it more direct,
vigorous, and powerful
 This allows you to say what you mean, directly and
forcefully.
 Enables clear thinking and improves logic
 Practice!
The Second Commandment
 Simply, “there” adds nothing but clutter to a
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sentence.
Often, you will also have to remove a be verb.
Examples on p. 65
Use a thesaurus!
Use active verbs! In freshman English, you are not
allowed to use passive voice.
 Active verbs- verbs of doing
The Second Commandment
 Sometimes the word “there” is required, such as
when indicating a place or position.
 Learn to play with language.
 Experiment, juggle, shape
Chapter 5 Assignment
 pp. 68-69
 Questions 1-3 (all parts)
“The Size and Shape of Middle
Paragraphs”: Chapter 6
 Middle paragraphs blocks
 What goes into a paragraph?
 How long should a paragraph be?
 What is a paragraph?
 Paragraphs make the physical job of reading
easier, but they cannot be random.
Paragraphing
 The purpose of paragraphing is to separate ideas.
 Your full thesis statement should detail your three
points and therefore at least three paragraphs.
 Some subpoints will need their own paragraphs.
 Consider
 “Oh, and by the way . . . ”
 “Another thing . . . ”
Length of Paragraphs
 Cannot be predetermined
 Get the “feel”
 6 to 7 sentences, 100 to 125 words
 Encourage yourself to “think long.”
 This class- 5 to 7 sentences
Basic Paragraph Structure
 Paragraphs- solid, self-contained, fully developed
units
 Paragraph blocks build the foundation of your
thesis.
 Like the essay itself, every paragraph has three
parts: a beginning, middle, and end.
 Paragraph- a miniature essay
Basic Paragraph Structure
 Beginning- topic sentence
 Middle- explanation/illustration of the topic
sentence
 End- concluding sentence
Topic Sentence
 The 1st sentence of a paragraph
 Announcement of the point
 Taken from the full thesis
 Tells the reader what the paragraph is about
Developing a Paragraph
 Like a conversation
 Illustration/explanation
 More formal than conversation, but same basic
concept
Picture-Frame Paragraphs
 Visualize what you want to say!
 Show your reader your point; don’t tell them!
 Examples on pp. 76-77
 Use color, sound, and movement.
 Concrete!- real, specific, actual
Assignment
 P. 79
 Question 3, 4, OR 5
“Chapter 7: Connections
Between Paragraphs”
 A paragraph must stand alone, but it also must be
united to rest of the essay.
 Like a moving train- You need every part of a train,
not just the cars.
 Bad example on p. 82
Transitions
 Links between paragraphs- transitions
 1 purpose- to help the reader follow a main line of
thought
 The writer must show the shift in his thought to the
reader.
 Words on a page do not have facial expressions.
Transitions
 3 categories
 Standard devices
 Paragraph hooks
 Combinations of the above two
Standard Devices
 Words such as admittedly, obviously, nevertheless,
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and but
Lead your reader through your argument, point out
the opposition’s points, and your points.
Examples on p. 83
Constantly remind the reader!
Pro, con, shifting, and emphasis transitions
List on p. 84
However
 However is best used inside a sentence.
 Examples on p. 85
 Utilize your inner ear—or your physical ear!
 Surround however with commas or a semicolon
and a comma.
 Experiment!
Paragraph Hooks
 You cannot depend on one-word transitions
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completely.
Perhaps repeat the last word of the first paragraph
in the topic sentence of the second paragraph.
Generally, repeat word(s) from the first paragraph
in the first sentence of the second paragraph.
Idea hook- compress a thought in a summarizing
phrase in the second paragraph (more subtle)
Examples on pp. 88-89
Can be annoying if overused!
The Combinations
 Consider the reader
 Consider the natural rhythm of your writing
Summary
 Help your reader follow your train of thought!
 Link your paragraphs!
 Use variety!
W Chapter 7 Assignment
 pp. 91b-93a
 Steps 1-3
“Chapter 8: The Passive Voice”
 Sentences are lifeless when verbs are lifeless.
 Verbs are lifeless when they are in the passive
voice.
2 Voices
Active Voice
 Direct, vigorous, strong
 John drove the car.
 The subject does
something.
 Example on the top of p.
96
Passive Voice
 Indirect, limp, weak,
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sneaky
The student’s worst enemy
The car was driven by
John.
The subject has something
done to it: The subject is
acted upon.
Example at the bottom of
p. 95
Passive Voice
 Chief weakness- anonymity
 The “nobody” voice
 The room was cleaned. – Who cleaned the room? We
don’t know!
 Sometimes the one who does the action is tagged
on to the sentence with a by prepositional phrase
 The room was cleaned by Mary.
 Life is full of action; we don’t like it when people
are passive. Complete passivity offends us and
bores us. Passivity is also boring in writing.
Fixing Passive Voice
 Make the object of the by prepositional phrase the
subject.
 Mary cleaned the room.
 Come up with a subject if one is not listed in a by
prepositional phrase.
 Thunder was heard in the mountains.
 Everyone heard the thunder in the mountains. OR
Thunder growled in the mountains.
Fixing Passive Voice
 The more precise the verb, the more vivid and real
the subject becomes.
 The best active verbs you can hear (“audio active”)
or picture.
 The car was driven down Perrine Road.
 The car crept down Perrine Road.
 Make your subject do something!
 You will need a thesaurus.
Acceptable Passive Voice?
 Rarely!
 Sometimes passive voice can provide a necessary
tone or connotation. –But try active voice first!
 Disaster uses the passive voice to portray the
helplessness of the victim.
 The child was kidnapped.
 Occasionally for clarity or for a change
 When the subject is not known
5 Steps to Avoid Passive Voice
 1.
Pick your subject and a corresponding verb
that makes the subject do something.
 2. If you use a passive verb, try to change it.
 Look for be verbs. They often indicate passive voice.
If you can’t change it, try a new sentence.
 4. If that doesn’t work, try skipping the sentence
altogether.
 5. As a last resort, use passive voice.
 3.
Summary
 Train yourself to spot passive voice.
 Attack all passive voice in your writing.
 Make sure your subject is doing the action.
 Discipline yourself.
 Use a thesaurus.
 Note: You cannot use passive voice at all in
freshman English papers. Learn to get rid of it now!
Writing Ch 8 Assignment p. 102
 All steps!
 Typed in 12 point Times New Roman font
 Double-spaced- Don't forget the box that says
“Don't add space between paragraphs."
 Correct heading (Name, 11/19/12, W ch 8
assignment in the top right-hand corner)
 Questions?
“Chapter 9: The Sound of
Sentences”
 Early on, you learned to shape spoken sentences
with your ear.
 Later, you were taught to write and hate
sentences.
 You grew up believing that spoken sentences
sounded one way and written sentences were
suppose to sound another way.
 You must learn to preserve talk on paper so that
the words can be heard, not simply seen, again
The Sound of Sentences
 Every reader has an inner ear, and reading is an
act of hearing as well as seeing.
 Writing sentences should sound like natural
speech, but they can’t be natural speech.
 Natural speech encompasses more than written
speech, but it is much too disorganized, repetitive,
and careless to stand up in print.
 You much transfer the rhythm of speech onto
paper.
The Rhythm of Speech
 All spoken language has rhythm.
 Examples on pp. 106-107
 Length of sentences should be erratic.
 The first principle of rhythm is writing, to capture
the basic rhythm of speech, is variation of
sentence length.
 Short sentences give emphasis.
 Long sentences give depth and color.
 Find your own particular rhythm.
Getting Inside the Sentence
 You must make sentences better.
 It is easy to chop down a sentence but harder to
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write longer sentences.
Don’t add meaningless phrases or repeat words.
Examples on p. 109
To make a sentence longer you must add material
smoothly and naturally.
Don’t just tack information on.
No sentence is truly hopeless.
The Basic Sentence
 The sentence reduced to its essentials.
 You cannot subtract from a basic statement; you
can only add to it.
The Strung-Along Sentence
 Basic statement with a string of details added to it
 Examples on pp. 111-112
The Periodic Sentence
 Additional details are added inside the basic
sentence.
 Examples on p. 112
 Delay is the secret weapon of the periodic
sentence. This builds suspense.
The Combinations
 A perfectly patterned sentence must fit with the
other sentences in the paragraph.
 Take advantage of the flexibility of sentences.
 Experiment.
 Listen to your sentences.
Selecting Details
 Try to picture what you are writing about.
 Enrich and extend your subjects, verbs, and
anything that follows the verb.
Expanding the Subject
 Ask questions about your subject.
 Write the subject’s description before or after it.
 Be as graphic as possible!
Expanding the Verb
 Show how its action progresses.
 Think how or when
 Adverbs that describe verbs can usually be moved
anywhere in the sentence.
Expanding the Rest of the
Sentence
 Look for the most important noun and follow it with
an appositive.
 Use prepositional phrases.
 Transform some prepositional phrases into
adjectives.
Summary
 Use your inner ear.
 Employ variety in sentence length and patterns.
 Remember sentences can be changed and
moved.
 Play boldly with sentences.
 Combine, convert, shift, change, add, subtract,
divide, multiply. Take chances. The more you
experiment, the more you will learn.
Writing Chapter 9 Assignment
 pp. 121-122
 All of step 1
 3 sentences for step 2
 3 sentences for step 3
 3 sentences for step 4
 Step 5- Expand the subject 1 way.
 All of step 6
 3 sentences for step 7
 Don’t do steps 8-10.
Chapter 10: “Parallel Structure”
 Can be called “instant style”
 The best way to learn parallel structure is by
listening to it.
Look for the Common
Denominator.
 Everything that is parallel has at least one thing in
common.
 What things are common in the list on p. 124?
Don’t read the answers later in the chapter!
 Balance is always inherent in parallelism.
 Phrases with phrases
 Clauses with clauses
 Ideas with ideas
 Practice!
In- Class Assignment
 pp. 125, 126
 #s 1-10
Complete the unfinished sentence
below with a series of who clauses.
 He always made trouble. He was the kind of boy
who
Complete with a series of infinitive
phrases, using a different infinitive for
each phrase.
 To be popular, she though, she need only to
Using to as your preposition, complete
this sentence with a series of
prepositional phrases.
 In desperate search for a cure went to
Using of as your preposition, complete
this sentence with a series of
prepositional phrases.
 She was afraid of everything, of
Complete this with a series of
that clauses.
 He complained that the children made too much
noise, that
Write a sentence beginning with three if
clauses.
 If
Write a sentence ending with three if
clauses.
Complete the sentence below by
interrupting it with two parallel if clauses.
 The problem of race relations, if
,
and if
must be solved.
Write a balanced sentence modeled on #6
on p. 124 but using different infinitives.
 To
you are right is one thing; to
, quite another.
Write a sentence that contains a double
parallel.
Smaller Parallels
 Whenever a sentence contains two or more similar
elements, these elements must be kept parallel, no
matter how small they are.
 Series- all nouns, all adjectives, all verbs of the
same tense, all adverbs, etc.
Examples on p. 127
 Not: She liked ball games, hootenannies, hikes and
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going to picnics.
But: She liked ball games, hootenannies, and picnics.
Not: He was lazy, good-humored, likeable, and sort of
a crook.
But: He was lazy, good-humored, likeable, and
slightly crooked.
Not: She walked steadily and in a big hurry.
But: She walked steadily and swiftly.
Not: She combed her hair, powdered her nose, and
her lipstick was checked.
But: She combed her hair, powdered her nose, and
checked her lipstick.
Pairs
 Pairs must also be balanced.
 Joined by and, but, and or
 Joined by other conjunctions
 Elements following transitions
And, But, and Or-
Examples on p. 127
 He was an expert driver and could also repair cars.
 He was an expert driver and mechanic.
 He was intelligent but a boring boy.
 He was intelligent but boring.
 He was a brain but a bore.
 Her ambition was to act in movies and playing certain roles.
 Her ambition was to act in movies and to play certain roles.
 She wanted either money or to be famous.
 She wanted either money or fame.
And, But, As Well AsExamples on p. 128
 The trip into town had been both difficult and a great
expense.
 The trip into town had been both difficult and expensive.
 He wanted to pour all his effort into the job, to do it well, but
keeping the time down as much as possible.
 He wanted to pour all his effort into the job, to do it well,
and to do it quickly.
 She worked hard to maintain her high grades, but she
yearned for popularity as well as being recognized as a
good student.
 She worked hard to maintain her high grades, but she
yearned for popularity as well as academic success.
Either/Or, Neither/NorExamples on p. 128
 Either I’m always in debt or in trouble.
 Either I’m always in debt, or I’m always in trouble.
 I’m always either in debt or in trouble.
 She is the kind of woman who will neither change
her mind nor her hair style.
 She is the kind of woman who will change neither
her mind nor her hair style.
Correlative ConjunctionsExamples on p. 128
 She could be either
kind
nor
 That will scare not only
Sally
but also
the cat.
 They hoped go not only
to London
but also
to Paris.
cruel.
First/Second/ThirdExample on p. 129
 After he entered college he realized clearly, first,
that he should have worked harder in high school;
second, that he would have to work hard now to
keep up; and third, that he could succeed only by
learning self-discipline.
Repetition
 If you repeat an article or a preposition once,
repeat it every time—or not at all.
 Examples on p. 129
 A house, a yard, a garden, and a pool
 A house, yard, garden, and pool
 For love, for honor, for fame, or for money
 For love, honor, fame, or money
 It is usually better to omit the article or preposition, but
they may be inserted for emphasis.
Summary
 Parallels are a matter of simple logic.
 Find the common element.
 Match elements.
 Control your writing!
 Balance your writing!
Writing Chapter 10 Assignment
 Read writing chapter 11.
 Assignment on pp. 130-132
 Numbers 1 and 3 (all parts)
“A Way with Words”
Chapter 11
Your Vocabulary
 Better, perfect
 Improve
 Laziness
 - Read
 - look it up
 Use
 + conversation
 Thesaurus
 - nuances
Using Words
 Little
 Sound
 Vague
 Own
 Fluffy
 concrete
Figurative Language
 Vivid, Show
 Clichés
 Similes
 mix
Allusions
 Indirect
 Bible
Summary
 Play, perfect
Chapter 11 Assignment
 Read writing chapter 12.
 Writing chapter 11 assignment due Monday, 12/10/12
 pp. 143-144
 Numbers 1, 3, 4, and 6
“Chapter 12: Odds and
Ends and Means”
The Terrible Three
The –wise suffix: Not as common now
 2. The type and type of habit: Either remove or
change to kind or sort
 1.
 Examples on p. 146
 3.
Manner and nature phrases: usually
redundant, fluffy phrases
 Remove these words altogether!
The Troublesome 27
 1.
 2.
 3.
 4.
 5.
 6.
 7.
 8.
as far as- must be followed with is concerned
center around- change to center on
different than- change to different from
disinterested/uninterested- disinterested
(impartial), uninterested (not interested)
due to- Do NOT use this phrase.
enthuse- Do NOT use this word.
fabulous- Do Not use this word.
feel bad- bad- adjective, badly- adverb;
informal anyway
The Troublesome 27
 9.
fewer/less- fewer (numbers, can count), less
(amounts, things you cannot count)
 10. imply/infer- imply (suggest or indicate), infer
(draw a conclusion from, figured it out)
 11. Indefinite pronouns each, everyone,
everybody, either, neither, nobody- always
singular, examples on pp. 148-149
 Everyone is doing his/her own assignment.
 Not- Everyone is doing their assignments.
 12. irregardless- redundant, use regardless
The Troublesome 27
 13. like/as- Make sure that as, as if, as though, or
in the way cannot replace the word like. If one
of these words can, please switch the words.
 Examples on p. 149
 14. Mixed metaphor- Do not mix metaphors.
 Examples on p. 149
 15. off- Never use off of; simply use off!
 16. perfect/unique- beyond comparison, Do not
use more or most with perfect or unique.
 17. Plus- Use only with arithmetic; instead use and.
The Troublesome 27
 18. Redundancies- list on p. 150
 Also each and every and whether or not
 19. regarding- Do not use this word.
 20. similar to- instead use like
 21. slang- Do not use slang in academic writing!
 22. so- Do not use so as a substitute for very or
terribly. So is not an intensifier. So usually can
be followed with that and/or a clause.
 23. Split infinitive- Do not put other words such as
adverbs between the to and the verb of an
infinitive. This is more accepted now.
The Troublesome 27
 24. the reason is- NEVER use the reason is
because; this is redundant! Say the reason is
that. Also, do not use the reason why!
 25. Trite expressions- Avoid the list on p. 151.
 26. Try- Use try to instead of try and.
 27. while- While means “time” or “at the time” not
and, but, or although. Try to substitute at the
time.
 Example on p. 151
Punctuation
 A necessity, not a matter of style!
 Learn punctuation rules, don’t just listen for
pauses!
Chapter 12 Writing Assignment
 Due Monday, 4/28
 Read writing chapter 13.
 Number 5 on pp. 155-156
 Number 6 on pp. 156
Chapter 13 Assignment
 Due 2/4/13
 Read chapter 13.
 Do assignment 1 on pp. 157-159.
 Follow all the instructions.
 Type the assignment in 12 point Times New Roman
font.
 Double-space
 Use the correct heading (name, date, chapter 13
assignment).
 Do NOT put this off! Making up assignments is harder
than doing them when they are supposed to be done.