Style
C.O.P.
Concision: Cutting Through the Crud
- ensure
that every word you use needs to appear, that every sentence
and phrase introduces something new and informative
- excise
repetitive phrasing and ideas
- eliminate
wordiness
- avoid
vagueness: wordiness often results from uncertainty
about what you're trying to say
- rework
long series of consecutive prepositional phrases; consider transforming
phrases into descriptive adjectives
and adverbs
- avoid
unnecessary articles
- brainstorm
and research so exhaustively that paper-writing becomes an act of condensation instead
of airy expansion
Organization Optimization
- argument
structure
- launch
your argument with an effective, enticing introduction
- a
concise, debatable thesis should appear somewhere in your first
(or maybe second) paragraph
- organize
all major points logically
- conclude
arguments by saying something new but relevant--do not merely
restate your main points and thesis
- paragraph
structure
- shape
clear topic sentences towards the beginning of each paragraph
- vary
your sentence length, pacing, and rhythm by alternating long and
short sentences
- use
a variety of rhetorical strategies; move effectively among pathos,
ethos, & logos (unless my instructions or the situation call
for a more narrow rhetorical approach)
Putting Passive Voice out to Pasture
- shape
prose which sounds polished and filled with forethought, instead of writing
in the halting way we tend to think and speak (with lots of awkward "to
be" constructions)
- use
active verbs whenever possible. This will force you to articulate your
ideas precisely, instead of just implying some vague connection
between subject and predicate
- ensure
that the sentence's subject is doing something (active voice),
instead of being something (passive voice)
- where
appropriate, use colorful and energetic language that paints a vivid picture
in your reader's imagination