Something more to think about

Chapter 14 gave me something more to think about when writing. I was specifically taken by the section on sentence rhythm. I always appreciated, at least subconsciously, when a good peace of writing has a rhythmic sense to it. However, I simply thought that is what good writers do. I failed to realize that this is a developed skill. And I was particularly taken by the concept of "end focus." The point being the chapter leads me to believe that with closer examination of my own writing, and thinking of the "end focus" in conjunction with two part subject and predicate structures, I may be capable of improving the rhythm in my own writing.

Finally, I noticed some other weaknesses in my own writing. For example, I over use "be" verbs. Also, I do not give enough thought to choosing verbs. By in large, I choose a verb and I am done. It seems that if I spend more time editing with verb choice in mind, my papers will improve dramatically.

The Importance of Punctuation

With only two weeks left of the term, some of the most important things that I will be taking away from this class are finding a writing style, making sure my sentences are cohesive and rhythmic, and finally choosing the verbs that sound right in particular sentences. I would have never noticed that I actually have a writing style that is unique only to me. In my writing style, I really tend to overuse compound sentences. This makes my sentences seem repetitive in a negative way, so I will come away from this class focusing on eliminating compound sentences if they appear to be in over-abundance in any of my future essays or papers. I have also come to always be leery of dangling participles. Sometimes it is so easy to begin a sentence knowing perfectly what I am talking about, but forgetting that my audience has no idea what I am referencing. I think that proofreading out loud will greatly assist me in detecting such errors. Finally, for my sentences to have that certain flow that makes the reader want to continue reading what I have written, I need to choose verbs that sound the absolute best. This means that instead of over-using be verbs, I need to get creative and figure out ways to use more active transitive verbs. I think that this was an important thing that was mentioned in chapter 14 regarding the rhythm of a sentences. After all, if all sentences sound the same, who would want to read them? A lack of unpredictability can ruin a piece of writing.

Chapter 14 Thoughts

I found Chapter 14 the most interesting chapter we’ve read so far in this book. I think this is because the information in this chapter is the most directly relevant to taking my writing to the next level. Learning all the grammar is helpful when writing papers etc, but learning about the little things like choosing verbs or word order variation help me develop an individual style. With my own style, my writing will better reflect my intelligence level.

Some interesting thing I noticed in this chapter:

·      The Introductory Appositive Series – I never use this. It makes the writing very dense and frustrating to read in my opinion. I have to reread the sentence multiple times in order to fully comprehend it. It is a conscience choice not to use it on my part.

·      Metadiscourse – I’ve used this a lot in my writing without even realizing what it was. I feel that using metadiscourses makes my personality come through clearer and easier.

·      The Passive Voice – Before this class, I had no idea what the passive voice was or how to recognize it. I know find it everywhere. Whenever I come across I love looking to see if I can figure out why the author choose to use the passive voice instead of active voice. I’ve been finding that there are may situations that the passive voice actually works well in context. For example, I’ve seen it used multiple times as a segue connecting two thoughts.

Purposeful Punctuation

I wish I had read the chapter on Purposeful Punctuation years ago. It was so helpful. Even on the first page, I became immediately aware of a grammar mistake I had been making for years; I suppose that it is even more frustrating that none of my high school teachers ever caught it. I tend to be very wordy, writing long sentences. And I understand that a semicolon is an excellent tool to separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. However, I was not aware of how often it is used to separate two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction. That was a bit of a wake up call for me. The fourth use of the semicolon, according to Kolln, is that if either the first or the second independent clause includes commas, substitute a semicolon for a comma before the coordinating conjunction. I know now that when I write essays, I’m going to try to write shorter sentences. The semicolon can easily be overused.

I also appreciated her section on dashes. Although this blog does not show it, I love to use the dash is just about everything I write. It is a great way to add emphasis and zeal to a piece of prose. I feel that in the future, I actually need to limit my uses of the dash. After reading this chapter, I have learned that the dash should only be employed to highlight a certain clause or phrase. An overuse of it can diminish the effect.

The last portion that really stood out to me in this chapter was the power of the participial phrase. I read the example that Kolln shows (“The line judge, blocked by the player’s movement, could not tell whether the ball was in or out.”), and it seems really well written and fluid. There is an added sophistication to using a participle, and I am going to strive to use it when I am doing creative writing.

What an insightful chapter!