Info Base

Apostrophe

2007-05-05T15:25:00.003-07:00

The apostrophe is used to show ownership. Most of the time, it presents no confusion:
Bob's bassoon
The woman's finger
My son's toys

The tricky part is using an apostrophe when the owner is plural.

RULES FOR APOSTROPHES

1. If the plural noun doesn't end in -s, add an apostrophe and -s, like above. (This is the easy part.)

the car's axels
the bacteria's growth
the mice's hairballs

2. If the plural noun ends in -s, just add an apostrophe.

the babies' bottoms
the horses' hooves
the politicians' promises

3. If the word is a proper noun that ends in -s, add an apostrophe and an -s. (This is the part people get wrong). Use ONLY with proper nouns. All other plurals should follow the rule above.

Yeats's poem
Ross's riddle
Chris's crisis

Return to Crash Course in Writing

Using Hyphens Correctly

2007-05-05T15:25:00.001-07:00

A. Use the hyphen with the compound numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine, and with fractions used as adjectives.

CORRECT: Sixty-five students constituted a majority.

CORRECT: A two-thirds vote was necessary to carry the measure.

B. Use the hyphen with the prefixes ex, all, and self and with the suffix elect.

CORRECT: The constitution protects against self-incrimination.

CORRECT: The president-elect was invited to chair the meeting.

C. Use the hyphen with a compound adjective when it comes before the word it modifies, but not when it comes after the word it modifies.

CORRECT:
The no-holds-barred argument continued into the night. The argument continued with no holds barred.

D. Use the hyphen with any prefix used before a proper noun or adjective.

CORRECT: His pro-African sentiments were heartily applauded.

CORRECT: They believed that his activities were un-American.

E. Use the dash to indicate an abrupt change of thought. In general, however, formal writing is best when you think out what you want to say in advance and avoid abrupt changes of thought.

CORRECT: The inheritance must cover the entire cost of the proposal-Gail has no other money to invest.

Go to Apostrophe

Colons

2007-05-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

RULES FOR COLONS

1. Use a colon when making a list, when what precedes the list is an independent clause.

CORRECT: There are four ingredients necessary for a good party: music, lighting, food, and personality.

There are four ingredients can stand alone, so the colon separates it from the list.

Do not use a colon to separate a preposition from its objects or a verb from its complements, since the clause will not be independent.

INCORRECT: My ancestors came from: Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.
The colon incorrectly separates the preposition from its objects, and leaves My ancestors came from, which is not an independent clause. Instead the sentence should read:
CORRECT: My ancestors came from Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.

INCORRECT: The boys ran home and ate: cake, cookies, and soda.
The colon incorrectly separates the verb ate from its compliments. The sentence should read:
CORRECT: The boys ran home and ate cake, cookies, and soda.

2. Use a colon after a complete statement to introduce related ideas:

CORRECT: The coffee shop is the best on the block: it has great scones, a full menu, and a great atmosphere.

If, when you are writing your essay, you are in doubt about whether or not you may use a colon, it is best to play it safe and separate your statements with a semi-colon or a period.

Go to usage of Hyphens

Semicolons

2007-05-05T15:23:00.002-07:00

RULES FOR SEMICOLONS

1. Use a semicolon to link two independent clauses.

To give a good party, you must consider the lighting; no one feels comfortable under the bright glare of fluorescent lights.

Note that the two clauses are connected in thought, but are each independent grammatically. A comma with a conjunction can stand in place of the semicolon, like this:

To give a good party, you must consider the lighting, since no one feels comfortable under the bright glare of fluorescent lights.

2. Use a semicolon to separate elements in a list if the elements are long - or if the elements themselves have commas in them.

To get completely ready for your party, you should clean your house; make sure your old, decrepit stereo works; prepare a lot of delicious, strange food; and expect odd, antisocial, and frivolous behavior on the part of your guests.

3. Unlike commas, semicolons belong outside quotation marks.

One man at the party sat in a corner and read "The Adventures of Bob"; he may have been shy, or he may have found "The Adventures of Bob" too exciting to put down.

Go to Usage of Colons

Commas

2007-05-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

THE COMMA

The comma is the most abused punctuation mark. Writers are sometimes so worried about following rules that they forget to pay attention to the way the words sound when spoken. Commas help a reader understand the rhythm of the sentence. If you are having comma problems, try saying your sentence out loud, and listening for natural pauses. The function of a comma is to slow the reader down briefly and make the reader pause. The omission of a comma can cause phrases and clauses to crash into one another, thereby confusing the reader.

Commas can influence the meaning of your sentence. Consider the following:

The food tastes terrible, however the cook fixes it.
The food tastes terrible, however, the cook fixes it.

In the first sentence, the food tastes terrible no matter how the cook fixes it. In the second sentence, the food is bad but the cook improves the taste. Again, the comma controls the meaning.

RULES FOR COMMAS

1. Use a comma to separate two independent clauses connected by and, but, or, nor, for.

Bob was usually a quiet man, but he screamed upon entering the room.

The strange man lying under the table appeared to be dead, or just possibly he was only napping.

If the independent clauses are short, you may omit the comma.

The man was still and his foot was bleeding.

His hat was on but his pants were off.

2. Use a comma to separate elements in a list or series.

Bob tried to breathe, to keep from fainting, and to remember his first aid.

Next to the man was a bassoon, a water balloon, and a raccoon.

3. Use a comma to separate introductory phrases and clauses from an independent clause that follows, particularly if the phrase or clause is long.

After catching his breath, Bob squatted next to the man and took his pulse.

When he felt nothing, Bob picked up the bassoon and blew.

Although he had never played a bassoon before, he somehow managed to make beautiful music.

Again, if the introductory phrase is short, you may omit the comma:

When he stopped playing it was dark outside.

4. If the introductory phrase is a gerund, participial, or infinitive phrase, use a comma even if the phrase is short. Otherwise the reader may be confused:

When Bob began to eat, rats ran across the carpet.
NOT: When Bob began to eat rats ran across the carpet.

5. In a series of adjectives, use a comma if the adjectives could also be separated by and.

The nimble, fat, and furry raccoon began to poke at the water balloon.
(Could be written as: The nimble and fat and furry raccoon...)

If the and doesn't fit, leave out the comma:

The man's white cotton shirt was balled up in a corner.
(Would not write as: The man's white and cotton shirt . .)

If this rule seems confusing, try reading the sentence aloud. If you make a slight pause between adjectives, put in commas. Otherwise, leave them out. Another test: if you can change the order of the adjectives, put in commas.- For example:

The handsome, brilliant scholar
Or: The brilliant, handsome scholar

The frilly party dress
Not: The party frilly dress

6. Use commas to set off clauses, but do not use commas for restrictive clauses. An essential or restrictive clause is one that can't be left out of a sentence. Clauses that don't define can be lifted from the sentence without changing the meaning. Look at these sentences:

Bananas that are green taste tart.

That are green defines which bananas we mean. We cannot remove it.

Bananas, which grow in the tropics, do not need refrigeration.

Which grow in the tropics refers to all bananas. The clause can be lifted from the sentence without changing the meaning.

Let's look at a sentence that you could punctuate either way, depending on the meaning:

The men who were tired and hungry began eating sardines.

who were tired and hungry is a defining clause, telling us which men we mean.

The men, who were tired and hungry, began eating sardines.

who were tired and hungry describes all of the men and doesn't differentiate these men from other men who weren't tired and hungry.

7. Words or phrases that interrupt the sentence should be set off by commas.

Now then, let's get down to work.

"Save me," he said, before falling down the stairs.

On the other hand, error can lead to revelation.

What the candidate promised, in fact, is impossible to achieve.

Hello, I must be going.

8. Use commas to set off an appositive. An appositive is a noun or pronoun that explains or identifies the noun that precedes it.

Mrs. Daniels, my favorite teacher, is wearing a wig.

Ralphie, the president of the student council, is on probation.

9. Commas go inside quote marks, never outside:

"I do like the taste of chocolate," she said "but I am allergic."

Using commas correctly is one way to make your writing clear. Reading your sentences aloud is a good way to find the natural place for commas, as is inspecting your sentences for ambiguity or confusion.

Go To Usage of Semicolons

Sentences

2007-05-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Beware of two common sentence writing errors:

Sentence fragment: a statement with no independent clause

Run-on sentence: two or more independent clauses that are improperly connected

Sentence Fragments

Every sentence in formal writing must have an independent clause: a clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand alone. Dependent clauses do not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone.

Independent Clause: Brian must study for many hours.

This clause is independent because it expresses a full thought, which is a complete sentence.

Dependent Clause: since school is so difficult.

This clause is not a complete thought. It contains the subordinate conjunction "since," making it unfinished. It needs an independent clause to make a full sentence:

Brian must study for hours since school is so difficult.

Errors are made when a dependent clause is used without an independent one.

Independent clauses contain a subject and a predicate and do not begin with a subordinate conjunction such as:

after	as	while
if	provided that	before
so that	though	where
whenever	whether	than
although	because	unless
in order	since	that

NOTE: Beginning single-clause sentences with coordinate conjunctions such as and, but, or, nor, for is acceptable in moderation, although some readers may object to beginning a sentence with And.

The following examples contain both sentences fragments and solutions to rewrite these fragments as complete sentences.

INCORRECT: Global warming. That is what the scientists and journalists are worried about this month.

CORRECT: Global warming is the cause of concern for scientists and journalists this month.

INCORRECT: Seattle is a wonderful place to live. Having mountains, ocean, and forests all within easy driving distance. If you can ignore the rain.

CORRECT: Seattle is a wonderful place to live, with mountains, ocean, and forests all within easy driving distance. However, it certainly does rain often.

INCORRECT: Why do I think the author's position is preposterous? Because he makes generalizations that I know are untrue.

CORRECT: I think the author's position is preposterous because he makes generalizations that I know are untrue.

Run-on Sentences

Run-on sentences occur when two or more sentences are written as one. Time pressure may cause you to write run-on's. When you proofread your essays, watch out for independent clauses that are not joined with any punctuation at all or are only joined with a comma.

RUN-ON SENTENCE: Current insurance practices are unfair they discriminate against the people who need insurance most.

You can repair run-on sentences in two ways. First,

1. Use a period to make separate sentences of the independent clauses.

2. Use a conjunction to turn an independent clause into a dependent one and to make explicit how the clauses are related. (This method is usually the more effective.)

CORRECT: Current insurance practices are unfair, in that they discriminate against the people who need insurance most.

One cause of run-on sentences is the misuse of adverbs like however, nevertheless, furthermore, likewise, and therefore.

RUN-ON SENTENCE: Current insurance practices are discriminatory, furthermore they make insurance too expensive for the poor.

CORRECT: Current insurance practices are discriminatory. Furthermore, they make insurance too expensive for the poor.

Example

However much she tries to act like a Southern belle, she cannot hide her roots. The daughter of a Yankee fisherman, taciturn and always polite.

Answer:

Sample Rewrite: However much she tries to act like a Southern belle, she cannot hide her roots. She will always be the daughter of a Yankee fisherman, taciturn and ever polite.

The daughter of a Yankee fisherman is a sentence fragment, since the group of words contains no verb.

Go to Usage of Commas

Colloquialisms

2007-05-05T15:21:00.002-07:00

Conversational speech is filled with slang and colloquial expressions. However, you should avoid slang on the GMAT analytical writing assessment. Slang terms and colloquialisms can be confusing to the reader, since these expressions are not universally understood. Even worse, such informal writing may give readers the impression that you are poorly educated or arrogant.

INAPPROPRIATE: He is really into gardening.

CORRECT: He enjoys gardening.

INAPPROPRIATE: She plays a wicked game of tennis.

CORRECT: She excels in tennis.

Go TO : Sentences

1: Voice Shifting

2007-05-05T15:21:00.001-07:00

Jargon includes two categories of words that you should avoid. First is the specialized vocabulary of a group, such as that used by a group of people such as doctors, lawyers, or baseball coaches. Second is the overly inflated or complex language that burdens many student essays. You will not impress anyone with big words that do not fit the tone or context of your essay, especially if you misuse them.

If you are not certain of a word's meaning or appropriateness, leave it out. An appropriate word, even a simple one, will add impact to your argument. Ask yourself "Would a reader in a different field be able to understand exactly what I mean from the words I've chosen?" "Is there any way I can say the same thing more simply?"

MBA candidates are particularly prone to using MBA jargon. When you go to business school, you will find that MBAs have a language of their own with words such as "incentivize" or "M & A". Indeed, you will find that a large part of the lasting benefit of business school is learning the proper MBA language so that you will better relate with the MBAs who dominate the business world. For now, however, the GMAT is not the place for MBA jargon or any jargon for that matter.

Replace jargon with the words in parenthesis:

optimize
time frame
utilize (use)
finalize (end, complete)
conceptualize (imagine, think)
maximize
originate (start, begin)
facilitate (help, speed up)
bottom line
parameter (boundary, limit)
user-friendly (responsive, flexible, easy-to-understand)
input/output
blindside
downside
ongoing (continuing)

Your essay graders may not be up to date on the latest trendy abbreviations. Also, avoid lazy and sloppy statements like "top-line/bottom line". Slashes and numbered items are completely inappropriate. You are not making a business presentation or writing a marketing plan; you are writing a formal essay to graders, many of whom, were English majors. Graders are quickly annoyed with strite phrases.

Read this paragraph from an actual essay (un-editied) submitted to 800score.com's essay grading service to get a feel for what jargon sounds like.

Profit maximization is the core activity of any progressive and professional company of the world today. The success of of the CEO is rated by the fact in his / her tenure how much ROC employed or what was his net contribution to the top-line / bottom-line of the company and hence the share holder value. The dilemma of an organization to be termed profitable and successful emanates by the fact that what is the turn-over and what is the revenue of the company, hence all the functions of an organization is aimed at taking up activity which will make more profit.

Evaluate the following sentences for jargon.

1. With reference to the poem, I submit that the second and third stanzas connote a certain despair.

2. Allow me to elucidate my position: This horse is the epitome, the very quintessence of equine excellence.

Answers:

1. When the poet wrote the second and third stanzas, he must have felt despair.

2. This is a fine horse.

10: Jargon

2007-05-05T15:08:00.001-07:00

optimize
time frame
utilize (use)
finalize (end, complete)
conceptualize (imagine, think)
maximize
originate (start, begin)
facilitate (help, speed up)
bottom line
parameter (boundary, limit)
user-friendly (responsive, flexible, easy-to-understand)
input/output
blindside
downside
ongoing (continuing)

Evaluate the following sentences for jargon.

1. With reference to the poem, I submit that the second and third stanzas connote a certain despair.

2. Allow me to elucidate my position: This horse is the epitome, the very quintessence of equine excellence.

Answers:

1. When the poet wrote the second and third stanzas, he must have felt despair.

2. This is a fine horse.

Back to Crash course in Writing

9: Cliché

2007-05-05T15:07:00.001-07:00

Cliches are overused expressions, expressions that may once have seemed colorful and powerful, but are now dull and worn out. Time, pressure and anxiety may make you lose focus, and that is when cliches may slip into your writing. A reliance on cliches will suggest you are a lazy thinker. Keep them out of your essay by thinking ahead and proofreading.

WEAK: Performance in a crisis is the acid test for a leader.

FORCEFUL: Performance in a crisis is the best indicator of a leader's abilities.

Putting a cliche in quotation marks in order to indicate your distance from the cliche does not strengthen the sentence. If anything, it just makes weak writing more noticeable. Take notice of whether or not you use cliches. If you do, ask yourself if you could substitute more specific language for the cliche.

International Students: You should avoid any regional expressions. Students from Britain and the commonwealth nations should particularly beware of using local expressions that are not used in America.

Exercises

1. You have to take this new fad with a grain of salt.

2. The politician reminds me of Abraham Lincoln: He's like a diamond in the rough.

3. A ballpark estimate of the number of fans in the stadium would be 120,000.

Answers

1. You need not take this new fad very seriously; it will surely pass.

2. The politician reminds me of Abraham Lincoln with his rough appearance and warm heart.

3. I estimate that 120,000 fans were in the stadium.

GO TO >>> 10: Jargon

8: Vague Writing

2007-05-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Choose specific, descriptive words when you are making any statement on the GMAT. Vague language weakens your writing because it forces the reader to guess what you mean instead of concentrating fully on your ideas and style.

WEAK: Mr. Brown is highly educated.
FORCEFUL: Mr. Brown has a master's degree in business administration.

WEAK: She is a great communicator.
FORCEFUL: She speaks persuasively.

Notice that sometimes to be more specific and concrete you will have to use more words than you might with vague language (as in the first example). This principle is not in conflict with the general objective of writing concisely. Being concise may mean eliminating unnecessary words. Avoiding vagueness may mean adding necessary words to illustrate your point.

Edit these sentences by cutting down on vague language:

1. The principal told John that he should not even think about coming back to school until he changed his ways.

2. The police detective had to seek the permission of the lawyer to question the suspect.

3. Thousands of species of animals were destroyed when the last ice age occurred.

4. The secretary was unable to complete the task that had been assigned.

Answers

1. The principal told John that he could not return to school until his behavior improved.

2. The police detective had to ask the lawyer for permission to question the suspect.

3. Thousands of animal species were destroyed in the last ice age.

4. The secretary was unable to type the document.

GO TO >>>>>>> 9: Cliché

7: Redundancy

2007-05-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

Redundancy is the unnecessary repetition of an idea. For example, it is redundant to say "a beginner lacking experience." The word beginner implies lack of experience by itself. You can eliminate redundant words or phrases without changing the meaning of the sentence. Watch out for words that add nothing to the sense of the sentence, because redundancy takes away from the clarity and conviction of a statement.

Here are some common redundancies:

Redundant Phrase	Concise Phrase
1. refer back	to
2. Few in number	few
3. Small-sized	small
4. Grouped together	grouped
5. In my own personal opinion	in my opinion
6. End result	result
7. Serious crisis	crisis
8. New initiatives	initiatives

Redundancy often results from carelessness, but you may easily eliminate redundant elements when proofreading.

Exercise: Proofread these sentences for redundancy:

1. Those who can follow directions are few in number.

2. She has deliberately chosen to change careers.

3. Dialogue opens up many doors to compromise.

4. The ultimate conclusion is that environmental and economic concerns are intertwined.

Answers

1. Few people can follow directions.

2. She has chosen to change careers.

3. Dialogue opens many doors to compromise.

4. The conclusion is that environmental and economic concerns are intertwined.

GO TO >>>>>>>>>>>> 8: Vague Writing

6: Self-Reference

2007-05-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Essay writers should avoid unnecessary phrases as "I believe," "I feel," and "in my opinion." The grader knows whose opinion is being expressed and he or she does not need to be reminded.

WEAK: I am of the opinion that excessive self-reference may add a level of pomposity to an otherwise effective essay.

FORCEFUL: Excessive self-reference may add a level of pomposity to an otherwise effective essay.

Your statements are stronger and more believable when you say them with conviction and do not use self-reference. They appear more professional this way.

Self-reference, like qualification, is effective when used sparingly.

Exercise: Restructure these sentences so that self-reference is removed.

1. I must emphasize that I am not saying the author does not have a point.

2. If I were a college president, I would implement several specific reforms to combat apathy.

3. It is my belief that either alternative would prove disastrous.

Answers

1. The author has a point.

2. College presidents should implement several specific reforms to combat apathy.

3. Either alternative would prove disastrous.

GO TO >>>>>>>> 7: Redundancy

5: Active and Passive Voice

2007-05-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Passive vs. Active

PASSIVE: The assignment was completed by Joe in record time.

ACTIVE: Joe completed the assignment in record time.

Active voice is the preferred essay writing style for the GMAT. If possible you should always use the active voice, since it is more direct and shows action and intent. Statements made in the passive voice are weak because it is difficult to tell who or what is responsible for an action.

The passive voice does have value under certain circumstances. For instance, if you want to express something without assigning blame or if there is a question of responsibility. For example: "collateral damage has taken place". The sentence blames no one and does not assign who actually did it.

How is it Graded?

Both the E-rater and the human grader can detect the passive voice and it will lower your score. Admissions officers will also frown on it.

International Students:

Certain languages, such as French, use more passives. Be careful to adjust your style.

Exercises: rewrite the sentences below in active voice.

1. Garbage collectors should be generously rewarded for their dirty, smelly labors.

2. The conditions of the contract agreement were ironed out minutes before the strike deadline.

3. The minutes of the City Council meeting should be taken by the city clerk.

4. With sugar, water, or salt, many ailments contracted in less developed countries could be treated.

5. Test results were distributed with no concern for confidentiality.

6.The report was compiled by a number of field anthropologists and marriage experts.

Answers:

1. Incorrect: Garbage collectors should be generously rewarded for their dirty, smelly labors.

Correct: City government should generously reward garbage collectors for their dirty, smelly labors.

2. Incorrect: The conditions of the contract agreement were ironed out minutes before the strike deadline.

Correct: Negotiators ironed out the conditions of the contract agreement minutes before the strike deadline.

3. Incorrect: The minutes of the City Council meeting should be taken by the city clerk.

Correct: The city clerk should take the minutes of the City Council meeting.

4. Incorrect: With sugar, water, or salt, many ailments contracted in less developed countries could be treated.

Correct: With sugar, water, or salt, doctors can treat many of the ailments that citizens of less developed countries contract.

5. Incorrect: Test results were distributed with no concern for confidentiality.

Correct: The teacher distributed test results with no concern for confidentiality.

6. Incorrect: The report was compiled by a number of field anthropologists and marriage experts.

Correct: A number of field anthropologists and marriage experts compiled the report.

Go TO >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 6: Self-Reference

4: Start Strong

2007-05-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

Try not to begin a sentence with This, Here is, There is, There are, or It is. These roundabout expressions indicate distance from your position and make your statement less definitive. Weak openings usually result from writing before you think- hedging until you find out what you want to say.

WEAK: There are many ways in which we can change our current monetary system.

STRONG: Our monetary system can be changed.

WEAK: Here is how we can make a change: create ways to make counterfeiting more difficult.

STRONG: We should invest in anti-counterfeiting methods.

WEAK: This serious situation ought to be attended to right away.

STRONG: The financial crisis should be attended to right away.

Go To >>>>>>>>>>>>> 5: Active and Passive Voice

3: Qualification

2007-05-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

What is a qualifier?

A qualifier is a word or phrase that tempers language nearby. Words like fairly, rather, somewhat, and relatively, and expressions like seems to be, a little, and a certain amount of limit the severity of other words or phrases they modify.

Why use qualifiers?

Writing an Analysis of Issue essay is walking a tight rope. You must be persuasive about your argument, yet you cannot be excessively one-sided. There are no clear-cut answers to essay topics on the Analysis of Issue questions, so do not overstate your case. To express that you are reasonable, sporadically use qualifiers in your essay. Qualifiers show that you are conscious of the nuances of the issue at hand and that you understand both sides of it.

Be careful!

As useful as qualifiers are, excessive qualification will dilute your argument and weaken the essay.

WORDY: The Hess spy case was a rather serious breach of national security and likely helped the Soviets.

CONCISE: The Hess spy case breached national security and helped the Soviets.

Too many qualifiers in the first sentence make it vague and confusing. Remember, you want to be clear about what you are saying, just not unreasonably opinionated.

Clear up the following sentences by eliminating excessive qualifiers.

1. You yourself are the very best person to decide what you should do for a living.

2. It is possible that the author overstates his case somewhat.

3. The president perhaps should use a certain amount of diplomacy before he resorts to force.

4. In Italy, I found about the best food I have ever eaten.

5. Needless to say, children should be taught to cooperate at home and in school.

Answers:

1. You are the best person to decide what you should do for a living.

2. The author overstates his case somewhat.

3. The president should use diplomacy before he resorts to force.

4. In Italy I found the best food I have ever eaten.

5. Children should be taught to cooperate at home and in school.

If there's no need to say it, don't!

GO TO >>>>>>>> 4: Start Strong

2: Be Concise

2007-05-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Directness and clarity are valued over wordiness on the GMAT. Do not use several words when one will work just as well. Many writers tend to add excessive phrases like "take into consideration" in order to sound scholarly. This only makes the text sound inflated and even sometimes pretentious.

WORDY: I am of the opinion that the said managers should be admonished for their utilization of customer response services.

CONCISE: We should tell the managers to improve customer service.

Exercise 2: Wordy Phrases

Shorten the sentences below to make them as concise as possible.

1. This internet company is not prepared to expand at this point in time.

2. In light of the fact that Roger has worked with much effort and diligence to build this site, it would be a smart move to give him the contract.

3. The airline has a problem with always having arrivals that come at least an hour late, despite the fact that the leaders of the airline promise that promptness is a goal which has a high priority for all the employees involved.

4. In spite of the fact that she only has a little bit of experience in photography right now, she will probably do well in the future because she has a great deal of motivation to succeed in her chosen profession.

5. The United States is not in a position to spend more money to alleviate the suffering of the people of other countries considering the problems of its own citizens.

See answers below

Answers

1. The internet company is not prepared to expand now.

2. Since Roger has worked for this site so carefully, we should award him the contract.

3. Flights are always at least an hour late on this airline, though its leaders promise that promptness is a high priority for all its employees.

4. Although she is inexperienced in photography, she will probably succeed because she is motivated.

5. The United States cannot spend more money to alleviate other countries' suffering when its own citizens suffer.

GO TO >>>>>> 3: Qualification

1: Eliminating Fill Sentences

2007-05-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

Streamline your essay by avoiding unnecessary sentences.

Avoid sentences that do not advance your argument.
Avoid asking a question only to answer it.
Avoid sentences that announce that you are shifting the topic. Use transitional phrases instead of writing sentences to change your subject.

FILL: Who should be the next president? I think Mike Dukakis should give it another try.

TO THE POINT: Mike Dukakis should make a second bid for the presidency.

Exercise 1: Avoid "fill" sentences that do not serve a purpose.

Condense the two-sentence groups into one, direct sentence.

1. Who was Abraham Lincoln? He was a President of the United States.

2. Patton was a famous general. He was renowned for his ability to surprise the enemy.

3. The twister destroyed three city blocks. Many buildings collapsed because of the twister.

Answers below:

Answers

1. Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States.

2. General Patton was famous for his ability to surprise the enemy.

3. Many buildings were destroyed by the twister that destroyed three city blocks.

Go To : 2: Be Concise