Eight
Principles of Good Writing
1. Characters. The subjects of the sentences name the cast of characters. Not, “The agreement was broken by the partners.” But, “The partners broke the agreement.” Avoid sentences that begin with empty subjects or expletives (it is/there are expressions). Think of sentences as geography: readers expect to see elements in predictable places.
2. Actions.
The
verbs that go with those subjects name the crucial actions those characters are
a part of. Avoid abstract nouns derived
from verbs and adjectives (called nominalizations). “My suggestion is that our definition
of the problem have greater precision.” “I suggest that we define the problem more
precisely.” Also, avoid passive voice
except where appropriate. “Flexible
songs, containing a variety of motifs, are sung by robins.” “Robins sing flexible songs, containing a
variety of motifs.” This takes us back
to principle one. When possible, substitute “to be” verbs (is, am, are, were) with action verbs. Other verbs that show a state
of being, or static verbs--appear, become, seem, exist--can leave
sentences underpowered. Do, get, go,
have, make have also suffered from overuse.
3. Cohesion.
Sometimes, you write in the passive to help sentences hang together. “Some astonishing questions about the nature
of the universe have been raised by scientists studying black holes in
space. A black hole is created ...” is
the passive. Active would be “The
collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no longer than marble creates a
black hole.”
To
create cohesive sentences, go from old
to new information. Introduce your readers to the “big picture”
first by giving them information they already know. Then they can link what’s familiar to the new
information you give them. As that new
information becomes familiar, it too becomes old information that can link to
newer information.
Every semester after final exams are over, I’m faced
with the problem of what to do with books of lecture notes (new
information). They (old) might be useful
some day, but they just keep piling up on my bookcase (new). Someday, it (old) will collapse under the
weight of information I might never need.
Here
is a sentence that is not as clear. It
moves from new information to old information:
Lately, most movies I’ve
seen have been merely second-rate entertainment, but occasionally there are
some with worthwhile themes. The rapid
disappearance of the Indian culture (new) is the topic of a recent movie (old)
I saw.
You
can also achieve coherence by repeating words or phrases, using synonyms for
those words, using pronouns, and using transition words. However, be careful of using pronouns like this
and it as the first word in a sentence unless the antecedent, the word
or concept being referred to, is clear. You can also use subordination to
combine choppy sentences.
4.
Emphasis. Put “new” information, or
information your reader might not understand at the end of the sentence (or the
beginning). The beginning and ending
positions of sentences are inherently more emphatic than the middle
segment. Likewise, the main clause of a
complex sentence receives more emphasis than subordinate clauses. Therefore, you should put words that you wish
to emphasize near the beginnings and endings of sentences and should never bury
important elements in subordinate clauses.
Consider the following example.
No one can deny that the computer has had a great
effect upon the business world.
Undeniably, the effect of the computer upon the
business world has been great.
In
the first version of this sentence, “No one can deny” and “on the business
world” are in the most emphasized positions.
In addition, the writer has embedded the most important ideas in a
subordinate clause: “that the computer has had a great effect.” The edited version places the most important
ideas in the main clause and in the initial and terminal slots of the sentence,
creating a more engaging prose style.
Since
the terminal position in the sentence carries the most weight and since the
main clause is more emphatic than a subordinate clause in a complex sentence,
writers often place the main clause after the subordinate clause to emphasize
it. For example:
I believe both of these applicants are superb even
though it’s hard to find good secretaries nowadays. Even though it’s hard to find good
secretaries nowadays, I believe both of these applicants are superb.
Statements
in main clauses get more emphasis, so put important ideas and information in
main clauses. Often this results in
cutting an unnecessary subordinate clause.
“There are many people who think this is a good plan.” Change to “Many people think this is a good
plan.” The “there” pronoun also takes us
back to #1 (characters), and on to #5 (concision). You can also create emphasis visually, with
punctuation or typefacing, and simply through the use
of words such as especially, particularly, crucially, most importantly, and
above all.
5.
Concision. Make sure each word in the
sentence is doing something. Sentences
that are more than about twenty-five words can be difficult for a reader. Avoid “dog puppies,” words and expressions
that create redundancies: free gifts, set of twins, period of two weeks, 5 p.m.
in the afternoon. Avoid also meaningless
adjectives (a number of, very) and weasel words: “We have a suspicion, based on
some preliminary tentative studies that are possible correct, that such words
don’t make comprehension easy.” Prune
unnecessary words such as, kind of,
really, basically, for all intents and purposes, generally, actually. You
can also trim “idle” words we sometimes use when we speak that serve the
purpose of “throat-clearing.” Banish due
to the fact that (because or although), in
the final analysis (finally), in this
day and age (now) and in today’s
modern society.
As
with “characters,” change unnecessary that, who, and which clauses
into phrases. Not “The report which was
released,” but “The recently released report . . .” Too many ideas (or too many
characters) can make the sentence difficult to process. One way to write more effective sentences is
to eliminate unnecessary subordinate clauses (since a clause, by definition,
consists of a subject and a verb—in other words, a main idea). When possible, convert subordinate clauses to
phrases or single words, to tighten and simplify sentences. “The people who are playing basketball are
all students” can be “The basketball players are all students.” “The report I wrote was sent to corporate
headquarters” can be “My report was sent to corporate headquarters.”
6.
Shape. Rely on common sentence
structures. Get your readers to the
subject and then quickly to the verb.
Try not to interrupt the subject and verb with long phrases and clauses: “Industrial spying, because of the growing
use of computers to store and process corporate information, is increasing
rapidly.” When you have a series of
words, phrases, or clauses, put them in parallel form (similar grammatical
construction) so that the reader can identify the linking relationship more
easily and clearly. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Watch participles that dangle or
modifiers that are misplaced. Failing to
understand this, your prose will suffer, means your prose fails to
understand.
7.
Precision. Mark Twain said the difference between the right
word and the almost right word is the difference between lighting and lighting
bug. Avoid general, abstract nouns and choose specific concrete words and
modifiers to create tangible images. Instead of sunrise, road, stone formations, how about dull blue light, alluring and primitive path, labyrinth of naked stone
(in descriptive writing). Food > vegetable >carrot. Get a dictionary.
Sort out connotation and denotation. And, avoid bias and sexism in language.
8. Grace.
Achieve
elegance in your writing by varying sentences and balancing length, structure,
meaning, sound.
(with thanks to Joseph
Williams, Style: Ten Lesson in Clarity and Grace, Don Samson, and the