Clarity- Part 1

Squaw Valley Lodge, "Kayaking Lake Tahoe" 7/2/2005 via flikr. Creative Commons Share alike license.

For this post I read the sections on: active verbs, finding exact words, emphasizing key ideas, and tightening wordy sentences. I will reflect on them and how they can help me improve my writing:


Active Verbs:
This section explains the importance of using the active voice unless there is a good reason to use the passive voice. In the active voice, the subject does the action, whereas in the passive voice the action is received by the subject. (see what I did there?)
The active voice is generally a better choice because it's more direct and engaging, but the passive voice can be used if you're trying to downplay the importance of the subject or emphasize the importance of the object.
This section also goes over reducing wordiness and being as direct as possible. I need to go through my QRG on a sentence level to work on this, because it's something that I struggle with.


Finding Exact Words:
This section is about choosing the most effective words for what you're trying to say. It focuses on finding words that have the correct connotation and are as specific and concrete as possible for the given situation. It also warns against using cliches and figures of speech. I read this section because sometimes I have a hard time finding the best single word for what I'm trying to say. This is kindof related to over-wording sentences because when I can't find the right word I resort to using multiple less powerful words to get my point across when one would suffice.


Emphasizing Key Ideas:
This section urges writers to emphasize, de-emphasize, or indicate equal importance of ideas using coordination and subordination. It says to emphasize important ideas by putting their subject and verb in an independent clause.
This can benefit me because i've never thought about it this way. It's just another tool to add to the toolbox for having the most control over my writing and therefore my reader.


Tightening Wordy Sentences:
This section suggests eliminating redundancy, avoiding repetition, cutting out useless phrases, and simplifying the structure of your sentences. The part on cutting out useless phrases is especially important for me because I sometimes add parts to my sentences that don't actually contribute to their meaning. I should rarely use phrases like: for the purpose of, or in order to. Rather I should use single, direct, words like to and for.



Reflection: 

I read Zayla's QRG, and noticed some sentences that were wordier than they could've been. For example: "The opposition of this new institution stemmed  from the American  government." I think that the same thing could be said with less words, and put more directly. Maybe something like: "The American Government was a main opposer of this new institution.". There were a few other instances where I felt sentences could've been clearer and more direct with less words.

I also read Carrie's QRG, and noticed a lot of similar issues. One example is: "In the early days, as in late 90’s and early 2000’s, the controversy with Abercrombie and Fitch was with the way the company advertised itself." I recommended that she re-write this using less words and cutting out parts that don't add to its meaning. I suggested something like: "In the late 90's and early 2000's, the controversy revolved around the company's advertising" 

Reading my peer's QRG's made me realize the importance of having other people read your work. Sometimes it's hard to realize the way a sentence sounds to someone else.