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Practical Writing Guides – Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose, PhD
Practical Writing Guides – Despite the spontaneity and naturalness that characterise listening and speaking, these oracy skills can still be sharpened through training. This, therefore, suggests the need for constant learning and training in writing which no one acquires naturally.
As a literacy skill, writing is not inborn, so writers must continue to develop the ability to write well. I have discussed the ways of achieving effective writing and the forms and features of different types of writing. By extension, this treatise will examine the aspects of language use and linguistic choices in writing, with a view to achieving clarity in one’s piece.
I shall begin this piece with a discussion on parallelism. Parallelism deals with the use of identical grammatical structures for related words, phrases and/or clauses within a sentence or a paragraph. Parallelism helps to achieve consistency in the presentation of one’s ideas and makes ideas easy for readers to follow. Parallel constructions must be used when referring to items in a series or a list. Take a look at the sentences below:
Practical Writing Guides
Dr GAB likes reading, writing and to be anchoring programmes.
Dr GAB likes reading, writing and to anchor programmes.
Dr GAB likes reading, writing and anchoring programmes.
The third sentence is the parallel and correct sentence. A careful perusal of these sentences would reveal that only the third sentence follows the same pattern for the three activities mentioned, which are represented by gerunds (verb-like nouns): reading, writing and anchoring.
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Note that users are not bound to use any specific structural form; what matters is consistency in any chosen form. In the sentences that follow, for instance, only one adheres to the initial noun form introduced at the beginning:
All you need to succeed is a purposeful life, a positive disposition to tasks and to have integrity
All you need to succeed is a purposeful life, a positive disposition to tasks and a sense of integrity.
All you need to succeed is a purposeful life, a positive disposition to tasks and having integrity.
The second sentence uses noun phrases (a purposeful life, a positive disposition and a sense of integrity) to introduce the three criteria needed to succeed, and that makes it the correct option. This is unlike the first sentence which depicts the third factor as an example of the ‘to infinitive’ (to have) and the third sentence which portrays the third criterion as a gerund (having), thereby distorting the parallel structures in the sentence. Writers should pay meticulous attention to this important writing rule.
Practical Writing Guides
Again, writers should avoid the use of ‘dummy it’ and ‘dummy there’ which are used to introduce cleft sentences. Cleft sentences are complex sentences that have meanings that can be expressed by a simple sentence. Consequentially, cleft sentences cloud meaning and obscure emphasis. This complexity is often achieved through the use of ‘it’ and ‘there’. Consider the pairs of sentences presented below:
There are people who do not respect elders (weak expression).
Some people do not respect elders (improved expression).
It was Kunle that ate the food (weak expression).
Kunle ate the food (improved expression).
Evidently, the second sentences of the pairs sound succinct and straightforward. Anyone who hopes to achieve clarity should avoid cleft sentences. Similarly, it is preferable to express oneself in the shortest way possible when one is writing, by eliminating empty expressions such as those seen in the first sentences of the two pairs given below:
It is advisable that the new methods of teaching be tested (weak expression).
The new methods of teaching should be tested (improved expression).
Given the earlier recommendations of the board, we will improve our output (weak expression).
We will improve our output as the board suggested (improved).
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Such weak expressions should be avoided in writing. The excessive use of relative pronouns is another way of writing sentences, and it should be avoided if the clarity is the goal of the piece. The common relative pronouns in this category are ‘who’, ‘that’ and ‘which’, and their redundant uses are indicated in the following example sentences:
My father is someone who can pray for hours (weak expression).
My father can pray for hours (improved expression).
She is a kind of woman that is really concerned about others (weak expression).
She is really concerned about others (improved expression).
The story is one which I do not like to remember (weak expression).
I do not like to remember the story (improved expression).
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Again, writers should avoid the use of linking verbs. Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to the noun or the adjective that says something about the subject. Examples are ‘seem’, ‘look’, and ‘appear’. Most times, they add no direct value to the content of a sentence, as the accompanying sentences portray:
The performance seemed to be poor (weak expression).
The performance was poor (improved expression).
The intervention appears to be what is needed now (weak expression).
The intervention is what is needed now (improved expression).
This treatise has discussed some important guides on the use of the English language in writing. Adhering to these guides will make a piece clear and succinct, hence aiding comprehension.
© 2022 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
Department of English,
Lagos State University
