3 Types of Redundancy to Avoid

Redundancy in a sentence is annoying, and it is also a nuisance. Conveying information in more than one way, or by repeating wording, is consciously or subconsciously distracting to the reader and contributes to compositional clutter. Note in the discussions and revisions following each example how the sentence in question can be improved by deleting such infelicities.

1. Like Smith, Jones also owns a family-run business.

When an additive word or phrase such as like or “in addition to” introduces a sentence, using also to bridge the complementary phrases is redundant: “Like Smith, Jones owns a family-run business.”

2. Many components, such as asset balance, deposit balance, and interest income, etc., should be sensitive to the change in the macroeconomic environment.

Use of a phrase like “such as” or “for example” (or the corresponding abbreviation e.g.) is redundant to etc. (or “and so on”): “Many components, such as asset balance, deposit balance, and interest income, should be sensitive to the change in the macroeconomic environment.” (Or “Many components—asset balance, deposit balance, and interest income, etc.—should be sensitive to the change in the macroeconomic environment.”) Note, however, that i.e., which means “that is” (or “that is” itself), pertains to clarification and not to listing of examples, so it is not redundant to etc.

3. But the policy is not solely about consumers; it is about what the law calls a data subject. A data subject is defined as a living individual to whom personal data relates.

Avoid ending one sentence and beginning the subsequent sentence with the same word or phrase, which generally occurs when a word or phrase is introduced and then immediately defined: “But the policy is not solely about consumers; it is about what the law calls a data subject, which is defined as a living individual to whom personal data relates.”

Sumber

Read More

Adjectives and Adverbs Guide

This post discusses two categories of parts and speech key to helping writers describe things and actions.

Adjectives

An adjective is a word or a combination of two or more words that modify or provide additional information about a noun. There are three general uses of adjectives: attributive, predicate, and nominal.

An attributive adjective generally precedes the noun it modifies, as with broken in “a broken heart.” (One type of attributive adjective is a noun adjunct, a noun that functions as an adjective when it modifies another noun, as with kitchen in “kitchen counter.”) However, the noun may precede the adjective in the case of a postpositive adjective (also called a postnominal adjective), which occurs when the adjective is itself modified by an adverbial phrase, as in “a heart broken for the last time” and in phrases borrowed from other languages (such as “heir apparent”) and archaic or poetic usage (as in “forest primeval”).

A predicate adjective is connected to a preceding noun by a linking verb, as with curious in “children are curious,” and a nominal adjective is one that functions as a noun substitute. This may occur in reference to a collective group when the noun is implied, as in “the wealthy,” or in the case of a superlative such as “the biggest,” or when a noun is elided rather than repeated (“I’ll wear the red shirt, and you wear the green”).

Determiners are a category of words formerly considered by linguists as adjectives but now classified as a distinct part of speech, though dictionaries still identify them as a type of adjective. Examples of determiners that resemble adjectives in use include demonstrative determiners such as this and that, distributive determiners such as each and any, interrogative determiners such as what and which, possessive determiners such as my and their, quantifying determiners such as few and many, and numbers.

Phrasal adjectives, modifying phrases that precede or follow a noun, are usually hyphenated, when they precede the noun, to emphasize their combination, as in “hardest-working employee,” but not when they follow (“the employee who is the hardest working”). Exceptions are made for permanent phrasal adjectives (such as cost-effective) that appear in the dictionary; these retain hyphenation after a noun. (Also, adjectival compounds beginning with self, such as self-respecting, are always hyphenated.) Likewise, omit hyphens in standing phrasal adjectives such as “post office” that are not hyphenated in their dictionary entries (“post office employee”).

A source of hyphenation error is when a noun phrase that often appears as a phrasal adjective, such as “long term,” is hyphenated. Hyphenation is correct in a phrasal adjective before a noun (“a long-term plan”), but such a term is open not only after a noun (“a plan that is long term”) but also in isolation as a noun phrase (“in the long term”).

Also, take care with comparative and superlative adjectives used in phrases such as “more punitive measures.” When “more punitive” is not hyphenated, more means “additional.” However, when a hyphen is employed, the phrase means “punitive to a greater degree.”

Phrasal adjectives may include more than two words, as in “happy-go-lucky attitude,” but strings of more than three words are inadvisable, especially when they consist of a train of nouns employed as adjectives, such as in “data leakage prevention strategy.” Technically, the first three words, which together modify strategy, should be hyphenated (“data-leakage-prevention strategy”) to aid in reader comprehension (otherwise, the reader may not recognize the intended relationship until the last word is reached and may have to backtrack to understand the phrase), but such usage is cumbersome; it is often better to rephrase the term (for example, “strategy to prevent data leakage”).

Adverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb or another part of speech to describe what, when, where, why, or how an action occurs; adverbial phrases and adverbial clauses also perform this function. The term adverb most familiarly applies to words ending in -ly that without the suffix serve as adjectives, such as lively, as in “They watched the lively performance.” However, many adverbs lack the suffix, as when they refer to location (for example, up or there), time (soon or today), frequency (seldom or daily), and so on.

In addition, adverbs may be flat, meaning that they are root forms of -ly adverbs. These often appear on their own in informal contexts (as with quick in “Run quick to the store”) but may also appear in adverbial phrases, as in “quick-acting compound.” (Note that adverbial phrases are distinguished from phrasal adjectives in that they usually do not include hyphens—hyphenation in such phrases as “privately held” is erroneous. Those with flat adverbs are an exception.)

Adverbs also modify parts of speech other than verbs. For example, in “quite annoying,” the adverb quite modifies the adjective annoying, and in “very quietly,” one adverb modifies another. The adverb only may modify a noun (“She drinks water only”), and adverbs modify prepositional phrases (in “I was almost up the stairs,” almost modifies not wasbut “up the stairs”) and clauses or even entire sentences (as in the case of actually in “Actually, they are on their way now”).

Adverbs that modify an entire sentence rather than a verb or another part of speech are called sentence adverbs. Often, they begin a sentence, as actually does in the example in the previous sentence, or as often does in this sentence you are reading, though they may appear in the midst of a sentence or, as a tag following a comma (or, sometimes, a dash) at the end of a sentence. Many sentence adverbs, such as clearly, fortunately, and regrettably, signal that the sentence represents the writer’s opinion or at least conveys a bias.

Sumber

Read More

8 Great Writing Tips for Kids

Here are my best tips on how to keep growing and improving as a writer, however young you are:

#1: Have a go at some writing exercises – you can find lots of these online, or you could have a go at them in workbooks or school books. Lots of adults find writing exercises helpful, too, so that they can get better at writing. You can find some great ones to try here.

#2: Read a lot. Almost every writer I know is also a keen reader. Try to read a wide range of different things – like classic story books as well as modern ones, non-fiction (factual) books, magazine or newspaper articles, and so on. You’ll come across lots of different ways to write, and you might learn some new words.

#3: Keep a little book of new words you learn.Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t understand a word the first time you read it. Sometimes you can guess from the rest of the sentence what it means, but if not, you can just look it up in a dictionary. You might want to ask an adult how to say the new word, too – you could write down how it sounds. For instance, “matron” is pronounced “may-tron” (with a long “a” sound) not “mah-tron” (with a short “a” sound), which is how I thought it was said when I first read it in an Enid Blyton story.

#4: Try writing stories for children younger than you, or stories that involve children younger than you. This is a great thing to do when you’re still quite young yourself, because you can remember what it’s like to be six or seven. (Adult writers find it hard to remember, and often they create young children characters who are too babyish for their age.) If you have a little brother or sister, or a younger cousin, you could read your stories out to them.

#5: Remember that even adults don’t get things right first time. Sometimes I get a spelling wrong, or I write a sentence that’s confusing for my reader. And I’m a professional writer! It’s fine to make mistakes, so don’t worry about getting everything perfect in your first draft. Just make sure you leave a bit of time to go back and edit afterwards (just like adult writers do) so that you can fix any mistakes.

#6: Have a go at different types of writing. When I was young, I like to make pretend magazines or newspapers. That’s something that children have enjoyed doing for a very long time – in one of my favourite classic children’s books, The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit, the children in the story make their own newspaper filled with things they’ve written. Maybe you could have a go at making a newspaper to share with your family and friends – or maybe you’d like to write poetry or a play script, or something else entirely.

#7: Keep a journal about your day to day life.There are lots of ways to do this – you could write a sentence or two each day, for instance, or you could write a longer piece once a week. You could write about what you’re learning at school, who your friends are, the games you’ve been playing … even what you had for lunch! Details that might seem boring now could be really interesting when you read your journal when you’re 20 or 30 or even 80!

#8: Ask for help if you get stuck. If there’s something you don’t understand in what you’re reading, or if you can’t work out if something you’ve written is quite right, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most adults will be very glad to give you a hand. You could try a teacher, or a librarian (either at your school library or your local library). If you get to meet any adult writers, perhaps through school or at an event, think up some good questions for them too!

Sumber

Read More

How to Create a Character Profile

Have you created character profiles for the main cast of your novel?

While not all authors use character profiles, many find them a very handy tool for keeping track of their characters – and for developing and fleshing out those characters in the first place.

Done well, a character profile can help you harness your creativity and really dig into who your characters are. 

Sometimes, though, writers treat character profiles as a form-filling exercise, coming up with their character’s eye color, hair color, first job, etc without investing any of this with a deeper meaning.

They might diligently complete character profiles for every character in their novel – even the bus driver who only has a walk-on part in chapter five – but they’re not any closer to having any real insight into their characters.

So what should go in your character profile … and how should you use it?

What to Include in a Character Profile

Firstly, not every character in your novel needs a profile at all.

Characters who have a minor role (like your protagonist’s mother, who only appears briefly a couple of times) don’t need to be fully fleshed out. Of course, you might want to make some brief notes about them … but this definitely doesn’t need to be an entire profile.

Your main characters, though, should have individual profiles. That probably includes any viewpoint character. If you have an antagonist then it’s worth creating a profile for them too (after all, even if your main character just doesn’t “get” where the antagonist is coming from, you should).

It’s entirely up to you how you structure your character profiles. In general, though, I’d suggest that:

You don’t focus too much on physical details.You may want to include things like hair color and eye color if you’re ever likely to mention them – but you can leave them out if they’re not going to be relevant. The same goes for height and build: unless they’re unusual and significant, you don’t necessarily need them at all.

If you are including physical details, think about how they relate to deeper aspects of your character. For instance, in Harry Potter, the fact that Harry has green eyes is significant because it’s the physical characteristic that links him to his mother.

You spend some time exploring deeper questions about your character: things like “what’s the mistake they regret most?” or “in what situations would they lie?” or “what false beliefs do they hold?” These sort of questions will result in a much richer, more real character than a simple list of physical characteristics.

The first ebook I ever bought online, back in around 2007, was Holly Lisle’s Create a Character Clinic. This is still one of my favorite resources for character creation: it goes far beyond the typical “character questionnaire” to dig deep into what really makes characters tick (and it includes lots of examples, too).

If you’re using a template or questionnaire that you’ve found online, don’t feel that you need to complete every single part of it – especially if it’s a long one! Focus on the bits that are most impactful or that help you to imagine your character more fully: if you do decide to fill in the rest, you can simply do it at a later stage.

Don’t get hung up on creating the “perfect” character profile before you begin writing – because it’ll almost certainly change as you go along.

Which brings me on to…

Why Your Character Profile Will Need Updating Regularly

If you create your character profiles during the pre-writing phase of your novel, you’ll almost certainly find that your understanding of your character shifts as you write the first draft.

Perhaps the thing you thought they sincerely regretted from their past turns out to be something they’re actually quite proud of – at least initially.

Perhaps you realize that it makes much more sense for them to have grown up somewhere rural, not in a city.

Perhaps you change them radically: maybe you merge two characters together, or you change a character’s gender or age. (Or their name: a lot of my characters end up changing names part-way through the writing process as I figure out a name that’s a better “fit”.)

Your character profile definitely isn’t set in stone. It’s fine to change your mind and rework it – but do make sure that you actually update it to reflect the changes you’ve made during the writing process.

Otherwise, it can be very confusing several chapters later when you want to bring a character back in but you can’t now remember if they’re supposed to be 35 or 25, or whether they’re tall with dark brown hair or short with strawberry blonde hair.

Character profiles can be a great tool for creating and fleshing out interesting characters for your novel; they’re also a useful working document that you can use to help you stay on track and keep things consistent during the writing process.

If you’ve never created a character profile before, why not give it a go today?

Sumber

Read More

When to Use a Colon: Rules and Examples

The colon can be a tricky punctuation mark. You’ve probably grasped periods, question marks, exclamation points, and commas – but the rules surrounding colons may seem a bit trickier.

There are two main ways to use colons:

• To introduce an item or a series of items.
• To replace a semi-colon between two independent clauses: the second clause should explain or expand on the first in some way.

As you can see, I’ve used both types of colon above.

Colons can trip writers up, though. Perhaps you’re not sure whether to use a capital letter after a colon, or you’re unsure how to structure a list of items that follows a colon.

We’re going to go through some key rules that will hopefully clear things up.

Rule #1: Use a Colon to Introduce One or More Items, When Punctuation is Required

Here are some examples of colons being used correctly, preceding an item or multiple items when the sentence requires punctuation at that point.

I needed just one thing: courage.

(Not “I needed just one thing courage.”)

Bring the following equipment: a torch, warm clothing, and waterproof boots.

(Not “Bring the following equipment a torch, warm clothing, and waterproof boots.”)

However, you should not use a colon if the sentence does not require punctuation.

For instance, the following sentences are correct without a colon:

I needed courage.

(Not “I needed: courage.”)

You should bring a torch, warm clothing, and waterproof boots.

(Not “You should bring: a torch, warm clothing, and waterproof boots.”)

Rule #2: Use a Colon Before Listing Items with Bullet Points

It you’re listing items line by line, you should use a colon to introduce the list – even if that same colon wouldn’t be required for a list in sentence form. Here’s an example:

You should bring:

• A torch
• Warm clothing
• Waterproof boots

Rule #3: Be Consistent With Punctuation of Bullet Points

When using a colon to introduce a list in this way, capitalization and ending punctuation aren’t always necessary.

If each item on the list is a complete sentence, you should always capitalize the first letter and finish with a period (or question mark or exclamation point, if appropriate). In other cases, though, it’s up to you whether or not you want to capitalize and use periods – just be consistent.

You should bring:

• A torch.
• Warm clothing!
• Waterproof boots.

This example is consistent because each item ends with a punctuation mark: either a period or an exclamation point.

Rule #4: Carefully Consider Capitalizing a Complete Sentence After a Colon

Some editors believe that it’s always best to capitalize a complete sentence that comes after a colon, like this:

He asked for help: He got it.

Others believe that you should generally avoid capitalizing in this way, instead preferring:

He asked for help: he got it.

Some would say that you don’t need to capitalize if the clause after the colon bears a close relationship to the clause before the colon, but would capitalize a general or formal statement, such as:

Remember what your mother taught you: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

In these cases, it’s best to either consult the style guide for the publication you’re writing for, or to create a consistent style guide for your own work.

There are a couple of cases in which you should always capitalize the sentence after a colon, though.

When it’s a Complete or Full Sentence Quotation

The chair made an announcement: “This meeting will have to be postponed.”

In that example, “This” has to be capitalized because it’s the start of a full sentence quotation.

When the Information After the Colon Requires Two (or More) Sentences

The rules were inflexible: No running in the corridors. No shouting. Always walk on the right.

In this case, it makes sense to capitalize the first “No” because it’s the first of three full sentences.

Rule #5: Use a Colon to Introduce an Extended Quotation

Whether you’re writing an essay, a non-fiction book, or a blog post, there’ll be times when you want to quote someone else at some length (more than a sentence or two). This means using a “block quotation” that goes in its own standalone paragraph. This should normally be preceded by a colon, and should be indented from the left margin – some style guides also indent from the right margin.

 In 26 Feel-Good Words, Michael wrote:

Some writers neglect the power of emotion when communicating their ideas, valuing logic more than others do, and assuming that everyone thinks like they do – that careful reasoning is enough to convince readers and make points. But even the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was no enemy of reason, taught that stimulating emotion in your audience can be the key to persuading them.

Rule #6: Use a Colon After the Salutation in a Business Letter (Depending on Where You Live)

In American and Australian usage, the salutation (greeting) should be followed by a colon in formal correspondence – this applies whether you’re using someone’s surname or first name:

Dear Mr Richardson:

Informal or personal correspondence uses a comma in place of this colon.

In British English, though, you should use a comma after the salutation – never a colon – for formal business letters as well as for informal letters.

Sumber: https://www.dailywritingtips.com/when-to-use-a-colon/

Read More