HOW TO FIX NINE LITTLE THINGS THAT CAUSE 90% OF STUDENT WRITING PROBLEMS
This handout, which is also found under "Grammar Stuff" on Professor O'Hara's Web Page, is organized by the codes that Professor O'Hara uses for marking your written work. The marking symbols are also GUIDES TO IMPROVEMENT. If a particular problem exists with your writing, this page also refers you for advice (click on the blue hyperlinks if on-line). I find that certain writing problems, including subject-verb agreement and runaway indefinite pronouns, account for most of the shortcomings in clarity and presentation found on student papers. So, improvement in even one of these areas can make your writing a whole lot better. Give it a try.
Remember, most of your homework, and all of your exams and papers, are graded on three components--presentation, clarity and substance. Grammatical and clear writing is a prerequisite for conveying your substantive knowledge. Neither your teachers nor your employers are going to grade your work highly if your logic is obscured by lousy writing. So, start writing well from homework # 1, due next week.
DNA = DOES NOT ADD (DNA relates to the clarity grading component.)
When I write DNA above a section of your work that I have crossed out, the sentence almost always communicates better with the material removed. One careful EDIT by the student can eliminate most DNA’s before work is submitted. As we progress through the term, students should get better at spotting DNA’s in advance.
SSS = SHORTER SIMPLER SENTENCES! (Relates to clarity grading component.)
When a sentence runs on, and raises many issues along the way, the reader gets lost. If your sentence goes more than ten words, be suspicious. If your sentence goes more than fifteen words, be paranoid. Blast apart sentences with twenty or more words, one or more "ands," and three or more commas. While the foregoing rules are not absolute, short-simple sentences almost always communicate better than long-complex sentences. I will correct for long-complexity on your homework. A word processor's grammar/spell checker can help with SSS and other issues. Take me NOW for help with "SSS" and "DNA" at http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/concise.htm
VT = VERB TENSE (VT relates to the grammar grading component.) Take me to that page now!
A major verb tense problem relates to subject-verb agreement, which is discussed on the following pages. Other verb tense problems relate to consistency of verb tenses in a sentence or paragraph. For example, a story told about the past should stay in the past tense; a story about the present should stay in the present tense. Verb tense problems are VERY FUNDAMENTAL. Unless corrected, these fundamental problems will hurt you at school and/or work. The link at the beginning of this section takes you to Professor O'Hara's home remedy for this problem. For more clinical treatment, go to http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm
PV = PASSIVE VOICE (PV relates to the grammar and clarity grading components.)
"The ball was thrown by the boy" is the passive voice way of saying "The boy threw the ball." Passive voice problems are more likely when the writer scatter-shoots his/her thoughts onto paper. Thus, in the sentence above, ball is just as likely as boy to get on the paper first. If ball starts the sentence, the passive voice is inevitable. So, try always process your thoughts on to paper in this sequence: (1) who or what is doing the action, (2) what is the action, (3) who or what is the action affecting. This will get you to "The boy threw the ball." NOW is a good time to start or repeat the passive voice avoidance exercises in this section. http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htm.
THI = THERE IS and variants (Relates to clarity) Discussed on hyperlinked page. Take me to that page now!
PP = PARAGRAPHING (clarity) A paragraph is an envelope in which you discuss a single idea. When you start talking about the next idea, start a new paragraph. Any paragraph that runs a half page or more is a red flag. Break up long paragraphs so each idea has its own envelope. More paragraphs are almost always better than fewer.
HP = Hanging phrases. (clarity) As the start of a sentence, hanging phrases distract from the main message. OR! Hanging phrases at the start of sentences hurt clarity. SO! Avoid starting sentences with hanging phrases. Put phrases down the sentence or avoid them completely. Go to http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/modifiers.htm for help with misplaced modifiers of all kinds, including phrases that hang out at the beginning of sentences.
IP = Indefinite Pronouns (Clarity/Grammar) Discussed on hyperlinked page. Take me to that page now! For a more general discussion of pronoun usage, go to http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns.htm
FF = Front the facts. (clarity) FF happens when you avoid HP, THI, PV, DNA, and you embrace SSS. When I write FF, the writer has buried the important information--who did what to whom, when and where. You can bury this information with barely relevant phrases at the start of the sentence, or by starting with the whens and the wheres. Try starting sentences with the "who did what to whom." This alone may work wonders on making your writing crisper and clearer, and your sentences shorter, as you realize that your point has been made. And, if anything does need to be added, the next sentence is probably the place to do it.
A great web site, run by Professor Charles Darling of