Style Review

1
Style Review

• The Attitude of Saying it Your Way, not the Way
  They Do

2
Focus on Being Confident in Being You

• Believe that your discussion has worth
• Dont try to sound like someone else
• dishonest
• defeatist
• So ordinary, so common

3
Do Your Homework

• Brainstorm, freewrite, cluster
• Finish your mining of your mind with the 5 ws
  and Aristotles questions
• Know that you not only absolutely know what you
  know, but that you are also very aware of what
  you dont know
• So have confidence in your knowledge - and in the
  knowledge of your ignorances

4
Trust Your Audience

• Show them what they need to know more often
• Tell them less telling is patronistic, demeaning
• Allow them to reach the same conclusions you
  reach, with you
• Think of the the writing transaction as a journey
  of discovery, not a destination
• Disclose all your pertinent data (examples,
  testimony, facts, and sources). Why?
• Because you are only about discovering the truth
  - with them.

5
The Bigger Truth in Writing

• In writing, the only truth youll know is you
• Your knowledge
• Your honesty
• Your connection with all that bleeds, breathes,
  rejoices, and weeps
• So.write what you know honestly,
  straightforwardly, with dignity and integrity.
  This is your responsibility as an educated person.

6
Some Major Roadblocks

• Trying to sound like them, whoever that is
• Trying to sound intelligent, whatever that is
• Trying to sound important, whatever that might be
• Trying to go with the flow
• - A word for every place, a place for every word.

7
The Proclivities That Bury the Truth in Verbosity
and Pomposity

• Using Stock Words and Phrases (Because they sound
  comfortable, important, educated, or safe
• in the event that (if) if it should happen that
  (if) in light of the fact that (since) on the
  grounds that (because) there is a need for (we
  need) has the ability to (can) regardless of
  the fact that (although) on the occasion of
  (when) at this point in time (now) in todays
  society (today).

8
More Verbosity and Pomposity

• Inflated verb phrases (clusters of nouns and
  prepositions, rather than simple, direct verbs)
• put an emphasis on (emphasize) have an
  understanding of (understand) make a comparison
  of (compare) is reflective of (reflects) give
  permission to (allow
• It is and There is or There are starters
  reduce or eliminate them to make who is doing
  what to whom clearer..
• There is desire for (we want) there are several
  reasons for (for several reasons) it is the job
  of Kevins (Kevins job requires) it is an
  obvious fact that (obviously)

9
More Bombastic Tendencies

• Prepositional Phrases, especially those in
  strings, one following another render your prose
  inexact and singsong
• the most common villains include the prepositions
  on, in, into, at, with
• This problem results from not clearly naming who
  or what will do something then having that
  person or idea perform its action

10
Final and Most Important Caution (Verbs)

• Be Verbs reduce the action of sentences to
  formless existence, smothered in mounds of
  verbiage
• Is, Are, Was, Were, Am, Been, Being - and all
  their combinations
• Bes brothers has, have, make, made, get, got
• Passive Voice Verbs Verbs that emphasize the
  action rather than the actor
• Use fewer of them

11
Conclusion (Do List)

• Name what will do, rather than be
• Make it do something strive for action that is
  replete with vivid verbs, sparkling adjectives,
  and powerful adverbs
• Pack in plenty of supporting details
• Try to see your sentences, being sure they say
  exactly what they mean
• Tie that elegant sentence to the next one - and
  rejoice in how honest, brave, intelligent (and
  respectful of others) you know you are