CMN 279 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Phrasal Verb, Active Voice, Jargon
28 Jun 2018
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CMN – Chapter 3 – Word Choice, Conciseness, and Tone
Plain style/language – a style of writing that places value on simplicity, directness and clarity
Common everyday words
oPlain vs pretentious
oUse words ending in ize and ization
oUse words derived from French (ie converse)
oAvoid foreign words and phrases
oOnly job related jargon
oBypass buzzwords (fashionable, technical or computer jargon)
Reasonable sentence length
oReplace clichés
oRetire outdated expressions
oNo slang
oNo abbreviations
Active voice – term that describes a verbs ability to show whether the subject of a
sentence acts of is acted upon. Phrasal verb – a verb that combines with one or more
prepositions to deliver its meaning
oSpecific details
oQuantify facts, avoid vague statements
oAvoid ambiguous statements and idioms (has meaning different from literal
meaning)
oUse comparisons to clarify
Personal pronouns – words that replace or refer to nouns ( I you we)
Unambiguous language – ambiguity: a term that describes an obscure or inexact
meaning
Place subject close to the verb
Conciseness means using the fewest words to say what you need to accurately and completely
Eliminate long lead ins
Revise non conversions
Eliminate redundancies and empty words or phrases
Use strong precise accurate verbs
Eliminate fillers
Combine shorter sentences
Tone – the implied attitude of the author to the reader, as reflected by word choice
Denotation – a word’s literal or dictionary definition
Connotation – a word’s implied meaning, coloured by emotion
You-attitude – a writing style that focuses on the reader rather than the writer
We-attitude – writing style that focuses on the shared goals and values of writer and reader
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Cmn chapter 3 word choice, conciseness, and tone. Plain style/language a style of writing that places value on simplicity, directness and clarity. Common everyday words: plain vs pretentious, use words ending in ize and ization, use words derived from french (ie converse, avoid foreign words and phrases, only job related jargon, bypass buzzwords (fashionable, technical or computer jargon) Reasonable sentence length: replace clich s, retire outdated expressions, no slang, no abbreviations. Active voice term that describes a verbs ability to show whether the subject of a sentence acts of is acted upon. Phrasal verb a verb that combines with one or more prepositions to deliver its meaning: specific details, quantify facts, avoid vague statements, avoid ambiguous statements and idioms (has meaning different from literal meaning, use comparisons to clarify. Personal pronouns words that replace or refer to nouns ( i you we) Unambiguous language ambiguity: a term that describes an obscure or inexact meaning.
