Good Writing Part 2 ~ Clarity and Specificity - Basic Writing Skills
Good writing has four major characteristics: conciseness (economy), clarity, variety, and unity.
2. Clarity and Specificity
Write clearly as well as concisely. Here are some errors to avoid.
Unclear Antecedents: Make certain that a pronoun has a clear antecedent.
Reword the sentences or supply a needed noun.
CONFUSING: Use that towel to wipe your face and put it in the clothes hamper. (The face or the towel?)
CLEAR: Use that towel to wipe your face and put the towel in the clothes hamper.
CONFUSING: If papers are left behind by sloppy hikers, burn them.
(The papers or the hikers?)
CLEAR: Any papers left behind by sloppy hikers should be
burned.
If necessary, quote the speaker’s actual words to make the meaning clearer.
CONFUSING: Linda told her mother that she had left the lawn sprinklers on. (Is the antecedent of “she” Linda or her mother?)
CLEAR: Linda told her mother, “I left the lawn sprinklers on.”
CLEAR: Linda told her mother, “You left the lawn sprinklers on.”
Dangling Modifiers: A modifier dangles if it is placed so that it seems to modify a word it was not intended to modify.
Put a modifier close to the word it modifies. Sometimes the word itself must be supplied.
DANGLING: Turning the corner, the post office was on the left. (The post office was not turning the corner.)
CLEAR: Turning the corner, I noticed the post office on my left.
CLEAR: As I turned the corner, I noticed the post office on my left.
CONFUSING: Tracy saw a deer riding her bike through the Hopkins meadow. (A deer riding a bike?)
CLEAR: Riding her bike through the Hopkins meadow, Tracy saw a deer.
CONFUSING: At the age of three, Mario’s mother remarried. (At the age of three, Mario’s mother could not have already had Mario, let alone be remarrying.)
CLEAR: When Mario was three, his mother remarried.
CONFUSING: While working in the library, a new shipment of books arrived. (The books are not working; the library worker is.)
CLEAR: While I was working in the library, a new shipment of books arrived.
CONFUSING: At the party, packages were given to all the children filled with Halloween candy. (The children may be filled later!)
CLEAR: At the party, packages filled with Halloween candy were given to all the children.
Inaccurate Connectives: Use the connective that expresses your thought accurately.
CONFUSING: I wanted to go skating, and Angela preferred hiking.
CLEAR: I wanted to go skating, but Angela preferred hiking.
CONFUSING: Because Ben was on a visit to his ill grandmother, he
still got his term paper in on time.
CLEAR: Although Ben was on a visit to his ill grandmother, he
still got his term paper in on time.
The Inexact Word
Be sure to choose the word that expresses your thought accurately.
CONFUSING: Our Saturday project is to install all broken windows in the school.
CLEAR: Our Saturday project is to replace all broken windows in the school.
CONFUSING: Don’t fail to miss tonight’s rerun of The Simpsons.
CLEAR: Don’t miss tonight’s rerun of The Simpsons.
CLEAR: Don’t fail to see tonight’s rerun of The Simpsons
Vague, General Words
To add clarity and forcefulness to your writing, use specific words.
VAGUE: We walked up a steep peak and rejoiced at the top.
SPECIFIC: We clambered up the cone of Mt. Katahdin and shouted, “We made it!”
VAGUE: On our western trip, we visited three national parks.
SPECIFIC: On our western trip, we visited Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon.
VAGUE: We had several different kinds of transportation.
SPECIFIC: We tried horseback riding, canoeing, and helicoptering.
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