Clarity, Part 1

It is important to be able to think critically about your own writing. The Clarity section of Rules for Writers provides specific components of writing to focus on improving when writing or reviewing your work.

Blocker, Trey "Clarity" 09/18/2015

Emphasis- This section makes a key distinction between coordination and subordination. When two ideas are of equal importance, a writer can combine them in one compound sentence by using commas with conjunctions, semicolons with conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases, or semicolons alone. The more important ideas should be included in main clauses. To employ subordination, A writer can place a less important idea in a subordinate clause, an appositive phrase, or a participial phrase. Emphasis can be used to stress key points and improve fluency.

Variety- Varied sentence structure makes a document more readable. During the writing process, the typical writer does not think about sentence structure. Instead, the sentence develops in accordance with the thought process of the writer. Using too many simple, or compound sentences can make the document monotonous. Similarly, excessive use of complex, or compound complex sentences can be equally monotonous. I am probably guilty of the second type of overuse.

Wordy Sentences- Eliminating redundancies is an easy revision that keeps sentences concise. Simplifying sentence structure will also make sentences more readable, but it is important to keep a varied sentence structure. Essentially writers should cut any words that do not significantly contribute to the meaning of a sentence.

Exact Words- Although it may seem like multiple words would serve the same purpose in a sentence, it is important to take the connotations of the words into account. The name of my blog (The Ladder of Abstraction) is a concept that one of my high school English teachers used to describe how specific and concrete a noun, or phrase is. Additional considerations include using the appropriate forms of words, using standard idioms, avoiding clichés, and appropriate use of figures of speech.