Rules for WRITING

Lecturer: VONG SOKHA

Rule One : Be Concise

Being brief that is, using just the right words and getting right to the point is crucial, or all important, for the writer who intends to create clever, memorable prose.

Use the Fewest words Possible

If you have the choice of saying something in one word or three words, always say it one. Here are some examples:

Wordy
At this point in time At the present moment At this very moment Immediately following In the days and weeks preceding

Concise
Now Now Now Then Before

Two ways of brevity

First, when you are writing, get use to reaching for the concise word rather than for the long-winded phrase. Second, when you look back at what youve written, keep an eye out for long, wordy phrases that you can replace with fewer, simpler words.

Dont say it Again!

Avoid redundancy. Redundancy is needless repetition. Usually it occurs because writers say things that they dont even realize theyve already said! For example:
Our office is implementing a training program for beginners lacking experience.

Redundancy
The unfortunate problem Advance warning Helpful cooperation A Brilliant genius

Concise
The problem Warning Cooperation Genius

Dont Pad!
Padding is writing words, phrases, or even whole sentences just to take up space. That means you are trying to make your writing longer. Padded: Which idea of the authors points is more in line
with what I believe? This is a very interesting question. First of all,

Rewrite: The author and I do agree on some points. First

of all,

Conclude Be Concise
Remember, your mission as a writer is to be concise. Be tough, be ruthless, be efficient. Cut out any words that doesnt absolutely need to be there. Then go back and cut even more. In some cases, you might want to combine two sentences into one.

Rule Two : Be Forceful

The most scariest parts of writing is the sense of being exposed, or revealed, to your readers. What you write will let readers know something about you, so naturally, you may worry about what theyll think.
One should never write down or up to people, but out of yourself. Christopher Isherwood

Dont say I unless you Have to

Avoid needless self-reference.
Example: I feel ----------> In my experience I think -----------> In my personal opinion I believe -----------> As far as I am concerned

However, in some cases, you might want to use Iword. Perhaps the subject of your writing is yourself. If you are writing academic paper or exam, or if youre drafting a business proposal, you had better avoid using I altogether.

Use the Active Voice!

Active voice makes your writing sound forceful.
Active: Congress soon passed the new speed limit for roller-bladers. Passive: The new speed limit for in-line skaters was soon passed by Congress.

But, What if you dont know whos taking the action. And, youre not particularly interested in who did the acting.

The 5 Ws and H
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

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Avoid Clichs & Jargon!

A clich is a word or phrase thats been used so many times and for so long, that no one pays attention to its real meaning any more. Examples:
You look pretty as a picture. Its like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was raining like cats and dogs.

Jargon used to mean the specialized vocabulary of a profession. Example:

Intranet / Extranet Operating System Business broker

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Conclude Be Forceful
Remember: Check out or rewrite your writing again
and again until its becoming a forceful. The vague words, clichs, jargons and so on that you found out, you might want to cut out or leave it if its possible.

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Rule Three : Be Correct

Make Sure Subjects and Verbs Agree
Singular subjects go with singular verbs, plural subjects go with plural verbs.

Use YOU Appropriately

Sometimes, you means everyone, so if youre writing proposal or essay, you switch to one which never be too careful.

Use Pronoun Correctly

Pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. So, you must let your audience know what pronoun youre referring to.

Use Parallel Construction Effectively

Parallel: Cruise is smart, gentle, and easily trained.

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Rule Four : Be Polished (1)

Use Casual Speech Appropriately
Slang, Idiom are colloquialism. Keep your writing out of that.

Dont Fragment Your Message

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence.

Boycott Run-On Sentence

Dont keep your sentence too long

Use Commas Correctly

To separate three or more items in a series To separate two or more adjectives before a noun. Dont put comma before the first item or after the last item. To set apart a clause that isnt necessary, or essential to sentences main idea. To set off introductory words. Before FANBOYS For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So.

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Rule Four : Be Polished (2)

Use Semincolons Correctly Colons Count! Use Hyphens and Dashes Correctly Use Apostrophes Correctly

Thanks For Participating! Prepared By : VONG SOKHA

ALL RIGHT RESERVED

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