Elements of Effective Writing

Practice Exercises
 Revise the shift in voice
To use the copier, insert your meter, the
paper trays must be loaded, indicate the
number of copies needed, and your
original sheet should be inserted through
the feeder.
To use the copier, insert your meter, load
the paper trays, indicate the number of
copies needed, and insert your original
sheet through the feeder.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Change into active voice
The terms of reference for this study have been
given by the agency.
The report was written by Mr. Mohans team.
As part of the analysis of roadway
improvements, the review of signal progression
along Cambridge Street will be required.
The balloon is positioned in an area of blockage
and is inflated.
Genetic information is encoded by DNA.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Make it more effective
I have seen a lot of earthling-meets-alien movies. I
have seen The Last Star fighter. I have seen all
the Star Trek movies. I have noticed something
about these movies. I have noticed that there are
good humans in these movies. There are bad
humans. There are good aliens. There are bad
aliens. The humans and aliens are actually not so
different from each other.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Punctuate
the continuing care retirement community
CCRC has become one alternative to the
impending increase in our elderly
population according to estella espinoza
professor of gerontology at the university
of connecticut. nursing homes are no
longer the answer to this social need she
said theyre simply too costly for todays
senior-citizens she added.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Which is correct?
To become a respected politician, one must
administer campaign funds carefully.
To become a respected politician,
campaign funds must be carefully
administered.
The children were delighted by the
monkeys swinging wildly through the trees.
Swinging wildly through the trees, the
children were delighted by the monkeys.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 Use the right verb/pronoun
Neither of us------ able to predict the outcome of todays
game. ( was/were)
At the foot of the mountain------- two enormous
vineyards, both owned by the same lady. (was/were)
Most parents mistakenly think that mumps ------ been
eliminated as a childhood disease.(has / have)
If I ever find my glasses, I think Ill have --- replaced. (it/
them)
Neither Dhoni nor Kohli scheduled --------- team for the
gym this afternoon. (their/ his)

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Use a suitable connective
When an object is dropped near the surface of
the earth, it increases its speed as it falls. --------,
freely falling objects must be accelerated toward
the center of the earth.
The magnitude 9 of the acceleration due to
gravity is approximately 9.81 m/sec., or 32.2
ft/sec., at the surface of the earth.------------the
acceleration due to gravity changes with the
distance from the centre of the earth, it is usually
considered to be constant for small changes with
the distance from the earth.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 Identify the topic sentence
Though the United States has spent billions of dollars on
foreign aid programs, it has captured neither the
affection nor esteem of the rest of the world. In many
countries today Americans are cordially disliked; in
others merely tolerated. The reasons for this sad state of
affairs are many and varied, and some of them are
beyond the control of anything this country might do to
try to correct them. But harsh as it may seem to the
ordinary citizen, filled as he is with good intentions and
natural generosity, much of the foreigners' animosity has
been generated by the way Americans behave.
The United States has captured neither the affection
nor esteem of the rest of the world.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Identify the topic sentence
You should get an oil change every 3.000
miles. You need to check the air pressure in
your tires and have them rotated. There are
some things you should do regularly to
maintain your car in good condition. It is also
important to check the battery voltage and
all fluid levels. Dont forget to inspect the
belts and hoses for signs of wear.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
There are large ones with religious significance, such as
Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. There are colorful
one-day celebrations, including Valentines Day and
St. Patricks Day. Theres a scary one called Halloween.
There are lots of patriotic ones like Independence Day,
Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. There are a number of
days to remember important people and historical figures
such as Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Presidents Day,
Lincolns Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Columbus
Day, Labor Day, and Cesar Chavez Day. The U.S. has
many different holidays.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 Write a topic sentence :
Dangerous pollutants such as ozone, aldehydes, and
keytones are the result of a complex chain reaction
caused by carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and
hydrocarbons emitted by motor vehicles. Moreover, the
prolonged inhalation of carbon monoxide present in the
toxic fumes reduces the carbon carrying capacity of
blood, and may cause headache, sickness, and even
death. Likewise, unburned fragments of hydrocarbons
help to form smog and thicken the atmosphere with
elements that may cause cancer.
Vehicular pollution causes serious health
problems

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Choose the correct topic sentence
Every species of plant and animal that exists
today is the result of millions of years of
biological evolution. Thus , once a form of life is
lost from the earth, it cannot be created again.
These aspects have profound ethical
implications in environmental education.
Environmentalists recognize change as a universal
process
All the life forms, including human beings, are
related to one another either closely or remotely
through common ancestry.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Which sentence does not belong to
this paragraph?
(i) There are several ways people can conserve
natural resources. One way is to turn lights off
and appliances when they are not in use.
Another way is to drive cars less. My favourite
kind of car is convertible. People can also
insulate their houses better. Finally, by reusing
things like bottles and plastic bags, people can
reduce the amount of waste. By practicing these
simple guidelines, we can save our natural
resources

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Which sentence does not belong to
this paragraph?
(ii)The Japanese automobile industry uses
robots in many stages of its production process.
In fact, one large Japanese auto factory uses
robots in all of its production stages. Some
Japanese universities are developing medical
robots to detect certain kinds of cancer. Another
automobile factory in Japan uses them to paint
cars as they come off the assembly line.
Furthermore, most Japanese factories use
robots to weld the parts of the finished car
together.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 Read and fill in the blank with the
correct option ( next slide)
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a
strong leader. He was born on
January 15, 1929 in Atlanta,
Georgia. He went to college to
become a minister, like his father
was. Dr. King became a leader and
civil rights advocate.___________

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Choose the sentence that fits the
paragraph
Martin had a white childhood friend who
was not allowed to play with him after they
started attending different schools.
His nonviolent leadership and powerful
speeches gained him respect from the
American people.
We should all honor and respect Martin
Luther King Jr. for the work he has done.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Autonomous universities have several advantages as
compared to the conventional universities.
Controlling vehicular pollution is essential for the
survival of mankind.
As people rely more and more on technology to solve
problems, the ability of humans to think for
themselves will surely deteriorate.
Though the educational technology has been making
giant strides, it cant replace the classroom learning.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Use Transitions
to relate ideas to each other
Words/phrases
and, or ,nor, indeed, also, furthermore in fact, in
addition, first, for instance, similarly, likewise,
there for, thus, hence, consequently on the
whole, in short, frequently, occasionally, in
particular, however, nevertheless, whereas, in
case, unless, on the contrary, when, because

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Stress can have many side effects. A
supervisor feeling pressure to
complete a difficult project may
become irritable, develop ulcer, or
succumb to illness such as cold, flu, or
more serious diseases. A student
preparing for exams just the day before
may feel nervous, frustrated and may
even develop exam fever. (inadequate
use of transitional tags)
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 Stress can have many side effects. For
instance, a supervisor feeling pressure
to complete a difficult project may
become irritable, develop ulcer, or
possibly even succumb to illness such
as cold, flu, or more serious diseases.
Similarly, a student preparing for
exams just the day before may feel
nervous, frustrated and may even
develop exam fever.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 To begin with, it is necessary to consider the long-term implications
of the decision to increase our dependence on permanent staff in
our restaurants. For example, let us say we do go ahead. In this
case, our reliance on hourly-paid staff will decrease. As a result,
costs will reduce, as permanent staff are cheaper than hourly-paid
staff. In fact, it is not necessarily the case, especially as there is no
way of knowing what the relative costs of hourly-paid staff and
permanent staff will be in ten years' time. However, as a rule hourly
permanent staff are more reliable than full-time staff and this is a
genuine advantage. As a consequence of these two advantages,
permanent staff would seem to be a better option. In other words,
they are cheaper and more reliable so they are better. In that case, it
is not necessary to hesitate. Naturally, nothing is so simple. In short,
cost is an unknown factor and the most economical choice is not
known.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Identify the connectives
Because language plays such an important role in teaching, Bellack
and his colleagues chose to examine in some detail the "language
game" in the classroom. They contended that teaching is similar to
most games in at least two respects. It is a form of social activity in
which the players (teachers and students) fill different but
complementary roles. Furthermore, teaching is governed by certain
ground rules that guide the actions or moves made by the
participants" (p. 4). By studying the language game, then, Bellack et
al. intended to identify the various types of verbal moves made by
teachers and students and the rules they followed in making these
moves. As a result, they could investigate the functions these verbal
moves served and examine the meanings that were being
communicated.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Insert connectives for
coherence
Computer style checkers rank somewhere
between artificial intelligence and artificial
ignorance. Style checkers are like clever
children: smart but not wise. Business
writers should be cautious. They should be
aware of the usefulness of style checkers.
They should know their limitations.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

 Computer style checkers rank somewhere
between artificial intelligence and artificial
ignorance. For example, style checkers
are like clever children: smart but not wise.
Hence, business writers should be
cautious. They should not only be aware
of the usefulness of style checkers but
also know their limitations.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus