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Improve YOUR Writing ~ Consistency



Come on in as we go over characteristics of great writing that will help you ace the Writing Section of the SATs or  just improve your day to day scribbling! This lesson will focus on consistency.

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Whether you're writing on English, history, social science, even mathematics, correct and effective writing are key skills to develop. Especially if you are considering college, keep in mind that this new environment encourages a well-developed understanding and articulation of your own ideas, as well as an ability to back them up with relevant information. A clarity of writing is something to be practiced. It doesn't just happen over night. The best tips to follow to improve your writing sound simple: READ, READ, READ and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Practice is the key to development. Whether you continue to read the newspaper on a daily basis, challenge yourself to the crossword now and then or enjoy picking up a novel that is known to be well-written, getting familiar with vocabulary and pieces of all types definitely helps.

Let's go over some characteristics of effective writing as presented by the Official SAT Study Guide. You'll see that these examples may seem simplistic, but in the context of a written essay, or sentence completion or correction questions, these concepts are very helpful to know.


1. Consistency

Sequence of tenses

Example
  1. After she ate a slice of pie, she is sick for a couple days.
  2. Correct: After she ate a slice of pie, she was sick for a couple days.

Why?

The verb "ate" is in the past tense, so the second part of the sentence also has to communicate that. It is very easy to slide between tenses, however when you keep them clearly stated and in sequence, it brings much more strength to your writing.


Pronoun Shifts

Example
  1. If you are in doubt, one should try to reason an answer.
  2. Correct: If you are in doubt, you should try to reason an answer.

Why?

"You" and "One" are used interchangeably, however this makes it understanding who is being referred to unclear. If for example you start with "you", always finish using the same pronoun. This guarantees that the reader follows who you are talking about or speaking to.


Parallelism

Example
  1. The older woman taught us how to make pancakes, how to fold our laundry perfectly and getting a great deal on bread at the market was told to us.
  2. Correct: The older woman taught us how to make pancakes, fold our laundry perfectly and get a great deal on bread at the market.

Why?

Too many words in this sentence confuse the reader and there are a few concepts that are repeated. For example "she taught" and "was told" say the same thing, and so one of them, particularly the one at the end can be deleted. Also, a verb tense was shifted (see Sequence of Tenses above) from

how to" to "getting". This is unneeded and "getting" can simply be replaced with "get". When listing different items make sure that the commas are placed correctly as well (see lesson on Commas if you need to be refreshed). Not only does the corrected version seem clearer, the flow of the sentence makes more sense as well.


Noun-number Agreement

Example
  1. Neno and Sam are thinking of being a fashion designer.
  2. Correct: Neno and Sam are thinking of being fashion designers.

Why?

This seems very simple, however making sure that clarity is kept within your nouns and what they represent is very important. When you have two nouns representing the same ordeal, concept or statement, make sure that the way you introduce it makes sense. As we can see about, Neno and Sam are thinking of being fashion designers (plural) rather than just one designer between the two of them.



Subject-verb Agreement

Example
  1. Why is there nine cats on the lawn?
  2. Correct: Why are there nine cats on the lawn?

Why?

The "are" usage is correct in the above statement since the verb is referring to more than one cat. Knowing the correct subject and verb collaboration can help you determine what the best word to use is. Following this pattern of making sure you know which subject-verb you're stating will strengthen your writing.

Consistency may seem like an easy aspect of effective writing to remember, however keep in mind that is is just as easy to mistakenly forget about these key improvements. Revise your work whenever possible and continue to read and write to maintain a high level of consistent and powerful writing!


Photo Credit: emma*k on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/patthebunny27/2090359842/
aritdas
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aritdas said:

Very good tips!Thanks .

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