Word Choice & Sentence Structure

1. Word Choice & Sentence Structure INGL3202– Spring 2011 Nataly Rodriguez

2. WORD CHOICE Wrong word choice can result in awkwardness, vagueness, and unclearness. • Be careful when using words you are unfamiliar with. • Make sure you know the meaning of the words you are using. • Look for repetition, which sometimes can be good, but others it can be BAD. • Avoid losing the message with wordiness. • Be precise and clear. Avoid generalizations. • Check spelling!

3. WORD CHOICE: Transitions Not all transitions have the same usage. • Location/ place: • among, inside, over. • Concluding: • as a result, as we have seen, given these points. • Clarification: • in other words, put another way. • Adding examples: • In the same, additionally, likewise.

4. WORD CHOICE: Commonly confused words There is a tendency to confuse words that look alike, sound alike, or both.

5. SENTENCE STRUCTURE Every complete sentence has a subject and a predicate. • SUBJECT- What or whom the sentence is about. • PREDICATE- Tells something about the subject and contains the verb.

6. SENTENCE STUCTURE: Complete Sentence • Example: • Jonas runs. • Jonas and his dog run every morning. Subject Predicate Predicate Subject

7. SENTENCE STRUCTURE:Fragments If a sentence does not have both a subject and a verb, it is called a fragment. Fragment means “broken piece”. A fragment sentence is only a piece of a sentence, not a complete sentence.

8. SENTENCE STRUCTURE:Fragments • There are three problems a fragment can have: • No subject • Also loves to follow my teenage brother around. • No verb • He short for his age. • No subject or verb • And long, blonde hair.

9. SENTENCE STRUCTURE:Run-on sentences A run-on sentence is two (or more) sentences joined without adequate punctuation or a connecting word. • Run-on Sentence: • I thought the ride would never end my eyes were crossed, and my fingers were numb. • Corrected: • I thought the ride would never end. My eyes were crossed, and my fingers were numb.