CLEAR THINKING AND WRITING JOHN LANGAN © 2010 Townsend Press

Chapter Four: Two Common Mistakes in Writing Two common mistakes in writing are: 1) not staying on point and 2) not providing enough support. See page 10 in textbook.

STAYING ON POINT Every sentence and detail in a paper should be relevant, meaning that it supports the point. Sentences and details that are irrelevant miss the point. They fail to convince the reader of the point. See page 10 in textbook.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the facts are relevant to the point? Point: My dog Otis is not very bright. Facts: 1. He’s five years old and doesn’t respond to his name yet. 2. He cries when I leave for work every day. 3. He always gets excited when visitors arrive. 4. He often attacks the backyard hedge as if it’s a hostile animal. 5. I often have to put food in front of him because he can’t find it by himself. See page 10 in textbook. Answer: Facts 1, 4, and 5 are relevant. The choices are shown and explained on the next slide.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the facts are relevant to the point? Point: My dog Otis is not very bright. Facts: 1. He’s five years old and doesn’t respond to his name yet. 2. He cries when I leave for work every day. 3. He always gets excited when visitors arrive. 4. He often attacks the backyard hedge as if it’s a hostile animal. 5. I often have to put food in front of him because he can’t find it by himself. Most dogs know their names. This reveals Otis has a weak memory, and memory is one aspect of intelligence. Even an intelligent dog might be sad when its companions leave the house. Both bright and not-so-bright dogs are happy to see old and new human friends. See pages 10 and 11 in textbook. The inability to distinguish a bush from an animal suggests a lack of analytical skills. Most dogs recognize food. Otis’s inability to find food clearly indicates poor problem-solving skills.

STAYING ON POINT See pages 10 and 11 in textbook. You want all the details you provide in a paper to be on target and hit the bull’s-eye in support of your point.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the statements are relevant to the point? Point: Drinking coffee can be bad for people. Statements: A. Some people don’t like the taste of decaffeinated coffees. B. Coffee in the evening can interfere with sleep at night. C. As addictions go, coffee less dangerous than tobacco. D. Drinking too much coffee can cause the hands to shake. E. Too much coffee can lead to a faster heartbeat and light-headedness. F. Most coffees cost under five dollars a pound. See page 12 in textbook. Answer: Statements B, D, and E are relevant. The choices are shown and explained on the next slide.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the statements are relevant to the point? Point: Drinking coffee can be bad for people. Statements: A. Some people don’t like the taste of decaffeinated coffees. B. Coffee in the evening can interfere with sleep at night. C. As addictions go, coffee less dangerous than tobacco. D. Drinking too much coffee can cause the hands to shake. E. Too much coffee can lead to a faster heartbeat and light-headedness. F. Most coffees cost under five dollars a pound. See page 12 in textbook. Explanation B (sleep problems), D (shaking hands), and E (fast heartbeat and light-headedness) are bad for people because they can interfere with physical and mental activities. A (people’s dislike of decaffeinated coffee), C (coffee as less dangerous than tobacco), and F (the cost of coffee) do not show that coffee is bad for people.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the statements are relevant to the point? Point: Workers in early American factories led difficult lives. Statements: A. The average work day was twelve hours long. B. Early factory workers were paid pennies an hour. C. Female factory workers often worked in textile mills. D. The first American factories were built in the late 1700s. E. All workers on power machines risked accidents that could maim or kill. F. Labor unions have greatly improved conditions in today’s factories. See page 12 in textbook. Answer: Statements A, B, and E are relevant. The choices are shown and explained on the next slide.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the statements are relevant to the point? Point: Workers in early American factories led difficult lives. Statements: A. The average work day was twelve hours long. B. Early factory workers were paid pennies an hour. C. Female factory workers often worked in textile mills. D. The first American factories were built in the late 1700s. E. All workers on power machines risked accidents that could maim or kill. F. Labor unions have greatly improved conditions in today’s factories. See page 12 in textbook. Explanation A, B, and E describe conditions that make life difficult for workers: long hours, low wages, and dangerous conditions. C (who worked in what type of factory), D (when factories were built), and F (labor unions have improved conditions) say nothing about life being difficult.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the statements are relevant to the point? Point: My father’s boss is an unpleasant man to work for. Statements: A. He barks orders and never asks for an employer’s opinion. B. His fashion-plate wife is said to be even nastier than he is. C. His office is decorated in dull browns and grays. D. Even when he invites employees out to lunch, he expects them to pick up their own checks. E. He changes his mind so often that an employee who pleased him on Friday can be in the doghouse by Monday. F. He once accumulated so many parking tickets that the police actually came to his home to arrest him. See page 13 in textbook. Answer: Statements A, D, and E are relevant. The choices are shown and explained on the next slide.

STAYING ON POINT Which three of the statements are relevant to the point? Point: My father’s boss is an unpleasant man to work for. Statements: A. He barks orders and never asks for an employer’s opinion. B. His fashion-plate wife is said to be even nastier than he is. C. His office is decorated in dull browns and grays. D. Even when he invites employees out to lunch, he expects them to pick up their own checks. E. He changes his mind so often that an employee who pleased him on Friday can be in the doghouse by Monday. F. He once accumulated so many parking tickets that the police actually came to his home to arrest him. See page 13 in textbook. Explanation A, D, and E describe describe qualities that would make him an unpleasant man to work for. B is about the boss’s wife, not the boss. C is about his office decorations. F shows he is not law-abiding but this does not necessarily make him unpleasant to work for.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT A good writer uses specific details that show what the writer means. A lazy writer produces dull, wordy writing that provides thin support for a point. See page 14 in textbook.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT See page 14 in textbook. Specific details provide solid support for a point. Thin and vague details do not.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. Point: My brother is accident-prone. A. Once he tried to open a tube of Krazy Glue with his teeth. When the cap came loose, glue squirted out and sealed his lips shut. They had to be pried open in a hospital ER. B. Even when he does simple jobs, he seems to get into trouble. This can lead to funny but sometimes dangerous results. Things never seem to go right for him, and he often needs the help of others to get out of one problem or another. See page 14 in textbook. Answer: Item A is specific. The choice is shown and explained on the next slide.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. Point: My brother is accident-prone. A. Once he tried to open a tube of Krazy Glue with his teeth. When the cap came loose, glue squirted out and sealed his lips shut. They had to be pried open in a hospital ER. B. Even when he does simple jobs, he seems to get into trouble. This can lead to funny but sometimes dangerous results. Things never seem to go right for him, and he often needs the help of others to get out of one problem or another. See page 14 in textbook. Explanation A states the details of a specific situation. Those details show the brother is accident-prone.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. Point: The food in the cafeteria is terrible some days. A. They serve canned vegetables, which are not as good as fresh ones. The macaroni and cheese does not do anything for your appetite, and the pizza is not as good as the kind you can get at a pizzeria. Some of the meat is virtually inedible. Lots of luck if you want something good to drink. B. The string beans and other canned vegetables are limp and salty, and the macaroni and cheese is gluey and tasteless. The pizza is usually spongy and cold and does not have much cheese on it. You’d need diamond-tipped teeth to be able to chew the beef in the stew. The hamburgers taste like rubber. See page 15 in textbook. Answer: Item B is specific. The choice is shown and explained on the next slide.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. Point: The food in the cafeteria is terrible some days. A. They serve canned vegetables, which are not as good as fresh ones. The macaroni and cheese does not do anything for your appetite, and the pizza is not as good as the kind you can get at a pizzeria. Some of the meat is virtually inedible. Lots of luck if you want something good to drink. B. The string beans and other canned vegetables are limp and salty, and the macaroni and cheese is gluey and tasteless. The pizza is usually spongy and cold and does not have much cheese on it. You’d need diamond-tipped teeth to be able to chew the beef in the stew. The hamburgers taste like rubber. See page 15 in textbook. Explanation B gives specific details that show the food is terrible: limp and salty vegetables, gluey macaroni and cheese, spongy pizza that lacks cheese, tough beef, and rubbery-tasting hamburgers.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. Point: Speaking before a group is a problem for many people. A. Many people will go to almost any length to avoid speaking to a group. If they are forced to do it, they can feel so anxious that they actually develop physical symptoms. If asked, people will often prefer that anything happen to them as an alternative to having to speak in public. B. Some people will pretend to be ill to avoid speaking publicly. Stage fright, stammering, and blushing are frequent reactions. When asked to rank their worst fears, people often list public speaking as even worse than death. See page 16 in textbook. Answer: Item B is specific. The choice is shown and explained on the next slide.

PROVIDING ENOUGH SUPPORT Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. Point: Speaking before a group is a problem for many people. A. Many people will go to almost any length to avoid speaking to a group. If they are forced to do it, they can feel so anxious that they actually develop physical symptoms. If asked, people will often prefer that anything happen to them as an alternative to having to speak in public. B. Some people will pretend to be ill to avoid speaking publicly. Stage fright, stammering, and blushing are frequent reactions. When asked to rank their worst fears, people often list public speaking as even worse than death. See page 16 in textbook. Explanation B gives specific details that show public speaking is a problem: pretending to be ill, stage fright, stammering, blushing, and a worse fear than death.

RELEVANT AND SPECIFIC SUPPORT Remember: Use relevant support. See pages 10 and 14 in textbook. Use specific details.