Action Verbs Who did what? What happened?

Strong Verbs, Not Weak Ones Weak – Is, have, deal with, make, involve Strong – Investigate, search, admire

Normalizations Avoid verbs ending in – Tion – Ment – Al – Ence – Ance – Ing

Active Voice The subject performs the action of the verb. Active verbs add energy, establish responsibility.

Passive Voice Is Good Sometimes When the agent is insignificant or understood The reader expects the passive voice You want to create cohesion and focus

Concrete, Accurate Nouns Concrete nouns evoke the senses.

Single Words Instead of Phrases or Pairs Collateral damage

Editing for Style--Analysis Context and Content. – What are readers likely to ask? Need to know? Sentence Structure – Length (Where is sentence core?) Verbs – Too much passive voice Words – Ambiguity?

Editing for Style—Evaluation, Review What are the consequences of your analysis? – Has it shortened or lengthened the document to its best advantage? – Have individual emendations reflected the overall rhetorical goal?

Discriminatory Language Gender Race Age Religion Culture Politics Sexual orientation Disability

Nonsexist Style Generic “he” – Seek advice in Style Manual or context for how to address gender. – Plural? – Reword? – Use one, you, or “he or she”