A Summary of Lesson 3 Actions
In his previous two lessons, Joseph Williams stressed the importance of writing with clarity, correctness, and style. In Actions, he makes two important points: make the main characters the subject of a sentence and make the main action the verbs of a sentence (Williams, 44). Writers create clearer and more understandable prose for their readers when they revise a "revision" and turn a nominalization back into a verb. He identifies common problems, offers helpful tips, and includes nine do-it-yourself exercises that illustrate his concepts (33-44).
Making the main character the subject, and letting the verbs "tell the story" (29) cause the verbs to "name specific actions" (30). This helps a reader know the character and the action of …show more content…
Diagnose: Underline the first words of a sentence counting how many words you underline before seeing a verb. Analyze: Determine the characters and find the action. If nominalizations exist, look for the root verb that describes the action of the character. Rewrite: Change the nominalizations into verbs, make the character the subject of those verbs, and rewrite the sentences using appropriate conjunctions. These revisions benefit the reader; because concise and logical sentences "tell" a better story and "sequences of actions" make more sense (38-39).
Some "Qualifications" allow for the appropriate use of nominalizations: when a nominalization refers to a subject in a previous sentence; when a short nominalization replaces a longer awkward phrase; and when a nominalization refers to a reader's subject or concept (42). Familiar terms, such as abortion or amendment, describe a commonly understood process or idea (43). Finally, revise and rewrite again, creating clearer prose, without over-simplification, and without losing complexity of expression
In his previous two lessons, Joseph Williams stressed the importance of writing with clarity, correctness, and style. In Actions, he makes two important points: make the main characters the subject of a sentence and make the main action the verbs of a sentence (Williams, 44). Writers create clearer and more understandable prose for their readers when they revise a "revision" and turn a nominalization back into a verb. He identifies common problems, offers helpful tips, and includes nine do-it-yourself exercises that illustrate his concepts (33-44).
Making the main character the subject, and letting the verbs "tell the story" (29) cause the verbs to "name specific actions" (30). This helps a reader know the character and the action of …show more content…
Diagnose: Underline the first words of a sentence counting how many words you underline before seeing a verb. Analyze: Determine the characters and find the action. If nominalizations exist, look for the root verb that describes the action of the character. Rewrite: Change the nominalizations into verbs, make the character the subject of those verbs, and rewrite the sentences using appropriate conjunctions. These revisions benefit the reader; because concise and logical sentences "tell" a better story and "sequences of actions" make more sense (38-39).
Some "Qualifications" allow for the appropriate use of nominalizations: when a nominalization refers to a subject in a previous sentence; when a short nominalization replaces a longer awkward phrase; and when a nominalization refers to a reader's subject or concept (42). Familiar terms, such as abortion or amendment, describe a commonly understood process or idea (43). Finally, revise and rewrite again, creating clearer prose, without over-simplification, and without losing complexity of expression