tailieunhanh - Write better essays in just 20 minutes a day part 14

Some strategies are better suited to a longer writing process such as the college admissions essay, while others may be adapted for when you have just a short period of time to complete an essay, as with the SAT. Prewriting strategies can also be used effec¬tively when you are faced with a number of possible essay topics and must determine which is the best vehicle to express your unique thoughts and experiences. | EDITING Avoid Ambiguity Ambiguous means having two or more possible meanings. Ambiguous language can either be words and phrases that have more than one meaning or word order that conveys a meaning different from the one intended by the writer The quarterback liked to tackle his problems. This sentence can be read two ways The quarterback likes to deal with his problems or his problems are his opponents on the field whom he grabs and knocks down. This kind of confusion can happen whenever a word has more than one possible meaning. The quarterback liked to address his problems is a better sentence and is unlikely to be misunderstood. My advisor proofread my essay with the red sports car. Here the word order of the sentence not an individual word causes the confusion. Did the advisor proofread the essay with his car Because the phrase with the red sports car is in the wrong place the meaning of the sentence is unclear. Try instead My advisor with the red sports car proofread my essay. Clear Up Confusing Pronoun References Pronouns words such as I we them and her take the place of nouns. They should only be used when the noun to which they refer known as the antecedent is obvious and meaningful. Check the pronouns in your writing to be certain they are not one of the following unclear too far from the antecedent useless Correcting Ambiguous Language Ambiguous When doing the laundry the phone rang. Clear The phone rang when I was doing the laundry. Ambiguous She almost waited an hour for her friend. Clear She waited almost an hour for her friend. Ambiguous I told her I d give her a ring tomorrow. Clear I told her I d call her tomorrow. Ambiguous A speeding motorist hit a student who was jogging through the park in her blue sedan. Clear A speeding motorist in a blue sedan hit a student who was jogging through the park. 127 More Examples of Pronoun Usage Incorrect Both Fellini and Bergman edited his movie. Correct Both Fellini and Bergman edited Bergman s movie. .