· 9 months ago

The passive voice is a misunderstood entity in the world of writing. It is unfairly judged by many authors. Some writers, without taking the time to get to know this grammatical structure, avoid it at all costs. Others use it ineffectively because they do not understand how it works. How can you get to know this mysterious literary device?

First, let’s start with an explanation of what passive voice is. Passive voice sentences mention the thing or person receiving an action before mentioning the action itself, and may omit the actor altogether. For example, consider this sentence:

The leaves were blown by the wind.

The leaves receive the action of being blown. In the example, the agent is specified with the preposition by. However, the agent could have been left out of the sentence: The leaves were blown.

When is it proper to use passive voice? Consider these instances. Why do you suppose passive voice is appropriate? Check your answers below.

My camera was stolen from my locker at school.
A candle will be lit at the memorial service for the fallen soldier.
Diets are made to be broken.
The sodium hydroxide solution was heated to 200 degrees.

Answers:

Who stole the camera? The agent is unknown. If you do not know who committed an action, it is appropriate to use passive voice.

Who do you want to receive the attention? If you prefer the attention to be on the action itself (the candle being lit) and not the person doing the lighting, you may omit the agent.

You are expressing a general truth that is applicable to many. Using active voice to express this idea would be awkward: People who make diets make them to be broken.

Researchers often use passive voice in scientific reports. It is assumed that the reader knows that the experimenters are performing the actions without stating this fact explicitly. But, according to the University of Toronto, this trend is on the decline. Recent papers tend to contain more examples of active voice.

***

20 Common Phrases You’ve Been Saying Wrong Your Entire Life

Elite Daily

Kaylin Pound

in ENVISION

Aug 24, 201510:35am

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Like most writers, I tend to cringe every time someone tells me they have a “deep-seeded” belief.

Hey, it happens to the best of us.

We’re all guilty of some grammar slip-ups now and then, but if you happen to be someone who frequently uses the word “irregardless” you might want to evaluate your vocabulary.

Or at least break out some of those English textbooks you never read in college…

While some misused sayings are pretty obvious, there are other tricker phrases even the most seasoned grammar police have trouble with occasionally.

Sometimes it may be as simple as using the word “in” vs. “and” when making a remark.

Other times, you just didn’t hear a word correctly the first time you were introduced to a saying and since then, no one has bothered to inform you that we actually live in a “dog-eat-dog world” rather than a “doggy-dog world.”

So, in order to set the record straight once and for all, we put together a series of common phrases you’ve probably been saying wrong without the slightest clue.

Just memorize this clever guide and you’ll never have worry about looking like an illiterate idiot ever again.

Check out the photos below to learn the correct way to say these 20 common phrases.

“Giving leeway”

“For all intents and purposes”

“Beck and call”

“Tongue-in-cheek”

“Wreak havoc”

“I couldn't care less”

“Scot-free”

“It's a dog-eat-dog world”

“Nip it in the bud”

“Don't take it for granted”

“Moot point”

“Statute of limitations”

“Fall by the wayside”

“Regardless”

“Scapegoat”

“Hunger pangs”

“Exact revenge”

“On tenterhooks”

“Free rein”

“One and the same”

ALLISON VANNEST ·

· 1 year ago

The author James Michener said, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” If you’re an aspiring author or someone striving for clarity in your professional or academic writing, you appreciate the methodical march of the rewriting process. Each word in a sentence has a job; cut those that do nothing. These six tips will help you achieve clear and concise writing.

Avoid the Passive Voice

The passive voice is flaccid. The subject becomes a helpless thing, acted on by outside forces. In a well-written sentence, the verb is powerful and precise, an active tool at the subject’s command. For example:

Passive: It is believed by the boxer that the power is there to cause his opponent to fall down.
Active: The boxer thinks he has a knock-out punch.

Trim the Fat from Flabby Phrases

Some writers use wordy phrases when a single word will do.

Use because instead of:

Due to the fact that
In light of the fact that
Owing to the fact that

Use about instead of:

Concerning the matter of
In reference to
With regard to

Use can instead of:

Is able to
Is in a position to
Has the capacity to

Limit Prepositional Phrases

Use an apostrophe, not a prepositional phrase, to show possession.

Bad: It was the opinion of the teacher that Susan was ready for third grade.
Better: In the teacher’s opinion, Susan was ready for third grade.

Don’t use too many prepositional phrases in a sentence.

Bad: The ultimate point of the discussion with all of the people was to reach a consensus ofthe group about what to do with the leftover funds from the fundraiser.
Better: The group discussed options for the leftover fundraiser money and ultimately reached a decision.

Watch for Wordiness

Wordiness is a problem for many writers, whether it’s redundancy, stating the obvious, or packing a sentence with excess detail and unnecessary modifiers.

Wordy: Imagine in your mind what a caveman from an earlier prehistoric time must have thought about when he originally saw fire for the first time.
Better: Imagine what prehistoric man thought when he saw fire for the first time.

For precision and clarity, excise these words from your writing:

kind of
sort of
really
basically
actually
generally
typically
for all intents and purposes

Edit your writing for redundant pairs such as:

true facts
past history
free gift
unexpected surprise
each individual

Combine Sentences

In many cases, you can combine information from two short sentences into one complex sentence without sacrificing clarity. Sentence variety also improves readability.

Wordy: The house next door is occupied by three widowed sisters. They moved here in 1985 with their three dogs and haven’t left since.
Better: Three widows and their dogs live next door, their home since 1985.

Avoid Vague Nouns and Noun Strings

All-purpose nouns, such as factor, situation, and area, lead to obscure writing.

Vague: A college education is an important factor in finding a job in the area of accounting.
Better: For accounting jobs, a college degree is important.

Writers in a specialty niche such as healthcare or technology often slip into jargon, resulting in nounstrings that obscure meaning.

Vague: The mammography team is working on the radiology technologist radiation protection quality improvement program.
Better: The mammography team will complete a quality improvement program for protecting radiology technicians from excess radiation.

Writing for clarity requires a ruthless eye for editing your work; it’s helpful to walk away from your composition for a few hours and approach it with new eyes. Then cut the unnecessary, rewrite the unwieldy, and, in the words of Elmore Leonard, “Try to leave out the parts that people skip.”

***

http://www.ucan.vn/thu-vien/80-tu-noi-pho-bien-nhat-trong-van-noi-va-van-viet-tieng-anh-3886.html

Khi nói hay viết, sử dụng từ nối sẽ khiến cuộc nói chuyện trở nên trôi chảy, tự nhiên hơn. Các bạn lưu ý sử dụng từ nối cho đúng lúc, đúng chỗ nhé!

1. Những từ dùng để thêm thông tin

and (và)
also (cũng)
besides (ngoài ra)
first, second, third… (thứ nhất, thứ hai, thứ ba…)
in addition (thêm vào đó)
in the first place, in the second place, in the third place (ở nơi thứ nhất, ở nơi thứ hai, ở nơi thứ ba)
furthermore (xa hơn nữa)
moreover (thêm vào đó)
to begin with, next, finally (bắt đầu với, tiếp theo là, cuối cùng là)

2. Những từ dấu hiệu chỉ nguyên nhân, hệ quả

Accordingly (Theo như)
and so (và vì thế)
as a result (Kết quả là)
consequently (Do đó)
for this reason (Vì lý do này nên)
hence, so, therefore, thus (Vì vậy)
then (Sau đó)

3. Những dấu hiệu chỉ sự so sánh

by the same token (bằng những bằng chứng tương tự như thế)
in like manner (theo cách tương tự)
in the same way (theo cách giống như thế)
in similar fashion (theo cách tương tự thế)
likewise, similarly (tương tự thế)

4. Những dấu hiệu chỉ sự đối lập

but, yet (nhưng)
however, nevertheless (tuy nhiên)
in contrast, on the contrary (Đối lập với)
instead (Thay vì)
on the other hand (Mặt khác)
still (vẫn)

5. Những từ dấu hiệu chỉ kết luận hoặc tổng kết

and so (và vì thế)
after all (sau tất cả)
at last, finally (cuối cùng)
in brief (nói chung)
in closing (tóm lại là)
in conclusion (kết luận lại thì)
on the whole (nói chung)
to conclude (để kết luận)
to summarize (Tóm lại)

6. Từ dấu hiệu để chỉ ví dụ

as an example
for example
for instance
specifically
thus
to illustrate

7. Những từ dấu hiệu chỉ sự khẳng định

in fact (thực tế là)
indeed (Thật sự là)
no (không)
yes (có)
especially (đặc biệt là)

8. Những từ dấu hiệu chỉ sự nhắc lại

in other words (nói cách khác)
in short (nói ngắn gọn lại thì)
in simpler terms (nói theo một cách đơn giản hơn)
that is (đó là)
to put it differently (nói khác đi thì)
to repeat (để nhắc lại)

9. Những từ chỉ dấu hiệu thời gian

afterward (về sau)
at the same time (cùng thời điểm)
currently (hiện tại)
earlier (sớm hơn)
formerly (trước đó)
immediately (ngay lập tức)
in the future (trong tương lai)
in the meantime (trong khi chờ đợi)
in the past (trong quá khứ)
later (muộn hơn)
meanwhile (trong khi đó)
previously (trước đó)
simultaneously (đồng thời)
subsequently (sau đó)
then (sau đó)
until now (cho đến bây giờ)

In Scattered Daylight

Friday, April 8, 2016

GRAMMARLY