11 Ways to Add Some Punch to Boring Writing

Great content not only shares useful information but does so in a persuasive and engaging way. That’s why even the most informative articles will struggle to perform well if it doesn’t engage readers and hold their attention. As a writer, it’s your role to grab readers and not let them go. So how do you make your writing pop? Here are 11 techniques to add more punch to your writing. 1. Get to the Point Don’t make it hard work for readers; long, rambling sentences will make even the most alert readers fall asleep. Be succinct. Get your main message across in the first paragraph, and when you edit, cut out any repetition of words or ideas. 2. Stick to One Topic When a story drones on or goes off topic, it can be easy to lose interest. It’s the same with written content. Introducing too many new ideas throughout a piece leads to boredom and confusion. If you have lots of ideas, save them for another article. Making an outline before hand can help keep your article on track. 3. Vary Sentence Lengths Variation keeps the reader alert. Make some sentences short. Others can be longer to move the reader along, but be sure to mix it up so it feels conversational. Use colons and semicolons to give your sentences more flow; if you’re unsure how to use them, cut a long sentence into two separate sentences. And try writing some paragraphs with one sentence only. 4. Format for Clarity Use shorter paragraphs, subheadings, italics, and bullet points to make your writing more visually appealing. Variation of text interrupts the reader visually. It keeps readers engaged for longer. It makes your content easier to scan. If you’re looking to learn more about this topic, check out these 6 exercises to improve your writing clarity. 5. Use Contractions A contraction is a simple device that puts fewer letters in front of the reader and makes your writing flow. â€Å"You’re,† â€Å"isn’t,† haven’t,† â€Å"won’t,† â€Å"aren’t,† and â€Å"they’re† are all common contractions. Use them when it sounds natural; don’t stuff your writing full of them. 6. Get Active Passive voice sentences often use more words and sound vague. The emphasis is on the object of the sentence, or the thing that is acted upon: An article was written by Jane. Use the active voice when possible; sentences flow better and are easier to understand. Active voice places the emphasis on the subject of the sentence: Jane wrote an article. 7. Cut Out Unnecessary Words and Jargon Removing literally all unnecessary words will really make your writing more readable. In the final stages of editing, find words to cut. This helps improve sentence flow, reduces the word count, and looks more professional. Here are some common â€Å"filler† words: every, totally, completely, absolutely, literally, just, very, definitely, actually, basically. If you can remove words without altering the meaning or clarity of the sentence, do it. Readers soon lose interest if they have to read long words, clichà ©s, or business jargon. Be more expressive instead. 8. Use Expressive Language Be human. When readers like you, they’re more likely to keep reading. Try the following to make your writing more expressive, emotional, and convincing: Choose topics that you’re passionate about. Write as if you’re talking to a friend. Be specific. Say â€Å"brown-eared beagle called Lucy,† not just â€Å"dog.† Use stories to make readers visualize topics. Express your opinions, if it’s not off-brand. Use metaphors and similes. Use personal stories to connect with the reader. 9. Remove Redundant Phrases Redundant phrases make your writing limp and unprofessional. Here are a few examples: At the present time. Simply say: â€Å"at present,† or â€Å"at this time.† Totally unique. Something is either unique or it isn’t. Join together. There’s no need for â€Å"together.† Postpone until later. â€Å"Until later† is superfluous. 7 p.m. in the evening. â€Å"7 p.m.† is specific enough. Unexpected surprise. No surprise is expected. 10. Use Stronger Verbs and Adjectives Many verbs can weaken writing. For example: Jane went to an evening class to find out if she could make her writing better. To make this sentence clearer and reduce the word count, use stronger verbs: Jane attended an evening class to discover if she could improve her writing. The same goes for adjectives. Get rid of wishy-washy sentences like: Jane was really bad at grammar, so she was happy to have a very intelligent teacher. Try this instead: Jane was terrible at grammar, so she was thrilled to have a brilliant teacher. 11. Add Flair with Adverbs Adverbs describe other parts of a sentence. Many experts suggest eliminating adverbs altogether, but this is too simplistic. Adverbs used in an unexpected way, or which subvert the meaning of verbs, can add color and hidden depth to writing. For example: Jane’s writing is quietly effective. Her subtle references gently knock you out. The trick is to only use adverbs when they add more meaning to your ideas. Great Writing Takes Time It’s easy to fall into the trap of lazy writing, but it will only result in weak content. When you edit, remember these techniques. Go over every sentence and every word. Write with passion. Be unforgettable. You’ll make readers happy and probably get more requests for work. Looking to land your next freelance writing client? Constant Content makes it easy for you to sell articles and land writing clients.

Strength In A Dolls House Essays - Films, British Films, Lost Films

Strength In A Dolls House Essays - Films, British Films, Lost Films Strength In A Dolls House Strength in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House Women have played many roles in marriage throughout history but the primary one has been the role of the submissive, attentive, attractive wife. This role mainly composed of living for her husband and her children. Henrik Ibsen, in his play A Doll's House examines the of the roles of women and men in marriage. A Doll House shows us the story of a woman regaining her strength and self-respect. The main character, Nora begins a difficult search for the self esteem and self worth she has never experienced before. In the beginning of the play Ibsen outlines the typical marital relationship between Torvald and Nora. Torvald is the strong, dignified husband while Nora is little lark twittering. (1565) Torvald's continual reference to Nora using bird names parallels Nora's image of herself. In the first act, Torvald continually refers to Nora as his little spendthrift, his little scatterbrain, his squirrel sulking, and most importantly his song bird.(1565) These images of weak birds characterize Nora as a weak person. The simple twittering, little birds we see every day are very susceptible to cold weather and to dying and so is Nora. The images of a little spendthrift and a little scatterbrain indicate stupidity and ignorance. Nora can't think for herself because her thoughts are scattered and unorganized. She can't assume responsibility for money because she will waste it. In the character of Torvald we are led to believe that he is the loving and accommodating husband. He treats Nora like a child, and she, not knowing any better at this stage, acts accordingly. For example, as a child forbidden by its mother from eating candy before dinner, Nora hides her macaroons from Torvald. Acting like her parent, Torvald suspects her of hiding macaroons from him. He repeatedly asks her if she is sure she didn't eat any macaroons. Surely my sweet tooth hasn't been running riot in town today, has she? he asks (1567) Nora's response to Torvald shows us her lack of self-esteem. Instead of sharing with him her love for macaroons she hides it. Instead of standing up for her rights as a human being to eat what she likes, she acts like a little bird afraid of her own shadow. In the beginning of the play we are introduced to Nora as the weak, stupid, dependent wife. The second stage of her independence is introduced by the invitation to the Stenborgs' costume party. Her invitation to the party with Torvald is extremely significance to her self-esteem. She is desperately trying to find a way to charm Torvald into keeping Krogsard on as an employee at the bank. Through the use of her feminine wiles she hopes to convince her husband that what she requests of him is only a minor request. At this point she is caged as a bird would be caged. She cannot fly away till she gets her independence. Her attendance at the party signifies the fact that she is attempting to break free. She will dance the Tarantella at the party with wild abandonment as this will prove, she realizes to be her last performance, her swan song. In her attempt to break free, she views Mrs. Linde, her childhood friend, as a woman of the world who has experience in the matters of independence. Whenever Torvald is not around Nora, we can see Nora's efforts to break free. Nora shows her strength in the fact that she saved her husband's life. In revealing her secret to Mrs. Linde she attempts to gain independence. When Mrs. Linde comes to visit we see Nora ready to crack wide open with a confession. In explaining her lifes' hardships, Mrs. Linde says, You know so little of life's burdens yourself. (1570) Nora's answer is of strength, I-? I know so little. (1571) You can hear the sarcasm in Nora's words. Mrs. Linde continues on to say, You're just a child. (1571) In response Nora answers, You don't have to act so superior. (1571) This show of strength is typical of Nora as long as Torvald is not around to hear it. After being fully under the control of Torvald, Nora is

Critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Critical thinking - Essay Example The problem, is that the law seems to have been misused by some Floridians like George Zimmerman against Trayvon Martin. According to David Simmons, co-author of the state bill in his opinion article titled â€Å"Without Stand Your Ground, Attacker can Have Advantage†, the Castle Doctrine was revised to become the â€Å"Stand Your Ground Law† in order to prevent such incidents from happening. Under the doctrine, the victim, who, if carrying a gun, was first expected to flee the scene and try to de-escalate the situation before opening fire. The problem with that scenario, is that the victim more often than not does not have a chance to run away from the attacker. Hence the need to revise the law. I fully understand and support the â€Å"Stand Your Ground Law† because I have to live every day of my life in a world where I never know who is going to attack me. One can never be too sure as to when a situation might call for a â€Å"Stand Your Ground† response. It is always nice to know that I can defend myself whenever necessary without having to open myself to an all out attack in the first place. Sen. Simmons had his heart in the right place when he agreed to co-author this bill together with Rep. Dennis Baxley in 2005. I am quite sure that the law has saved many innocent lives since it was enacted into law in 2006. Even the safety measures to ensure that the law would not be used to turn Florida into a Wild West state were truly logical. That is why it saddens me that there are people who oppose the law simply because it has become tainted with racial discrimination accusations. The Trayvon Martin case has placed the â€Å"Stand Your Ground† law in the national spotlight because the person who was shot happened to be a young African American and the shooter, was a White male. The law is not as simple as â€Å"shoot first, ask questions

Teenage Abortion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Teenage Abortion - Research Paper Example In olden days, ancient people used natural abortion practices when cases involving health complications and emotional immaturity to save a mother’s life (Soranau’s Gynecology) (Bull.  Acad.  Natl.  Med.  171  (8):1027–32). In 21st century, with the increasing urbanization and industrialization, the number of girls, who visit the clinic for abortion, is extremely high. According to the National Abortion Organization, nearly one million teenagers become pregnant each year and 78 percent of these teenage pregnancies are unintended. A practice, which is used to save a mother’s life on olden days, is now became big concern as teenagers started thronging into the clinics because of unwanted pregnancies. There are several reasons behind girls choosing abortion. It is the responsibility of all educated to empower teenage girls to stay away from the activities that helps unwanted pregnancies. As teenagers who are carrying an unwanted pregnancy are visitin g clinics without any parental notification for abortion, empowering teenagers regarding the implications of unwanted pregnancy will prevent teenage abortions. Teen Abortion has always been most controversial subject in nature. I feel, this is attributable to the well known fact that majority of the people have got different set of beliefs that are inherited from the religion and society. Some people say teenage abortion is wrong but some enunciate it is right under some circumstances. As per the statistics of National Abortion Federation, 80 out of 100 Americans have sex before 20 years of age. The average age of a girl, who loses her virginity is around 17 years. This is the main reason behind the teen abortions in America. There are a very few cases where girls under 15 years of age become pregnant due to forceful sex and they will not have any option but to choose abortion. Teen abortion was legal in all states before 1991. The law in a

Architectural History, Theory & Criticism Essay

Architectural History, Theory & Criticism - Essay Example In all the dialogue, we need to distinguish the terms and notions of postmodernism. Even so, according to Jencks (2010), Postmodernism is deepening of modernism. It is a combination of modernism and other things, a slide away from its parent rather than an act of parricide. It is considered a loyal opposition rather than a movement that is anti-modern. On the other hand, Ronald Nash refers to postmodernism as a present-day movement that rejects dogmas, allegedly taught during the age of enlightenment by thinkers, and by proponents of those ideas, who assisted in producing the movement we now know as modernism (Proctor, 2012). Post-modernism has returned as a major movement in the arts since the millennium post-modernism. This has happened with the revisiting of landmark sculptures and the explosive growth in iconic buildings, and ornaments and pattern making in architecture and the arts. Most post-modern concerns of the 1970s and the 1980s have become central to the society (Jencks, 2012). Jencks states that a typical post-modern building is one that is hybrid and one that dramatizes opposing trend mixtures, of the past, present and future to create a miniature city. Thus, it is based on numerous codes, combining modern universal technology and local culture, in a double coding that is characteristic. A typical building that is post-modern speaks at once on several levels to both high and low culture. It also recognizes the global situation where no single culture can speak for the whole world. Conferring with Vartola (2012), postmodernism concept is in three-fold. First, postmodernism is quoting Umberto Ecos the age of the lost innocence that is characterized by double-coding, ambiguity and irony and a transition to a post-industrial or late-capitalist social order in the Western culture in the late 20th century. However, its temporal borders are disputable. Next, postmodernism, is a thought orientation and acts as a headline for numerous critical

Lexical and Structural Ambiguity Examples

Lexical and Structural Ambiguity Examples Language is the most important thing in our life. People communicate with others by using language. Without language we cannot communicate with other people properly. Even deaf or dump people can communicate with others by using their special language or sign language. People talk, share their thought, feeling and emotion through language either spoken or written. In the world, there are many different languages in different countries. It is possible that there are many languages used in one country. Although have so many different languages, people use it for one reason, that is to communicate. They communicate with each other either spoken or written through sentences. Sometimes people do not get what we said to them. It is not because they do not hear it or something. However, occasionally we say a sentence which has more than one meaning. As a result, the listeners will have some different interpretations and this will make confusion for the listener. In this case, this misunderstanding is called an ambiguity. We can find ambiguous sentences everywhere, not only when people say something to us or spoken but we can also find it in written forms, like in the book, newspaper, magazine, and so on. This ambiguity can happen if there are more than one meaning which can be interpreted by the people who read or listen to the ambiguous sentences or phrases. There are three kinds of ambiguity according to Ullmann (as cited in Tambunan 202, 204); phonetic, grammatical or structural, and lexical ambiguity. Phonetic ambiguity appears in spoken only, e.g. when we say near, not all people will catch near as the meaning of close by or next to. Nevertheless, some people can misunderstand what they hear. They can possibly hear near as an ear or a near as well. Meanwhile, in his book, Pateda () said Grammatical or structural ambiguity appears because of the resemblance of phrase. Each word which forms a phrase actually should be clear, but the combination can be interpreted more than one meaning. For example in the sentence I met a number of old friends and acquaintances. The word old (past or someone who has been already old, in this case about age matter) in this sentence can be connected with friends (people who you know well but not in family members) and acquaintances which means people that you have met but do not know well. In that sentenc e, where is meant by the past, is it friends or acquaintances? In lexical ambiguity it has been explained that each word can contain more than one meaning. A word can lead to something different according to the usage. As the writer mentioned above, apparently ambiguous sentences or phrases can be shown in the written forms. Based on this research, the writer chooses the source of data from a newspaper, especially in the titles of each section which most likely contains ambiguous meaning. Because nowadays we find so many newspaper which contains ambiguous meaning in it, either in the content or the title. This is happening because in this modern era, language is changed. Trask (92) said that language has changed, and many of the old words have disappeared and been replaced by the new words. Other words have survived, but have changed either their forms or their meanings so much that we can barely recognize them. In this research the writer chooses a local Indonesian newspaper, that is Suara Merdeka. It is the largest Indonesian daily newspaper in Central Java, Indonesia which is made in Semarang, Central Java. There are some sections that are offered by this news, such as headline, business, advertisement, your letters, entertainment, and so on. In this paper, the writer will conduct a research in the news title of each section. Since the data is taken from newspaper, the writer will take some titles which most likely has ambiguous meaning in both lexically and structurally. FIELD OF THE STUDY This research is in the field of Linguistics. SCOPE OF THE STUDY In this paper the writer focuses on lexical and structural ambiguity in the title news of each section in Suara Merdeka newspaper. The data of this research are taken from all titles in each section of the newspaper which has ambiguous meaning. PROBLEM FORMULATION The research question can be formulated as follows: Which words, sentences or phrases are possibly ambiguous? What parts of speech are lexically ambiguous? Which type of ambiguity is the most dominant? OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of this paper are to answer the problem of this research which is mentioned above. They are: To find out words, sentence or phrases are possibly ambiguous. To analyze the part of speech of words that can be lexically ambiguous. To determine the most dominant type of ambiguity. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The result of this study provides the readers to improve their ability in understanding the ambiguous sentence, phrase, or word in written language. This research will contribute as the reference for the study of semantics and syntax in teaching and learning activity. Moreover for the people who are interested in lexical and structural ambiguity for their research. DEFINITION OF TERMS Ambiguity Ambiguity appears when something has more than one possible meaning and may therefore cause confusion (Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary 43). Lexical Ambiguity According to Grenat and Taher in Al satil journal (10), lexical ambiguity refers to the type of ambiguity those results from the occurrence of homonyms. Structural Ambiguity A sentence is called structurally ambiguous if there is more than one complete structural description that may be assigned to it (Tesar, par. 1). LITERARY VIEW Semantic Theories As a branch of linguistics, semantics is defined as the study of the meaning. Yule (100) says that Semantics deals with the conventional meaning conveyed by the use of words, phrases and sentences of a language. In semantics it can be seen what is meant by meaning, the kinds of meaning, anything which is connected by meaning, the components of meaning, whether meaning is changed or not, why meaning can be changed, either each word has only one meaning or more, how we comprehend the meaning of a word or sentence easily, everything can be traced through semantics (Pateda 2). Meaning There are two ways in investigating meaning of words in a sentence; conceptual and associative meaning. Conceptual meaning is the basic components of meaning carry on literal use of words. For example, the word needle has the meaning of sharp, thin, an instrument for sewing. Associative meaning is like the connotation of words. For example, the word needle has the meaning of pain, illness, drug, thread, or knitting. In this association meaning, it is possible that each person may have different interpretations (Yule 100). An idea has to be sent clearly and meaningfully, so it will not cause misunderstanding in communication. Ambiguity can cause wrong perception in peoples mind when evaluating something (Suryaslavia 7). Ambiguity According to Clare (par 4), something is called ambiguous when it can be understood in two or more possible senses or ways. A word or sentence is ambiguous when it has more than one sense. A sentence is ambiguous if it has two (or more) paraphrases which are not themselves paraphrases of each other. For example, We saw her duck is a paraphrase of We saw her lower her head and of We saw the duck belonging to her. In this case, we consider that We saw her duck is ambiguous (Hurford and Heasley 121). Ambiguity can arise in a sentence for a number of reasons; through the ascription of multiple meanings to single words, through the assignment of different syntactic structures to a sentence, or through the use of certain expression that may have semantic scope (Cann 8). Lexical Ambiguity Lexical ambiguity according to Hurford and Heasley (128) is any ambiguity resulting from the ambiguity of a word. For example in the sentence The captain corrected the list is lexically ambiguous. The word list has two possible meanings, either record (short pieces of information, such as peoples name) or lean (in a ship). Lexical ambiguity can be created from because of polysemy and homophony (OGrady 270). Polysemy Polysemy occurs where a word has two or more related meanings. Example: Bright : shining, intelligent To glare : to shine intensely, to stare angrily A deposit : minerals in the earth, money in the bank Homophony Homophony exists where a single form has two or more entirely distinct meanings. For example, the word bat has the meaning either a flying mouse-like nocturnal mammal or a piece of equipment used in cricket or baseball. In this case, it is assumed that there are two or more separate words with the same pronunciation rather than a single word with different meanings. Structural Ambiguity Structural ambiguity appears because of the resemblance of phrase. Each word which forms a phrase actually should be clear, but the combination can be interpreted more than one meaning. For example in the sentence I met a number of old friends and acquaintances. The word old (past or someone who has been already old, in this case about age matter) in this sentence can be connected with friends (people who you know well but not in family members) and acquaintances which means people that you have met but do not know well. In that sentence, where is meant by the past, is it friends or acquaintances? Structural ambiguity happens if there is a sentence which is ambiguous because its words relate each other in different ways, even though none words are ambiguous (Hufford 129 130). Language of Newspapers In his book, The Language of Newspaper; Socio Historical Perspective, Conboy (1) says that the language of newspapers has always encapsulated what would they sell to the readers and how the information which they share could best be packaged and presented to achieve the commercial end at a certain time. The market-driven rationalization of the language of the new mass newspapers affected the grammar of the reduced sentences which were increasingly identifiable as journalistic. The twentieth-century newspapers language was shaped by a wave of technologies competing with the newspaper as the prime provider of topical information about the world. In newspapers today, we are witnessing the latest linguistic accommodation to changing social and commercial pressures. Newspapers have always striven to provide an elaborated form of conversation with their audiences, to be something more than a dry account of the events of the day (Conboy 2). Previous Study In Faculty of Letters, Unika Soegijapranata there have been thre theses discussing about Ambiguity. Marsha Marieanne (2011), The Analysis of Ambiguity in Printed Consumer Goods Indonesian Advertisements investigates the classification of the ambiguous taglines in printed Indonesian consumer goods advertisements. Doncy Suryaslavia (2005), Lexical and Structural Ambiguity on Television Advertisements focuses on a classification of Indonesian television advertisements which contain lexical or structural ambiguity. Arkhid Awful (2005), Peoples Interpretstion of the Advertisement Containing Ambiguous Sentences or Phrases talks about interpretation of people concerning the ambiguous sentences or phrases in the advertisement. The difference between those three theses from the writes study is that the writer focuses on the lexical and structural ambiguity found in news titles. The writer will conduct a research on each section of the newspaper and find any titles which most likely have ambiguous meaning. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Method of Data Collection The aim of this study is to analyze the lexical and structural ambiguity in the newpaper titles. The writer conducts a reasearch from Indonesian local newspaper, that is Suara Merdeka. She takes the data from each section of the newspaper which most likely contains ambiguous meaning and she will analyze it based on the lexical and structural ambiguity. Instrument 1.2 Procedure Method of Data Analysis Reading the selected data Identifying the words, phrases, and sentences which are possibly ambiguous. Classifying them into the types of ambiguity whether lexical or structural ambiguity.

A Passage to India and Orientalism Essay -- European Literature Edward

A Passage to India and Orientalism When in 1978 Edward W. Said published his book Orientalism, it presented a turning point in post-colonial criticism. He introduced the term Orientalism, and talked about 2 of its aspects: the way the West sees the Orient and the way the West controls the Orient. Said gave three definitions of Orientalism, and it is through these definitions that I will try to demonstrate how A Passage to India by E. M. Forster is an Orientalist text. First, Said defined Orientalism as an academic discipline, which flourished in 18th and 19th century. Anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient - and this applies whether the person is an anthropologist, sociologist, historian, or philologist - either in its specific or its general aspects, is an Orientalist, and what he or she does is Orientalism. (2) Second, in Said's own words "Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between "the Orient" and (most of the time) "the Occident"" (2). And now we come to Said's third definition of Orientalism: Here I come to the third meaning of Orientalism, which is something more historically and materially defined than either of the other two. Taking the late eighteenth century as a very roughly defined starting point Orientalism can be discussed and analysed as the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient - dealing with it by making statements about it, authorising views of it, describing it, teaching it, settl... ...storehouses for grain. India is his country, and India shall one day be united as one nation and throw off the English yoke. (274) In Forster's A Passage to India we recognize certain elements that can be seen as Orientalist. According to Edward Said's definitions of Orientalism I tried to point out some of these Orientalist elements. However, there are many more examples in the novel which would also fit in the Orientalist frames set by Said. WORKS CITED Fasset, I. P. Rev. of A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster. Criterion October 9, 1924 Forster, Edward Morgan. A Passage to India. London: Penguin Books. 1979. Hartley, Leslie Poles. Rev of A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster. Spectator June 28, 1924. Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books Edition. 1979.