The mechanics of writing

Effective writing requires a sound understanding of the mechanics of good writing.

(1) The various parts of speech and how they function together

The basic element of writing is the word. The first important thing to recognize is that
there are several types of words used in written and spoken speech, each with its
defining characteristics and its specific purposes.

Nouns are naming words, those that give names to people, to things, or to places. The
following sentence shows some examples (italicized) of nouns.

 Although UNSW is located in Sydney, Australia, it is a university where you are

likely to meet students who come from many countries in the world.

Pronouns stand in place of nouns. They can be personal pronouns standing for people
(for example, he, she, you) or impersonal pronouns that stand for things (for example, it,
those). Pronouns can also be subjective case, which means they are the subject of the
sentence (for example, I want to write effectively; or You are reading about writing). They
can be objective case, or the object of the sentence (for example, This material interests
you; or I am pleased to know about it). Also, pronouns can denote possession (for
example, Your understanding pleases me; or My reading of the novel captures their
interest).

Verbs are doing words. They express action. The following sentence shows some
examples (italicized) of verbs.

 Although UNSW is in Sydney, Australia, it is a university where you are likely to

meet students who have come to study form many countries in the world. Like
many Australian universities, UNSW grew during the 1970s and 1980s. Who
knows how large UNSW will become in the next twenty years.

Articles have a definite form (that is, the) and two indefinite forms (that is, a or an). The
difference between them is that the definite article indicates one particular noun or thing
is being referred to (for example, in the sentence, “The student who enjoys the
psychology lectures”, the refers to a particular student), whereas when the indefinite
article is used, it could be any of a number of people or things (for example, A student
who enjoys the psychology lectures). An is the form of indefinite article used with a noun
that begins with a vowel (for example, an argument).

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns and adverbs describe or modify verbs or
adjectives, as the italicized words in the following sentence show.

 UNSW is an Australian (adjective) university where students willingly (adverb)

make a strong (adjective) commitment to learning and actively (adverb) engage
in particularly (adverb) coherent (adjective) programs of study.

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Prepositions are used to denote relationships between nouns and pronouns and other
parts of speech. The italicized words in the following sentences are prepositions.

 Students at UNSW are engaged in the learning of various disciplines with the
primary aim for some students being employment within a particular profession,
and for others, simply the path by which they come to decide the area of work in
which they will ultimately want to move.

Conjunctions are joining words. And is a conjunction that provides the link between two
words (for example, "The teachers and the students arrive by bus each day"). Other
conjunctions (as, although, than) are required to link two things in the same sentence
(for example, "Although learning to write effectively can take some time, it is worth the
trouble in the end"; or "As should be apparent, the issues here are straightforward"; or
"Psychology is more interesting than Mathematics"). The conjunctions that often present
problems for writers are however, nevertheless, and moreover). They must be used to
link ideas in adjacent sentences. The following sample sentences show correct and
incorrect usage of these conjunctions.

 Learning to write effectively can take some time, however, it is worth the effort,
and you might have to work hard, nevertheless, you should try.(X)
 Learning to write effectively can take some time. It is, however, worth the effort.
You might have to work hard. Nevertheless, you should try. (/)

Relative pronouns that we use often are who, whom, which and that. These relative
pronouns are often used incorrectly, so it is worth drawing attention to a few important
points about them. First, while who and whom are used to refer to people, that generally
refers to objects, animals or things (for example, "The students who come to university
are generally learning the subject that interests them most"; or "the students about
whom I was speaking, are in this class"). Second, that should be used to introduce a
clause indispensable to the meaning of a sentence (for example, "The component of this
material that is of greatest value is the section on grammar"). In contrast, which should
be used to introduce a parenthetical clause, or one that could be omitted without
changing the meaning of the sentence (for example, "These programs, which attract
many highly able students, cover diverse skills and abilities").

A phrase consists of more than one word. Phrases express a component of an idea.
The following sentence is broken into its phrases.

 The students (phrase 1) at the University of New South Wales (phrase

2=prepositional) who come (phrase 3) from overseas (phrase 4=prepositional)
contribute much (phrase 5) to the cultural life (phrase 6) at UNSW (phrase
7=prepositional).

A clause also consists of more than one word. A clause contains a verb and at least a
subject. Some clauses are dependent because they are incomplete and cannot stand on
their own as a sentence, whereas others are independent and contain a complete
thought, as in the following example.

 The students at the University of New South Wales who comes from overseas
(dependent clause 1) contribute much to the cultural life at UNSW.

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A sentence contains a verb and a subject. A sentence is a complete idea in itself. A
simple sentence can include a subject and a verb (for example, He goes.), can have an
object of the verb (for example, She rode the waves), or can be more complex and
consist of more than one clause, as in the preceding example concerning the students at
the University of New South Wales.

Punctuation

A well written piece of work must also have good punctuation. By learning to use
different forms of punctuation you will be able to communicate and express your ideas
and arguments more clearly. Below, we have listed the most frequently used forms of
punctuation and their functions.

Full Stops (.) have three distinct uses. 1. to mark the end of a sentence; 2. to indicate
abbreviated words, and 3. to punctuate numbers and dates.

Colons (:) are used to separate a clause that introduces a list, quotation or summary.

 For example, You must take the following on the trip: sweatshirt, swimmers, and
clipboard.

A colon can also be used to separate an initial sentence or clause from a second clause,
list, phrase or quotation that supports the first in a particular way.

 For example, writing an assignment is not easy: to begin with you have to do a
lot of research.

Semi-colons (;) separate two complete sentences that are, however, closely linked. The
semi-colon can be replaced by a full-stop, but the direct link between the two parts is
lost.

 For example, To err is human; to forgive, divine.

Do not go near the lions; they could bite you.

Commas (,) have a vital role to play in longer sentences. They separate information into
readable units. Skilful use of commas can ensure the correct reading of a sentence,
especially one that starts with a long introductory element.

 For example, Although the ironic theory of mental control can explain the
increase in unwanted thoughts that occurs when the suppression of those
thoughts is attempted, it is unable to explain why this occurs for some types of
thoughts and not others.

Sets of commas also serve to separate items in a list.

 For example, clinical psychologists assess and treat a wide range of

psychological disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating
disorders, and schizophrenia.

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Question marks (?) are used at the end of a sentence that is a question.

 For example, What are some of the causes of depression?

Apostrophes (‘) have two uses. 1. One is to show that something has been left out.

 For example, when we use the words or phrases, Don’t, It’ll, She’ll

2. The second is to indicate ownership or possession.

 For example, The boys’ locker room.

The dog’s tail

Hyphens (-) link two or more words that would not normally be placed together, in order
that they work as one idea.

 For example, There are several dieting-related disorders.

Dashes (--) are like brackets; they enclose extra information.

 For example, There are three major types of eating disorders –anorexia nervosa,
bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder –and the diagnostic criteria can be
seen in DSM-IV.

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Correct these sentences

1 Body dissatisfaction is associated with reduced feelings of intimacy with others,

yet the association between body dissatisfaction and teasing has never been
empirically investigated.

2 Smith (2003) suggested that actual attractiveness plays a role in males' and
females' perceived attractiveness, however they demonstrated that the
relationship between actual and perceived attractiveness is affected by other
factors.

3 Researchers are often interested in the affect of one variable on another.

4 Research has demonstrated an association among the variables, intelligence,

gender, and attractiveness; with some data demonstrating that gender and
attractiveness predict perceptions of intelligence.

5 Youth suicide rates in Australia, have recently begun to decline.

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Answers:

1.Body dissatisfaction is associated with reduced feelings of intimacy with others. Yet,
the association between body dissatisfaction and teasing has never been empirically
investigated.

2.Smith (2003) suggested that actual attractiveness plays a role in males' and females'
perceived attractiveness. However, they demonstrated that the relationship between
actual and perceived attractiveness is affected by other factors.

OR

Smith (2003) have also suggested that actual attractiveness plays a role in males' and
females' perceived attractiveness. They demonstrated, however, that the relationship
between actual and perceived attractiveness is affected by other factors.

3.Researchers are often interested in the effect of one variable on another

4.Research has demonstrated an association among the variables, intelligence, gender,

and attractiveness, with some data demonstrating, for example, that gender and
attractiveness predict perceptions of intelligence.

5.Youth suicide rates in Australia have recently begun to decline.