Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Book Blast from the Past...
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Favorite Literary & Writing Quote #17
—Winston Churchill
Better Books through Collaboration--Notes on the P...
Friday, August 26, 2011
Favorite Literary & Writing Quote #16
—Matthew Arnold
Friday, August 12, 2011
My New, Old Website
Check it out using the links below:
Participle Phrases: The Sort-of Good and the Really Bad and Ugly
A participle phrase is a type of modifier associated with a noun or pronoun. The phrase consists of a participle, typically an "-ing" word, and any accompanying words needed for sense and clarity. Below are sample sentences containing "-ing" participle phrases (underlined), with explanations of why, at best, they are only sort-of good and can turn bad and ugly if the writer is not careful.
Sort-of Good
Standing at the window, he contemplated the view.
This is a grammatically correct sentence and, on occasion, such a construction is useful. In particular, it can sometimes be the briefest way to portray two actions that occur simultaneously. Contemporary stylists advise against overuse because the participle form is a less direct way of expressing action than are the simple past and present tenses. In fiction, especially, overuse of the participle phrase can have the effect of distancing the reader from the action, and a distanced reader will soon lose interest in the story and characters. A subject-verb-verb construction is often the best choice: He stood at the window and contemplated the view.
Really Bad and Ugly
Apart from possibly distancing your reader, unrestrained use of participle phrases can lead you astray into false simultaneity: Standing at the window, he contemplated the view and went out for a breath of fresh air. He can stand and contemplate simultaneously, but he cannot both stand and go outside at the same time. To take another example: Rising from the sofa, she left the room. These two actions can only occur sequentially, unless the sofa is wedged in the doorway. There are numerous possible corrections, such as: She rose from the sofa, said her good-byes, and left the room.
Overuse of participle phrases also courts the dreaded dangling participle, which dangles because it has lost what it is supposed to modify: Standing at the window, the view made him feel contemplative. Though we know what this means, it is wrong because he, and not the view, is standing at the window.
And finally, a really ugly dangler: Driving along the highway, a sign pointed north. But even this can be cleaned up and made more attractive: Driving along the highway, he saw a sign that pointed north. Or: As John drove along the highway, he saw a sign pointing north.
Now, how about going through your manuscript and making over your own less-than-attractive participle phrases?
For more articles on writing, go to: http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/update.html
Sort-of Good
Standing at the window, he contemplated the view.
This is a grammatically correct sentence and, on occasion, such a construction is useful. In particular, it can sometimes be the briefest way to portray two actions that occur simultaneously. Contemporary stylists advise against overuse because the participle form is a less direct way of expressing action than are the simple past and present tenses. In fiction, especially, overuse of the participle phrase can have the effect of distancing the reader from the action, and a distanced reader will soon lose interest in the story and characters. A subject-verb-verb construction is often the best choice: He stood at the window and contemplated the view.
Really Bad and Ugly
Apart from possibly distancing your reader, unrestrained use of participle phrases can lead you astray into false simultaneity: Standing at the window, he contemplated the view and went out for a breath of fresh air. He can stand and contemplate simultaneously, but he cannot both stand and go outside at the same time. To take another example: Rising from the sofa, she left the room. These two actions can only occur sequentially, unless the sofa is wedged in the doorway. There are numerous possible corrections, such as: She rose from the sofa, said her good-byes, and left the room.
Overuse of participle phrases also courts the dreaded dangling participle, which dangles because it has lost what it is supposed to modify: Standing at the window, the view made him feel contemplative. Though we know what this means, it is wrong because he, and not the view, is standing at the window.
And finally, a really ugly dangler: Driving along the highway, a sign pointed north. But even this can be cleaned up and made more attractive: Driving along the highway, he saw a sign that pointed north. Or: As John drove along the highway, he saw a sign pointing north.
Now, how about going through your manuscript and making over your own less-than-attractive participle phrases?
For more articles on writing, go to: http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/update.html
Friday, August 5, 2011
Stronger, Cleaner Writing
On the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website, an article by C. J. Cherryh (1995) offers timeless tips for avoiding the pitfalls that weaken your writing and detract from your story. Check out "Writerisms and Other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing"
My own article "Good Manuscript Housekeeping" is in the same spirit and offers "tips for immaculate prose" to help you tidy up your writing for greater impact. People now stage their houses to boost their appeal to buyers. No less effort should go into "staging" your manuscript to maximize your chances of selling it to a publisher. Take a look at the article or watch the video version:
My own article "Good Manuscript Housekeeping" is in the same spirit and offers "tips for immaculate prose" to help you tidy up your writing for greater impact. People now stage their houses to boost their appeal to buyers. No less effort should go into "staging" your manuscript to maximize your chances of selling it to a publisher. Take a look at the article or watch the video version:
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