TOPIC 1 Basic to Writing

8/13/2019 TOPIC 1 Basic to Writing

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TOPIC 1: BASIC to WRITING

Sub topic 1: COMMONLY CONFUSED PAIRS

accept, except I accept this award. No one except Ryan may talk right now.

affect, effect The effect (noun) of the sun's rays can be harmful. Turning in that paper late willaffect ( erb) your grade. !effect" a result# affect" a change$

a lot, allot %& lot% is two words meaning many# %allot% means to disperse. (a oid using %a lot%)

bring, take ring me my slippers then take the trash to the curb please. ring come towardsyou Take go away from you.

co l! "a#e, not co l! of should ha e not should of# would ha e not would of

fe$er, le%% There are fewer students in *orensics this year so our meetings will take less time.+se %fewer% when referring to plural things# use %less% when referring to singularthings.

goo!, $ell I will do well today now that I know you ate a good breakfast. %,ood% is an ad-ecti e#%well% is almost always an ad erb.

it&%, it% Its fur is brown and it's in need of washing. %Its% is a possessi e pronoun. %It's% is acontraction for %it is.%

kne$, ne$ I knew you would ruin your new shoes. /New is state of age# /knew is past tense of/to know.

kno$, no No I don't know the capitol of Rhode Island. %No% is a negati e response. %To know%is to be aware of something.

lea!, le! 0ead on 1yle or do you prefer being led2 %0ead% is present tense# %led% is pasttense.

loo%e, lo%e If you keep your hold on that leash so loose you will lose the leash and the dog will

run away. %0oose% is not tight. %0ose% is to ha e something disappear.pa%t, pa%%e! In the past people with manners would ha e asked for the potatoes to be passed

instead of reaching o er someone to get them. %3ast% is a time before now. %3assed%is past tense of %to pass.%

' iet, ' ite, ' it e 4uiet or you will ha e to 4uit practicing in our garage. 5ur neighbors are 4uitebeside themsel es because of the noise. %6uiet% is softer olume. %6uit% is to endsomething. %6uite% is a modifier.

t"an, t"en If I knew then what I know now I would ha e chosen this rather than that. %Than% isused to make a comparison. %Then% is a time transition or ad erb.

t"eir, t"ere, t"e(&re If they're going to play o er there with their toys then they are going to need to becareful. %They're% is a contraction for they are. %There% shows where. %Their% is apossessi e pronoun.

t"re$, t"ro g" 7he threw the ball through the air. /Threw is past tense of /to throw. /Through is apreposition showing where.

to, too, t$o I too ha e had two choices to make. %Too% means also %two% is one more than oneand %to% is a preposition.

$ai%t, $a%te 8er waist was so small that we made a si9e : dress and the extra material went towaste. %;aist% is the middle of the body. %;aste% is to not use to throw unnecessarilyaway.


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$eat"er, $"et"er The weather was so bad we didn't know whether or not to go to the lake. %;eather%is rain snow and all that meteorological stuff and %whether% is a transition used toshow a choice.

$"ic", $itc" ;hich wicked witch in The Wiza ! o" Oz did ?shun*xa)ple%:

%>ou'll ne er put a better bit of butter on your knife.%(ad ertising slogan for Aountry 0ife butter)

%,ood men are gruff and grumpy cranky crabbed and cross.%(Alement *reud)

B. Anap"oraThe repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successi e clauses or erses. (Aontrastwith epipho a and epi)t ophe .)

y building toward a climax anaphora can create a strong emotional effect. &d-ecti e" a'apho ic .*t()olog(: *rom the ,reek %carrying back%Pron nciation: ah?N&*?oh?rah*xa)ple% an! Ob%er#ation%:

%I 'ee!e! a drink I 'ee!e! a lot of life insurance I 'ee!e! a acation I 'ee!e! a home in thecountry. ;hat I had was a coat a hat and a gun.%(Raymond Ahandler Fa e*e((+ M, Lo-e(, CDEF)
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%7ir ;alter Raleigh. $oo! food. $oo! cheer. $oo! times.%(slogan of the 7ir ;alter Raleigh Inn Restaurant Garyland)

%I !o'.t (i/e you sucking around bothering our citi9ens 0ebowski. I !o'.t (i/e your -erk?offname. I !o'.t (i/e your -erk?off face. I !o'.t (i/e your -erk?off beha ior and I !o'.t (i/e you -erk?off.%

H. Antit"e%i%

The -uxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.*t()olog(: *rom the ,reek %opposition%Pron nciation: an?TIT8?uh?sis*xa)ple% an! Ob%er#ation%:

%0o e is an ideal thing marriage a real thing.% (,oethe) %= erybody doesn't like something but nobody doesn't like 7ara 0ee.%

(ad ertising slogan) %Tonight you oted for action not politics as usual. >ou elected us to focus on your -obs not

ours.%(3resident arack 5bama election night ictory speech No ember BFCB)

%>ou're easy on the eyes8ard on the heart.%

(Terri Alark)

E. Apo%trop"ereaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing some abstract 4uality an inanimate

ob-ect or a nonexistent character.- A figure of speech in which some absent or nonexistent person or thing is addressed as

if present and capable of understanding.*t()olog(: *rom the ,reek %turning away%Pron nciation: ah?357?tro?fee*xa)ple% an! Ob%er#ation%:

%Twinkle twinkle little star8ow I wonder what you are.

+p abo e the world so high0ike a diamond in the sky.%(Jane Taylor %The 7tar % CKF:)

% lue Goon you saw me standing alone;ithout a dream in my heart;ithout a lo e of my own.%(0oren9 8art % lue Goon%)

L. A%%onanceIdentity or similarity in sound between internal owels in neighboring words.

*t()olog(: *rom the 0atin %sound%Pron nciation: &77?a?nins*xa)ple%:

%If I bleat when I speak it's because I -ust got . . . fleeced.%(&l 7wearengen in Dea!*oo! BFFE)

%It beats . . . as it sweeps . . . as it cleans@%(ad ertising slogan for 8oo er acuum cleaners CDLFs)
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:. C"ia%) % & erbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with theparts re ersed.*t()olog(: *rom the ,reek %mark with the letter 0 .%Pron nciation: ki?&M?mus*xa)ple% an! Ob%er#ation%:

%>ou forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.%(Aormac GcAarthy The Roa! BFF:)

%I flee who chases me and chase who flees me.% (5 id) %


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C. erbal irony is a trope in which the intended meaning of a statement differs from the meaning thatthe words appear to express.

B. 7ituational irony in ol es an incongruity between what is expected or intended and what actuallyoccurs.

H.


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*xa)ple% an! Ob%er#ation%: %Chu&+ chu&+ chu&3 Pu""+ pu""+ pu""3 Di'&4!o'&+ !i'&4!o'&3 The little train rumbled o er the

tracks.%(%;atty 3iper% !&rnold Gunk$ The Litt(e E'&i'e That Cou(! )

%5 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii''&6 &n alarm clock clanged in the dark and silent room.%(Richard ;right Nati-e So' CDEF)

CE. Ox()oron & figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.*t()olog(: *rom the ,reek %sharp?dull%Pron nciation: ox?see?G5R?on*xa)ple%

%The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.%(attributed to ;.A. *ields)

%& yawn may be defined as a silent yell.%(,.1. Ahesterton $eo &e 5e 'a ! Sha* CDFD)

%;e ha e to belie e in free will. ;e ha e no choice.%(Isaac ashe is 7inger 4uoted by ;illard R. =spy in The $a !e' o" E(o7ue'ce CDKH)

CL. Para!ox & statement that appears to contradict itself.

C:. Per%onification & figure of speech in which an inanimate ob-ect or abstraction is endowed with human 4ualities orabilities.

C . P n & play on words sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar senseor sound of different words.*xa)ple%:

%Time flies like an arrow. *ruit flies like a banana.%(,roucho Garx)

" hen it rains! it pours."(slogan of orton #alt since $%$$)

CK.Si)ile & stated comparison (usually formed with %like% or %as%) between two fundamentally dissimilar thingsthat ha e certain 4ualities in common.*t()olog(: *rom 0atin %likeness% or %comparison%Pron nciation: 7IG?i?lee*xa)ple%:

%;hen he lifted me up in his arms I felt I had left all my troubles on the floor beneath me (i/e

&i&a'tic co'c ete )hoe) .%(&nne Tyler Ea th(, Po))e))io') . Random 8ouse CD )

%7he dealt with moral problems a) a c(ea-e !ea() *ith 2eat .%(James Joyce %The oarding 8ouse%)

%,ood coffee is like friendship" rich and warm and strong.%(slogan of 3an?&merican Aoffee ureau)
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CD.S(nec!oc"e & figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole (for example A5C) for a(phabet ) or thewhole for a part (% E'&(a'! won the ;orld Aup in CD::%).

Etymology:

&rom the 'reek! "shared understanding"Pronunciation: si- *-di-keyExamples:

All hands on deck. General Motors announced cutbacks. "Take thy face hence."

(William Shakespeare, Macbeth )

BF. /n!er%tate)ent & figure of speech in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important orserious than it is.

7ub Topic H" Writing i% Re$riting

The best writers ha e learned what 8emingway knew" ;riting is rewriting. It's where the story truly takesshape where the writer marshals -ust the right words a fitting image a phrase turned -ust so. = erythingbeforehand is a warm?up.

The best writers don't spit out a draft and fly home. They stay a while and polish the rough diamond.

= en on a tedious story they'll do one thing that's uni4uely theirs e en if it's a simple as a well?chosen erb.

That means they search their draft with a critical eye for the nuggets of meaning and power using the draft'sstrengths to form a finished story that readers will want to read that's clear simple focused and

understandable.

They ask themsel es" ;hat works2 ;hat needs work2 ;hat's there2 ;hat's missing2

8ow much re ision a story needs depends largely on the 4uality of work that went into the front end.

Remember the parts of the classic writing process and their effect on the draft"

I!ea

;as it well thought out or did you chase after the first concept that entered your mind2


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8a e I put it as concisely as possible2

8a e I put things as simply as possible2

;hat to double?check

5nce those concerns are addressed it's time to turn to the finer points. &mong the things to double?check"

Wor! c"oice

Rely on nouns and erbs not modifiers# make sure erbs are acti e# a oid cliches and -argon# be sure youridiom is both appropriate to the story and accurately employed" This is no time to be >ogi erra unless youwant to be funny.

3oice


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The essence of re ision is to reali9e that it isn't an extra piece of work tacked onto the end of your day# it'swhere the payoff for your hard work comes where you make it sing.

The problem in newspapers is that re ising time isn't handed to you# you ha e to make it. 5n deadline andoff.

If you aren't doing so now start. >ou may find yourself opening the door to a le el of 4uality you ha en'tachie ed before.

&nd frankly you'll produce what we're in business for" better stories.

7ubtopic E " T"e Greate%t Writing Tip% t"e Worl! "a% *#er Seen

C. Writing c"eckli%tRecommended by" & i ass Northern Illinois +ni ersity

,ood ;riting has"

accurate information

interesting phrasing

appropriate word choices

clear transitions

no misplaced modifiers

parallel construction

proper se4uence of tenses

correct grammar

correct spelling and punctuation

&ssignment" ,o through an article and decide what kind of grade it should recei e on each of theabo e categories on a scale of C to CF.

B. T"e great le!e te%tRecommended by" 1athy Norton 3oughkeepsie Journal

Read the lede for an article. Now ask does this sentence make you want to read the next sentenceand the rest of the story2

&ssignment" ,o through a series of articles reading only the lede. &fter you read the lede ote as agroup on whether you are enticed to read the rest of the story. Talk about what it does (or doesn't do)that draws you into the story.

H. 2in!ing t"e foc %Recommended by" Ahip 7canlan 3oynter Institute


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= ery story is about something. The best stories ha e a focus and a point. Try asking these 4uestions"

;hat's the news2

;hat's the story2

;hat information surprised me the most2

;hat will surprise my reader or iewer2

;hat one thing does my reader need to know2

&ssignment" Read one story as a group and then see if you can answer the 4uestions abo e regardingthat article. ;hen you're done see if asking these 4uestions helped you decide if you'd change the waythe story you read was put together.

E. Acti#e lang ageRecommended by"


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&ssignment" 8ighlight the nutgraf (the sentence that pro ides an o er iew for what the story isabout) and then go through and find places where the article gets away from the main focus outlined inthis nutgraf.(If you substitute %thesis statement% for %nutgraf% this works beautifully for all papers@)

D. 4 ote alertRecommended by" Nancy ;eil &ssistant News =ditor I) or any other phrases or words you tend to use as a crutch and thenchange them to something stronger.

&ssignment" ,o through an article and highlight the weak words identified abo e and decide whether anew word or no word works better.

CE. .aking a po%iti#e o t of a negati#eRecommended by" 0aurie 8ert9el Ginneapolis 7tar Tribune

Aon ert negati es to positi es2 *igure out a way to say what is instead of what isn't. 7aying what isis usually shorter clearer and more direct. (5b iously there are times when for arious writerly reasons


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you want to break this rule.)

0ook for %not% and %wasn't% (or %isn't%) or %no% and see if it makes sense to rewrite.=xamples"%The mo ie wasn't engaging and most people didn't stay for the end.%Ahange to" %The mo ie was dull and people left early.%or%The Aity Aouncil ote was not unanimous.%

change to" %The council's ote was di ided.% &ssignment" ,o through an article and find %negati es % sentences that talk about things that aren't.7ee if they can be reworded to be positi e statements.

CL. To!!ler $it" a b tc"er knifeRecommended by" 0ex &lexander assistant features editorPA&R team leader ,reensboro News Record

Trust yourself with ad-ecti es the way you would trust a toddler with a butcher knife. &d-ecti es oftenimply sub-ecti e alue -udgments that your reporting might or might not support (and that readers willinterpret as bias in either case).

=xample" *ind ob-ecti e terms for what you're trying to con ey.


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makes these nuggets great ? strong detail great 4uote clean writing concise language etc. *ind oneof your fa orite things.

CK.Tell t"at %tor( in one $or!Recommended by" Gichelle 8iskey reporter &tlanta Journal Aonstitution

&ttach a 5N= ;5R< theme to your story ? i.e. greed monopoly trust hunger etc. ?? to keep youfocused.

&ssignment" ,o through an article and see if you can apply one word to it ? a theme as identified

abo e. Then look back o er the article and see if there are places in the story that de iate from thistheme and therefore don't belong.

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TOPIC 1 Basic to Writing