Students of NUML Pakistan, Mass Comm semester 1

2.  Syed Ammar Abbas
 Muhammad Bilal
 Maria Niaz
 Sumera Rajput

3.  Key #1: Put the reader first
 Write to Express not Impress
 Communication = understanding
 Use words readers can picture
 Tie in to the reader’s experience

4.  Key #2: Use simple words and short
sentences
TIPS :
 Avoid wordy prepositional phrases
 In the amount of (for)
 In order to (to)
 Due to the fact that (because)
 In the event that (if)
 During the time that (when, while)

5.  Key #3: Write with verbs and nouns
 Usethe active voice
 When it is okay to use passive voice

6.  EXAMPLE:
 The company (S) sells (V) insurance (O).
 Not: Insurance is sold by the company.
 The construction crew repaired the road.
 Not: The road was repaired by the construction company.
 Tests showed the new material did not wear well.
 Not: When tests were run, it was discovered that good wear is not
exhibited by the new material.

7.  Key #4: Format document to improve
readability
 Use lists, bullets, charts, tables, indents, italics, bolds,
headings and subheadings
 The 100-word rule
 Plan, organize, write

8.  Keep sentence length in mind while writing your essay and
try to incorporate variety. If your writing contains areas
where there are several short sentences, look to combine
some of them. If some of the sentences are too long, look
to shorten them by separating the independent clauses.
Doing this will make any writing better and easier to read

9.  Short sentences:
The easiest way to make sentences longer is by using conjunctions, the
most common of which are coordinating conjunctions. Conjunctions can be
used to connect independent clauses, dependent clauses, and/or other
phrases together. Too many short sentences can hurt an essay. It can
make the writing seem choppy.
EXAMPLE:
 Example: My grades continue to suffer. I am not studying as much as I
should. I hope to pass. I am not sure I will.
 Example revised through subordination: My grades continue to suffer
because I am not studying as much as I should. Even though I hope to
pass, I am not sure that I will.

10.  Long Sentences:
The easiest way to fix a passage containing too
many long sentences is to break some of the
sentences up to create multiple sentences.

11. 1. active vs. passive voice:
 the subject performs the action rather than having the action
performed on them
 creates energy
 usually uses fewer words
 watch your verbs!
Voice provides your writing with distinctiveness and a sense of flavor, which may--
or may not--give your audience a desire to continue reading your work. For
example, active voice gives your writing authority and a closer connection to
your audience, because you're talking directly to them. Passive voice also
allows you to talk to your audience, but in a bland, indirect way without
conviction. Therefore, for stronger, more authoritative voice in your writing,
you must know how to fix passive voice.

12.  Active VS Passive :
The active form of the aforementioned example has a SVO (Subject Verb
Object) structure: "The man" (S), "helped" (V), "the girl" (O). All active
sentences follow this pattern, except for those that exchange the object for
an adverb or a complement. Passive sentences, on the other hand, are a
little more complicated. Since the sentence is switched around, one would
assume that a passive sentence would go Object - Verb - Subject.
However, the original object becomes the subject, so this is not possible.
Instead, a new term is used to refer to the original object ("the man"), and it
is known as an agent. Therefore, the sequence for a passive sentence
becomes as follows: "The girl" (subject), "was helped" (verb), "by the man"
(agent) -".

13. 2. Pacing :
 balancing "long" and short sentences
 run-on vs. choppy
 a key - read the story aloud
 (the verbal reading may help with informality as well)

14. 3. Transitions:
 shifting to the next idea
 a new paragraph?
 connecting what's next with what came before
 (seamlessness)
 dialogue - a way of alternating quotes (from different speakers)

15. 4. Story Structures
 Inverted Pyramid the norm
 Subject heading links
 for when a story contains more than one topic
 for when the reader may want related info before continuing on
 can be placed outside or inside the story
 if outside, usually above (a preview)
 if inside, usually within the first paragraph

16.  Deadlines:
“The time by which a news report must be
submitted.”
 a key - if a follow-up, a summary lead helps the reader get up to
speed(can't assume the reader read the original story)
 After the story is written (and before when possible) be thinking about
audio, video, related stories etc.

17.  1. Conciseness in Sentences
a. Eliminate Redundant Words and Phrases
b. Eliminate Unnecessary Words
c. Focus on the "Real Subject"
d. Focus on the "Real" Verb
e. Avoid "All-Purpose" Nouns.
f. Use the Positive

18.  2. Fluency in Sentences
a. Combine Related Points
Often a string of short sentences is monotonous,
choppy, and most importantly, unclear. Though short sentences
can be used to emphasize a point, very often at the beginning or
the end of a paragraph, they ought to be used sparingly.
 Poor: Brisk walking can be a healthy. You need good shoes. You
need some guidance about how to walk properly.
 Good: Walking can be healthy, but you need good shoes and
guidance about how to walk properly.

19. b. Vary the Word Order:
 A series of sentences that begin with the subject-verb pattern can be
boring. There are two recommended ways to vary the beginning of
sentences: 1) invert the normal word order and 2) place modifiers
before the subject.
Normal Word Order: Diesel engines are most difficult to start in cold
weather.
Subject verb Inversion: Most difficult to start in cold weather are diesel
engines.
Normal Word Order: Gravity roots us to the earth, firmly and insistently.
Adverb first: Firmly and insistently, gravity roots us to the earth.

20. 3. Make Sentence Clear:
a. Avoid Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers :
A misplaced modifier obscure meaning, because the
modifier is placed too far away from the words it modifies. On occasion,
misplaced modifiers can be not only puzzling, but comical.
b. Make Pronouns Clear:
Pronouns--this, that , he, she, it, his, their, they--take the
place of nouns in sentences. For clarity, it is essential that the writer identify
the noun to which the pronoun refers. If the referent is not clear, the reader
can easily misread the passage or at least, become temporarily confused.