Chapter 23: Style: Writing Confidently

Write clear, logical sentences

Choose language that will earn you respect

Choose lively, concise phrasing

  • Choose the right sentence structures for your ideas

  • Use parallel structures for similar elements

  • Let readers know where your sentence is going

  • Keep related ideas together

  • Keep the flow of the sentence moving forward

  • Don’t let words and phrases dangle

  • Match your style to your writing situation

  • Use language that’s free of bias and stereotyping

  • Avoid exaggeration

  • Use only words you know

  • To be vivid, be specific

  • Give every word a job to do

  • Favor the active voice

  • Look for alternatives to forms of the verb to be

  • If you want to use figures of speech, invent your own

  • Pay attention to relationships among words

  • Avoid using too many -tion, -ing, and -ly endings

  • Make a habit of stating things in an affirmative way

image A person who can meet or exceed others’ expectations has reason to be confident. And the expectations that readers bring to writing go all the way down to the sentence level. Readers expect, for example, to read sentences that are grammatically complete and easy to understand. Readers also have hopes. For instance, they may hope to find something — a good idea clearly presented, an interesting turn of phrase — that will help them enjoy what they read.

In this chapter, you’ll find advice on how to express your ideas effectively at the sentence and word level. You’ll find a range of strategies for writing clearly, concisely, and vividly. As you learn about and begin to gain control over these strategies, you’ll find it easier to achieve your goals as a writer.