Motivated Grammar | Prescriptivism Must Die! Resources. We talk about a lot of books and sites on this blog. I’ve collected here the resources I use most often or talk about on The Writing Resource. Dictionaries Thesauri Help support this blog! Usage Guides Style Guides Many style guides also have online versions, which may require a paid membership to use. Grammar Help Guide to Grammar & Style Writing Advice Books I’ve Reviewed This list is a work in progress. Stress. Suprasegmentals: The term suprasegmental refers to those properties of an utterance which aren't properties of any single segment. The following are usually considered suprasegmental properties: stress tone intonation length organization of segments into syllables What we've seen so far: primary stress in marked with a raised vertical line secondary (or medium) stress is marked with lowered vertical line Both marks come at the beginning of the stress syllable -- they apply to the entire syllable, not to any single segment.
What does it mean for a syllable to be stressed? Prominence It would have been logically possible for every syllable to have exactly the same loudness, pitch, and so on. (Some early attempts at speech synthesizers sounded like this.) A syllable might be more prominent by differing from the surrounding syllables in terms of: loudness pitch length NB: Prominence is relative to the surrounding syllables, not absolute. Why? Boundary marking Additional contrasts Pitch. DigiAcademy-Fixing illiteracy via eCROP's digital palette solutions. Mechanics. These OWL resources will help you with sentence level organization and style. This area includes resources on writing issues, such as active and passive voice, parallel sentence structure, parts of speech, and transitions. Exercises relating to spelling can be found here. Exercises relating to numbering can be found here. Exercises relating to sentence structure can be found here.
Exercises relating to sentence style can be found here. Higher, Lower Order Concerns This handout discusses the common Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs) in writing. Sentence Clarity If you're having sentence clarity problems in your papers, this handout might be just what you need. Parts of Speech Overview This handout defines the basic parts of speech and provides examples of their uses in sentences. Sentence Clarity Presentation Sentence Fragments This handout provides an overview and examples of sentence fragments. Transitions and Transitional Devices Dangling Modifiers Parallel Structure.
Exercise in Writing Concise Sentences. Writing in the Disciplines: Philosophy - Guidelines for Writing a Strong Philosophy Paper. Guidelines for Writing a Strong Philosophy Paper (printable version here) Forming a Clear Thesis A Philosophy paper makes a clear, concise, simple statement that you must defend. This statement, also known as a thesis, poses the writer's central argument. If you state that "X is Y," you must also explain why you believe "X is Y" (See tips on effective language.) "Socrates believes X; however, from the following discussion I... " It is perfectly acceptable to state one's opinion--a good thesis is one that takes advantage of the author's interests and beliefs--but that opinion should be reinforced with strong textual support. Articulating a Precise Argument After your introduction, it is usually a good idea to define a lot of the terms you will be using in your paper.
Summarizing is not substantial! Be sure to address all points brought up in an argument, unless you are directed to respond to a limited range of issues. Incorporating Citations Be sure to cite sources correctly. Works cited. Style. What this handout is about This handout will help you recognize potential problems in your writing style and learn to correct them. What do we mean by style? Have you ever wondered what your instructors mean when they write “wordy” or “passive voice” or “awk” in the margins of your paper? Do you sometimes sense that your sentences could be stronger, clearer, shorter, or more effective?
Do you often feel that you know what you mean but do not know how to say it? If you sometimes get feedback from your instructors that you need to “tighten your prose” or “look at your word choice,” you may need to work on your writing style—the way you put together a sentence or group of sentences. Part of the problem with style is that it’s subjective. Say what you mean First, remember that your goal in academic writing is not to sound intelligent, but to get your intelligent point across. Say it in the appropriate tone How to improve Wordiness Verb trouble Problem: Passive voice. Ostentatious erudition.