Grammar and Clarity: Abstract Subjects
2022-08-12
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1Imagine you are giving a presentation or writing a letter.
2You have done your research and organized your main points.
3You have checked your grammar and vocabulary to make sure everything is correct.
4But something is missing. A final step that is just as important - if not more important. What is it?
5A check for clarity.
6Clarity - the quality of being easily understood - will be the subject of today's report.
7You will learn about the difference between clarity and grammar.
8You will also learn one of the best ways to check your presentation or writing for clarity.
9Clarity and grammar and two closely related issues.
10We can explore the difference between them by making a comparison to metalworking.
11Imagine you are a skilled metalworker who is making a high-quality tool such as a chef's knife.
12First, you collect raw materials for the tool.
13Then, you follow the exact order of actions to put them in high and cool temperatures, and so on, to make a knife.
14Vocabulary is like the raw materials - such as iron, steel, or other metal mixtures -- that go into making the tool.
15Grammar - putting words together in certain ways - is like putting raw materials together in an exact order to make a knife.
16Still, to make a high-quality knife, you need polishing and sharpening to make it look beautiful and cut smoothly.
17In presentation and writing, that is clarity!
18Remember that statements can be grammatically correct but unclear.
19And statements that are somewhat clear can become very clear.
20You can check for clarity in different ways. Start by double-checking sentences that begin with an abstract subject.
21Abstract subjects do not easily answer the following question: Who is doing something?
22Consider this example, which comes from Nora Bacon's The Well-Crafted Sentence.
23The phenomenon of "boomerang children," young adults who return to live with their parents after graduating from college, is an occurrence faced by many families today.
24The sentence is grammatically correct but could be clearer. Why?
25The subject is "the phenomenon," as in "the phenomenon of boomerang children."
26This sentence does not have a clear actor - a person or thing that is doing something.
27Bacon says this sentence is better:
28Many families face the phenomenon of "boomerang children," young adults who return to live with their parents after graduating from college.
29The subject of this sentence is "many families."
30The action is "face" - meaning to deal with something in a direct way.
31Let's take some time to work with this idea. Imagine you see or hear the following sentence:
32With the growing use of Slack in business situations, the pros and cons of the technology should be considered by the conference's speakers.
33How would you change this sentence into something that is polished and clear?
34Can you identify the subject of the sentence? Do you think a different word or expression would work better in the subject position?
35At first, you might find it difficult to look back on your work and check for clarity.
36You might need to make many changes. But that is exactly what expert writers and speakers do.
37They almost never present or publish something without careful checking!
38Remember: language is a kind of skill. Skills take time and hard work to develop.
39But with patience and practice, you, too, can become an expert.
40I'm John Russell.
1Imagine you are giving a presentation or writing a letter. You have done your research and organized your main points. You have checked your grammar and vocabulary to make sure everything is correct. 2But something is missing. A final step that is just as important - if not more important. What is it? 3A check for clarity. 4Clarity - the quality of being easily understood - will be the subject of today's report. 5You will learn about the difference between clarity and grammar. You will also learn one of the best ways to check your presentation or writing for clarity. 6Difference between clarity and grammar 7Clarity and grammar and two closely related issues. We can explore the difference between them by making a comparison to metalworking. 8Imagine you are a skilled metalworker who is making a high-quality tool such as a chef's knife. First, you collect raw materials for the tool. Then, you follow the exact order of actions to put them in high and cool temperatures, and so on, to make a knife. 9Vocabulary is like the raw materials - such as iron, steel, or other metal mixtures -- that go into making the tool. 10Grammar - putting words together in certain ways - is like putting raw materials together in an exact order to make a knife. 11Still, to make a high-quality knife, you need polishing and sharpening to make it look beautiful and cut smoothly. In presentation and writing, that is clarity! 12What can you do? 13Remember that statements can be grammatically correct but unclear. And statements that are somewhat clear can become very clear. 14You can check for clarity in different ways. Start by double-checking sentences that begin with an abstract subject. Abstract subjects do not easily answer the following question: Who is doing something? 15Consider this example, which comes from Nora Bacon's The Well-Crafted Sentence. 16The phenomenon of "boomerang children," young adults who return to live with their parents after graduating from college, is an occurrence faced by many families today. 17The sentence is grammatically correct but could be clearer. Why? The subject is "the phenomenon," as in "the phenomenon of boomerang children." 18This sentence does not have a clear actor - a person or thing that is doing something. 19Bacon says this sentence is better: 20Many families face the phenomenon of "boomerang children," young adults who return to live with their parents after graduating from college. 21The subject of this sentence is "many families." The action is "face" - meaning to deal with something in a direct way. 22Practice 23Let's take some time to work with this idea. Imagine you see or hear the following sentence: 24With the growing use of Slack in business situations, the pros and cons of the technology should be considered by the conference's speakers. 25How would you change this sentence into something that is polished and clear? 26Can you identify the subject of the sentence? Do you think a different word or expression would work better in the subject position? 27Closing thoughts 28At first, you might find it difficult to look back on your work and check for clarity. You might need to make many changes. But that is exactly what expert writers and speakers do. They almost never present or publish something without careful checking! 29Remember: language is a kind of skill. Skills take time and hard work to develop. But with patience and practice, you, too, can become an expert. 30I'm John Russell. 31John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 32________________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34chef - n. a professional cook who usually is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant 35polish - v. to make (something) smooth and shiny by rubbing it 36abstract - adj. relating to or involving general ideas or qualities rather than specific people, objects, or actions 37phenomenon - n. as an interesting fact or event) that can be observed and studied and that typically is unusual or difficult to understand or explain fully 38boomerang - n. : a curved, flat, wooden tool that can be thrown in such a way that it returns to the thrower 39occurrence -- n. something that happens 40pros and cons expression - reasons to do something (pros) and reasons to not do something (cons); an argument for something (pros) and an argument against something (cons) 41________________________________________________________________________ 42What do you think of the difference between grammar and clarity? 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