Mechanics of Writing

Mechanics of Writing

Capitalization Transitions Spelling Rules Hyphenation Transcribing Numbers Abbreviations Paragraphs Prefixes and Suffixes Word Division Punctuation

Capitalization

The function of capitalization is to emphasize words or to show their importance.

When to use capitals…..

The first word Letter Part Noun plus Number Position Title Proper Noun Quotation Title

Compound word

Compound word is a combination of two or more words that expresses a single idea and serves the purpose of a single part of speech.

Transitions

Use of Transitions in written work

Use of Transitions in Oral Presentation

Transition

‘Is a word or a phrase that serves as a special connective between two things.’

By using this the writer presents the idea clearly and effectively.

Helps the reader to go through the material smoothly from one idea to another idea.

Uses of Transitions

Within a sentence : The entire staff worked overtime; nevertheless, we were unable to process all the black orders.

This passage is full of redundancy; therefore, we decided to revise it.

Between Sentences and Paragraphs Sentence transitions and paragraph

transitions are used to give more emphasis on organization.

Ex: First, Finally, then.

Spelling Rules

Features of Spellings in English Language 1. Chaotic character of its spellings and the

frequently lack of correlation between spelling and pronunciation.

2. Complicated in nature as many letters are used to pronounce same words.

3. Large number of words in English in which certain letters are silent.

Hyphenation

Are used primarily to aid the reader

and to avoid ambiguity.

Abbreviations Abbreviations are short form of words or

phrases. They are commonly used in business communication and technical writing.

Points to be noted: 1. The abbreviations are capitalized only

when the terms they are used for, and also capitalized.

2. The period is omitted from many of them.

Dos and Don’ts 1.Abbreviate certain words and titles when

they precede or immediately follow a proper name. Ex. Dr. Roy, Mrs. Rai, Ph.D

2.In general, do not abbreviate military and religious titles.

3.Abbreviate time designations only when they are used with actual times.

4.Use the abbreviated form ‘No.’ for the word ‘number’ only when the actual number is given. After the abbreviation ‘No.’

5.In acronyms, do not leave space between the letters and do not use periods after letters. Ex. UNO, WHO, PIMSR

6. Use technical abbreviation for both singular and plural terms. Ex: Cu ft, hrs

7.Use small letters except for letters standing for proper nouns or proper adjectives. Ex: mps, cm

8. In compound abbreviations, use internal spacing only if the first word is represented by more than its first letters.

Transcribing Numbers

An idea, a symbol or a word indicating a quantity of units.

Numbers can be spelled, written as figures or written in a combination of a figure and a part of a word.

Numeral : a symbol representing a number. Arabic Numerals/Roman Numerals

General Suggestions Spell out a number at the beginning of a sentence Prefer Arabic numerals Except in legal documents, avoid repeating in

numerals, a number which has been spelled out. Spell out single digit numbers of less than 10 within

a sentence. Numbers of less than 10 preceding a compound

modifier containing a figure.

Ex: fifteen 6-inch guns

Large numbers and indefinite expressions. Ex: Early eighties, Nine thousand students

Spell out ordinal numbers less than tenth. Spell out the age given in years unless it is a

significant statistics:

Ex: Sita was fifteen when she came here.

Company requires executives to retire at 65.

Use figures to express: Percentages * Degrees Age * Market Quotations Dates * Mathematical Expressions Anniversaries * Measurements Centuries and Decades * Money Period of time * Proportion Time * Large Numbers Decimals Degrees

Hyphenation Hyphens are used primarily to aid the reader

and to avoid ambiguity. Compound consists of two or more separate

words and/or phrases that are used as a single word.

Two categories: 1.Compound words with hyphens 2.Compound words without hyphens

PUNCTUATION

Guide to the reader in the natural pauses in writing.

Punctuating your sentence need only involve: colon, semicolon, full stop, question mark dash, apostrophe, comma, quotation marks, brackets.

Colon (:) is most often used to introduce a quotation or a list.

Full Stop (.) Use full stops more than you expect to. When in doubt, your instinct should always plump for a full stop.

Question mark (?) Use a question mark every time there is a genuine direct question.

Dashes (-) Single dash to mark a break in the sentence, a pair of dashes in the place of brackets.

Semicolon(;) Represents a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a full stop. It is used in clauses when the second clause expands or explains the first.

It is also used before clauses , which begin with “nevertheless”, “therefore”, “even so”, and “for instance”. Ex: He looked before he leaped; even so he landed in the water.

It is used to mark off a series of phrases or clauses which themselves contain commas.

Apostrophes (‘) If something belongs to someone you write someone’s.

Apostrophes are also shown where letters are missed out – can’t , won’t.

Comma (,) like buses. They are needed are not optional.

Quotation marks (“) Unless the length of the quotation is more than three lines of your text, in which case it is indented and no quotation marks are necessary.

Brackets ( ) – Parenthesis – The use of brackets should be kept minimum.

Brackets are always used in pairs. They are used to indicate a supplementary remark, or a qualification of some sort. Grammatically they work like commas, but the remarks inside the brackets tend to be less important than those inside commas.

Square brackets : are used to indicate your changes or your own comments on somebody else’s writing.

Paragraph

A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing or dealing with a particular point or idea.

A paragraph can be as short as one word or run the length of multiple pages, and may consist of one or many sentences.

Classification of a paragraph Descriptive paragraph Narrative paragraph Explanatory paragraph Evaluation paragraph Introductory paragraph Persuasive paragraph Compare and contrast paragraph Sequence paragraph Choice paragraph Final paragraph

Structure

Topic sentence Supporting sentences Transitional sentences Concluding sentences

5-STEP PROCESS

1.Controlling idea and topic sentence 2.Explanation of controlling idea 3.Example 4.Explanation (of example) 5.Completion of paragraph’s idea or transition

into next paragraph

Writing skills Micro Skills Use the orthography correctly, including the

script, and punctuation conventions. Use the correct forms of words. This may

mean using forms that express the right tense, or case or gender.

Put words together in correct word order. Use vocabulary correctly. Use the style appropriate to the genre and

audience.

Make the main sentence constituents, such as subject, verb, and object, clear to the reader.

Make the main ideas distinct from supporting ideas or information.

Make the text coherent, so that other people can follow the development of the ideas.

Judge how much background knowledge the audience has on the subject and make clear what it is assumed they don’t know.