Writing: A Powerful Tool for Meaningful Communication - Research Paper

Introduction

Writing is a medium in human communication which represents language with signs and symbols; it is a tool that makes a language readable. Writing depends on many of the same structures such as vocabularies, grammar, speech, and semantics together with signs and symbols, which results in a text for the readers to read (Hinkel 103). Writing is constructed by words which form a sequence of sentences; each sentence should be understandable for the writing to be meaningful. To develop writing that can easily be comprehended by the readers, the writer has to use various grammatical constructions as well as grammatical devices effectively (Rubin et al. 67). Grammatical construction is any syntactic string of words ranging from sentence over phrasal structure up to complex lexemes such as phrasal verbs. Grammatical construction contributes to the meaning flow from one sentence to another, thus making sure the writing is clear and comprehensive for the readers to understand the information conveyed. This essay, therefore, sows how grammatical constructions are linked to clarity in writing.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Sentence Structure

Sentence construction is a very important skill for a writer to be clear in his writing and therefore be able to be understood by his readers. Short sentences are normally preferred for the information conveyed to be clear; they are more effective than long, complex sentences which may be complicated for the readers to understand. The sentences should also be simple in their structures. Simple sentence structures normally comprise of only one noun (a naming word) together with one verb or a doing word that makes the sentence short, clear, and effective. After mentioning the naming one in the first sentence, the writer can use pronouns such as 'she' 'he' 'they' or 'it' to replace the noun in the following sentences (Ottercharba 33). The use of adjectives to describe the nouns enhances sentence clarity too; adjectives normally come before the nouns in a sentence.

However, when two nouns are used to describe one noun, the writer should use a comma to set apart the two adjectives. In addition to this, tenses are also important to attain clarity in writing. Action words are expressed either in the past, present, or future tense thus showing the time the event took place (Rubin et al. 67). After introducing a verb in a sentence, the writer should use an adverb to describe the verb; adverbs usually follow the verbs in a sentence. If the sentence delivers two points, there is a likelihood of it being long and complex; in such cases, sentence fragmentation will be applicable. The sentence can be split into two fragments, each carrying a point for easy understanding.

Apart from the sentence structures, proper sentence punctuations are equally important to achieve clarity in any piece of a good writer. Punctuations help to bring the correct kind of expression intended by the writer into writings. Punctuations make it possible for the writer to deliver the right tone, voice intonations, volumes, and pauses for the reader while reading (Tseng et al. 75). Use of commas in sentences enables the reader to pause while reading the written article. Proper use of punctuation marks like question marks when asking a question, full stops at the end of sentences, exclamation marks and quotation marks appropriately will make one's writing more clear. Moreover, to be able to divide long sentences into two or fragments, the writer can use dashes or semicolon to deliver two points within a sentence.

Moreover, for writing to meet good grammatical constructions and achieve clarity, the writer should use simple grammar that readers will find familiar hence better understood. The use of complex vocabularies and fluff word should be avoided, and alternatively, the writer should use simple sentences. Besides this, the writer can employ the use of parallel constructions to link different clauses, sentences, and paragraphs hence conveying parallel ideas conveniently (Khoshima et al. 54). Examples of parallel constructions include; use of neither nor, either or, both and, not only but also and between and 'and' which serves as joining words for parallel ideas. In addition to this, parallel constructions can also be used in a series of sentences that provide a list of things where it also serves as a joining the parallel elements in the list. It is important to use proper punctuation on parallel constructions too for the intended meaning to remain clear.

Additionally, the use of active voice is preferred to the use of passive voice to improve clarity in writing. This grammatical structure on sentences prevents complexity in sentences together with controlling the occurrence of common mistakes (Hinkel 103). Moreover, the writer should also limit the use of prepositional phrases during writing. These phrases increase wordiness in a sentence and paragraphs making then unclear. Prepositional phrases are those that join a noun, pronouns, or noun phrases and make each sentence complete (Khoshima et al. 54). When the writer wants to show belonging, it is more appropriate for him to use an apostrophe rather than using prepositional phrases to convey the same meaning. The use of limited prepositional phrases and apostrophes effectively will translate into good writing that is clear and comprehensive to the readers.

Expletive constructions hinder the clarity of the sentence since they shift the emphasis in a sentence; expletives also embed one sentence to another obstructing the clarity of the sentence. For example, it would be better for the writer to use; "many employees will question the new program" compared to when the writer chooses to include expletive constructions; 'there are likely many employees who will question the new program.' Expletive constructions make the sentence too long and complex, therefore, reducing its clarity (Tseng et al. 33).

Finally, wordy phrases and wordy verbs are not good in writings; they exaggerate the sentence making it long hence losing its clarity. An example of a wordy adverb; 'Do you think Mary is aware of our presence?' this sentence has many words in the adverb making it complex compared to; 'Do you think Mary knows we are here?' The second sentence is clearer than the first one; this proves that too many words in an adverb reduce the clarity of a sentence.

Conclusion

In conclusion, grammatical construction is a significant factor in writing since it determines how clear, meaningful, and comprehensive the readers find the paper. Grammatical construction contributes to the effectiveness of any writings. They join different sentences phrases, clauses, and paragraphs, giving them meaning. They improve the writing, making it the interest and understandable to the readers hence capturing their attention and focus. All types of writers should adopt the use of grammatical structures in their writings. This is because if effectively used, grammatical structures control the clarity of writings.

Works Cited

Hinkel, Eli. "Research findings on teaching grammar for academic writing." English Teaching 68.4 (2013): 3-21.

Khoshsima, Hooshang, and Razie Tanhaei. "The Impact of Teaching Grammatical Structures on Writing Ability of Iranian Students." International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 3.6 (2014): 134-138. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.3n.6p.134

Otterbacher, Jahna. "Crowdsourcing stereotypes: Linguistic bias in metadata generated via gwap." Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 2015. doi>10.1145/2702123.2702151

Rubin, Mark, Stefania Paolini, and Richard J. Crisp. "Linguistic description moderates the evaluations of counterstereotypical people." Social Psychology (2013). https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000114

Tseng, Ming-Lang, Wei-Wen Wu, and Ching-Fan Lee. "Knowledge management strategies in linguistic preferences." Journal of Asia Pacific Business Innovation and Technology Management 1.1 (2011): 60-73.