Topic prominence (As regards...)

A  "topic-prominent" approach uses words and phrases such as, regarding, in terms of, apropos, when it comes to,  as regards, in respect of, as far as x…. is concerned, on the subject of, (while) on the topic of, talking of, etc. at the top of a sentence. It's sort of like a mini-title that you give your sentence before getting round to the sentence itself. 

A topic-prominent approach works fine for public speaking and conversation,   and is favored by other languages such as Korean and Japanese. Strong written English, however, prefers to skip the introductions and get straight to the point by beginning with the subject.  You should therefore consider skipping these opening phrases. 

Notice also how putting one of these topic-introducing  phrases at the start of your sentence practically forces you into using the impersonal "it is" or "there is" construction (😕), or the first person "we".  If the grammatical subject of your sentence is hard to find, then the meaning of the sentence remains elusive, which is not usually what you want.  

Examples of sentences with (unnecessary?)  topic-introducing phrases  

1. On the subject of climate change, it is crucial that (😕) we take immediate action to reduce our carbon footprint and transition to renewable energy sources.

2. Regarding the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, it is important that (😕) we continue to follow public health guidelines to keep ourselves and others safe.

3. As far as educational policy is concerned, there is a need for (😕) increased investment in early childhood education to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to succeed.

4. With respect to gender equality, it is essential that (😕)we address the persistent wage gap and promote women's leadership in all fields.

5. In terms of technological advancements, the development of artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize various industries, but we must also consider its ethical implications.

6. When it comes to immigration reform, we must find a way to balance the need for secure borders with compassion and empathy towards those seeking refuge.
   

7. As for the future of work, it is clear that the rise of automation and the gig economy will require us to rethink traditional employment models.

8. With regard to mental health, we must prioritize access to affordable and effective treatment to support individuals who may be struggling.

9. On the topic of environmental conservation, it is critical that (😕)we work together to protect our planet's ecosystems and biodiversity for future generations.

10. In terms of social justice, it is imperative that (😕) we actively address systemic racism and discrimination in all aspects of society.

Location alerts (in the book)

 Annoying location alerts

In this case, in the text, in the book, in this passage, here, in the except, in the article, in the author's works, in her poems, in his plays, etc. 

These phrases are almost always unnecessary. 

You do not need to keep giving your reader these annoying little location alerts. You and your reader are literally on the same page. Assume he knows that the words and sentences  you are referring  to come from the text you are talking about.  

Enthymeme

An enthymeme is a type of argument that is missing one or more premises, which are assumed to be true by the speaker or audience. It is a shortened form of syllogism and relies on the listener or reader to fill in the gaps. Enthymemes are commonly used in everyday conversations, debates, and persuasive speeches.

Enthymeme is a fancy word that denotes the practice of leaving things out of your argument. Sometimes you will do so consciously; sometimes unconsciously. If you're reading this, it is because you have done so unconsciously, and I want to point it out to you.

Here are a few examples of enthymemes:

1. She's a great athlete; she'll win the championship. The missing premise (the unspoken assumption on the part of the speaker) is that great athletes always win championships.

2. The economy is doing well because the unemployment rate is low. The missing premise (the unspoken assumption on the part of the speaker) is that low unemployment is an indicator of a healthy economy.

3. He's a liar, so you can't trust what he says. The missing premise (the unspoken assumption on the part of the speaker) is that liars always lie.

4. She's an expert in her field, so her opinion is valuable. The missing premise (the unspoken assumption on the part of the speaker) is that experts always have valuable opinions.

5. You should exercise regularly for your health. The missing premises here are that (i) exercise is good for your health and (ii) that exercise should be done regularly. Or maybe the speaker is just making one assumption about regular exercise being good. The distinction is not all that interesting: what is important and interesting is the fact that one or more assumptions are being made (by you or by another writer).

6. He's a doctor, so he knows what he's talking about. The missing premise (the unspoken assumption on the part of the speaker) is that doctors are wise, well-informed and learned (which is what the Latin word "doctor" means, so this particular enthymeme is embedded deeply in our culture).

7. The vocabulary and syntax are both simple and straightforward, which enables the reader to reach a deep understanding of the character's thoughts and feelings. The missing premise in this sentence, which is taken from an analysis and commentary on Hemingway's technique, is that simple language facilitates deep understanding of character. Like, maybe? It is in any case an assumption, especially since not all authors choose simple language.

   
   

8. If you're so clever, why aren't you rich? The missing premise is that all intelligent people will seek and obtain wealth, or that all intelligent people are rewarded with wealth.

9. The company is profitable because it has a good business strategy. The missing premise is that a good business strategy (as opposed to, say, monopoly power, or indifference to human and ecological harm) always leads to profitability.

10. She's always late, so she must be unreliable. The missing premise, with which I absolutely sympathize (remember, the assumption can as well be true as false), is that people who are always late are always unreliable.

So is it a good thing to use an enthymeme or not? Well, it depends; but consider also that I would not have sent you to this page unless I thought your particular use of it on this occasion was problematic.  If you're here, it's because your enthymeme does not convince me. 

 If you are unconsciously skipping explanations because you make the mistake of thinking that the reader will easily be able to follow your thoughts, then, yes, your enthymeme is problematic. 

If you skip a step in your argument because it depends on a particular religious or political belief that YOU consider so normal and right that it does not need explaining, then you will fail to convince a reader who does not happen to share the same belief.

And that is where a hostile reader will go to pick holes in your argument. 

Prove to be

 Avoid sentences such as this: 

In the end,  market liberalization will prove to be harmful.

What the writer means is that market liberalization will turn out to be harmful.

Only people, not abstract concepts such as market liberalization, can prove things. Market liberalization might, at a pinch, show something or demonstrate something, but not prove anything. 

Finally, to prove means to demonstrate the truth of a hypothesis. The important thing to remember is that it confirms, corroborates, backs up something  that was already suspected, expected or believed, so it should not be used for an unexpected result. 

Thus: 

The ban on traffic proved to be more effective than anyone had dared hope should be: 

The ban on traffic turned out to be more effective than anyone had dared hope.

Purposeful

 Purposefully means with purpose, with a goal in mind

 Purposely means on purpose, deliberately.

Subject change

 While the capabilities of AI will continue only to improve, people are concerned about whether…. While this syntax is not wrong, it can be improved  with a little trick, which I have just used in this sentence. The trick is this: In my sentence, the subject  in the subordinate clause (beginning with “while”) is the same as the subject of the main clause (where it reappears as the pronoun “it”) . In your sentence the subject changes from “the capabilities of AI” in the subordinate clause to “people” in the main clause.

This, I repeat, is not wrong, but a change of subject in a sentence complicates matters and leaves more room for  error. 

The X of Y

 The use of dialog

The problem of inflation

The issue of market manipulation

The question  of cheating

The scourge of drug addition

The debate on gun laws 

The use of information

The matter of crime

The importance of legislation

The nature of criminals

The phenomenon of cheating

The practice of murder 

The publication of the report

The announcement of the news

The power of the imagination

The significance of the result

The result of the survey

Very often the formula "The X of Y"  (or, more generally  "The + preposition (of/on/at/in/by/around etc)  + Y at the top of a sentence weakens it. 

Using "The X of Y" can obscure clarity because it forces an additional cognitive step to understand the relationship between X and Y. The structure can divert attention from the central subject by interposing a concept (X) that may be abstract or less immediate.

To improve clarity, you can directly state what you mean without the "X of Y" construct. Instead, use people if possible but also groups and things, and give them verbs to do For example:

• Instead of "The use of dialogue," write "Characters speak."

• Instead of "The problem of inflation," write "Inflation erodes purchasing power."

• Instead of "The issue of market manipulation," write "Traders manipulate markets."

• Instead of "The question of cheating," write "Students cheat on exams."

• Instead of "The scourge of drug addiction," write "Drug addiction devastates communities."

• Instead of "The debate on gun laws," write "Legislators argue over gun control."

• Instead of "The use of information," write "Companies collect data."

• Instead of "The matter of crime," write "Crime rates fluctuate."

• Instead of "The importance of legislation," write "Laws shape society."

• Instead of "The nature of criminals," write "Criminals can be violent or non-violent."

• Instead of "The phenomenon of cheating," write "Cheating is widespread."

• Instead of "The practice of murder," write "Murderers kill."

• Instead of "The publication of the report," write "The report exposes facts."

• Instead of "The announcement of the news," write "The media broadcasts events."

• Instead of "The power of the imagination," write "Imagination creates worlds."

• Instead of "The significance of the result," write "Results confirm ."

• Instead of "The result of the survey," write "The survey shows ."

Misused verbs

 Make sure that you are not misusing any of these common verbs and that you are avaoiding those that are overused. 

To Highlight is an overused and frequently abused word.  You cannot highlight something that is not already visible, so it is not a great verb to use in reference to the introduction of an argument.

To State is an overused verb that is often wheeled out for essays by people who would usually, rightly, ignore it in general life. It sounds essay-ish, and fails to give any indication of the stance of the writer (unlike claim, asset, argue, note, explain and many other far more descriptive verbs of reporting). 

To Commit (to never misusing this word again). The verb commit takes the preposition "to" which is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. You commit to working hard (not to work hard). We are committed to writing well in this class.  "To look forward to" meeting someone  follows the same pattern, as do to confess to (doing), to admit to (doing), to  stick to (doing).

 

Despite

Despite,  like its cousin in spite of  is a preposition. That means it needs to be followed by a noun or by a verbal noun (=gerund).

😃Despite his efforts to understand her, she remained forever an enigma

😃In spite of his efforts to understand her, she remained forever an enigma

😧Despite he tried to unterstand her...

Alternatively, use the subordinators although/even though/while/whereas

😃Even though he made an effort to understand her...

😃Whereas he tied his best to understand her...

😃 While he made a great effort to understand her...

Hyphenation for adjectives

When several words are combined to create a "new" single adjective, they need to be linked by  hyphens as follows: 

An eight-year-old child (BUT the child is eight years old)  

A blue-eyed handsome man

A big-headed boastful bore

A soon-to-be-forgotten minor event

A fast-food restaurant

A ready-to-eat meal

An all-inclusive holiday package

An all-in-one solution 

An Italian-made dish

An easy-to-install program

A fruit-filled pastry

To confuse matters (with the result that hardly anyone knows what is right), you do not need a hyphen if the preceding  word is an adverb,  as in the following examples: 

A lazily flowing river

A quickly edited paper

A badly drawn picture

A foolishly dangerous enterprise

A carefully laid plan

A meticulously organized essay

Swap the text for the author

Remember that you can personify a text in the sense that you can attribute verbs of reporting to it rather than to the author(s). 

The advantage is that you start directly with the subject of the sentence  rather than with a potentially confusing prepositional phrase. 

So,  in the examples that follow, the second choice is the better one because it gains directness by placing the personified subject first: 

👎In the article   “Don’t Blame the Eater”, the author highlights how...

👍The article "Don't Blame the Eater" highlights how ...

👎In their paper, the researchers point out that...

👍The research paper points out that ....

👎In the Times article, the reporter makes the point that...

👍The Times article points out that...

👎In their paper, the authors argue that Father Christmas is a sinister figure.

👍The paper argues that Father Christmas is a sinister figure.

👎In their Times article, the reporter makes the point that..

👍The Times article makes the point that...

👎The authors of the book make a case for a flat tax.

👍The book makes a case for a flat tax.

👎In their book, Professors McInney and Forster claim that...

👍Professors McInney and Forster  claim that .....  

OR 👍  Professors McInney and Forster's book  claims that....  

OR  👍  The book by Professors McInney and Forster  claims that....  

In order to with examples

 What is wrong with little old "to"?  Not grand enough for your important essay? 

In order to sound less pretentious and wordy and insecure (see what I did there?), make sure you do not use "in order to" anywhere other than at the beginning of a sentence (and even then, check to see whether a plain "to" on its own might do the job just as well). 

Simpler is almost always better.

Here are some poor 😞--> ok😐-->good 😀 sentences.  Remember, that even the bad sentences with 😞 are not wrong, but  the alternatives are better. 

😞 The candidate dressed professionally for the interview in order to make a positive impression. 😐In order to make a positive impression, the candidate dressed professionally for the interview.😀The candidate dressed professionally to make a positive impression at the interview.

😞The company invested heavily in research and development in order to maintain its competitive advantage.

😐 In order to maintain its competitive advantage, the company invested heavily in research and development.

😀 The company invested heavily in research and development to maintain its competitive advantage.

😞The applicant had to have at least five years of experience in order to be considered for the job.

😐In order to be considered for the job, the applicant had to have at least five years of experience.

😀 The applicant had to have at least five years of experience to be considered for the job.

😞Strict measures were imposed on public gatherings in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

😐In order to prevent the spread of the virus, strict measures were imposed on public gatherings.

😀Strict measures were imposed on public gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.

😞The student had to study all the material thoroughly in order to pass the test.

😐In order to pass the test, the student had to study all the material thoroughly.

😀The student had to study all the material thoroughly to pass the test.

😞The company implemented a recycling program for its office in order to reduce waste. 

😐In order to reduce waste, the company implemented a recycling program for its office.

😀To reduce waste, the company implemented a recycling program for its office.  

😀The company implemented a recycling program for its office to reduce waste. 

😞The business must have a strong online presence in order to succeed in the global market. 

😐In order to succeed in the global market, the business must have a strong online presence.

😀To succeed in the global market, the business must have a strong online presence.

😀The business must have a strong online presence to succeed in the global market. 

Just to complicate things...

Even when placed in its proper position at the start, the phrase can cause ambiguity or just seem confusing, as in the example below:

😞The concert organizers advised attendees to arrive early in order to avoid disappointment.

But also:

😞 In order to avoid disappointment, the concert organizers advised attendees to arrive early.

And just as bad is a simple "to" in the wrong place even though it usually works in this position: 

😞To avoid disappointment, the concert organizers advised attendees to arrive early.

😀The concert organizers advised attendees to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Sometimes, albeit rarely, the phrase serves a purpose by being in the middle of a sentence, as it helps avoid ambiguity, but  the best of the sentences below is still the one that leaves it out: 

😞The nonprofit had to demonstrate a clear plan for using the funds to receive the grant.

😐( instead of the usual 😞 for this construction):  The nonprofit had to demonstrate a clear plan for using the funds in order to receive the grant.

😐In order to receive the grant, the nonprofit had to demonstrate a clear plan for using the funds.

😀 To receive the grant, the nonprofit had to demonstrate a clear plan.

Comma - present participle construction

 Avoid comma + -ing construction. Use the indicative mood and finite verbs instead. 

What I am trying to correct is less an error than an infelicity of style. This really is a neat trick for imbuing your sentences with an extra dash of authorial clarity and control. It also forces you to double check on the correspondence between the subject and the verbs, which is always a good thing. 

First, look at the following sentences: all of them are correct.

1. The new law enables private drivers to pick up passengers and charge them fares, allowing ordinary people to work as taxi drivers.
2. With our new-formula  grime-busting spray, you can clean your house top to bottom in just 14 hours, leaving yourself plenty of time for the important things in your life, such as cooking, shopping and even sleeping!
3. With a rising number of migrants on its borders, Europe is adopting weak policies, leaving itself vulnerable to accusations of complacency.
4. Giving up bad habits actually drains your mental resources, rendering you less able to focus your energies on the really important things such as English grammar.
5. The team played defensively throughout the first half, refusing to take any risks.
6. My students looked bewildered, upset and confused, giving the strong impression that they were unaccountably uninterested in sentence structure.
7. Mario stopped typing, deleted his half-finished essay, left the library, the University and the country, swearing never to return.

All I am asking of you is to consider a different, plainer and more direct construction that uses "and" followed by a  finite verb rather than the   comma-present participle solutions that are underlined and colored pink above.

Why? Because a finite (i.e. an "ordinary") verb is immediately clear: it is more concrete and creates a greater sense of balance or "parallelism" in the sentence by echoing the finite verb that is to be found in the first part.

You could therefore profitably rewrite the sentences above as follows:

1. The new law enables private  drivers to pick up passengers and charge them fares,  and allows ordinary people to work as taxi drivers.
2. With our new-formula  grime-busting spray, you can clean your house top to bottom in just 14 hours and leave yourself plenty of time for the important things in your life, such as cooking, shopping and even sleeping!
3. With a rising number of migrants on its borders, Europe is adopting weak policies, and is leaving itself vulnerable to accusations of complacency.
4. Giving up bad habits actually drains your mental resources,  and renders you less able to focus your energies on the really important things such as English grammar.
5. The team played defensively through the first half,  and refused to take any risks.
6. My students looked bewildered, upset and confused, and gave the strong impression that they were unaccountably uninterested in sentence structure.
7. Mario stopped typing, deleted his half-finished essay, left the library, the University and the country, and swore never to return.

Here they are side-by-side; 

The new law enables private drivers to pick up passengers and charge them fares, allowing ordinary people to work as taxi drivers.	The new law enables private  drivers to pick up passengers and charge them fares,  and allows ordinary people to work as taxi drivers.
With our new-formula  grime-busting spray, you can clean your house top to bottom in just 14 hours, leaving yourself plenty of time for the important things in your life, such as cooking, shopping and even sleeping!	With our new-formula  grime-busting spray, you can clean your house top to bottom in just 14 hours and leave yourself plenty of time for the important things in your life, such as cooking, shopping and even sleeping!
With a rising number of migrants on its borders, Europe is adopting weak policies, leaving itself vulnerable to accusations of complacency.	With a rising number of migrants on its borders, Europe is adopting weak policies, and is leaving itself vulnerable to accusations of complacency.
Giving up bad habits actually drains your mental resources, rendering you less able to focus your energies on the really important things such as English grammar.	Giving up bad habits actually drains your mental resources,  and renders you less able to focus your energies on the really important things such as English grammar.
The team played defensively throughout the first half, refusing to take any risks.	The team played defensively through the first half,  and refused to take any risks.
My students looked bewildered, upset and confused, giving the strong impression that they were unaccountably uninterested in sentence structure.	My students looked bewildered, upset and confused, and gave the strong impression that they were unaccountably uninterested in sentence structure.
Mario stopped typing, deleted his half-finished essay, left the library, the University and the country, swearing never to return.	Mario stopped typing, deleted his half-finished essay, left the library, the University and the country, and swore never to return.