Parallelism
This lesson mostly consisted of common grammatical errors we make while writing and how to solve them. Comma use, phrasing, verb agreement, and conjunctions were all discussed in great detail. I really wasn't surprised by anything in the lesson, but it was nice to have a review.
Shifts
Similar to parallelism, the lesson about shifts was mostly about keeping points of view consistent. However, there was a large section about shifts in quotation technique, which I found to be surprisingly useful.
Wordy Sentences
I tend to struggle with being too wordy or too succinct. The most useful part of the lesson was the specific outlines of techniques to cut down on wordiness. I found "eliminating redundancies" to be the most helpful; however, I think that some wordiness is necessary to create a smooth flow.
Appropriate Language
At first glance, I laughed when I read the section about avoiding jargon. I have used all of the words listed in the examples of jargon in my daily life and in my writing. Oops. I also laughed pretty hard when the book told me to avoid using the word "groovy" in my writing.
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| "Groovy" Public Domain |
Yet, I disagree with some of the book's commentary about inappropriate language. I believe that every genre has it's own parameters of "appropriate language" and that for the book to simply rule out certain words is a bit overbearing.
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