Chapter 16 of The Bedford Researcher, Writing with Style, is a great example for the writer to follow. Part A of this chapter goes into detail about writing with style, and gives three guiding steps in doing so. The first step is to write concisely. This can be done by removing unnecessary modifiers and irrelevant introductory phrases. These "are words that provide little or no additional information to a reader..." (264), or phrases that can be "recast more concisely by simply stating the point" (265). According to The Bedford Researcher, another element to writing concisely is to eliminate stock phrases. These are phrases that can be replaced with one or two words. Such phrases include "as a matter of fact," "because of the fact that," or "in the event that," and can be replaced with one or two words, like "in fact," "because," and "if" (265).
Chapter 16's step two on writing with style is using an active and passive voice effectively. An active voice specifies a person or object which carries out an action. A passive voice, however, indicates that an action has been taken, but doesn't specify the person or object who carried it out.
Thirdly, to write concisely, Writing with Style recommends that the writer adopts a consistent point of view. This means maintaining "I, we," and not shifting from "I" to "he" or "you." This prevents readers from being confused and asking what just happened.
Part B of Chapter 16 clearly demonstrates to the writer about polishing their writing style. Varying sentence structure, creating effective transitions, introducing other authors effectively, avoiding sexist language, consulting a handbook, and reading widely are excellent steps for the writer to take in order to polish their writing style.
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