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Writing tips
cohesion
Cohesion
Grammar dependency:
• Subject-verb agreement
• Adverbs/adjectives as modifiers
• Ellipsis
• Parallelism
• …
Some tips concerning cohesive elements from the
Oxford Guide to Writing
Grammar dependency at the clause level:
• Do not waste the main elements of the
clause (subject, verb, object)
• The fact of the war had the effect of
causing many changes
Vs
• The war caused many changes
Use predicate adjectives instead of
attributive adjectives hooked on ‘empty’
words
Riots became frequent affairs.
The day was a perfect one.
Mr martin is a quiet, patient, and cautious
person.
Riots became frequent.
The day was perfect.
Mr martin is quiet, patient, and cautious.
Express modifiers in the fewest
possible words
• Make these statements less wordy
– He acted in an unnatural way
– The organization of a small business can be
described in a brief statement
– American exploration was rapid, considering
the means which the pioneers had available
to them
– The targets that are supplied in skeet
shooting are discs made of clay
Express modifiers in the fewest
possible words
• He acted in an unnatural way / unnaturally
• The organization of a small business can be
described in a brief statement /breefly described
• American exploration was rapid, considering the
means which the pioneers had available to them
/ available to the pioneers
• The targets that are supplied in skeet shooting
are discs made of clay / skeet targets are clay
discs
 Use participles
 It leaves us with the thought that we were hasty
 This is the idea that was suggested last week
 Because they were tired, the men returned to camp
 The women of the settlement would gather together
at one home to work on the quilt. They would bring
their children with them and spend the entire day,
chatting gaily as they worked.
 It leaves us with the thought that we were hasty.
 It leaves us thinking that we were hasty.
 This is the idea that was suggested last week.
 This is the idea suggested last week.
 Because they were tired, the men returned to camp.
 Tired, the men returned to camp.
 The women of the settlement would gather together at one home to work on
the quilt. They would bring their children with them and spend the entire day,
chatting gaily as they worked.
 The women of the settlement would gather together at one home to work on
the quilt, bringing their children and spending the entire day chatting gaily as
they worked.
Do not state what sentence
structure itself makes clear
 Use colon or dash for announcements
 There were many reasons for the civil war, which include slavery,
economic expansion, states’ rights, cultural differences and
sectional jealousies.
 There were many reasons for the civil war: slavery, economic
expansion, states’ rights, cultural differences and sectional
jealousies.
 But a counterforce has been established within the weapons
platoon. This counterforce is the anti-tank squad.
 But a counterforce has been established within the weapons
platoon – the anti-tank squad.
Use ellipsis
When you are late, you must sign yourself in.
When late, you must sign yourself in.
He lost his wallet; she lost her pocketbook.
He lost his wallet; she, her pocketbook.
Subject-verb agreement
The meaning principle
Subject conceived of as single entity 
singular verb agreement
Collectives
Words expressing time, distance,
money, time
None /Neither/Either
 Case 1
 My family have decided to move to New York. They’re
moving in April.
 Case 2
 The average family has 3.6 members. It is smaller
than 50 years ago.
 Singular nouns with plural verbs
 Case 1
 My family have decided to move to New York. They’re
moving in April.
 Plural when the group is seen as a collection of people doing
things like deciding, hoping or wanting
 Case 2
 The average family has 3.6 members. It is smaller
than 50 years ago.
 Singular when the group is seen as an impersonal unit.
• Pronoun preferences
– [case 1]
– The committee, who are hoping to announce
important changes…
– [case 2]
– The committee, which was elected…
A number of people ________tried to find the
treasure
A lot of my friends _________to immigrate
Plenty of shops ________cheques
A large number of problems still ________to
be solved
The majority of criminals ________violent
Singular quantifying expressions with
plural nouns and verbs
A number of people have tried to find the
treasure
A lot of my friends want to immigrate (not
…wants, but A lot of patience is needed …)
Plenty of shops take cheques
A large number of problems still have to be
solved
The majority of criminals are violent
Most/most of
• Most_ N (when there is no other
determiner) Most children like ice cream
• Most of _ determiner /pronoun
•
•
•
•
Most cheese is made from cow’s milk
Most of the people here know each other
Most of my friends live abroad
Most of us think he was wrong
None of
• When used with plural nouns, the verb can
be singular (more formal) or plural (more
informal)
• None of my friends is/are interested
• When used with uncountable nouns, the
verb is singular
• None of the work was done
Either
• Either + singular verb and noun
– Come on Tuesday or Thirsday. Either day is
fine
• Either of + plural noun
– I don’t like either of them
• The verb is generally singular, but in an
informal style, it can be plural
– Either of the children is perfectly capable of
looking after the baby
– She just doesn’t care what either of her
• when a pronoun is used later on in a
clause to refer back to either +
noun/pronoun, it can be singular (more
formal) or plural (less formal)
– If either of the boys phones, tell him/them I’ll
be in this evening
neither
• Neither + singular noun /verb
– Can you come on Monday or Tuesday? Neither
day is possible.
• Neither of (before a determiner) + plural
noun + singular verb (formal), plural verb
(informal)
– Neither of my brothers is/are married
Where _____ that five pounds I lent you?
Ten dollars _____spent altogether.
Twenty miles _____a long way to go.
More than one person ____going to…
The US ____anxhious to improve its image.
Consolidated Fruitgrowers _____just taken over
Universal Foodstores.
 Plural expressions with singular verbs
 Amounts and quantities (time, money, distance…)
 Where is that five pounds I lent you?
 Ten dollars was spent altogether.
 Twenty miles is a long way to go.
 More than one person is going to…
 Countries and organizations
 The US is anxhious to improve its image.
 Consolidated Fruitgrowers has just taken over Universal
Foodstores.
Other cases
Indefinite person (singular) + they
If a person doesn’t want to go on living, they
are often very difficult to help.
If anybody calls, take their name, please.
Somebody left their umbrella.
One of the…who have/has (both possible,
even if strictly speaking plural is more
correct)
She’s one of the few women who
have/has climbed Everest
The biggest timewaster is meetings
General Rule: the verb normally agrees with the
subject, not with a following complement
But…
The most interesting thing on radio and TV
last weekend, without any doubt, was/were
the tennis championships
If the subject is a long way from the verb, the verb
can agree with the complement
• This often happens when the subject is a
what-clause
– What I am most interested in is/are your
emotions
– What we need is/are a few bright young
engineers
The proximity principle
Agreement must be made with
subject noun nearest to verb
There is/*are a photocopier and two
computers in the staffroom.
There are/*is two computers and a
photocopier in the staffroom.
There’s no room - either a chair or two
tables have/*is got to be moved.
There’s no room - either two tables or a
chair has/*have got to be moved
The principle of non-intervention
Ignore all plural forms in intervening
prepositional phrases
The CEO along with the management team is
expected to fly in from London.
The Prime Minister, as well as several Cabinet
Ministers, believes/*believe in a tough financial
policy.
The Managing Director, together with heads of
department, is/*are preparing a new budget.
Complete the following sentences using
is/are, was/were, has/have or
doesn’t/don’t and other suitable
words. Be careful to make nouns,
pronouns and verbs agree.
• I can’t be bothered to take the car. 200
miles ___________ too far to drive in one
day.
• 350 euros _______ like a good price to me
for a new Ipad
• 500000 euros in small denomination notes
_______lying under the sofa.
1.Most of the staff ___________________
________________________________
2.Two hours of typing on this report _____
_________________________________
3.None of the winners ________________
_________________________________
4.A serious problem in our garden ______
wasps.
• Most of the staff were from Hong Kong/
Most of the staff at Prop Store are
collectors themselves.
• Two hours of typing on this report was a
timewaster
• none of the winners was/were present to
accept their awards
• A serious problem in our garden is wasps
Focus on the subject-verb
agreement in these sentences.
Are the sentences correct?
1. Either the computer terminals or the printer
are not working.
2. Neither the factory workers nor the trade
union representative have agreed to the pay
cut.
3. There are a vending machine and two
telephones in the common room.
4. The CEO along with the management team
is expected to fly in from London.
5. She works for one of the first companies
that was awarded the prestigious
‘Sustainable Business’ prize.
•
Cohesion/coherence