Download Guide to Effective Writing Strategies

Guide to Effective Writing Strategies
An Online Resource Created by the
Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium
www.etutoring.org
Authored by:
Bonnie Riedinger
Writing Center Director
Post University
Table of Contents
1) Writing Tips for Students------------------------------------------------4
i) Getting Ready to Write: Planning Techniques-------------------------- 4
ii) Understand Your Assignment---------------------------------------------- 4
iii) Free Writing-------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
iv) Talk it over-------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
v) Writing Your Thesis Statement--------------------------------------------- 6
vi) Introductions--------------------------------------------------------------------9
vii) Writing the Body of the Paper-----------------------------------------------9
viii)
Paragraphs and Transitions---------------------------------------------10
ix) Conclusions----------------------------------------------------------------------10
2) Writing the Research Paper--------------------------------------------- 11
i) Quotations------------------------------------------------------------------------11
ii) Paraphrasing and Summarizing---------------------------------------------12
(1) Citations--------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
3) What is grammar and why should we care about it? --------------15
i) Subject----------------------------------------------------------------------------15
ii) Predicate------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
iii) Complete meaning------------------------------------------------------------- 15
iv) Independent clause-------------------------------------------------------------15
v) Dependent clause--------------------------------------------------------------- 16
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vi) Sentence fragments------------------------------------------------------------ 16
vii) Types of sentences--------------------------------------------------------------16
(a) Simple Sentence
(b) Compound Sentence
(c) Coordinating conjunction
(d) Compound-complex sentence
viii)
Identifying Sentence Fragments---------------------------------------- 17
(a) Red Flags that identify dependent clauses----------------------- 18
ix) Parallel Structure-------------------------------------------------------------- 20
x) Subject and Verb Agreement------------------------------------------------ 22
xi) Comma splices------------------------------------------------------------------ 23
xii) When Should I Add a Comma?--------------------------------------------- 24
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Writing Tips for Students
Getting Ready to Write: Planning Techniques
It’s 2 a.m. and you’re staring at a blank computer screen or sheet of paper. Your
paper is due the next day and you haven’t written a word. It’s not always easy to begin
writing. Even professional writers sometimes suffer from what is called writer’s block—a
sort of mental or emotional paralysis that prevents people from beginning the writing
process. This procrastination causes the anxiety to increase and you keep putting the
paper off until the last possible minute. Your parents and teachers have probably been
telling you for years not to procrastinate, but what if you’re not sure how to start? The
following techniques may help. Everyone approaches writing differently. Try these
suggestions and see which technique or combination of techniques works best for you.
Understand Your Assignment
Read your assignment carefully. Don’t assume that every teacher expects the
same type of writing or research or that every assignment, even from the same teacher,
will be the same. Make sure you understand exactly what your instructor wants you to
write about and how he/she wants that information presented. (Length, format, citation
style, etc.) If you don’t understand the assignment, ask your instructor for clarification as
soon as you receive the assignment.
Free Writing
A blank page or computer screen can be intimidating and depressing, so fill it up with
words. Set a timer for 10 minutes. If 10 minutes is too daunting, set the timer for five
minutes. Write without stopping. Write down everything you can think of about the
assignment topic. Don’t worry about your grammar, spelling or organization. Don’t even
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worry about your ideas making sense at this point. Just write. If you have been assigned
to write an opinion (or position) paper, list all the reasons you are for or against the issue
or idea. If you have to write a research paper, write down all the places you might look
for information and list the things you already know about the subject. Repeat yourself if
you can’t think of anything new to write. You can even write, “I don’t know what to
write next,” but keep writing. Free writing helps in several ways.
•
It gets you started. Even if you don’t end up using much or any of what you have
free written you will have a feeling of accomplishment just because you have
started working.
•
The process “frees” your imagination. Because you are writing too quickly to
censor yourself, new ideas and perspectives have better chance of getting on the
page. Remember that people come up with several bad ideas for every good one,
so the more ideas you can generate, the better.
•
It will tell you what you don’t know and what you need to research or develop
further.
•
If you just think about your paper, it is difficult to organize or evaluate your
ideas. You might also forget one of your best ideas. Free writing creates a record
that you can expand on and organize.
After you have finished free writing, you can start sifting through what you have
written and brainstorming more ideas. Make lists of useful information or ideas. Put these
ideas in order of importance or combine related information. Add details to general
information or ideas. Ask questions about your ideas. Note places where you need more
information.
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Talk it over
One of the best ways to develop ideas for a paper is to talk about it with someone
else. The eTutoring tutors or tutors at your school can help you brainstorm ideas. Friends
and family may also be helpful. And don’t forget to talk to yourself. Ask yourself
questions about the assignment.
•
What do I want readers to understand or know after they read my paper?
•
What can I say about this subject that will interest my audience?
•
How can I find information about this subject?
•
What kind of impression do I want to make on the reader? What do I want the
reader to think of me?
•
How can I make the reader care about this subject?
•
How will I convince the reader that what I am writing is correct?
The Purdue Online Writing Lab has some good lists of questions at
http://owl.english.purdu.edu/handouts/pring/general/fl_plan3.html and
http://owl.english.purdu.edu/handouts/print/general/gl_plan1.html
Writing Your Thesis Statement
A thesis statement serves two purposes:
a) It tells the reader what your paper is about. It should answer the question: “What
is the point of this paper?”
b) It tells you (the writer) how to organize your paper and what information you will
need to include.
The thesis statement should be placed near the beginning of your paper. The end of
the first paragraph is a good location, but this is not an unbreakable rule. Most thesis
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statements consist of one sentence, but two or three sentences may be necessary for
longer and more complicated papers. Try to be as succinct as possible though.
After you have completed your brainstorming and planning, you should try to write a
thesis statement. Because writing is a process of learning about your subject, ideas, and
opinions, your thesis statement may change from draft to draft. This is normal. Don’t
worry if your first draft and thesis statement are entirely different from your final draft
and thesis statement. Your thesis statement will help you determine what type of research
you need to do to support your position. However, your research may disprove your
original idea or inspire you to change the focus of your paper. If that happens, you will
need to rewrite your thesis statement. You may also discover that the focus of your paper
changes as you write your first draft. Students often discover that the conclusion of the
first draft contains the real thesis statement of the paper. This happens because students
often write their way to their understanding of a subject—a process known as writing to
learn.
It may help you to write a draft of your thesis statement that begins: “The main thing
I want the reader to understand after reading my paper is _________.” The statement that
you write to fill in that blank probably will be very close to your final thesis statement.
The first part of the draft statement (“The main thing I want the reader….”) is just a
device to help you get started. It should not be included in your paper.
Regardless of the type of paper you are writing, your thesis statement should very
specific. If you find yourself writing something like: “There are many interesting
characters in Hamlet,” you need to ask yourself questions that will narrow your topic and
focus your paper. Which characters are interesting? Why are they interesting? Should I
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compare and contrast characters? Should I argue that Shakespeare created more
interesting characters than any of his contemporaries? Should I explain why the
characters are still interesting to modern readers?
After you have answered these types of questions you might write a thesis statement
like this: Although the characters in Hamlet were created centuries ago, Shakespeare’s
understanding of human passions and failings continues to provide insights into the
dynamics of family relationships. Modern psychologists, including Freud and Jung, have
compared Hamlet’s relationship with …
The example above makes two assertions: 1) that the characters in Hamlet are
relevant today and 2) that they are relevant because of Shakespeare’s understanding of
human nature. This thesis statement takes a stand and offers an explanation that must be
supported in the paper through research and specific examples. The third sentence in the
example begins to define how the writer will provide evidence of the ways psychologists
use Hamlet to analyze modern family relationships.
There are as many types of thesis statements as there are types of writing
assignments, but even a personal narrative or a lab report requires a statement that
explains the writer’s main idea or focus. The style and tone of each thesis statement will
correspond to the type of assignment. For example, a thesis statement for an analytical
essay will define what is being analyzed and the sequence the writer will follow in his
analysis. A thesis statement for an argumentative or persuasive essay will state the
argument or position the writer is defending and briefly list in sequence the supporting
evidence for the position.
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Introductions
In many formal essays or research papers, your thesis statement may serve as your
introduction, but you could include a brief introduction followed by a thesis statement.
Less formal papers, such as personal narratives, often begin with an anecdote, a
description, or an example that illustrates an idea.
Writing the Body of the Paper
After you have written your thesis statement, you may want to write an outline for
your paper. This works well for some students, but others may find it too confining and
prefer to just begin writing. Do whatever works best for you. Listing the supporting
evidence for your main points is also a good way to organize your information. This
method is less restricting than an outline, but will provide some structure before you
begin writing. After you have listed your supporting evidence, ask yourself questions
about the items you have included. Determine if you have sufficient evidence and
examples and if you have provided enough detail in each example. Lists are easy to
convert into paragraphs.
If want to dive right into your first draft without an outline or list, be sure to read
over your first draft carefully and revise if necessary. Check the organization and the
transitions between ideas. If you find your paper skips from idea to idea, try using
colored highlighters to mark ideas that belong together. You can then copy and paste
sentences or paragraphs into groups according to color.
Paragraphs and Transitions
Paragraphs help organize the information in your paper into manageable chunks.
Each paragraph should contain only one main idea and the evidence to support that idea.
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The end of each paragraph should contain a transition that leads the reader from the end
of the topic in that paragraph to the topic of the next paragraph. The transition shows how
the ideas in the two paragraphs are related.
It might help to think of your paper as a rainbow with each color representing a
paragraph. The transitions are the in-between shades, such as green and purple, which are
created by the overlap of yellow and blue or red and blue.
Think about how the information in your first paragraph relates to the information
in the second. For example, if your first paragraph discusses how Freud used the plot of
Hamlet to analyze Patient X’s relationship with his father, the transition that opens the
second paragraph about Jung might look like this: “While Freud was concluding his
study of Patient X in Vienna, Jung was working with a similar patient in Geneva.”
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab has a useful list of connecting words
that can help you create transitions between paragraphs and sentences.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/general/gl_transition.html
Conclusions
You have written a strong thesis statement and supported it with research and
examples. Now what? Many papers end abruptly, leaving the reader with the feeling that
the writer cleared out of town with the sheriff hot on his trail. Every story needs an
ending.
One of the most common ways to write a conclusion is to return to the ideas or
points made in the thesis statement. Be careful not to simply repeat your thesis statement.
Show how the evidence in the body of the paper has proved your point. Include an
example or quotation that sums up your main idea. If you have written an expository or
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explanatory essay, you may be able to draw a conclusion from the evidence you have
presented. Other types of essays might conclude with predictions or questions for further
research based on the evidence in the paper.
Avoid the trite “in conclusion.” Your reader knows when she/he has reached the
end.
Writing the Research Paper
A research paper requires students to use and properly cite information from experts
in the student’s field of study. However, research and sources make up only a portion of a
research paper. College level writing also requires that students respond in their own
words to the information they have gathered during their research. Depending on the
assignment, student responses could include reaction, analysis, or argument. Research
papers must contain a balance of cited material and student writing and ideas. Simply
copying, summarizing, or paraphrasing the work of others will not be sufficient. Papers
should not consist of a series of quotations.
A well-written research paper will contain smooth transitions from the student’s
thoughts and language to that of the cited material. Direct quotations should be used only
if the author’s words are particularly well chosen or if his/her ideas cannot be
paraphrased accurately.
Quotations
Quotations must be transcribed exactly as written by the original author and
correctly attributed. Citation styles for quotations will vary according to the style guide
required for your class. Be sure to follow the required formatting for citations carefully. If
you need to omit words to shorten a lengthy quotation, or add words to put a quotation in
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context, refer to the style guide. If more than 10 percent of your paper consists of direct
quotations, you should examine ways to add more of your own ideas and reactions and/or
use more paraphrasing and summary.
Paraphrasing and Summarizing
The ability to paraphrase or summarize accurately can improve your ability to
write a smooth, cohesive paper. If most of the information in your paper is presented in
your own voice, the reader will be able to concentrate on the topic rather than the
disruptive changes in voice and style created by a series of direct quotations from other
sources.
Remember that summaries and paraphrases must be cited.
Paraphrasing also can help ensure that you understand the research you have
gathered. If you cannot restate an idea in your own words, you probably do not truly
understand it.
A summary accurately restates and condenses another person’s main idea. A
summary is shorter than the original and takes a broad view of the material. Only the
main points are covered in a summary. A summary may cover an entire book or journal
article. The University of Texas lists ways to summarize paragraphs, articles, and
complex articles at http://utexas.edu/student/utlc/handouts/1241a.html
A paraphrase is a rewording of a portion of another person’s work. It contains
more detail than a summary and is generally focused on a section of a book or article
rather than the entire work.
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Effective paraphrasing takes some practice. If you try to reword a passage while
reading it you may be tempted to use too many of the author’s words instead of your
own. Try the following steps when paraphrasing:
•
Read and reread the material until you are certain you understand it. Do not make
any notes while you are reading.
•
Put the original source material out of your sight and write a paraphrase of what
you remember on a notecard or in a notebook.
•
If this is difficult, try making a tape recording of yourself. Pretend you are
explaining what you have read to a friend. Play back the tape and write down
what you have written.
•
Compare what you have written to the original source. Check for accuracy and
rewrite if necessary. Make sure you have not used any of the author’s words
exactly. If you cannot duplicate the meaning of the material without using some
of the author’s words, make sure you put quotation marks around any word or
words you have not rephrased.
•
Write down all the necessary citation information as you paraphrase, summarize
or collect direct quotations. If you try to do this later when you begin to write
your paper or prepare your works cited page, you may not be able to find the page
numbers or other information easily. It is particularly important to keep careful
records of Web pages. These pages are often updated, moved, or removed from
Web sites. If you don’t keep a citation record, you may not be able to find the
pages later. Make sure you know which citation method is required for your paper
before you begin your research. You might want to make a form that lists required
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citation information. Duplicate blank copies of this form and fill in one for each
quotation or paraphrase you might use in your paper.
Citations
It is important that students properly cite any information or ideas that are not their
original ideas or work. Failure to properly cite information obtained from any source (the
Web, books, magazines, journals, newspapers, e-mail, listservs, CDs, graphics,
television, radio, personal stories or interviews, etc.) is plagiarism. Even if a student
unintentionally plagiarizes, he or she may face severe academic penalties ranging from an
“F” on the paper to expulsion from school. That’s one reason to be very careful about
citations.
The other reason is academic accuracy and quality. As a college student you have
joined a community of scholars. The research papers you write as an undergraduate help
prepare you to work as a scholar or a professional in your field. Knowledge in every
discipline or profession is built on accurate research that can be easily traced to its source.
Without that trail of citations, information can become as garbled as a conversation in the
children’s game of “telephone.” Access to detailed accurate information is vital to the
success of any job or project. Remember the nursery rhyme that explains that the
kingdom was lost “for want of a nail?”
Your instructor may require you to use a certain type of citation style. Two of the
most common style guides are the MLA (Modern Language Association) guide and the
APA (American Psychological Association) guide. You can find information about these
style guides at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_mla.html and
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_apa.html . Most college libraries
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and writing centers will have copies of these guides, but if your major requires you to
write a substantial number of papers, you should consider buying a copy of the guide you
use most often. Most college bookstores carry the MLA and APA guides. You can also
order copies through online bookstores. Occasionally, your instructors may require you
to use other methods of citation. Be sure to follow your instructor’s requirements exactly.
What is grammar and why should we care about it?
Words are the tools we use to communicate and grammar is the blueprint that
helps us to construct meaning with words. If we understand and use grammar correctly,
we can communicate even the most complex ideas clearly and concisely.
Different groups of words have different names. Some of the most common
groups of words are phrases, clauses and sentences.
Every sentence must contain three elements:
1. A subject: The topic or main concern of the sentence. This is a noun or a
pronoun that tells the reader who or what the sentence is about.
2. A predicate. This shows the action that is being described in the sentence.
It describes what the subject is doing or what is being done to the subject.
The predicate also is called the verb or verb phrase of the sentence.
3. Complete meaning.
A phrase is a group of words that may have meaning or connections to each
other, but does not include a subject and a predicate. This is a phrase: The brave knight.
Although this is a meaningful group of words (it tells us that the knight is brave) it is not
a complete sentence because there is no predicate.
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A simple complete sentence may consist of only a subject and a predicate, but
only if the subject and predicate provide complete meaning to the sentence. A simple
complete sentence also is called an independent clause. If a clause needs another word
or words to completely express meaning, it is called a dependent clause. Dependent
clauses that are not connected to another explanatory clause or group of words are not
complete sentences. Incomplete sentences also are called sentence fragments.
There are several types of sentences.
Simple sentence: The knight is fighting.
“Knight” is the subject of the sentence and “is fighting” is the predicate of the sentence.
Although this sentence is very simple and short, it is a complete sentence that conveys
meaning.
Compound sentence: The knight is fighting, but the dragon is strong.
The compound sentence contains more than one independent clause.
“The knight is fighting” is one independent clause. “The dragon is strong” is the second
independent clause. Each of the independent clauses could stand alone as a complete
simple sentence. The word “but,” which links the two clauses, is called a coordinating
conjunction. There are seven coordinating conjunctions: yet, for, so, and, nor, but, or.
Complex sentence: When knights fight hard, they will succeed.
The complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
The first part of this sentence, “When knights fight hard,” is a dependent clause. It does
not make sense when separated from the clause the follows it. Although it contains a
subject (knights) and a predicate (fight), the word “when” makes the clause dependent on
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the clause that follows it for meaning. The last part of the sentence, “they will succeed,”
is an independent clause. It makes sense even if it stands alone.
Compound-complex sentence: If the knight is well trained, he will fight well, and he
will win the battle.
The compound-complex sentence contains two independent clauses and at least one
dependent clause.
“If the knight is well trained” is a dependent clause. Because of the word “if,” the clause
does not make sense when separated from the clause that follows it. The next two
clauses, “he will fight well,” and “he will win the battle,” are independent clauses. Each
contains a subject (“he”) and a predicate (“is” and “will win”) and each makes sense if it
is separated from the rest of the sentence.
Identifying Sentence Fragments
Sentence fragments are usually created when a writer:
•
Uses a dependent clause as a sentence.
•
Uses a period to separate two clauses that should be combined to form one
complete sentence.
•
Uses mixed construction such as the combination of a prepositional phrase and a
predicate.
•
Fails to include a subject.
•
Fails to include a predicate.
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Red Flags
If you see any of the following words at the beginning of a group of words, beware.
These words all create dependent clauses and must be combined with an independent
clause to form a complete sentence:
after
even though
that
whenever
while
although
if
though
where
who
as
in order that
unless
wherever
whom
because
since
until
whether
whose
before
so that
when
which
This is an example of a dependent clause sentence fragment: Because the knight was
brave and well trained. The reader needs to know what happened because the knight was
brave. To correct this sentence fragment the writer must write another clause that will
provide meaning. The correction could look like this: Because the knight was brave and
well trained, he won every battle.
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A sentence fragment formed by incorrect punctuation would look like this: Because the
knight was brave and well trained. (fragment) He won every battle. (complete sentence)
Combining the two clauses with a comma will correct the sentence fragment. Because the
knight was brave and well trained, he won every battle.
A sentence fragment without a subject would look like this: Fighting hard in battle. A
correction might look like this: The knight was fighting hard in battle. The word knight
provides a subject.
A sentence fragment that lacks a predicate would look like this: The brave knight. A
correction might look like this: The brave knight won the battle.
Some sentence fragments are caused by the incorrect inclusion of prepositions or
prepositional phrases. Prepositions are words that connect nouns and pronouns to other
words. They often describe locations: on, after, below, against, at, behind, beneath, next,
near, outside, in, over, under, underneath, upon, within, without, before, against, around,
between, above. Other common prepositions include: according to, along with, apart
from, as, in spite of, of, off, regarding, since, until. Look carefully at any sentence that
begins with a preposition.
A sentence fragment that incorrectly includes a preposition would look like this: By
fighting bravely can make a knight a hero. The sentence fragment can be corrected by
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removing the preposition “by.” The corrected sentence would look like this: Fighting
bravely can make a knight a hero.
The sentence also could be rewritten with the preposition. This correction would look like
this: By fighting bravely, the knight became a hero.
Parallel Structure
We use consistent construction of words in a sentence to show that all the ideas in that
sentence, list or clause are of equal importance. For example, either the infinitive form (to
walk, to write, etc.) or the gerund (walking, writing, etc.) form of verbs can be used in a
sentence, but the two forms should not be combined in the same sentence.
Incorrect: The knight likes riding, jousting, and to write poetry. (two gerunds and one
infinitive)
Correct: The knight likes riding, jousting and writing poetry. (all gerunds)
Correct: The knight likes to ride, joust, and write poetry. (all infinitives)
Incorrect combination of verb forms: The knight won the battle because he was brave,
well trained and he lacked fear. (Was brave, was well trained and lacked fear)
Correct: The knight won the battle because he was brave, well trained, and fearless.
Correct: The knight won the battle because he possessed bravery, good training, and
fearlessness.
Clauses also must show consistent use of verb forms.
Incorrect: The king told the knights that they should practice jousting, that they should
not get their horses tired, and to sharpen (infinitive) their swords.
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Correct: The king told the knights to practice jousting, rest their horses, and sharpen their
swords. (all infinitives)
A combination of active and passive verb construction should not be used in the same
sentence or group of clauses.
Active construction shows what the subject is doing: The dog is chasing the cat.
Passive construction shows what is being done to the subject: The cat is being chased by
the dog.
Incorrect: The knight expected that he would win (active) the battle, that no resistance
would come from (passive) the opposing army, and that he would receive (active) a
medal.
Correct: The knight expected that he would win the battle, that he would receive a
medal, and that the opposing army would not resist. (all active construction).
Lists also must follow parallel construction.
Incorrect: The knight uses his sword for several purposes: fighting, cutting up meat, and
to scare crows out of his garden.
Correct: The knight uses his sword for several purposes: fighting, cutting up meat, and
scaring crows out of his garden. (all gerund forms)
Correct: The knight uses his sword for several purposes: to fight, to cut up meat, and to
scare crows out of his garden. (all infinitive forms)
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Subject and Verb Agreement
Singular subjects must be matched with the singular form of verbs. Plural subjects must
be matched with plural verb forms.
Correct: The knight is at the battle. (singular noun and singular verb form)
Correct: The knights are at the battle. (plural noun and plural verb form)
Correct: The knight and his friend are at the battle. (a singular noun and another
singular noun connected with the word “and” uses the plural verb form)
When singular nouns or pronouns are connected by the word “or” or “nor” a singular
verb is used.
Correct: The knight or his friend is expected at the castle.
Correct: Neither the knight nor his friend is expected to return.
If the subject of the sentence consists of a singular and a plural noun or pronoun, the verb
should follow the form of the nearest noun or pronoun.
Correct: The knight or his friends fight (plural forms) every day.
Correct: His friends or the knight fights (singular forms) every day.
Sometimes other nouns come between the subject and the verb. These nouns should be
ignored.
Correct: One of the knights is dead. (The subject is one, not knights, so the verb form is
singular.)
Correct: The knight, as well as his friends, is brave. (The subject is the knight, so the verb
form is singular.)
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Correct: The war, including all the battles on the island, was bloody. (War is the subject,
so the verb form is singular.)
The following words are singular and must be used with a singular verb form: each, each
one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody,
someone, and no one.
Comma splices
Comma splices are places in a sentence where commas have been used incorrectly. A
comma should not be placed between two independent clauses.
Incorrect: The knight saw the army approaching, he ran for his sword.
Correct: The knight saw the army approaching, so he ran for his sword. (The addition of
the word “so,” a coordinating conjunction, corrects the comma splice.)
Correct: The knight saw the army approaching. He ran for his sword. (Each independent
clause has been made into a separate sentence.)
A comma also should not be placed before a conjunctive adverb such as: then,
however, thus, therefore, still, nevertheless, etc. when the conjunctive adverb connects
two independent clauses.
Incorrect: The knights fought at the fort, then they rode out to the castle.
Correct: The knights fought at the fort; then, they rode out to the castle. (A semicolon
must be placed after the first independent clause and a comma must be placed after the
conjunctive adverb.)
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If the conjunctive adverb does not connect two independent clauses, you do not need
a semicolon.
Incorrect: The wounded knight; however, did not want to kill his enemy.
Correct: The wounded knight, however, did not want to kill his enemy. (Commas are
necessary before and after the conjunctive adverb.)
When Should I Add a Comma?
Commas are needed after introductory clauses, phrases, and words. Introductory
clauses are generally dependent clauses (they do not make sense unless connected to
another clause).
Correct: If they expect to win the battle, the knights must be healthy and strong.
(Sentence begins with introductory clause.)
Correct: Bleeding heavily, the knight fell on the battlefield. (Sentence begins with an
introductory phrase.)
Correct: Meanwhile, the other knights continued to fight. (Sentence begins with an
introductory word.)
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Effective Writing Strategies