Starting this week, I am reprising a few of the dozen or so techniques I’ve earlier written about for crafting more readable and compelling English prose. We’ll begin with the so-called
repeated action words, namely “so,” “that,” “these,” and “those”; “such”; “too”; “does,” “do,” and “did”; “the same” and “likewise”; “either” and “neither,” and “not”; and
the sequence words, of which the phrases “the former” and “the latter” are the most common. Each of them represents or points back to ideas, elements, or situations earlier presented or described.
The signal words “too,” “likewise,”and “similarly” are concise and forceful repeated action reference words.
Let’s do a quick review first of the
repeated action reference words:
“So.” In its full-blown form a statement might look like this: “Everybody is learning how to use the personal computer. You should also be learning how to use the personal computer yourself.” By using “so” as repeated action reference word, that statement can be made more concise and forceful: “Everybody is learning how to use the personal computer;
so should you.”
“That.” Take a look at this overwrought statement: “He has been in turns a farmer, bus driver, newspaperman, communication specialist, and entrepreneur. The shaping of his unique world view by having been all of these things is what he considers the story of his life.” See how the reference word
“that” makes short shrift of the repetitious statement and gives it more more drama: “The shaping of his unique world view by having been in turns a farmer, bus driver, newspaperman, communication specialist, and entrepreneur—
that he considers as the story of his life.”
“These” and “those.” These two reference words efficiently emphasize enumerative sequences: “Coffee, toast, orange marmalade, and fried eggs—
these are the only things I take for breakfast.” “A villa in Palermo, a castle in Austria, a resort house in Capri—
all those the marauding government official had to give up when he was convicted of plunder.”
“It.” This familiar, all-purpose pronoun can be used as a reference word for inanimate things or concepts previously mentioned in a composition: “He ran for public office thrice and lost each time;
it was the worst humiliation of his life.”
“Such.” This word is a highly emphatic recapitulating device: “She bought five books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, three by Isabel Allende, and one by Pablo Coelho all at once—
such was her fascination with Latin-American literature.”
“Too.” An excellent word for avoiding a repetition of similar attributes: “The woman’s vagabond lover was convicted of the grisly crime;
the woman, too, got convicted.”
“Does,” “do,” and “did.” These repeated action reference words eliminate the need to restate previously mentioned actions: “The groom loves riding horses;
so does his bride.” “Not a few people want an intelligent president;
so do we.”
“She left right after midnight; so did I.”
“The same” and “likewise.” These two work in practically the same way: “We ordered six cases of champagne yesterday;
we want double of the same today.” “Our team worked overtime on New Year’s Eve;
their team did likewise.”
“Either” and “neither.” These words efficiently recapitulate the acceptance or rejection of two previously mentioned choices: “Between the astral blue or apple-red sedan,
either will do.” “Hong Kong or Singapore at this time of year?
I want neither!”
“Not.” Negating a statement can be done very efficiently by this repeated action reference word: “Most think that going to Baguio City at this time of year is great;
not me.
Now as for
the sequence words,
“the former” and
“the latter” are the most often used for concisely showing the order of two previously mentioned elements, situations, or events: “Christmas Day and New Year’s Day came and went,
the former with a burst of piety and generosity,
the latter with a bang and expectations of better things to come.”
This essay, 2081st of the series, appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the March 24, 2022 Internet edition of The Manila Times
,© 2022 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.Read this essay online in
The Manila Times:
Avoiding needless repetition to sustain audience interest(Next week:
The power of the demonstrative reference words) March 31, 2022
Visit Jose Carillo’s English Forum, http://josecarilloforum.com. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter and e-mail me at j8carillo@yahoo.com.
