As the third in a
series of pointers for crafting more readable and compelling compositions, I am
posting in this week’s edition of the Forum the essay below, “Using repeated
action and sequence words,” that I wrote for my weekly English-usage column in The Manila Times in early 2004. The discussion
focuses on simple but powerful grammar devices in English for giving
greater cohesion and clarity to writing and speaking. As I’m sure many of us
already know, what these devices do is to represent or point back to
ideas, elements, events, or situations presented or described earlier in the
composition—thus sparing the reader or listener from the tedium of going through
the same set of words and phrases all over again. The happy result is, of
course, more concise and more lucid expositions.
Find out now if, in fact, you haven’t been using the whole
repertoire of these repeated action and sequence words all these years. If so,
it’s not too late to make them give punch and sparkle to your written and
spoken English. (July 22, 2012)
Using repeated action and sequence words
For a much better handle on English usage, let’s go further
back this time to the basics of English composition. Let’s review the uses of
the so-called repeated action words
and sequence words, those
simple but powerful grammar devices for giving greater cohesion and clarity to
writing.
Repeated action reference words. These
words become standard equipment very early among English-language learners:
“so,” “that,” “these,” “those,” “such,” “too,” “does,” “do,” and “did,” “the
same,” “likewise,” “either” and “neither,” and “not.” What they do is
to represent or point back to ideas, elements, events, or situations
presented or described earlier in the composition. We must always keep in mind,
though, that these reference words shouldn’t be used by themselves alone; they
should be judiciously combined with important words or phrases previously used
in the sentence or paragraph.
Let’s now review how these repeated action reference words
work:
“So.” A statement might look like this in its
full-blown form: “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 a repeated action reference word, that repetitious 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 the sentence 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, a townhouse in
Athens—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,” “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.” Negation of a statement can be done very
efficiently by this repeated action reference word: “Most think that going to Baguio City
Sequence words. As we all know,
“the former” and “the latter” are the two most common reference words for
concisely showing the order of two previously mentioned elements, situations,
and events. Both words imply a certain relation between those 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.” The reference word “former,” of course,
refers to “Christmas Day,” and the reference word “latter,” to “New Year’s Day.”
We can see that repeated action reference words and sequence
words not only tie up sentences and paragraphs neatly together, but also help
emphasize the ideas being put forth in the composition. For beginning writers,
this is as good a start as any towards concise, emphatic writing.
----------------From the weekly column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in The Manila Times, January 9, 2004 issue © 2004 by The Manila Times. All rights reserved. This essay subsequently appeared as Chapter 55 of the author’s book Give Your English the Winning Edge © 2004 by Jose A. Carillo. All rights reserved.
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