LEC052017. DEEPTHI M. "MECHANICS OF WRITING"

MECHANICS OF WRITING

                 Effective writing requires a sound understanding of the mechanics of good writing. In composition, writing mechanics are the conventions governing the technical aspects of writing, such as spelling, punctuation and capitalization. The goal of mechanics of writing is to make the writing precise and grammatically correct. The mechanics of writing are the rules that must be followed so that the format becomes systematic and consistent in all academic sectors. If one does not follow or if there are no such rules of writing then the writing would be certainly very difficult.

SPELLING

                   In written language, spelling is the correct arrangement of letters that form words. Spelling in an academic writing should be consistent, clean and correct expert in quotations. The spelling in the quotation must be the original whether correct or incorrect. If we have to divide any words, we should not do so at the end of the line. If the word does not fit there, we should leave the space and bring the words in the next line.

 PUNCTUATION

                  The purpose of punctuation is to bring clarity in writing and to make it comprehensible. Punctuation clarifies sentence structure, separating some words and grouping others. It adds meaning to written words and guides for readers to understand as they move through sentences. Basic and very important punctuation marks are comma, semicolon, colon, dash and parentheses, hyphen, apostrophes, quotation marks, slashes, question marks, exclamation points etc. So when we write we must keep it in mind that not only the content but also the punctuation system holds a lot of importance, and inappropriate punctuation can hamper or change the complete meaning also.

1.Comma ( , )

Use the comma to separate ideas in  a sentence, in order to make the meaning clearer:

When joining two sentences with a conjunction:

         For example:

•  I went to town yesterday, but I didn’t buy anything.
•  The new intake of students was large, so the group was divided into two classes.

When adding extra information to the basic sentence:

         For example:

• ·       The student searched for hours without success, becoming increasingly desperate.
• ·       The student, who came from Europe, adjusted quickly to the New Zealand academic culture.

When listing a series of items:

        For example:

• A pen, lined paper and a calculator were required for the exam.

 To introduce a quotation:

        For example:

• ·       According to Winston Churchill, “To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often.”

2.Colons (:)

           Colons are used to indicate that what follows will be an example, explanation, or elaboration of what has just been said. It can be used to:

Introduce a list:

For example:

• For the practicum course, you are required to bring the following: chef’s jacket, recipe, instructions, and all ingredients.

Introduce a quotation:

 For example:

• Copus (2009) comments: “Clear writing is inextricably linked to clear thinking” (p. vii).

(Note: A comma can also introduce a direct quotation).

Expand an idea:

For example:

·       Both parties agreed on the final result: There would be increased participation in meetings by all those involved.

Add emphasis. The colon acts like a pointer:

For example:

·       Compare the following sentences:

      He started the business because he wanted money.

      He started the business for one reason only: money.

We also use colons to indicate a subtitle or to indicate a subdivision of a topic.

 For example:

• ·       Life in Provence: A Personal View.

Note: a colon can point to a single word, a list, to another sentence, or to a series of sentences or paragraphs.

NB. When a sentence follows a colon, start the sentence with a capital.

3.Semi Colon (;)

The semi colon has two main uses:

Join two complete sentences that are closely connected in meaning:

  For example:

• ·       Cats are independent creatures; dogs require more looking after.
• ·       The class was divided into two groups; the intake of first years was larger than expected.

Listing complex items that contain commas:

For example:

• Research material can include the following: journals from the library, and from databases; hard copy, and online books; and relevant information from a practicum experience.

Note: Bailey Jr. (1990) notes that a semicolon separates “equal grammatical units” (e.g., an ‘independent clause from another independent clause’, or a phrase from a phrase…’)

• Do not use a semicolon to separate unequal grammatical units, for instance, an independent clause from a dependent clause.

4. Apostrophe (’)

The apostrophe has two main uses:

Contraction, to show that letters have been left out of a word.

Didn’t = did not	doesn’t = does not
it’s = it is	wasn’t = was not
who’s = who is	can’t = cannot
I’ll = I will	isn’t = is not

 NB. Contractions are not used in academic writing.

Possession, to show that something belongs to someone or something.

      The apostrophe always comes directly after the name of the owner of the object, followed by what they own.

•  a student’s essay = the essay belongs to a student.
•  next week’s timetable = the timetable belonging to next week.
• the students’ pens = the pens belong to the students.
• the people’s leader = leader of (belonging to) the people.

NB. Do not use the apostrophe with personal pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, yours, ours.

For example:

• The work is yours.
• That house is theirs.

5.Dash

               A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash.

Ø En dash: Twice as long as a hyphen, the en dash is a symbol (–) that is used in writing or printing to indicate a range, connections or differentiation, such as 1880-1945 or    Princeton-New York trains.

Ø Em dash: Longer than the en dash, the em dash can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence. For example, She gave him her answer — No!
Whether you put spaces around the em dash or not is a style choice. Just be consistent.

Using em dashes instead of parentheses put the focus on the information between the em dashes.

6.Period (.)

Use a period in the following situations:

To end a sentence: Use a period to end a declarative or imperative sentence.

Example:

• ·       Computer documentation is always grammatically precise.

In file and directory names: Use a period as part of a filename to separate the file name from a file extension. 

Example:    Image.jpeg

When used in technical terms, a period is called a “dot.”

With abbreviations: A period is used with some abbreviations, and always with those abbreviations that would look like a word otherwise.

Example:

•      a.m.
•     U.S. 

In lists: In a bulleted list, you can use a period to separate an introductory word or phrase from its explanation. If the text following the introductory word or phrase is brief, use an en dash instead of a period.

7.Brackets [ ]

Brackets always come in pairs  and are used to make an aside, or a point which is not part of the main flow of a sentence.  If you remove the words between the brackets, the sentence should still make sense.

For example:

• “The strategy [or strategies] chosen to meet the objectives may need to change as the intervention continues.”

Use brackets in the following situations:

Within parenthetic text. Use brackets to insert a parenthetic word or phrase into material that is already enclosed by parentheses.

Example:

•  Placing comments within a menu file often makes sense. (See page 154 of Advanced Skills, Revision A [May, 1991] for related information.)

In optional command-line entries. Use brackets to set off an optional part of a command line.

Example: date [yymmddhhmm]

8.Exclamation mark  (!)

The note of exclamation indicates excitement, either positive or negative. It can also be used for giving additional emphasis to sentences, phrases, or single words, and especially to commands and interjections.

Example:

•    Wait! Don’t take another step!
•    What a gorgeous house!

Exclamation marks should be used sparingly in scholarly writing.

9.Hyphen (-)

               Hyphens combine words together to make Compound nouns /Adjectives. Hyphens are also used with some suffixes and prefixes, such as -like, -wise, anti-, and post- to make new adjectives. Hyphens also, join prefixes to capitalized words (post-Renaissance) and link pairs of coequal nouns (poet-priest, teacher-scholar).

Example:

•  Anti-violent
• Ability-wise
• Decision-making
•  City-owned  

               Compound numbers and continuous numbers require hyphen in them. A hyphen is used with compound numbers from 21 to 99 in words and with fractions which work as adjectives in the sentence. Fractions which are nouns don’t need hyphens.

Example:

•  Sixty-five
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
•  Three-fifths full a glass

10. Ellipsis Points (. . .)

                 Ellipses points are three equally spaced points (. . .) commonly used in writing or printing to indicate the omission of words in a quotation. They are also known as ellipsis dots, suspension points, or simply ellipsis.

Examples:

• Full quotation: "Today, after hours of careful thought, we vetoed the bill."

          With ellipsis: "Today … we vetoed the bill.

• The sense of isolation present in many of the poems of the his earlier collections grew into an obsessive loneliness, under the pressure of two alien cultures. (From Robert Pring-Mill, Pablo Neruda: A Basic Anthology [Oxford: Dolphin, 1975], p. xxi.)

          Quoted with [an] ellipsis in the middle:

          As Robert Pring-Mill notes of Neruda’s years in the    East, “The sense of isolation … grew into              an obsessive loneliness, under the pressure of two alien cultures.”

    

11. Quotation Marks (“….”)

                  (" ") are a pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word. They are also used to indicate meanings and to indicate the unusual or dubious status of a word.

Examples:

• " Don't go outside," she said.

             Single quotation marks (' ') are used most frequently for quotes within quotes.

• Marie told the teacher, "I saw Marc at the playground, and he said to me 'Bill started the fight,' and I believed him."

12 Parentheses ( )

                   We use parentheses to identify material that acts as an aside ( such as this brief comment ) or to add incidental information. Some more specialized functions of parentheses include:    

To introduce tables or figures within a sentence.

  Example:

•    In pulse-jet collectors (Figure 3), bags are supported from a metal cage fastened onto a cell plate at the top of the collector.

 To represent converted units.

Example:

• The funnel used for this experiment was 7 in. (17.8 cm) in length.

When enumerating.

Example:

• The system has three principal components: (1) a cleaning booth, (2) an air reservoir, and (3) an air spray manifold.

 To indicate product manufacturer names.

Example:

•  The filtering process involves a 10-mm Dorr-Oliver cyclone (Zefon International).

 To introduce an acronym after it has been written out.

Example:

• Units will be expressed in cubic feet per minute (cfm).

13 Braces ({}

                     Braces are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are considered as a unit. They are not commonplace in most writing but can be seen in computer programming to show what should be contained within the same lines. They can also be used in mathematical expressions. 

For example, 2{1+[23-3]}=x.

 14 Question Mark (?)

                      The  Note of Interrogation (Question Mark)  is used to complete sentences that form a direct question. Indirect questions are regarded as statements, and they take periods, not question marks.

Example:

• ·       Have you had your breakfast?
• ·       Where are you going?

15 Slash ( / )  

                  Slashes (virgules) are used to separate lines of poetry  and elements of dates, to enclose phonemic transcription, and occasionally to separate alternative words (and/or).

                       Do not use a slash in running text. Slashes can be confusing for translators due to the multiple meanings of this symbol, which can mean “or” (“and/or”), “and or” (“open/close”), and “divide by” (“36/6”)  

     CAPITALIZATION   

Use capitals for the following:

The first letter of the first word of a sentence.

Example:

• The woman entered the room.

 The pronoun I.

For example:

• John and I are going to class.

 

Acronyms, which are formed from the first letters of words.

For example:

• EIT is an acronym for Eastern Institute of Technology.
• The World Health Organisation = WHO

All proper nouns, which include the names of people and their titles, specific places and organisations, and the names of months and days.

Examples:

            Dr Mary Jones, Napier, France, the White House, Tuesday, Students’ Association.

These are a few technical aspects clubbed together as mechanics of writing, essential to the clarity and beauty of a text. The merit of a document is governed jointly by grammar and aforesaid mechanics of writing.

C.   SOURCES:

https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/punctuation/what/fourteen-punctuation-marks.html

https://carleton.ca/keirarmstrong/learning-resources/essay-guidelines/mechanics-of-writing/

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/0131428993/samplechapter/0131428993_ch01.pdf