Look Good in Print

This text will refresh your memory or introduce you to the common writing rules for Standard American English. It addresses the 22 most common errors found in writing. Applying and using the fundamentals of good writing will ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and achieves your intended purposes.

02A: SYNTAX AND WORD CHOICE

2. Use Strong Subjects

In sentences, subjects are doing the work; they are doing or being something. Every sentence you write should have a strong subject. In other words, state clearly who or what is doing the action. 

Sounds simple, right? You’d be surprised at how easily weak subjects infiltrate our writing. The culprit is often one of two bad habits: starting your clause with "there" or "it," or starting with a verb that you’ve turned into a noun (a practice known as "nominalization"). 

This video shows how to notice and avoid using "there" and "it" as subjects. 

"There" and "it" are not always off limits as subjects. Your writing will be stronger, however, if you try to rewrite a sentence to give it a stronger subject. Consider the following examples:

WEAK:  There are many ways a business can go bankrupt.

STRONG: A business can go bankrupt in many ways. 

EVEN STRONGER: For a business, many roads can lead to bankruptcy. 

Nominalizations can suck the life out of a verb and turn it into a bland, bureaucratic noun. This next video shows why and how to avoid using nominalizations as subjects:  

Not all nominalizations are off limits, of course, but they often weaken sentences - even when not functioning as subjects. Examine these examples of nominalizations and their alternatives. Note how getting rid of the nominalizations makes the sentences shorter:

Along with strong subjects, try to use strong verbs. Where possible, replace weak verbs - be, have, see, want, etc. - with more active verbs. Weak adverbs (such as really, very, or pretty) also create verbal clutter. Instead of a "weak adverb + weak verb" pairing, try using a single strong verb: "The president insists on quiche for breakfast," for example, instead of, "The President really wonts quiche for breakfast".

WEAK:  Southwest Airlines made a decision to expand its international routes.

STRONG: Southwest Airlines opted to expand its international routes.

WEAK:  A new budget airline offers direct competition to Southwest. 

STRONG:  A new budget airline competes directly with Southwest. 

Nominalizations are especially damaging when they take the place of a strong verb. In the first example (Southwest Airlines . . .), eliminating the nominalization changes the verb from "made" to "opted" - much stronger.