I decide to use this blog to destroy my fear, learn my false, and improving my English. Moreover, I hope to find someone who interested in improving their English writing skill, like me, to learn and share.

I have tried many methods to improve my English writing skill. I have learned that, from my instructor, we can teach ourselves by learning from our mistake. Furthermore, I also learn that one of the main problems in improving our skill is ‘fear’. We are too ashamed to show our weakness to other people. It is the ‘wall’ which has to be destroyed. So, I decide to use this blog to destroy my fear, learn my false, and improving my English. Moreover, I hope to find someone who interested in improving their English writing skill, like me, to learn and share.

Few days ago, I found an interesting book about writing skill. The name ‘A New Guide to Better Writing’ and the back cover words ‘Does your mind go blank when you stare at a blank piece of paper?’ are very attractive. This pocketbook size text written by Rudolf Flesch and A.H. Lass was published in 1949. Even so old, its contents still practical, concise, and up to date. I have learned much from this book and eager to share them to other people.

Here is the first topic which I want to share. The authors summarized seven instructions in the topic: ‘Don’t leave your reader in doubt about what you mean.’ It’s a very concise and practical summary. However I have to add the author’s examples, in bracket, for more understanding.

Don’t leave your reader in doubt about what you mean: (quote from page 140)

1. Look out for sentences starting with a participial (ing) phrase not related to the rest of the sentence. This is called the dangling participle. [Don’t write: Reading the funny papers, my aunt dropped in for a visit.  Write: I was reading the funny papers when my aunt dropped in for a visit.]

2. Look out for puzzling prepositional phrases. [Don’t write: Last night I went to see Clark Gable in a new dress.  Write: Last night I put on a new dress and went to see Clark Gable]

3. Look out for sentences starting with an infinitive (to) phrase. [Don’t write: To get to the station, the bus stops right in front of our house.  Write: To get to the station, take the bus. It stops right in front of our house.]

4. When you compare things, make sure you are comparing the right things. [Don’t write: Frank’s bicycle is as tall as Mary.  Write: Frank’s bicycle is as tall as Mary’s (bicycle). Note: the difference made by an s after Mary.]

5. Look out for squinting modifiers. [Don’t write: We keep our radio going often without paying any attention to it.  Write: We keep our radio going – often without paying attention to it. OR Write: We keep our radio going often, but without paying any attention to it.  OR Rewrite the whole thing to avoid any trouble: ‘We often keep our radio going. But we pay no attention to it’. OR: ‘We keep our radio going, but often pay no attention to it’. ]

6. Look out for pronouns that may refer to two things, or pronouns that do not refer to anything. [Don’t write: The garden wedding was spoiled by rain. It lasted for a whole week.  Write: ‘The garden wedding was spoiled by rain. The rain lasted for a whole week’. Note: Even the word ‘rain’ was duplicated, it’s much better than leave the reader in doubt.]

7. Look out for the puzzling then, there, that. [Don’t write: The subject is not mentioned in the book since there were no airplanes at that time.  Write: The subject is not mentioned in the book since there were no airplanes in 1893. Note: Add specific time instead of ‘that’.]