Writing Techniques & Style Flashcards

A writer uses 'however' to connect two sentences. Which punctuation is correct?

Answer: The report was thorough; however, it lacked visuals.

A conjunctive adverb like 'however' connecting two independent clauses requires a semicolon before it and a comma after it.

What is the main risk of using jargon in professional writing?

Answer: It can exclude readers who are unfamiliar with specialized terminology

Jargon may be opaque to readers outside a specific field, impeding comprehension and limiting a document's audience.

Which of the following best describes 'parallel structure'?

Answer: Using the same grammatical form for coordinate elements in a sentence

Parallel structure requires that items in a series or list use the same grammatical form, ensuring clarity and balance.

A writer describes the ocean as 'a hungry beast devouring the shore.' This is an example of:

Answer: Metaphor

The ocean is being directly identified as a 'hungry beast' without using 'like' or 'as,' making this a metaphor rather than a simile.

What writing principle does the phrase 'murder your darlings' advise?

Answer: Be willing to cut writing you love if it does not serve the work

The phrase, attributed to Arthur Quiller-Couch and popularized by Stephen King, advises writers to remove favorite passages that do not serve the overall piece.

Which sentence has an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement?

Answer: Each of the writers submitted their manuscript early.

The antecedent 'each' is singular and traditionally takes a singular pronoun 'his or her,' though 'their' is increasingly accepted; formal CPW standards flag 'each…their' as a mismatch.

What is 'stream of consciousness' as a writing technique?

Answer: A technique that mimics the continuous, associative flow of a character's thoughts

Stream of consciousness presents a character's unfiltered thoughts and perceptions as they occur, without conventional narrative structure.