For Writers of English as a Second Language

Write simply

KISS: "Keep It Super-Simple."

Be brief. Do not say "In brief" or "briefly" or "In view of the limitations imposed on me by publishing this study in a journal, I cannot do justice to the entire history of the human race that led to the momentous occasion of me telling you what I think."

Do not stuff too many details into one sentence. Exposition is the art of providing your readers with all of the information they need in order to understand the point you want to make. "Virtue is the mean between extremes." You must not supply too much or too little information.

Do not write a preface to your sentences.

"It is interesting to note ..."

"It is important to take into consideration ..."

"It is worthwhile to explore ..."

"Before we go on to the next paragraph, we need to write about a different topic that will prove useful later on ..."

The fact that a sentence appears in your essay means that is is interesting, important, worthwhile, or helpful. That is why it is in your essay!

The art of exposition

In order to analyze either a story or an argument, we must correctly represent the elements of our source so that our reader can grasp the point that we are trying to make.

There must not be too much or too little exposition of the work that we are analyzing.

It is not possible to give a formal definition of what "too much" or "too little" means in the sentence above.

This is a matter for prudential judgment.

This is something that we learn by doing.

As a general rule, the order of exposition makes a difference, both in accurately representing the sequence of events in a story or in tracing the elements of an argument. The way in which we introduce the material within our own commentary is also very important. We must provide our readers with all of the information they need in order to see what we mean. Exposition and analysis may alternate, but we must not rely on a fact that we have not yet introduced into evidence as we comment on the text.

Use the past tense, please

Many guides and storytellers use the "historical present," even though the events they are talking about are in the remote past. Using the present tense makes us feel as though we are part of the story.

A Franciscan gets a haircut, and then asks how much he owes. The barber says he never charges clergy. The Franciscan thanks the barber and goes home. The next morning the barber finds a big basket of fresh bread from the Franciscans' kitchens.

An Augustinian gets his hair cut by the same barber. The barber also tells him than he never charges clergy. So, the next day the barber receives a nice bottle of wine from the Augustinians' wine cellar.

A Jesuit gets his haircut, and the barber again says that he never charges clergy. The next day, when the barber gets to work, there are twelve other Jesuits already waiting for him.

For writers of English as a second language, the present tense is much easier to manage than the various past tenses.

Juxtaposition works

"To juxtapose" means to set things side-by-side.

You do not have to explain that the next thing to appear after the introduction of a general idea is an example. State the generality, then set the example beside it. Trust your readers to see that the second sentence illustrates the first.

In the same way, you do not need to say "finally" as you reach the end of a paragraph, a section, a chapter, or a book. Your readers can see with their own ideas that they are coming to the end of what you have written.

Don't talk about doing it.

Just do it.

Semantics

The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Huckleberry Finn

In this passage, Huck has to decide between returning Jim to his original slave owner or else helping Jim escape from slavery. He has written a letter to Miss Watson, telling her where she can find her slave.

It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: "All right, then, I'll go to hell" – and tore it up.

It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. And for a starter, I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.”

Writing is an art, not a science. A passage that is formally correct in every aspect, obeying all of the rules of grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling, may still be dreck.

The classroom is "a behavior modification lab, where ... one practices child-centered strategies that optimize the personological variables of interactive relationships, thus producing awareness enhancement."

I cannot tell you how to choose the right words to express what you want to say. I can tell you what sounds off to me.

Links

- Education First English Grammar Guide.