Effective WritingEffective Writing

Glen WhitmanGlen Whitman

Dept. of EconomicsDept. of Economics

CSUNCSUN

The Big PictureThe Big Picture

Think about your audience (academic or Think about your audience (academic or business?).business?).

Think about your goal (explanation or Think about your goal (explanation or persuasion?).persuasion?).

Outline before you start writing.Outline before you start writing. Leave out unnecessary information. (How do Leave out unnecessary information. (How do

you know? Refer to goals and audience.)you know? Refer to goals and audience.) Use heading and subheadings to organize Use heading and subheadings to organize

the text.the text. Revise early and often.Revise early and often.

Samples:Samples:

““What used to a period of four to What used to a period of four to five years to get a college five years to get a college education, is now taking much education, is now taking much longer.”longer.”

““In my opinion what we need to In my opinion what we need to examine, is whether the benefit is examine, is whether the benefit is great enough to justify the risk.”great enough to justify the risk.”

Samples:Samples:

““Politicians do not stay in office Politicians do not stay in office forever, this is why they pay little forever, this is why they pay little attention to the long-run costs of attention to the long-run costs of their policies.”their policies.”

““A familiar and useful source on A familiar and useful source on American politics is back, the American politics is back, the Almanac of American Politics, edited Almanac of American Politics, edited by Michael Barone, you get 1800 by Michael Barone, you get 1800 pages for your $60.”pages for your $60.”

SamplesSamples

““The author informs us that The author informs us that economists have traditionally economists have traditionally employed the Pigou model which employed the Pigou model which recommends taxing the pollution-recommends taxing the pollution-generating behavior.”generating behavior.”

““The people, who run the company The people, who run the company from day to day, need to understand from day to day, need to understand the goals chosen by upper the goals chosen by upper management.”management.”

Use of CommasUse of Commas

Do not simply to create a pause or to Do not simply to create a pause or to break up a long sentence.break up a long sentence.

Do not use commas to splice together Do not use commas to splice together sentences. Either write two sentences sentences. Either write two sentences or use a semicolon instead.or use a semicolon instead.

Use commas to set off words, phrases, Use commas to set off words, phrases, and clauses that are not essential to the and clauses that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence.meaning of the sentence.

SamplesSamples

““I like running, swimming, the stationary I like running, swimming, the stationary bike, and to do gymnastics.”bike, and to do gymnastics.”

““I want an employer who is smart, loyal, I want an employer who is smart, loyal, works hard, and understands the works hard, and understands the business.”business.”

““The clerks’ wages were not included in The clerks’ wages were not included in the contribution because of the nature of the contribution because of the nature of the clerk’s wages and that they are the clerk’s wages and that they are dependent on the number of hours dependent on the number of hours worked in a shift.”worked in a shift.”

Samples:Samples:

““In Section 1 of the law, the City In Section 1 of the law, the City Council of Calabasas accepts that Council of Calabasas accepts that second hand smoke: adversely affects second hand smoke: adversely affects fetal growth, causes 300,000 children fetal growth, causes 300,000 children to suffer lower respiratory, 90% of to suffer lower respiratory, 90% of adults start smoking at or before 18, adults start smoking at or before 18, 5.9% of youth in California smoke, 5.9% of youth in California smoke, and smoking in front of children and smoking in front of children increases the likelihood of smoking.”increases the likelihood of smoking.”

Parallel StructureParallel Structure

Each element of a list should have Each element of a list should have the same grammatical form.the same grammatical form.

Look for the stem that signals the Look for the stem that signals the beginning of the list. There should beginning of the list. There should be just one stem.be just one stem.

When combined with the stem, each When combined with the stem, each element in the list should form a element in the list should form a complete sentence.complete sentence.

Samples:Samples:

““Because of the nature of risk and Because of the nature of risk and statistics, insurance is able to calculate statistics, insurance is able to calculate the probabilities of accidents by their the probabilities of accidents by their clients and charge an appropriate price clients and charge an appropriate price for their premiums bringing a profit which for their premiums bringing a profit which is beneficial to them and drivers are is beneficial to them and drivers are willing to pay the price for the premiums willing to pay the price for the premiums because it allows them to avoid risk, because it allows them to avoid risk, which they are willing to pay to do and which they are willing to pay to do and therefore it is beneficial to them as well.”therefore it is beneficial to them as well.”

Samples:Samples:

““For the record, this didactic result For the record, this didactic result is based on chapter thirteen of is based on chapter thirteen of Law’s OrderLaw’s Order by David D. Friedman by David D. Friedman (DDF) which was simple enough to (DDF) which was simple enough to understand and there were a few understand and there were a few sections that made me all the more sections that made me all the more inquisitive but yet overwhelmed my inquisitive but yet overwhelmed my senses so this paper may be going senses so this paper may be going off tangents here and there.”off tangents here and there.”

Run-on SentencesRun-on Sentences

Look for sentences that are long, Look for sentences that are long, and consider breaking them up.and consider breaking them up.

Sometimes inserting punctuation in Sometimes inserting punctuation in the right place will help, but not the right place will help, but not always.always.

Not every long sentence is a run-on. Not every long sentence is a run-on. Not every run-on sentence is long.Not every run-on sentence is long.

Samples:Samples:

““What used to be the norm of four What used to be the norm of four to five years to get a college to five years to get a college education is now taking longer to education is now taking longer to complete.”complete.”

““This kind of social purchasing can This kind of social purchasing can be assumed to desire either a be assumed to desire either a larger quantity and/or a higher larger quantity and/or a higher quality product.”quality product.”

Samples:Samples:

““The same liberties that ensure a The same liberties that ensure a free society make the innocent free society make the innocent vulnerable to those who prevent vulnerable to those who prevent rights and privileges and commit rights and privileges and commit senseless and cruel acts.”senseless and cruel acts.”

““By imposing the tax, the efficient By imposing the tax, the efficient quantity of units would be quantity of units would be produced.”produced.”

Logical ProblemsLogical Problems

There is an internal logic to the There is an internal logic to the language.language.

Pay attention to subjects and verbs; Pay attention to subjects and verbs; the subjects should perform the the subjects should perform the actions described by the verbs.actions described by the verbs.

Think carefully about your choice of Think carefully about your choice of words. Don’t always trust your words. Don’t always trust your thesaurus; only some words will thesaurus; only some words will make sense in context.make sense in context.

Samples:Samples:

““The candidate discussed the The candidate discussed the various ways in which it is possible various ways in which it is possible to cut waste and excessive to cut waste and excessive spending from the federal budget.”spending from the federal budget.”

““Professor Johnson is a person who Professor Johnson is a person who rises every morning at the crack of rises every morning at the crack of dawn to prepare for a productive dawn to prepare for a productive day.”day.”

Samples:Samples:

““The purpose of an environmental scan The purpose of an environmental scan is to obtain a general understanding of is to obtain a general understanding of the external business environment we the external business environment we are currently in and expect to be in over are currently in and expect to be in over the near-term. This may include any the near-term. This may include any number of factors, but they are factors number of factors, but they are factors that may significantly impact the firm’s that may significantly impact the firm’s business, either positively or negatively business, either positively or negatively depending on how the firm manages its depending on how the firm manages its way through them.”way through them.”

Concision vs. VerbosityConcision vs. Verbosity

Get to the point. Think about what Get to the point. Think about what you really mean, and then say it.you really mean, and then say it.

Don’t make an effort to use big Don’t make an effort to use big words. Make an effort to use the words. Make an effort to use the bestbest words. words.

Don’t say the same vague thing in Don’t say the same vague thing in several different ways.several different ways.

Errors That Aren’t Really Errors That Aren’t Really ErrorsErrors

All of these constructions are perfectly All of these constructions are perfectly acceptable:acceptable:

Splitting infinitivesSplitting infinitives Ending a sentence with a prepositionEnding a sentence with a preposition Beginning a sentence with a Beginning a sentence with a

conjunctionconjunction Using the first personUsing the first person

Some Odds & EndsSome Odds & Ends

Follow the given format: double-spaced Follow the given format: double-spaced with 1-inch margins, 12-point font, and with 1-inch margins, 12-point font, and page numbers. (More generally, follow page numbers. (More generally, follow the standard format for the context.)the standard format for the context.)

Stay within the page limits. Don’t Stay within the page limits. Don’t cheat by altering the format!cheat by altering the format!

Don’t bother with fancy binders and Don’t bother with fancy binders and glossy covers. A staple will do.glossy covers. A staple will do.

Be consistent – in your structure and Be consistent – in your structure and your tone.your tone.