Rules on Clear and Effective Writing

RULE NO. 1: THINK FIRST, THEN WRITE

• You must figure out just what you want to say.

• why you are writing in the first place.

• Know who your readers• Think for the “human interest”• Think for logical arrangements

• According to time• Start with what happened first, what

happened next, and so on. • Arrange the material according to

importance• The pattern you can use most often is the

who-what-where-when-why order of a news story.

RULE NO. 2: GET TO THE POINT

• Get the reader into the midst of things.

• Start with something that matters, such as your main idea.

• Or tell the reader something that will make him sit and take notice.

RULE NO. 3: USE FAMILIAR WORDS

Readers are not buying newspapers for the words used, but for the content

Use words that has three or more syllables, under 10 percent.

• Complex Commoncategory – class contribute – givefacilitate – helpinaugurate – startincarcerate – jail indisposed – illinundate – flood majority – mostmonumental – big prevaricate – lieproceed – go procure – getpurchase – buy reside – liverequest – ask summon – callterminate – end utilize – usewitness – see

RULE NO. 4: OMIT VERBAL DEADWOOD

drop unnecessary words from phrases or sentences

affixed his signature – signedat the present time – nowheld a conference – metin the immediate vicinity – nearfor the reason that – becausetendered his resignation – resignedtold his listeners – saidunited in holy matrimony – marriedused for fuel purposes – fueledwas able to make his escape - escaped

• advanced prediction• a period of two weeks• definitely decided• fatal killing• final conclusion• free gift• new recruits• other alternative• past history

RULE NO. 5: KEEP YOUR SENTENCES SHORT

Readers absorb the idea faster.

Longer sentences

More words

More relationships

More effort

Average sentence length in words:

RULE NO. 6: SHORTEN YOUR PARAGRAPHS

they are easy on the eye

Short paragraphs act as a brake for writers

make for easy reference

RULE NO. 7: USE SPECIFIC AND CONCRETE LANGUAGE

• Concrete nouns help focus your reader’s attention.

• Always prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, and the concrete to the abstract.

• Furthermore, you must watch out for “vague” or “imprecise” words. “Crime” for instance is vague. It may range all the way from jaywalking to murder.

• Tragedy (fire, explosion, drowning, cave-in?)• Accident (collision, a fall from a building, slip?)• Organization (Jaycees, Catholic Action, YMCA?)• Ceremony (wedding, mass, award?)• Legal action (suit for damages, criminal case?)• Document (deed of sale, record, certificate,

treaty?)• Monetary Consideration (salary, bribe, reward?)• Community (town, barrio, city?)

Vague: His head was injured by a blunt instrument.

His skull was fractured with a hammer.

Vague: Officers removed a gun from his clothing.

Police took a .32 caliber automatic from his hip pocket

Vague: A large number assembled for the meeting.

Five hundred attended the caucus.

Vague: He spoke in disparaging terms about the radical element.

He denounced the communists.

RULE NO. 8: PREFER THE SIMPLE TO THE COMPLEX

RULE NO. 9: BE POSITIVE

subject, verb, and object.

RULE NO. 10: USE THE ACTIVE VOICE

1 Congressmen demanded today the firing of all police officials

2 The firing of all police officials was demanded today by Congressmen

3 The demand for the firing of all Namarco officials was made by

congressmen

• Nouns, especially abstract nouns, tend to be static.

• But verbs imply action, movement. Verbs make a story sparkle.

“Newspaper circulation grew steadily”

vs

“The growth of newspaper circulation has been steady.

“It is requested that the production department be notified of any change in

deadline.” VS

“Please notify the production department if there is any

change in deadlines.”

RULE NO. 11: WRITE AS YOU TALK

Effective immediately, the practice of endeavoring by words, gestures, or otherwise, to beg, invite, or secure transportation in any motor vehicle not engaged in passenger travel or hire or otherwise acting as a commercial passenger carrier, by officers or enlisted men or women or both in the naval service at any point within the boundaries of this naval command is forbidden.

Do not ask for free rides!

RULE NO. 12: USE ADJECTIVES SPARINGLY

“The National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority had a

remarkable record for April – it provided water all day round.”

RULE NO. 13: REVISE AND SHARPEN

RULE NO. 14: WRITE TO

EXPRESS, NOT TO IMPRESS

“An exercise that seeks quantitative answers relating to a period that is some distance away in the future must by its

very nature be highly tentative.”

“What followed was largely guesswork.”

RULE NO. 15: ODDS AND ENDS

Euphemism is the use of a supposedly pleasing expression in

the place of the simpler or more accurate word.

The classic examples comes from Sir Winston Churchill. He told a colleague: “The Right Honorable Member is guilty of a terminological inexactitude.”

He meant: “You are lying,”

A metaphor is the application of a descriptive term to an

object to which it is not literally applicable. Mixed metaphors

are a combination of inconsistent metaphors.

1. Scientists at the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission

have announced the discovery of a virgin field pregnant with

possibilities for future research.

2. The strong arm of the law is marching after the offenders.

3. We congratulate the chairman on his skill in piloting

the committee’s ship on the solid ground of reality.

“Carlos Loyzaga took the ball from Tony Renato and had dribbled the sphere to three yards of the goal when…”