Use an apostrophe to replace missing letters in a contraction.

We like to say that apostrophes are PC. We don’t mean that they’re politically correct. Rather, we mean that they’re used for possessives and contractions. For contractions, the apostrophe replaces any missing letters. For example:

The apostrophe in they’re replaces the missing “a” in they are.

The apostrophe in you’re replaces the missing “a” in you are.

The apostrophe in isn’t replaces the missing “o” in is not.

The apostrophe in it’s replaces the missing “i” in it is.

We are surprised when we see the apostrophe in the wrong place or more apostrophes than necessary. If a letter isn’t missing, then no apostrophe is needed in that place.

One last note: The apostrophe always points or curves to the left, even when at the beginning of the word. Your word processor may automatically reverse the direction, so be careful with this.

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End impact statements with a thump.

Some words have more emotional or cognitive impact than others. They make the reader stop and pause. They create a mental thump. We call these heavy words. For example, nouns are heavier than adjectives, which, in turn, are heavier than prepositions. Nominalizations, which we don’t like on principle, are the heaviest words.

Here’s a scale of word “heaviness,” from lightest to heaviest:

Prepositions – adjectives and adverbs – verbs – nouns – nominalizations.

Sentences need to build up in strength to create impact, so ending with a heavy word creates a sentence that feels complete. When we conclude an impact statement with heavy words, we create additional impact on the reader. The act of focusing on a word and pausing after it creates impact.

What this means is that we strengthen our sentences when we conclude them with a heavy word. This is particularly important when making a statement on which you want the reader to pay special attention.

Consider these three sentences.

Lighter: “A man who tries hard will get what he dreams for.”
Moderate: “A man will accomplish his dreams when he tries hard.”
Heavier: “A man who tries hard will accomplish his dreams.”

Look at the endings of these samples. The first sentence ends with a preposition; the second ends with an adverb; and the third sentence ends with a noun. The third sentence carries the most impact.

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This is the strategy for day 140 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

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Thus and therefore statements should follow logically from the previous statements.

The topic here is non sequiturs. Non sequitur is a Latin term meaning does not follow. A non sequitur is a problem with logic; it is a conclusion that isn’t logical, based on previous statements.

A non sequitur looks like this:

Idea A is true.
Idea B is also true.
Thus, Idea C MUST be true.

The fault in this logic is assuming that C is true just because A and B are true. In this case, C might be true, but it certainly isn’t true just because A and B are true. It is a non sequitur.

When you start a sentence with thus or therefore, you are saying that the statement you are about to write is the logical conclusion of the previous statements.

If the thus/therefore statement isn’t true based on the previous statements, you have created a non sequitur. Let’s look at an example.

A: People love to eat beef.
B: Beef comes from cows.
C: Thus, people love cows.

The first two statements in this sample are true. The last statement might also be true, but it is not the logical conclusion of the previous statements. It is a non sequitur.

Here’s the point of this tip: When you start a sentence with thus or therefore, make sure the statement logically follows from the previous statements. If it doesn’t, your reader will reject your ideas.

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Top writing strategies and expert instruction from each of Precise Edit’s writing guides 1 critical article from Precise Edit Training Manual 8 days of instruction from 300 Days of Better Writing 5 top strategies from Bang! Writing with Impact 2 essential word choices from Which Word Do I Use? 1 major comma use from Zen Comma 1 section on main verbs from Concise Guide to Technical and Academic Writing Get the free e-book (PDF) OR Purchase the Kindle version ($0.99).

Change preaching language to persuasive language.

On day 165, we discussed the problem of preaching to your readers. To write persuasively and avoid angering your readers, revise your preaching sentences to objective sentences that connect an outcome to an action.

Here is the 5-step process we use:

1. Identify the rhetorical subject, the one you want to do the action.
2. Add the word can or will after the subject, followed by an action word.
3. Add the purpose of the action (the “why”).
4. Add the desired action (the “ought to” action).
5. Remove can or will. This last step is optional, depending on whether or not it strengthens the sentence and whether or not the resulting sentence is grammatically correct.

This process works in almost every case. Let’s try it with the following sentence.

“To help more children read, this legislative body SHOULD allocate more money to schools.”

1. This legislative body.
2. This legislative body will help
3. This legislative body will help children learn to read
4. This legislative body will help children learn to read by allocating more money to schools.
5. This legislative body help children learn to read by allocating more money to schools. (Removing “will” makes the sentence grammatically incorrect, so we used the sentence in the fourth step.)

Now, the outcome, “children learn to read,” is connected to the action of “allocating more money.” This is presented as an objective fact, not a moral statement or opinion.

Most importantly, the resulting objective statement is more likely to produce the action desired without creating a confrontation with the reader.

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This is the strategy for day 178 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

For a sample of 300 Days of Better Writing and other books by Precise Edit, download the free ebook.