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1 page/β275 words
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MLA
Subject:
Literature & Language
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Essay
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:
Williams "Intro," "Actions," and "Characters"
Essay Instructions:
Read the chapters titled "Introduction," "Actions," and "Characters" in the textbook STYLE: THE BASICS OF CLARITY AND GRACE (Joseph Williams) and answer the questions below. 1. Explain the principles Williams provides regarding actions. 2. Explain the principles Williams provides regarding characters. 3. Define "nominalization." Does Williams encourage/discourage writers from using nominalizations? Why? 4. Define "active voice" and "passive voice." Provide examples of both.
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Williams “Intro”, “Actions”, and “Character”
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According to Williams, the subjects of a sentence name the cast of characters. He advises that for clarity to be achieved, main characters should be expressed as the subjects of the verb and their actions as verbs. Moreover, the verbs that go with such subjects must also name the crucial actions those characters are part of or in other words what character performs. To him, what counts for clarity is not the number of words but how easily we get through from beginning to end.
In most stories, main characters are agents that perform actions directed towards a goal. They are the subjects of the verb. Abstract concepts can also be treated “as if they were real characters by creating them become the subjects of verbs than feel like actions.” In a grammatical structure of a sentence, the relation of subjects and verbs is fixed, while, in literary structure, the relation of characters and actions is variable. According to Williams, when these two are brought into harmony that matches up character to subject and actions to verbs then a style is formed (57).
Nominalization is the creating of nouns from verbs or adjectives; for example indicative, movement, difference e.t.c. They are also called abstract nouns. William discourages the use of nominalization since it violates not only the first principle – that is naming character in subjects but it also violates the second principle, which is to express crucial actions in verbs.
Active voice is where the subject performs an action denoted by the verb or in other words; the subject has a direct...
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