Writing Application
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you will:
- Apply style and clarity techniques to your own writing
- Practice revision with a focus on concision
- Develop sentence variety in paragraphs
- Create polished, professional prose
Practice Quiz
Apply your style skills to these revision exercises. Click each to see a model revision.
Question 1: Revise this paragraph for concision: "In today's modern society, technology is something that we use on a daily basis. It is something that has become very important to all of us."
Model Revision: "Technology pervades modern life."
Changes: Eliminated redundancy ("today's modern"), vague phrases ("something that"), and weak constructions ("It is").
Question 2: Add sentence variety: "The dog ran. The dog barked. The dog jumped. The dog caught the frisbee."
Model Revision: "The dog sprinted across the yard, barking excitedly. With a powerful leap, she snatched the frisbee from the air."
Changes: Combined sentences, varied structure, added descriptive details.
Question 3: Convert to active voice: "The experiment was conducted by the students. The results were analyzed by the team. A report was written by the group."
Model Revision: "The students conducted the experiment, analyzed the results, and wrote a report."
Changes: Switched to active voice, combined parallel actions into one sentence.
Question 4: Replace vague words with specific ones: "The thing was really big and made a loud sound."
Model Revision: "The industrial crane towered over the construction site, its engine rumbling."
Changes: Replaced "thing" with specific noun, "really big" with precise image, "loud sound" with concrete description.
Question 5: Eliminate hedging language: "I kind of think that maybe the author seems to be suggesting that war is perhaps unnecessary."
Model Revision: "The author argues that war is unnecessary."
Changes: Removed hedges ("kind of," "maybe," "seems to be," "perhaps") for assertive statement.
Question 6: Create parallel structure: "She likes swimming, to run, and playing tennis."
Model Revision: "She likes swimming, running, and playing tennis." OR "She likes to swim, to run, and to play tennis."
Changes: Made all items follow the same grammatical form.
Question 7: Revise for clarity: "The project, which was very complicated and took a long time to complete, was finally finished by the team, who had worked really hard on it for many months."
Model Revision: "After months of dedicated work, the team completed the complex project."
Changes: Eliminated wordiness, removed obvious details, reorganized for emphasis.
Question 8: Improve word choice: "The food was good. The restaurant had a nice feel. We had a good time."
Model Revision: "The savory dishes, intimate atmosphere, and lively conversation made for a memorable evening."
Changes: Replaced generic "good" and "nice" with specific, evocative words; combined sentences.
Question 9: Fix the run-on for clarity: "I went to the store and I bought milk and I also got bread and then I went home and I made a sandwich."
Model Revision: "After buying milk and bread at the store, I went home and made a sandwich."
Changes: Eliminated repetitive "and I," combined related actions, improved flow.
Question 10: Write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) about your morning routine using varied sentence structures and precise language.
Model Answer: "The alarm jolts me awake at six-thirty. After a quick shower, I grab coffee and scan the news headlines on my phone. By seven-fifteen, I'm out the door, backpack slung over one shoulder, ready to face another day."
Key features: Varied sentence lengths, specific times, concrete details, active verbs.
Next Steps
- Revise a recent essay using these techniques
- Practice editing one paragraph daily
- Take the unit checkpoint when ready