For the next five hundred years, the aristocracy spoke Norman French, the language of the conquerors, the peasants spoke English, and Latin was the official written language for all legal documents and ecclesiastical writing. Straight through the Renaissance, the heavily colonized English language proceeded to soak up French, Latin, and Greek words in a way absolutely unprecedented in any other language. That is why, to this day, our English-language vocabulary of science, mathematics, law, and other theoretical and intellectual disciplines comes predominantly from Latin and Greek: words like astronomy, philosophy, psychology, intuition, reflection, cognition were coined in the Renaissance from Latin roots.
So are mechanical things: automobile, engine same root as ingenious , machine, factory. The recently coined c omputer comes from computation, Latin via French, meaning settling or reckoning putare together com. From Greek, English got the language of consciousness and the Christian scriptures.
From Arabic, via Spain, we got essential words such as algebra, algorithm, cotton, and others. Back to Standard Written English. Like many millions of us here whose ancestors came from every imaginable corner of the world, I am a native speaker of English.
I went to a public high school and two state universities. All my writing life, however, I have been camped out in the front yard of Standard Written English as a dedicated devotee of what I call sophisticated, not elitist, style. What I aspire to in my own writing reflects the standards of the English-language literary works I have most loved.
It is not the same list of authors that other writers I admire may have, but I note that their standards look very much like mine in practice. Sophisticated writers of all backgrounds and all writing styles seem to share an unspoken agreement about what a good sentence sounds like.
Whether it is long or short, jagged or graceful, ornate or simple, a good sentence has a detectable, intentional ring and rhythm to it. These writers have acquired that indefinable skill known as an ear for language, and they have put enormous effort into honing it over a lifetime of writing. This dedication gives their sentences a structural elegance that every sensitive reader resonates with. And this structural elegance along with its faithful enabler grammar is really all the vague label Standard Written English is meant to point to.
I call this kind of writing style sophisticated because even when it breaks with convention, such a style grows out of deep knowledge of received usage, not ignorance of it. Powered both by instinct and conscious knowledge, sophisticated writers are in full control of their language and they use it, just as a keyboardist does, to create highly specific effects. I think of it actually as an enormous and very malleable hunk of Play-Do to be shaped to my own needs even as I honor its conventions in this moment.
The English language is roughly fifteen hundred years old. Style is simply defined as the manner of "voice" that a writer uses to tell the audience what is going on. Style is evident in syntax and diction, as well as figures of speech, such as metaphors. With fiction, the style you use may be influenced by the era in which the story takes place, the setting, or the education or background of your narrator or characters.
In non-fiction and journalism, style may be partially dictated by style guides. Style guides give examples of acceptable uses of words, proper spellings, punctuation, and typography to be used when preparing work for publication. Writers use style guides, as do copy editors and proofreaders to ensure factual accuracy and consistency. Making sure that your style is consistent throughout a body of work lends to the sophistication of your writing.
If you have a character who talks with a southern twang early in the book, make sure it carries throughout the book. On the other hand, if you spell "judgement" British English in one place in a body of work, make sure you do not spell it as "judgment" American English later on. You can always create a style sheet to make note of things like this, so you do not forget when creating longer pieces or sequels.
A list of style guides is included below for your reference:. There are hundreds of phrases that can enhance your writing, but sometimes writers err on the side of "wordiness. Unfortunately, if these phrases are using more words than needed to get the point across, they just end up cluttering the sentence. Below are several examples of poor phrasing, along with better alternatives.
Open Main Menu. Browse Courses My Classes. Sign In Subscribe Course Catalog. Substitutions and Poor Phrasing There are hundreds of phrases that can enhance your writing, but sometimes writers err on the side of "wordiness. Poor Phrasing Better Option a considerable number of many a number of some or several Interested in learning more? Why not take an online Writing Improvement course? Online Class : Creative Writing for Beginners.
Online Class : Romance Writing. Online Class : Historical Fiction Writing. Online Class : Journaling and Memoir Writing. Despite what many people think, language use—flowery, complicated language—is not the primary way to distinguish simple from sophisticated writing. All writing, simple and sophisticated alike, should aim for clear, direct language.
The sophisticated writer simply uses that clear language in a more creative or unique way. Both types of writing start with the same few ingredients main idea, supporting ideas, language.
Simple writing tends to use these ingredients in a traditional way, over and over again. And this is fine, as long as the combination results in a clear, direct product, such as a simple meal. Most writers start out on a relatively simple level and progress—so realize that the distinction between simple and sophisticated writing is not intended to scare you!
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