Sentence Combining and Punctuation

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En provenance du cours de Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Academic Literacy

82 notes

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Academic Literacy

82 notes

Cours 1 sur 5 dans Specialization English for Research Publication Purposes

This is the first course of the English for Research Publication Purposes Specialization. The course is an introduction to what you need to know about academic discourse. You’ll gain important critical reading skills to help you develop as a self-critical scientific writer. You will learn practical tools and effective strategies for increasing your academic vocabulary and grammar so that you will write well-structured coherent academic texts.

À partir de la leçon

MODULE III : FUNDAMENTALS OF ACADEMIC GRAMMAR

This module covers issues related to the pragmatics of academic English. The module presents an overview of the English verb system, including most frequent tenses, three aspects, and two voices. The module highlights the use of correct punctuality, which is of immense help in meeting the goal of the writing process: to ensure clear communication of ideas. The module also explains the role of modality and register in academic writing. Another important issue discussed in module is the use of parallel constructionsfor words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs of an academic text.

Using Parallel Structure8:56

Revising Sentences6:40

Sentence Combining and Punctuation5:58

Rencontrer les enseignants

Elena Bazanova
Director of the Language Training and Testing Center
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

[MUSIC]

Effective academic writing is strengthened by the use of sentence of varying length.

Very short sentences for emphasis and long sentences which often describe

interspersed with sentences of ordinary length, the majority of sentences.

The structure of individual sentences is also varied including

sentences with semicolons to join short related sentences.

Coordinate conjunctions to join two related sentences.

An independent and a dependent clause to show relationships between important and

less important information.

And parallel structures to add rhythm and tone to the writing.

Sentence combining is not simply a language exercise.

It is a skill to be practiced, and integrated into the writer's style.

Too many short sentences can result in a choppy paragraph.

Too many long sentences, may confuse the reader and

make your writing incomprehensibly academese.

Effective, coherent academic writing

combines some short sentences with appropriate punctuation.

In order to combine sentences successfully,

you should understand the concept of phrases and clauses in English.

And learn a proper punctuation of combined sentences.

One way to vary sentences structures, is to join to related independent clauses.

Each of the independent clauses is equal in importance in the joined sentence.

There are two ways to join the independent clauses.

Using your semicolon with an optional structure word.

Or using your comma and the required coordinate conjunction.

The semicolon is placed between two independent clauses.

It can be used only between two independent clauses

that are related in content and in purpose.

An optional conjunction adverb following the semicolon, and

usually followed by a comma, can make the sentence more coherent by

demonstrating the relationship between the two independent clauses.

The table gives examples of optional structure verb and

their relationships they demonstrate between independent clauses.

Notice the comma that follows each structure word.

A comma and the coordinating conjunction are placed between two

independent clauses that are related in content and in purpose.

The table lists example and examples of the coordinating conjunctions and

their relationships they demonstrate between independent clauses.

Notice the comma that proceeds each conjunction.

To join to independent clauses, use both a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

To join an independent clause and a phrase in brackets,

use the coordinating conjunction without the comma.

Words that introduce a dependent clause are called subordinate conjunctions.

Because the dependent clause cannot stand by itself,

it must be joined to an independent clause.

In the joined sentence, the dependent clause is weaker, less important clause.

The table shows some of the subordinating conjunctions and the relationships

that show between the dependent clause and the independent clause.

If you think of punctuation as relatively unimportant, think again.

Appropriate punctuation helps the reader.

In addition, a change in punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence.

Punctuation, from comma to quotation marks,

from semicolons to dashes, serves a critical function in English.

In writing, it is the only substitute for

all the messages that the spoken word can convey through intonation,

pitch, volume, sarcasm, humor and gesticulation.

The absence or presence of a comma in a particular position

can not only change the meaning of a sentence, but sometimes reverse it.

In other cases, the absence of a comma tells the reader

that more than one of a certain thing exists in the context of the sentence.

Whereas the presence of a comma in that same place will tell the reader

that only one of that thing exists for the context.

In greater detail, we will analyze such cases in the next course of this

specialization in the course called scholarly communication.

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