h) Sentences explained




i) Active and passive sentences

A statement that has the subject acting as both the agent and the doer of the action is said to be active; an example of this would be “The nurse dressed the patient’s wound.” A passive sentence is one in which the subject is being acted upon; for example, “The patient’s wound was dressed by a nurse”.

The active is more straightforward and utilises fewer words. However, in the following circumstances, you ought to employ the passive:

  • When you want the reader to concentrate on the object of the agent’s action—for example, “Arsenal was beaten by Manchester United”— you want the reader to focus on Arsenal.
  • In scientific writing, the phenomena is the main emphasis instead of the agent; for instance, “Heat was applied to the compound.”
  • In situations where the agent is unknown, like in,  “My car was stolen”.



j) Cohesion and transition

The use of transition markers is one technique that promotes coherence between phrases. Transitional words and phrases help the reader follow the flow of your argument by connecting sentences and paragraphs.

Transition markers, list:

  • Adding: and, also, in addition, moreover, furthermore
  • Contrasting: however, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, by contrast
  • Clarifying: in other words, that is, in effect, to simplify
  • Exemplifying: for example, for instance, in particular, to illustrate

  • Conceding a point: although true, even though, although, despite this
  • Summing up: to summarise, to conclude, in conclusion, clearly then
  • Endorsing: clearly, in particular, importantly, naturally, obviously
  • Stating a logical conclusion: therefore, thus, hence, as a result, consequently, accordingly, for that reason


Faulty Transitions

Transitions should only be used when appropriate. You don’t need one if the logical connection between the sentences is already obvious.

When using a transition marker, make sure it expresses or illustrates the connection between the two sentences it connects.




k) Punctuation

Using proper punctuation is essential to writing clearly. It’s simple to unintentionally leave readers with unclear text. Even while you are aware of what you want to convey, you are unsure of how your reader will interpret it. It’s important to pay special attention to your punctuation, and it always helps to have a second set of eyes proofread your work to make sure everything makes sense.


Different types of punctuation:

Commas

Here are some examples of when to use commas:

FunctionExample
1. To mark off a subordinate clause from a main clause, for example:“The purchaser, who wishes to remain anonymous, paid a record sum for the painting.”
2. To set off transition markers from the main clause, for example:“Consequently, the company’s profits increased in the second half of the financial year.”
3. Before conjunctions that join main clauses (and, because, but, for, or, nor, since, so, yet), for example:“The film has won critical recognition, but it has not been a commercial success.”
4. To set off ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, for example:“Yes, I have visited Beijing.”
5. To set off words of address, for example:“Distinguished guests, thank you for supporting today’s event.”
6. To separate the names of geographical locations where one location isincluded within the boundary of the other, for example:“The family owns a farm in Toowoomba, Queensland.”
7. To separate months from years, for example:“Rosa Parks was born on 4 February, 1913.”
8. To introduce direct quotations, for example:“Aristotle said, ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.’”
9. To separate items in a series, for example:“The trade delegation visited Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.”


Dashes and brackets

Similar to how pairs of commas are used to separate non-essential parts like examples, explanations, and quick asides from a sentence’s primary point, pairs of dashes and pairs of brackets (parentheses) serve the same purpose. Selecting one over the other has the following slight effects:

  • The usage of parenthesis conveys the idea that the content is extra and not necessary.
  • Dashes are used to convey the idea that this is more, significant information.
  • Commas are used to convey the idea that the information is extra and neither crucial nor unimportant


Semicolons

Simple sentences with connected separate main clauses are joined by semicolons, as in the statement “The peace negotiations ended without agreement; there seemed no end to the war.”

Since a semicolon functions similarly to a full stop, it should be possible to substitute one without losing meaning. Semicolons can be employed stylistically to highlight the symmetry or difference between two clauses, as in the sentence “He loved coffee; she loved tea.”

When certain items in a list require internal commas, the semicolon is also used to separate the items.


Colons

When something needs to be announced, the colon is utilised. For the sentence to make sense, there needs to be a full sentence on at least one side of the colon.

Here are a few situations in which you may utilise colons in your homework.

FunctionExample
introducing a list or series, for example:To attract customers to their January sale, David Jones marked down prices on the following items: boys’ t-shirts, shorts and socks; men’s sweaters; and ladies’ underwear, hats, and shoes.”
Introducing an expansion, such as a definition or clarification of a point, for example:“He had only one response to criticism: he ignored it.”
Introducing a quote (remembering you must have a full sentence before the colon), for example:“Shakespeare posed this existential question in his play, Hamlet: ‘to be, or not to be?’”


Apostrophes

There are two uses for apostrophes:

  1. To show that one or more letters have been omitted from a word, as in:

    Cannot” turns into “Can’t
    Do not” turn into “don’t

    Nonetheless, these kinds of abbreviations are not used in formal academic writing.
  2. Additionally, apostrophes can be used to indicate possession, as in:

    The dog’s tail (the tail belongs to the dog).

    The apostrophe comes after the “s” in a plural subject, such as “the boys’ father was cooking dinner” (there are several boys), unless the subject is plural and does not finish in “s,” such as “the children’s school.”

Use of apostrophes in certain situations

Apostrophes are employed in special circumstances involving money and time.

  1. “We spent a week’s holiday in Mũi Né.”
    In this case it’s as if the holiday belonged to the week.
  2. “The builder estimated three weeks’ work would be needed.”
    The work belonged to the week.
  3. “The children bought a dollar’s worth of licorice and two dollars’ worth of jelly beans.”
    The work belonged to the week.


When to use apostrophe in ‘its’

To determine when to put it’s or its – try the phrase using ‘it is’ (as in a contraction) and if it sounds good you can use it’s.

“Its” does not require the possessive apostrophe because it is a possessive pronoun, just like “his,” “hers,” or “theirs.”

As an illustration:
“It’s a powerful storm.”
“Its sail was on fire.”



l) Test your knowledge – punctuation



m) Editing and proofreading

💡The final step before submitting any assignment is editing and proofreading. While proofreading is a final check for errors or formatting issues, editing focuses on improving content and organization.

Though ideally, editing should be ongoing, making last-minute edits ensures the document you submit is your best work. Allow enough time for multiple revisions. It’s helpful to step away from the task for a fresh perspective, ideally overnight. Reading your work aloud helps identify awkward phrasing or gaps. Additionally, having someone else review your work can catch mistakes you might have missed. Remember, you’re responsible for all editing, including spelling and grammar.

To use for the last review of your work, I recommend you to download this Editing/proofreading checklist from Curtin University. Please note that not all elements will apply to all types of assignments. Having this list close at hand in addition to your marking rubric might assist you make sure you are fulfilling all assessment standards. You might want to add items of your own to the list.



Proofreading Regulations at the Vietnamese German University

When a student chooses to ask another individual to proof-read their work or uses a proof-reading service to undertake this task, they must adhere to the following rules, which are detailed in our General Examination Regulations:

  • Students must declare if they used proofreading/editing services
  • Permitted actions by proofreaders: identify errors (spelling, grammar, formatting, labeling), highlight complexity or unclear meaning, address repeated phrases 
  • Prohibited actions by proofreaders: rewriting for clarity, changing content, checking calculations or code, rearranging text, adding material, relabeling visuals. Non-compliance leads to Examination Board investigation and penalties.



n) Final Tips

You may want to utilise on of the following online tools:

  • Grammarly
  • The Hemingway Editor

Additionally, you should not hesitate to use the built in spelling and grammar checking function of your favoured word processing software



Contact for Writing skill support

Email to LCFY (Language Center and Foundation Year): fy@vgu.edu.vn

Bibliography

Curtin University. (n.d.). Library | Curtin University, Perth, Australia. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.curtin.edu.au/library/

Copyright

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