Name : Dhruvita Dhameliya
Roll no : 03
Semester : 04
Year: 2021 to 2023
Paper no: 209
Subject :Research Methodology
Topic : What are the different mechanics of writing
E-mail ID : dhameliyadhruvita24@gmail.com
Submitted to : S. B. Gardi Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Introduction:
A writing mechanic could be the rules and conventions concerning technical aspects of writing composition. The category of writing mechanics includes technical areas such as punctuation and spelling that concern expressive accuracy. Mechanics can also be expanded to include organisation within one's writing, such as ideas, words, sentences, and paragraphs. The term mechanics concerns the rules of how to communicate within a language's structural conventions. Studying writing mechanics gives writers tools for precise and engaging written communication.The primary goal in teaching handwriting or penmanship is to produce efficiently, a free flow of ideas onto paper, with a minimum attention to its mechanics. Handwriting, spelling, punctuation and other writing conventions must be viewed as a part of the process of writing. They are like the vehicles that carry information to its destination. They need to be looked at in the context of the development of writing skills as a whole, and not in isolation. This is because these are merely the tools that give more meaning to what a child writes. If a child’s writing is purposeful and driven by a need to communicate, the child will make every effort to overcome illegible handwriting or poor spelling as it becomes hindrance. If these become the main focus of learning, they can become major obstacles. Many children believe that they are incapable of writing simply because they are not able to overcome problems of handwriting or spelling. On the other hand, some children may get good marks on spelling tests, but make a large number of spelling errors while writing a composition, because writing a composition requires that they give attention to several things at the same time, which they are not able to do.
Mechanics of Writing
Spelling
Punctuation
Italics
Names of Persons
Numbers
Titles of the works in the Research Paper
Quotations
Capitalization and Personal Names in Languages other than English
Spelling
1.1) Spelling consistency:
Ensure that you maintain spelling consistency throughout your research paper, including hyphenation. To achieve this, it is recommended that you use a single dictionary and always adopt the spelling that it gives first in any entry with variant spellings. This will help to avoid confusion and errors in your paper.
1.1) Word Division:
Avoid dividing words at the ends of lines in your research paper. This is because a word divided between lines is harder to read, and the reader may not be able to tell whether the hyphen it contains is part of your spelling or part of the spelling in the quoted text. If you need to divide a word, consult your dictionary about where the break should occur.
1.2) Plurals:
The plurals of most English words are formed by adding the suffix -s or -es (e.g., laws, taxes), with some exceptions. It is important to note these exceptions and use the correct plural form in your research paper.
1.3) Foreign Words:
If you quote material in a foreign language, you must reproduce all accents and other marks exactly as they appear in the original (école, pietà, tête, leçon, Fähre, año). If you need marks that are not available in your word processor, write them in by hand. On the use of foreign words in an English text, see 3.3.2; on capitalization and personal names in languages other than English,In American English, it is common to form the plurals of words that have been naturalised from other languages in the standard manner. This means that English language speakers tend to use the regular English plural suffixes when referring to such words. For example, the plurals "librettos" and "formulas" are more commonly used in American English than the traditional forms "libretti" and "formulae".
However, there are some words that have been adopted into English from other languages and have retained their original plurals. Two examples of such words are "alumnus" and "phenomenon". In these cases, the plural forms "alumni" and "phenomena" are used.
2)Punctuation (.)
The Purpose of Punctuation The Primary purpose of punctuation is to ensure the clarity and readability of writing. Punctuation clarifies sentence structure, separating some words and grouping others. It adds meaning to written words and guides the understanding of readers as they move through sentences. The rules set forth here cover many of the situations you will encounter in writing research papers.
2.1) Commas (,)
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor,or,so, or yet)joining independent clauses in a sentence. Consider the two versions of a short sentence, below, that is made more confusing by the overuse of commas:
Thankfully, we, the people of Scarborough, a little seaside town, are deeply, and passionately involved, in nature conservation.
Thankfully we, the people of Scarborough, a little seaside town, are deeply and passionately involved in nature conservation.
In the first example, the use of commas suggests that the people of Scarborough are deeply in nature conservation and also passionately involved in nature conservation. In the second example, the people of Scarborough are deeply involved and passionately involved in nature conservation.
Consider the two versions of a short sentence, below, that is interpreted completely differently due to the presence of a single necessary comma:
I am very hungry so we should cook Mom.
I am very hungry so we should cook, Mom.
In the first example, the lack of a comma suggests that Mom should be cooked because I’m hungry. In the second example, the comma suggests that Mom is the person to whom the statement is addressed.
Use commas to set off a nonrestrictive modifier-that is, a modifier that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. A nonrestrictive modifier,unlike a restrictive one, could be dropped without changing the main sense of the sentence. Modifiers in the following three categories are either nonrestrictive or restrictive.
2.2)Colons and Semicolon:
Use a semicolon between independent clauses not linked by a conjunction. You should use a semicolon only when the link between two sentences is pretty obvious. For example: Rabbits are always more vigilant when they know predators are watching them; they don’t want to risk being sneaked up on.
For example,
You should use a colon when you list the five basic punctuation mechanics explained here. These are: commas, colons, semicolons, apostrophes, and hyphens. You should also use a colon with a quotation, like this:
“The importance of punctuation should never be underestimated,” said Professor in Chemistry, Dr. Reilly.
You should use a semicolon only when the link between two sentences is pretty obvious.
For example:
Rabbits are always more vigilant when they know predators are watching them; they don’t want to risk being sneaked up on.
2.3) Colons:
Colons should be primarily used before you provide lists of items or quote somebody, whereas semicolons are used to link closely related sentences; they can be used when the relationship between these sentences is obvious.The Colon is used between two parts of a sentence when the first part creates a sense of anticipation about what follows in the second. Type one space after colon. Use a colon to introduce a list, an elaboration of what was just said, or the formal expression of a rule or principle.
2.4)Apostrophes
Apostrophes are most often used to signal ownership or to shorten compound words that have been contracted.
For example, if the chemistry textbook belonged to Hoshi, you should refer to it as Hoshi’s textbook, and if you are nice to her, perhaps she’ll lend it to you. Contracted compound words like the ‘she’ll’ in that last sentence used to be frowned upon in scholarly writing as people instead preferred writing the two words in full ‘she will’.
This way of thinking has generally changed now, so it’s fine to contract words, just as you’d do normally when speaking. The most common mistake with apostrophes is to use them when you should instead simply pluralize a word. For example, make sure you don’t use an apostrophe when speaking about your recent exams - they were exams, not exam’s.
2.5)Hyphens:
Learning how to use hyphens correctly in your writing tends to be more difficult than learning how to use the other basic punctuation mechanics outlined here. You most commonly need to use hyphens when you use adjectives to modify the meaning of words that come immediately before.
For example, the second sentence below contains a modifying adjective:
1) The hot Bunsen burner melted a nearby eraser.
2) The white hot Bunsen burner melted a nearby eraser.
Without a hyphen as above you would think the Bunsen burner was white in colour. The author, however, likely means the Bunsen burner was very, very hot, so you need to use a hyphen to make a compound word, like this:
3) The white-hot Bunsen burner melted a nearby eraser.
There are occasions when you need to use more than one hyphen when you link three or more words, like ‘We dug a seven-foot-deep hole in the garden’. In all cases, when deciding whether you need to use hyphens, assess whether the meaning of your sentences would be the same without your hyphens. If it would, then you don’t need them. This is usually true when you use words ending in y to modify other words.
For example, you don’t need a hyphen between ‘happily’ and ‘married’ in the following sentence, because the meaning would be the same:
We are a happily married couple = We are a happily-married couple.
In general, do not use hyphens after prefixes. (e.g., aiiti-, co-, multi-, noti-, over-, post-, pte-, te-, semi-, sub-, un-, under-).
antiwar overpay semi retired
coworker postwar subsatellite multinational
prescheduled unambiguous nonjudgmental reinvigorate
2.6)Dashes and Parentheses
Dashes make a sharper break in the continuity of the sentence than commas do, and parentheses make a still sharper one. To indicate a dash, type two hyphens, with no space before, between, or after. Your word processor may convert the two hyphens into a dash, as seen in the examples below.Your Writing will be smoother and more readable if you use dashes and parentheses sparingly. Limit the number of dashes in a sentence to two paired dashes or one unpaired dash.
a. Use dashes or parentheses to enclose a sentence element that interrupts the train of thought. The "hero"of the play (the townspeople see him as heroic, but he is the focus of the author's satire) introduces himself as a veteran of the war.
b. Use Dashes or parentheses to set off a parenthetical element that contains a comma and that might be misread if set off with commas. The colours of the costume-blue, scarlet, and yellow-acquire symbolic meaning in the story.
c. Usea dash to introduce words that summarise a preceding series. Ruthlessness and acute sensitivity, greed and compassion-the main character's contradictory qualities prevent any simple interpretation of the film.
A dash may also be used instead of a colon to introduce a list or an elaboration of what was just said.
3)Quotation marks
Quotation marks should always face the quoted material. One set of quotation marks will show the beginning of the quote, and the other will show where it ends. Leave no space between the quotation marks and the text they surround.
For example,
Correct:
“Abstracts by PhD-level students better approximated those of expert writers”
Incorrect:
” Abstracts by PhD-level students better approximated those of expert writers “
3.1) Square Bracket
Use square brackets around a parenthesis within a parenthesis, so that the levels of subordination can be easily distinguished. The sect known as the Jansenists (after Cornelius Jansen faced opposition from both the king and the pope. For square brackets around an ellipsis or an interpolation in a quotation. For square brackets around missing, unverified, or interpolated data in documentation.
3.2) Slashes
The slash, or diagonal, is rarely necessary in formal prose. Other than in quotations of poetry the slash has a place mainly between two terms paired as opposites or alternatives and used together as a noun.
The writer discussed how fundamental oppositions like,
Good/Evil, East/West, and aged/young affect the way cultures view historical events. But use a hyphen when such a compound precedes and modifies a noun.
Nature-nurture conflict
East-West relations
4) Names of Persons
First and Subsequent Uses of Names In general, the first time you use a person's name in the text of your research paper, state it fully and accurately, exactly as it appears in your source. Arthur George Rust, Jr. VictoriaM.Sackville-West Do not change Arthur George Rust, Jr., to Arthur George Rust, for example, or drop the hyphen in Victoria M. Sackville-West.
5) Titles of Persons
In general,do not use formal titles
Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Dr., Professor, Reverend in referring to men or women, living or dead (Churchill, not Mr. Churchill; Einstein, not Professor Einstein; Hess, Notre Dame Myra;Montagu, not Lady Montagu).
A few women in history are traditionally known by their titles as married women (e.g., Mrs. Humphry Ward,Mrne de Stael],Treat other women's names the same as men's.
First Use:
EmilyDickinson HarrietBeecher Stowe Margaret Mead
Subsequent uses:
Dickinson not Miss Dickinson Stowe not Mrs. Stowe.
The appropriate way to refer to persons with titles of nobility can vary. For example, the full name and title of Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, should be given at first mention, and thereafter Surrey alone may be used. In contrast, for Benjamin Disraeli, first earl of Beaconsfield, it is sufficient to give Benjamin Disraeli initially and Disraeli subsequently. Follow the example of your sources in citing titles of nobility.
6) Numbers:
Knowing when to spell out numbers is a problem for students. The following links are designed to help you with the number rules. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.
Numbers that begin a sentence: ex.: Three years ago I moved to Virginia.
Numbers that can be spelled out in one or two words: ex.: ten, twenty, and eighty - a hyphenated number like thirty-six equals one word.
Numbers that are used as compound adjectives ex.: A twenty-mile hike.
Numbers that can not be written in one or two words. ex.: 153, 2001, and 8,000,000.
Numbers representing dates, although the day of month may be written out if the year is not included. ex.: July 4, 1776, December Seventh (or December 7).
Thank You!!
Word Count: 2588
Works Cited
Gibaldi, Joseph. “MLA handbook for writers of research papers. - 7th ed.” MLA - Handbook for Writers ofResearch Papers, The Modern Language Association of America, 5 July 2015, https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ISLL125/MLA+Handbook+for+Writers+of+Research+Papers.pdf. Accessed 27 March 2023.
Nordquist, Richard. “The Mechanics of Writing Composition.” ThoughtCo, 18 July 2020, https://www.thoughtco.com/mechanics-composition-term-1691304. Accessed 27 March 2023.
“Top 10 Mechanics of Writing To Improve Writing Skills.” Punctuation Checker, 10 March 2022, https://www.grammarlookup.com/writing-mechanics/. Accessed 27 March 2023.
“Writing Mechanics Lesson Plans & Worksheets.” Lesson Planet, https://www.lessonplanet.com/lesson-plans/writing-mechanics. Accessed 27 March 2023.
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