Good Writing

The issues involved with effective writing today have been clearly defined. It is possible to analyse what makes writing effective and the elements that contribute to its effectiveness. These elements consist of, but are not limited to, punctuation, paragraph and sentence structure, word and language choice. Poor language, punctuation, grammatical errors and plagiarism are examples of elements that detract from the standard of effective writing.

The incorrect use of punctuation has become widespread, particularly in the rhetorical worlds of marketing and government. The very people who govern our world and provide us with the things that we are told we need, convey these messages to us in a grammatically poor manner. An example of this is in the marketing world seen everyday in shopping centres with big banners reading "CD's AND DVD's ALL HALF PRICE". In essence, what is wrong with this statement is that the writer is suggesting that the CDs and DVDs are in possession of an object when really they are trying to say that there are plural.

In Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots & Leaves, the author shows how the use of the comma, in its incorrect place, can totally change the meaning of sentences, and hence the whole paragraph. One example Truss uses is "A women, without her man, is nothing" and