Improving your Writing (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes

Improving your Writing

Introduction

When writing your portfolio piece, you should draw on the language techniques you have learned throughout your course. This means paying attention to register, sentence structure, vocabulary, and various literary devices. The goal is to create writing that is engaging, varied, and well-crafted.

Before you begin, consider these key elements:

• Appropriate register: Match your tone and language to the type of writing you are producing
• Varied sentence structure: Mix different sentence types to maintain reader interest
• Lists and tricolon: Use lists of three items, sometimes with built-in contrasts
• Original imagery: Employ metaphor, simile, and personification, avoiding clichés
• Strong openings and conclusions: Introduction and conclusion are particularly important
• Additional devices: Consider foreshadowing, symbolism, and pathetic fallacy (using weather to suggest mood or emotion)

Use of inversion

Inversion involves placing a prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence instead of its usual position at the end. This technique creates variety and can add emphasis to particular elements.

Consider this basic sentence:

"The eagle was released into the wild on the thirtieth of November as the sun broke through the clouds."

This sentence contains two prepositional phrases: "on the thirtieth of November" and "as the sun broke through the clouds". By repositioning these phrases, you create different effects:

Both versions sound more interesting than the original. Repositioning phrases or subordinate clauses arrests the reader's attention and creates variety.

Formal writing and subordinate clauses

George Orwell demonstrates this in his essay "Why I Write":

"When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself 'I am going to produce a work of art'. I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing."

The subordinate clause "When I sit down to write a book" provides essential context for what follows. It also adds variety to his sentence structure.

Orwell also uses tricolon (a list of three) with anaphora (parallel structure):

• "I write" + "some lie that"
• "I want" + "some fact to which"
• Leading to the climactic "my initial concern is to get a hearing"

The rhythm created by this structure makes the climax particularly effective. These are all techniques you can incorporate into your own writing.

Use of short and long sentences

Varying sentence length adds both variety and dramatic impact to your prose.

Creating comic effect through sentence structure

Alistair Cooke demonstrates another use of unusual sentence structure in an article for "The Guardian". After describing the elaborate security measures used by Wells Fargo when transporting money, he concludes:

Link sentences

Cohesive writing requires that paragraphs connect smoothly so the piece "hangs together" as one unit. Alistair Cooke uses "In fact" to link his paragraphs in the example above.

Common linking phrases include:

• In fact
• However
• Therefore
• Nevertheless
• Furthermore
• Consequently
• On the other hand

Choose links that accurately reflect the relationship between paragraphs.

Use of colon and semi-colon

Both the colon and semi-colon are underused punctuation marks that can add style to your writing.

Semi-colon

The semi-colon is particularly useful for indicating a connection between two units of sense. Using it makes your writing appear more sophisticated and helps avoid the comma splice error.

Colon

The colon is useful for introducing lists and explanations. Like the semi-colon, it is a stylish punctuation mark that enhances your writing.

Use of imagery, tone, word choice

Much writing suffers from being clichéd: writers use tired, worn-out metaphors that readers have encountered too often. Try to use original expressions and images.

Laurie Lee, in "Cider with Rosie", describes two friends as "limpet chums". This vividly original expression captures their closeness both emotionally and physically. Like limpets clinging to rocks, these friends were almost impossible to prise apart.

Analysing original imagery

Clive James demonstrates originality in his television criticism. Writing about "The Incredible Hulk" in "The Crystal Bucket", he creates striking images:

James continues:

"Given a flying start by the shock effect of his personal appearance, Hulk goes into action against the heavies, flinging them about in slow motion. Like Bionic Woman, Six Million Dollar Man and Wonderwoman, Hulk does his action numbers at glacial speed. Emitting slow roars of rage, Hulk runs very slowly towards the enemy, who slowly attempt to make their escape. But no matter how slowly they run, Hulk runs more slowly. Slowly he picks them up, gradually bangs their head together, and with a supreme burst of lethargy throws them through the side of a building."

The expression "Hulk does his action numbers at glacial speed" is particularly effective because 'glacial speed' is an oxymoron: glaciers do not move at speed. Yet the image accurately captures television's obsession with using slow motion for violent action that would only happen quickly in reality.

The repetition of the notion of slowness in the final paragraph works because James does not simply repeat the word "slowly". He develops the idea with words like "gradually" and "lethargy". The oxymoron "supreme burst of lethargy" is especially effective. The word "burst", intensified by the superlative "supreme" (meaning extremely intense, maximum possible), suggests a sudden, forceful explosion. This contradicts "lethargy" with its suggestion of sluggishness and listlessness. This original approach draws attention to meaning.

Rules for imagery

Subverting well-known sayings

Sometimes you can take a well-known saying, adage, proverb or aphorism and subvert it (turn it on its head):

• Jill Tweedie: "every silver lining has its cloud"
• Oscar Wilde: "Divorces are made in Heaven"
• Oscar Wilde: "The truth is rarely pure and never simple"

Use of subversion