Chapter 13: Editing Sentences

Based on your reading of the chapter, add to the five examples below at least six words or phrases that act as “hedges” in your writing or that of others.

Please note that this question is not scored.

probably

likely

perhaps

usually

often

1 Based on your reading of the chapter, which of the following statements about the use of “we” is true? Please select the true statements from the list below.

“We” is being used more and more in STEM peer-reviewed articles.

“We think that” is perfectly acceptable usage in STEM research journal articles.

The passive voice is better to use in describing procedures than active voice.

Using “we” in describing lab procedures can be more accurate than using passive voice.

“I” is avoided in STEM research articles mainly because it would look like the researcher is showing off.

In STEM journalism, “I” is frequently used.

In STEM journalism, “I” is frequently used mainly because much STEM journalism is written by a sole author.

2 According to the chapter, active voice constructions in sentences in STEM writing can be more effective than passive voice constructions. Which of the following statements help explain this greater effectiveness? (Check all that apply.)

Active voice highlights the doer of an action, while passive voice often hides the doer.

Active voice can be more empirical than passive voice.

Active voice sentences are shorter than passive voice sentences.

Descriptions of processes in active voice are easier for readers to visualize than those descriptions in passive voice.

Passive voice constructions in STEM research journals are meant to be hard to understand.

Active voice is easier for non-scientists to understand, while passive voice is easier for research scientists to understand than active voice.

Active voice constructions seem more action-oriented than passive constructions, so it keep readers more attentive.

3 Match a punctuation term in the left column to the most appropriate phrase in the right column.

a) intended to create suspense for a reader
b) similar to a period, but not the end of a sentence
c) says to the reader, “something important coming”
d) contain interesting, but often non-essential information
e) used mainly in Facebook to show emotion
f) can contain any grammatical construction
g) focuses and organizes, as in PowerPoint

exclamation point
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colon
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bullet
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semicolon
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dashes
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parentheses
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question mark
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