סנכרון, תלות, ניקוד

Sentence structure asserts a relationship

• Writers convey their ideas in a sentence through strategic selection and placement of phrases and clauses.
• Coordination 并列 illustrates a balance or equality between ideas.
• Subordination 从属 illustrates an imbalance or inequality — so the structure makes a claim before the words do.

“And” seats two ideas as peers; “although” makes one wait while the other gets the final word.

Use subordination on purpose

• The evidence is strong and the reading is contested gives both equal weight.
• Although the reading is contested, the evidence is strong subordinates the objection and asserts your point.
• Same two facts, opposite claims — and the second is usually what you meant.

Words that enhance clear communication

• Writers use words that enhance the clear communication of an interpretation.
• The stated criterion is clarity of the interpretation — not sophistication, not variety.
• The right word is the one that makes your reading unmistakable, and it is often a short one.

Punctuation conveys relationships

• Punctuation conveys relationships between and among parts of a sentence.
• A colon says what follows explains what preceded; a semicolon says these two are equals; a dash says stop here.
• So an unchecked mark can assert a relationship you never meant.

A sentence-structure pass

• In every two-part sentence: is my point in the main clause and the concession subordinated?
• For each colon, semicolon and dash: does the relationship it asserts match what I mean?
• For each unusual word: does it make my interpretation clearer, or only longer?