Examples Of Poor Writing

By Author: Delnaz Edulji
Total Articles: 6
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Today, freelancing is a fad – especially in the writing industry. There are many freelance content writers in Mumbai, freelance technical writers, and freelancers providing blog content writing services… all from the comfort of their homes. But how many of them can truly write?

Everyone who’s good at English can write is a myth that most people hold. While being a good writer does require good use of English language, it’s not the only requirement. There are many other aspects, such as the flow, creativity, and usage of terms that separates a professional writer from the rest. So how can you identify a non-profession writer from a professional one? Here are a few common mistakes that a non-professional writer usually commits:

Use of jargons and buzzwords

I’ll give you, that there are many words out there which are simply irreplaceable. The thing is though, there are far more complicated words used every day, which could be easily replaced with simpler alternatives. Buzzword is simply something that sounds fashionable, but carries no precise meaning by itself.

Here’s an example:

...
... “I utilized a multi-tined tool to process a starch resource.”
Translation: I used my fork to eat a potato.”

So, if you know a simpler word, it is always wise to use it.

Straying away from the topic

This is a sin many commit quite often and may give off a bad impression right off the bat. Many times you may take a philosophical approach, to imitate deep thought in your writing. What you should not do is to stray away from the main topic.

Here’s an example:

“Let’s learn more about the Human Touch initiative. The initiative was getting some serious attention since its very conception. The organisation involved was a prime example in the field of humanitarian work. Since 90’s, they have always worked with such a great effort to accomplish many such endeavours. The volunteers are some of the finest people I have ever met. The volunteers are from various age groups and consist of young college kids to experienced professionals. Interacting with them is itself a great delight.”

The major portion of the paragraph spends too many words on the organization and volunteers supporting the initiative, while the main focus was supposed to be the Human Touch initiative.

Poor punctuation

Placement of punctuation marks is fundamental if you want an effortless flow in your write-up. This is more evident in case of commas.

Here’s an example:

“Mr. Gandhi, says Ms. Gandhi, is a gorgeous and talented lady.”
The correct punctuation in this case should be:
“Mr. Gandhi says Ms. Gandhi is a gorgeous and talented lady.”

Weak grammar and syntax

Even if the intended message is clear enough, use of weak grammar with misplaced syntax can turn a write-up into a convoluted mess.

Here’s an example:

“The boy finished all the clean-up work with his own hands that the caretaker allotted to him.”
A better way of stating this would be:
“The boy finished all the clean-up work that the caretaker allotted to him.”

Content writers need to be extremely vigilant about the usage of grammar and syntax.

Long and complex sentences

This is something you should avoid even if writing technical content. Sentence that take forever to end, become quite jarring for a reader. Also, by the time the reader reaches the end of the sentence, they would forget the first half of the sentence and vice-versa.

Here’s an example:

“The process only reaffirms the idea of collateral neutralization on the concept that, at a given time the provided parameters only vary in pre-determined way and no other process following the neutralization would ever produce the same set of result, as they were found ten years ago.”

Very little meaningis conveyed in the above sentence. This is because of the use of complicated terms and unnecessarily lengthy sentence.

Extensive use of passive voice

Use of passive voice is something that works in certain circumstances. It is definitely not the best practice to follow every time as it communicates unclear and wordy sentences.

Here’s an example:

“The metropolis has been scorched by the dragon’s fiery breath. No action was taken on the matter by those responsible. This is a trend followed since 1980.”

You can make the reader understand quite easily, highlighting the agent taking the action rather than the action itself.

Density

This happens generally when you latch-on to those few words which show up more than they needed to be. This is something which can be best explained in this much known example.

“We provide you with products that are unique in nature. Being unique sets you apart from your competitors. The uniqueness of our products lies in automation. This allows us to offer you the most competitive rates in the market even though our product is most unique.”

Blog writers and article writers may especially get carried away by the density to meet the SEO requirements. However, overuse of words and phrases will only scare readers away.

Some examples, for a laugh…?

• You rotate the ground four times.
• Bring your parents and your mother and especially your father.
• Don’t stand in front of my back.
• If you have requirement for a writer, please acknowledge me.
• Girl looking for roommate. Will more than share expenses.
• I love to eat my family and friends.
• I like the game soccer only because it’s our family sport.