Chapter 02 : Effective writing

Effect writing has to be clear, accurate and concise. One has to set his/her ideas across in a way that the audience will use less efforts to understand. You should therefore strive to write in a straight way, focus your sentence appropriately and organize sentence logically in paragraphs with appropriate punctuations.

Punctuation

Punctuation refers to using symbols in language to organise or clarify meaning. The symbols used for punctuation include commas, full stops, question marks and quotation marks. If academic writing, correct punctuation can make the difference between a concise, easy-to-read work and a disjointed work that lacks a coherent sequence and is difficult to understand.

Exercise 2.1

Write and punctuate two sentences for each of the following prompts.

Proper use of punctuation marks

In texts, commas, full stops, quotation marks, colons, semi-colons, dashes, question marks and exclamation marks serve several purposes. One must read various sources and practise using punctuation marks correctly in academic writing. Punctuation marks are essential for writers; they can significantly alter how sentences are understood. Read the following extracts adapted from Cyber Text Consulting to understand how punctuation may affect meaning. Examine each text and note the instances of punctuation marks.

Text 1

Dear John,

I want a friend who knows what time management is all about.

You are focused, efficient and productive.

People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior.

You have ruined me for other friends.

I yearn for you.

I have no time whatsoever when we're apart.

I can be forever happy.

Will you let me be yours?

Husna

Text 2

Dear John,

I want a friend who knows what time management is.

All about you are focused, efficient and productive people, who are not like you.

Admit to being useless and inferior.

You have ruined me.

For other friends, I yearn.

For you, I have no time whatsoever.

When we're apart, I can be forever happy.

Will you let me be?

Yours,

Husna

There are many different punctuation marks, each with its own use. Punctuation skills help writers to organise and clarify ideas.

Activity 2.1

Study the following texts and identify their differences in relation to how they are organized. Then, punctuate the un punctuated text.

Text 1

According to the statement, four results are expected, with one of them focusing on boosting the government's revenue mobilisation efforts through the reform of tax and banking taxpayer awareness.

The second result is dedicated to enhancing the efficiency and transparency of public procurement management, with a focus on activities such as building the capacity of the electronic government procurement system and promoting sustainable procurement practices.

The statement further indicated that the improved financial management through enhanced budgeting process has included the creation of a treasury single account, as well as improved financial reporting.

On the other hand, the fourth area will centre on boosting accountability through reforms that strengthen external audit processes and enhance parliamentary oversight.

It is commendable that the government acknowledges the vital role of robust public financial management and procurement systems in driving Tanzania's development agenda, and that with this initiative by country director.

"Adding, “While there has been important progress in this area over the past few years, it is important to continue to assess and address persisting weaknesses in order to enhance the timely delivery of public services and development outcomes for the benefit of citizens.”

Recent PFM reforms have led to significant achievements in the sector. The rollout of electronic revenue collection systems is among the most notable, contributing to a 50-percent increase in non-tax revenue collection over the past few years.

Other important reforms include the adoption of a treasury single account, the rollout of expenditure management systems, the introduction of electronic procurement systems, the development and rollout of the central budget management information system, and the strengthening of parliament oversight functions.

Despite these gains, there are continuing areas where in core aspects of PFM such as fiscal credibility, revenue and budget forecasts, in revenue collection, multi-year compliance, and allocation and, respectively revenue forecasting in the financial reporting of public institutions.

"Additionally, delays in procurement create significant hindrances in the timely delivery of public services and the implementation of development operations in Tanzania,” said Paul Weller, WB senior financial management specialist, and co-task team leader.

He added: “Considering that 70 percent of the country's annual budget, or $31 billion, is spent through public procurement, any improvement in the public procurement system will result in great economic benefits to the country. Ultimately, all citizens and businesses in Tanzania will benefit from improvements in transparency, accountability, and service delivery.”

Source:Azomiyosi, (23rd March, 2024). World Bank boosts Tanzania with $50 for public finance, Procurement reform. Guardian, p.13

Text 2

The importance of effective communication cannot be overstated communication skills are crucial in all aspects of life whether it's communicating with friends family or colleagues in a professional setting good communication skills are essential they help convey ideas clearly build strong relationships and resolve conflicts communication skills also play a significant role in academic success from participating in class discussions to presenting research findings being able to communicate effectively is key punctuation grammar and vocabulary all contribute to clear communication learning how to punctuate sentences properly can greatly improve the clarity and coherence of your writing it's important to understand the rules of punctuation such as when to use periods commas question marks and exclamation points mastering these rules will help you become a more effective communicator

Sentence writing

A sentence is a complete idea. In academic writing, it is vital that your 'complete ideas' are as clear as possible to the reader. Your writing should also be clear, with appropriate punctuation. Moreover, giving a complete idea in a sentence requires one to correctly use the specific aspect of sentence structure, namely subject-verb agreement. Misusing this aspect affects the sentence structure and makes it difficult for the reader to follow and understand the point. The opposite of this makes the writing more engaging for readers, and the text becomes easier to read.

English sentences are commonly built upon the Subject-Verb-Object model, which contains a subject, a verb and an object. A sentence must have a main clause to make sense by itself. For example, "I ate fruits," is a complete sentence. However, for short sentences, it is advisable to combine them with longer ones using a subordinating clause for consecutive meanings. For example, "I was hungry. I ate some fruits," can be combined as follows: "I ate some fruits because I was hungry." This complex sentence with a subordinating element clearly states why the speaker ate fruits. Other examples of sentences are as follows:

Group 1

1. My father is a software engineer.
2. Hard-working students make excellent family and nation builders.
3. Negative relationships cause no less significant connections.

Group 2

1. We work hard on the weekdays and rest during the weekends.
2. Alcohol is bad for our health; yet, many people drink excessively.
3. They spend a lot of time studying to get good grades.

Group 3

1. Despite her love for her work, she often complains about it.
2. Before being hired elsewhere, she used her skills as a volunteer teacher at a local school.
3. Since John aspires to become a diplomat, he studies international relations and diplomacy.

Observations

All sentences have a subject.

1. Group 1 sentences contain just one verb or one main clause, also known as an independent clause. These are calledsimple sentences. The following are other examples of simple sentences:

• My friend enjoys jogging.
• The news report includes several accounts from bystanders.
• Engineers work with technicians.

2. Group 2 sentences contain just two verbs or two main clauses (i.e., two independent clauses). These are calledcompound sentences. Other examples of compound sentences:

• She dislikes apples, but she likes bananas.
• You will not be able to have pudding unless you finish your dinner.
• He already has a dog, but he also wants a cat.

3. Group 3 sentences contain a main clause and a subordinate clause joined together with subordinating conjunctions. These are calledcomplex sentences. Subordinating conjunctions are words like although, before, as, if, since, despite, because, until, while, unless and others. Subordinating conjunctions are frequently used in academic writing and are a great way to connect ideas to develop long texts. Other examples of complex sentences are as follows:

• Even though it was freezing outside, she chose not to wear a coat.
• By the time he got to the station, the bus had departed.
• What he said was right, but it wasn't very useful.

Activity 2.2

Read carefully the following sentences and respond to the questions accordingly.

1. There are errors with subject-verb agreement in the following sentences. Find the errors in each sentence and rewrite the sentence correctly.

1. One of the athletes run fast.
2. The folks who lives next door asked me to pick up their phone.
3. Ngasha, John and Tua eats ugali.
4. Each boy and girl eat ugali.
5. Either Bob or his brother eat ugali.
6. The grandma with all of her little grandchildren eat ugali.
7. Some of the ugaliare eaten.
8. Some of the students is eating ugali.
9. My family with all my crazy cousins always eat ugali.
10. Economics are destroyed when we consistently cook more ugali than we can consume.
11. Ten kilograms of ugali are too much to be eaten by one person.
12. I am famished! Where are my ugali?
13. “The main problem we face are people don’t eat ugali”, said the dietitian.
14. Eating ugali with my friends are my favourite.
15. Girls who eats ugali are vivacious.

2. Use the knowledge you have acquired from the activity in 1 above to create your own subject-verb agreement rules. Prepare a well-written paragraph describing the rules and present it to the class for discussion.