,EDITING
Ensure that you can identify and explain the following editing/language terms:
1. Acronyms and Abbreviations
2. Active and Passive voice
3. Ambiguity
4. Americanisms
5. Antonyms
6. Apostrophe use
7. Clichés
8. Comma Splice
9. Concord
10. Dashes
11. Degrees of Comparison
12. Direct and Reported Speech
13. Double Negative
14. Generalisations
15. Homonyms
16. Homophones
17. Hyphens
18. Inconsistent use of pronouns
19. Literal and Figurative Language
20. Malapropism
21. Misrelated Participle / Dangling Participle
22. Oxymorons and Paradoxes
23. Parentheses
24. Phrases and Clauses
25. Prefixes and Suffixes
26. Pun
27. Redundancy
28. Register
29. Simple, Complex and Compound Sentences
30. Split Infinitive
31. Spoonerisms
32. Synonyms
33. Tautology
34. Tense errors
35. Verbosity
2
,1. Acronyms and Abbreviations
Abbreviations and acronyms are shortened forms of words or phrases. An abbreviation is typically a shortened form of
words used to represent the whole (such as Dr or Prof) while an acronym contains a set of initial letters from a phrase
that usually form another word (such as radar or scuba).
Abbreviations and acronyms are often interchanged, yet the two are quite distinct. The main point of reference is that
abbreviations are merely a series of letters while acronyms form new words.
Remember the rule for punctuation an abbreviation? If the abbreviation and the word end on the same letter, NO
FULLSTOP!
2. Active and Passive voice
Active Subject, verb, object. (She kicks the ball.)
Passive Object, verb, BY object. (The ball is kicked by her.)
Remember to stay in the same tense!
3
, 3. Ambiguity
Ambiguity is a word, phrase or statement which contains more than one meaning. Ambiguous statements lead to
vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for unintentional humour.
“I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may lead us to think that the horse was wearing the red pajamas.
Sign outside a petrol station café: “Kirsty’s Café – Eat Here and Get Gas”
Newspaper headline: “Two sisters reunite after 20 years in a bank.”
Newspaper headline: “Stolen painting found by tree.”
4
Ensure that you can identify and explain the following editing/language terms:
1. Acronyms and Abbreviations
2. Active and Passive voice
3. Ambiguity
4. Americanisms
5. Antonyms
6. Apostrophe use
7. Clichés
8. Comma Splice
9. Concord
10. Dashes
11. Degrees of Comparison
12. Direct and Reported Speech
13. Double Negative
14. Generalisations
15. Homonyms
16. Homophones
17. Hyphens
18. Inconsistent use of pronouns
19. Literal and Figurative Language
20. Malapropism
21. Misrelated Participle / Dangling Participle
22. Oxymorons and Paradoxes
23. Parentheses
24. Phrases and Clauses
25. Prefixes and Suffixes
26. Pun
27. Redundancy
28. Register
29. Simple, Complex and Compound Sentences
30. Split Infinitive
31. Spoonerisms
32. Synonyms
33. Tautology
34. Tense errors
35. Verbosity
2
,1. Acronyms and Abbreviations
Abbreviations and acronyms are shortened forms of words or phrases. An abbreviation is typically a shortened form of
words used to represent the whole (such as Dr or Prof) while an acronym contains a set of initial letters from a phrase
that usually form another word (such as radar or scuba).
Abbreviations and acronyms are often interchanged, yet the two are quite distinct. The main point of reference is that
abbreviations are merely a series of letters while acronyms form new words.
Remember the rule for punctuation an abbreviation? If the abbreviation and the word end on the same letter, NO
FULLSTOP!
2. Active and Passive voice
Active Subject, verb, object. (She kicks the ball.)
Passive Object, verb, BY object. (The ball is kicked by her.)
Remember to stay in the same tense!
3
, 3. Ambiguity
Ambiguity is a word, phrase or statement which contains more than one meaning. Ambiguous statements lead to
vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for unintentional humour.
“I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may lead us to think that the horse was wearing the red pajamas.
Sign outside a petrol station café: “Kirsty’s Café – Eat Here and Get Gas”
Newspaper headline: “Two sisters reunite after 20 years in a bank.”
Newspaper headline: “Stolen painting found by tree.”
4
