3 Examples of Restructuring In-Line Lists

3 Examples of Restructuring In-Line Lists 3 Examples of Restructuring In-Line Lists 3 Examples of Restructuring In-Line Lists By Mark Nichol â€Å"In-line list† is simply a fancy term for a list of things in a sentence that aren’t treated as a vertical list- that is, a list formatted so that each item is positioned below the previous one (often with a number, letter, bullet, or other symbol to set the items off visually from each other and sometimes represent a hierarchy or sequence). As with vertical lists, careless organization of list items in in-line lists results in syntactically flawed sentences such as those shown below. However, as opposed to vertical lists, which often err in grammatical inconsistency of the items, in-line lists are often marred by a poor organization of list items (and items in lists within lists) and incorrect use of transitional elements such as conjunctions and punctuation marks. A discussion and a revision after each example explains the error and illustrates a solution. 1. The category includes those with low incomes, poor credit history, inadequate documentation, or those living with a disability, illness, or those with a criminal record. This sentence unhelpfully makes no distinction between three categories of list items: financial, medical, and legal complications. The revision reorganizes the unstructured collection of six items into these categories: â€Å"The category includes those with low incomes, poor credit history, or inadequate documentation, those living with a disability or illness, or those with a criminal record.† (Because one category itself constitutes a list of three items, some writers may prefer to mark the three larger divisions with semicolons rather than commas, but because of the repetitive phrasing beginning with those, the more potent punctuation is not necessary.) 2. They build large capital reserves, have great relationships with their lenders, and trusting relationships with their customers, vendors, and shareholders. Here, five elements are syntactically structured as a list, but the third item (which itself refers to three things) lacks a verb, so the sentence structure is flawed: â€Å"They build large capital reserves, have great relationships with their lenders, and have trusting relationships with their customers, vendors, and shareholders.† (Similar to the previous example, because the distinct items are clearly indicated by parallel use of verbs, no hand-holding replacement of commas with semicolons is necessary in this case.) Another option is to revise this sentence using conjunctions in place of some punctuation marks: â€Å"They build large capital reserves and have great relationships with their lenders and trusting relationships with their customers, vendors, and shareholders.† 3. Do we have a great team, a strong road map, and the required processes, systems and alliances, and sufficient resources to sustain our journey?      In this case, the sentence is almost correct, but qualifying resources with sufficient renders it a syntactical orphan. The simplest solution is to omit the adjective and allow resources to share required with the items that precede it: â€Å"Do we have a great team and a strong road map, as well as the required processes, systems and alliances, and resources to sustain our journey?†Ã‚   If you feel that resources does not belong with the other items as shown in the revision above, consider this solution: â€Å"Do we have a great team and a strong road map- as well as the required processes, systems and alliances- and resources to sustain our journey?† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesComma Before ButThrew and Through

Top French Pronunciation Mistakes and Difficulties

Top French Pronunciation Mistakes and Difficulties Many students find that pronunciation is the hardest part of learning French. The new sounds, the silent letters, the liaisons - they all combine to make speaking French very tricky. If you really want to perfect your French pronunciation, your best option is to work with a native French speaker, preferably one who specializes in accent training. If that isnt possible, then you need to take things into your own hands by listening to French as much as possible, and by studying and practicing the pronunciation aspects that you find most difficult. Here is a list of the top French pronunciation difficulties and mistakes, with links to detailed lessons and sound files. The French R The French R has been the bane of French students since time immemorial. OK, maybe its not quite that bad, but the French R is pretty tricky for a lot of French students. The good news is that it is possible for a non-native speaker to learn how to pronounce it. Really. If you follow my step-by-step instructions and practice a lot, youll get it. The French U The French U is another tricky sound, at least for English speakers, for two reasons: its hard to say and its sometimes difficult for untrained ears to distinguish it from the French OU. But with practice, you can definitely learn how to hear and say it. Nasal Vowels Nasal vowels are the ones that make it sound like the speakers nose is stuffed up. In fact, nasal vowel sounds are created by pushing air through the nose and mouth, rather than just the mouth as you do for regular vowels. Its not so difficult once you get the hang of it - listen, practice, and you will learn. Accents French accents do more than just make words look foreign - they modify pronunciation and meaning too. Therefore, its extremely important to know which accents do what, as well as how to type them. You dont even need to buy a French keyboard - accents can be typed on virtually any computer. Silent Letters Many French letters are silent, and a lot of them are found at the end of words. However, not all final letters are silent. Confused? Read over these lessons to get a general idea of which letters are silent in French. H  Muet  / Aspirà © Whether its an  H  muet  or an  H aspirà ©, the French H is always silent, yet it has a strange ability to act as a consonant or like a vowel. That is, the  H aspirà ©, although silent, acts like a consonant and does not allow contractions or liaisons to occur in front of it. But the  H  muet  acts like a vowel, so contractions and liaisons are required in front of it. Confusing? Just take the time to memorize the type of H for the most common words, and youre all set. Liaisons and Enchaà ®nement French words flow one into the next thanks to liaisons and enchaà ®nement. This causes problems not only in  speaking but in  listening comprehension  as well. The more you know about liaisons and enchaà ®nement, the better youll be able to speak and understand whats being spoken. Contractions In French, contractions are required. Whenever a short word like  je, me, le, la, or  ne  is followed by a word that begins with a vowel or H  muet, the short word drops the final vowel, adds an apostrophe, and attaches itself to the following word. This is not optional, as it is in English - French contractions are required. Thus, you should never say je  aime or le  ami - it is always  jaime  and  lami. Contractions  never  occur in front of a French consonant (except H  muet). Euphony It may seem odd that French has specific rules about ways to say things so that they sound prettier, but thats the way it is. Familiarize yourself with the various euphonic techniques so that your French sounds pretty too. Rhythm Ever heard anyone say that French is very musical? Thats partly because there are no stress marks on French words: all syllables are pronounced at the same intensity (volume). Instead of stressed syllables or words, French has rhythmic groups of related words within each sentence. Its kind of complicated, but if you read my lesson youll get an idea of what you need to work on.