Chapter 16- The Bedford Researcher

Chapter 16 of "The Bedford Researcher" is all about writing with style. This chapter provides many tips and tricks on how to spice up your writing and arguments to make them more interesting, and less monotonous. TBR suggests that you write "concisely" by cutting out unnecessary words and phrases that only make your paper more complicated to read. For example, it is smart to avoid words such as fine, many, somewhat, great, and really. These words, also known as "unnecessary modifiers", do not provide a valid amount of information to the reader. Additionally, you should refrain from using vague introductory phrases such as there are, there is, and it has been reported that...These phrases are often uncalled for, as it is more concise to just state the point of the sentence. Another thing to try to cut out of your writing are "stock phrases" such as "as a matter of fact" which can more simply be written as "in fact". In order to keep your paper much easier to understand, The Bedford suggests you effectively use active and passive voice, and be consistent with your point of view. It is best to avoid jargon when writing about a topic that is unfamiliar to most people. According to the book, the key ingredient to an effective document is to add variety to your word choice. This is sure to keep your document from being monotonous and dull. Section B of chapter 16 talks about how to polish your writing style. You can do this by varying your sentence structure to include dependent and independent clauses, using effective transition words, sentences, and phrases, effectively introducing other authors, avoiding sexist language, and of course, reading other peoples work.