3 Cases of Faulty Organization of In-Line Lists

3 Cases of Faulty Organization of In-Line Lists 3 Cases of Faulty Organization of In-Line Lists 3 Cases of Faulty Organization of In-Line Lists By Mark Nichol An in-line list is a list of related words or phrases within a sentence, as opposed to a vertical list, the items of which are formatted on separate lines, often highlighted by a number or a bullet. Often, writers mistakenly organize in-line lists, erroneously assuming that an additional but syntactically distinct item is part of the list and inserting or omitting conjunctions (usually and or or) or punctuation incorrectly as a result. Each example below illustrates a variation on this theme, and each is followed by a discussion and a revision. 1. Professor Smith’s comments are utterly reprehensible, deeply disturbing, and do not in any way reflect the values of the university. Because the phrase beginning with do has its own verb, it is not part of a list beginning with â€Å"utterly reprehensible† and continuing with â€Å"deeply disturbing,† so those two phrases should be linked with a conjunction, and the commas that follow them must be omitted: â€Å"Professor Smith’s comments are utterly reprehensible and deeply disturbing and do not in any way reflect the values of the university.† 2. Thousands of the organization’s workers face resistance, fear- and terrorists- as they try to eradicate the crippling disease. Similarly, the parenthetical phrase â€Å"and terrorists† is not part of a list that also includes resistance and fear; those two terms constitute the list, and â€Å"and terrorists† is distinct, so the treatment of the list must be revised: â€Å"Thousands of the organization’s workers face resistance and fear- and terrorists- as they try to eradicate the crippling disease.† 3. Traditional financial institutions have significantly enhanced their risk and compliance programs by increasing resources, clarifying roles and responsibilities across the three lines of defense, upgrading their governance frameworks, as well as maintaining higher levels of capital. â€Å"Maintaining higher levels of capital† is not part of the list in this sentence- â€Å"as well as† marks the phrase consisting of those eight words as a distinct appendage tacked onto the main clause- so the final item in the list must be preceded by a conjunction: â€Å"Traditional financial institutions have significantly enhanced their risk and compliance programs by increasing resources, clarifying roles and responsibilities across the three lines of defense, and upgrading their governance frameworks, as well as maintaining higher levels of capital.† 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs Past30 Baseball Idioms10 Humorous, Derisive, or Slang Synonyms for â€Å"Leader† or â€Å"Official†

5 Study Secrets to Ace Your Exams

5 Study Secrets to Ace Your Exams Most students hate tests. They hate the feeling of trying to remember the answer to a question, worrying that they focused on the wrong material, and waiting to receive their results. Whether you learn at a traditional school or study from the comfort of your own home, chances are you’ll have to sit through many test-taking experiences. But there are a few tricks you can learn now to avoid the worry before you’re in the heat of the moment. Give these five proven study tips a try and see how much better you feel during your next exam. 1. Survey your textbook or workbook before you read. Take a couple of minutes to find the glossary, index, study questions and other important information. Then, when you sit down to study, you’ll know where to find the answers you are looking for. Make sure you read any study questions before you read the chapter. These questions let you know what you can probably expect in any upcoming tests, papers or projects. 2. Attack your textbook with sticky notes. As you read, summarize (write down the main points in just a few sentences) each section of the chapter on a post-it note. After you have read the entire chapter and summarized each section, go back and review the post-it notes. Reading the post-it notes is an easy and efficient way to review information and, because each note is already in the section it summarizes, you can easily find the information you need. 3. Use a graphic organizer to take notes when you read. A graphic organizer is a form you can use to organize information. As you read, fill out the form with important information. Then, use your graphic organizer to help you study for the test. Try using the Cornell notes worksheet. Not only does this organizer let you record important terms, ideas, notes and summaries, it also lets you quiz yourself on that information by folding the answers upside down. 4. Make your own practice test. After you finish reading, pretend you are a professor who is writing a test for the chapter. Review the material you just read and make up your own practice test. Include all vocabulary words, study questions (they’re usually at the beginning or end of the chapter), and highlighted words you can find, as well as any other information you think is important. Take the test you’ve created to see if you remember the information. If not, go back and study some more. 5. Create visual flashcards. Flashcards aren’t just for primary students. Many college students find them useful as well. Before you take a test, make flashcards that will help you remember important terms, people, places and dates. Use one 3-by-5-inch index for each term. On the front of the card, write down the term or question you need to answer and draw a picture that will help you remember it. This will help ensure that you grasp the study material as you’ll find that it’s almost impossible to sketch something you don’t really understand. On the back of the card write down the definition of the term or the answer to the question. Review these cards and quiz yourself before the actual test.