In conditional sentences, the antecedent or “if-clauses” must be kept distinct from the consequent clause

The English conditional sentences are divided into two major classes and they include factual/predictive and hypothetical depending on the form of verb in the condition commonly referred to as protasis. Factual and counterfactual in this case are broadly used to correspond to linguistic modalities which are known as realis and irrealis.

There is some confusion that does exist as experienced between the subjective and the conditional verb of the “If” clause as long lived as it has been. To make matters worse, there has been an endless disagreement about when the “if” is required or not.

It is important to understand the meaning of the subjective mood so as to understand how we can be able to make use of it. In most of the sentences you will also realize the presence of subjunctive mood. The subjunctive clause is usually used after the “if” clause but not every time.

There is a point at which we should observe how tricky things may go and here is where we have the “condition” that the verb is referenced to be the wished or even desired or contrarily to be used as a fact.

To work out this problem we could have the following examples as reliable, “If Joseph were a king (though he is not) he would have you arrested.”

John wishes he would be somewhere warm. (Though he is not)

In this case suppose we did not have any king of hoping or even wishing and there is a possibility that the condition is likely to be met? Then in this case it is advisable to make use of the conditional clauses for situations that do not exist but there is a likelihood of their existence.

From the sentences that we have above, it is clear that the writer has some confusion on the subjunctive mood as well as the conditional mood. Writers in this case are advised to make a reservation of the subjunctive verb which is “to be”. These ones will be used to describe things that do not or are probably not existent.

Much as we want to use the conditional sentences, it is important to ensure that we avoid ambiguity for this may mean that we are not being much communicative. We should also understand that all the sentence constructions that make use of the conditional clause express a condition that is automatically false or even presented as unlikely. You will find that the result clause will contain conditional verbs that consist of might, could, should or even would.

Some varieties of English are regularly believed to make the use of “would” and it is used in counterfactual ways in a short term as (I)’d. In British English, there are exceptions in which these short forms can be used. They are also termed as counterfactual conditions. “I’d” for example can be used as a modal form of “would”. This however, depends on the intended meaning or its use in a sentence.

Emphatic words must stand in emphatic positions; i.e., for the most part, at the beginning or the end of the sentence.
The proper place to put a word that one requires to make more prominent sense is at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. Words that are entitled to this prominent position are the logical predicate. The sentence effectiveness arises from the prominence it gives the main statement.

Placing the word or group of words at the beginning of a sentence makes them emphatic.

Deception or disloyalty he can never be pardoned.

Placing a subject first in its sentence can be emphatic but not only just the position alone. In a sentence such as:

Great players played in his club.

In this sentence the emphasis is on the players. This emphasis arises from the meaning and setting. The subject of the sentence has to take the place of the predicate in order to get exceptional emphasis.
In the midst of the town was a winding road.

The point that the proper place to position a word for emphasis applies to the words on a single sentence as well to a paragraph.
Unemphatic words must, as a rule, be kept from the end

To emphasize on a certain word or group of words you have to place them at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. However, words that are not to be emphasized should be placed in the middle of the sentences rather than at the beginning or at the end. Placing the unemphatic words at the middle makes the sentence get better flow and loose focus on unnecessary parts.

A sentence such as:

They have lunch together twice a week.

Can be written in a different way:

Twice a week, they have lunch together.

The words twice a week have been emphasized while the part they have lunch together is not, therefore the unemphatic part of the sentence is having lunch.

An interrogation sometimes gives emphasis

The use of interrogative language is applied by many writers in their writing. If you were to compare a plain written piece and an interrogative one, you would notice the difference between the two, look at the following examples;
“No one can doubt that the prisoner, had he been really guilty, would have shown some signs of remorse,” is not as emphatic as “Who can doubt, Is it possible to doubt, &c.?”

Contrast “No one ever names Wentworth without thinking of &c.” with “But Wentworth,—who ever names him without thinking of those harsh dark features, ennobled by their expression into more than the majesty of an antique Jupiter?”

Notice the use of pauses and tone variation during the integration. This creates more emphasis than a normal sentence use. Applying the use of interrogative language in your writing makes it come alive and captures the reader’s attention. It allows room for doubt and removes conclusiveness on the subject being referred to. Emphatic words give the sentences great prominence but take note to use them appropriately.

For example, most people confuse some sayings that “all men are dogs” which is correct with “all men are like dogs” which is a wrong metaphor.

Metaphors require great understanding for their proper use since they should be used to correctly portray new ideas in ways that are understandable. Among the great mistakes that many individuals make while using metaphors is that they take them too literally. This is impacted by speaking metaphorically in one’s language without realizing that most social sciences are too metaphorical.

For example, when someone says that he has “emotional needs”, it’s outright that some people realize needs as insatiable requirements. This is a metaphor raised from the economic world under the aspect of needing things. Metaphors confuse people since they limit one’s ability to understand the same information in a different way.”Emotional needs” is an economic metaphor but people confuse it for a want.

Interpersonal relationships are also seen as metaphorical since they are emotional goods made to satisfy one’s personal wants. Another type of metaphors that most people use wrongly are mechanical metaphors for instance in sexual attraction.”Drive” is a mechanical metaphor that most people confuse for a normal vocabulary. This is because initially a drive is a part of machinery that transfers energy in different parts of the machine. This is done from the source to widely over other areas where it’s required for use. Literally sexual energy is transferred through the psyche and follows conservation laws just like any other kind of energy.

Other most confusing metaphors are the geographical metaphors like “orientation”.This can literally be having clear information on one’s environment. The other one is “sexual orientation” which is always close to one’s self esteem. This metaphor has never been taken seriously since its implications include leaving individuals uncomfortable. Conventional metaphors are another type that confuses people e.g. saying “life is a journey, enjoy the ride”. This can wrongly be used to mean life is a destination when one takes up the literal meaning.

“Sexual attraction” is another physics metaphor which implies that human’s sexual thoughts are always inevitable. This is because they are known to arise from external forces which some people do not accept. Metaphors are also confused by many novice learners for example when some metaphors’ are used such as “personal sense of humor”. This is when some one’s experience especially in teaching is based on making jokes and using funny teaching styles to pass out his content information to the learners.

Relative pronouns eliminate the clumsiness with which one would conduct their conversation in other circumstances. For example, in explaining an episode of events, one may repeat a noun; say the chair, all through their sentence forming a redundant stream in their story. Pronouns can also be used to this effect, for example, “The police caught the thief, they then went ahead and locked him up afterwards, and they charged him with a felony”. This can otherwise be re-written as, “The police caught the thief who was then locked up and charged with a felony”. A much clearer statement is formed by the introduction of the relative pronoun: who. This makes for a better conversational format and faster reception of the message in the statement.

Applying this relative pronoun, the redundant “and” used all through the sentence is eliminated and the sentence is in effect much shorter and able to be understood faster. The sound created by the use of the relative pronoun is more musical, it holds the interest of the listener faster and thus the ability to convey meaning quickly. With such euphony, the factor of ambiguity is eliminated introducing a new angle on the antecedent with the relative pronoun used. For example, with the use of “that” the antecedent comes out with even better definition making for a better picture. An illustration can show this: “The man who was running to the hub caught the bus that he had intended before it left the station”. In this sentence, “who” relates the man to an action he had been doing while “that” modifies the statement to inform us of the circumstances of the event.

With practice, the distinction between the relative pronouns to use becomes clearer. The learner may define this principle for themselves with benefit, such that they have a good flow in their writing. A few exceptions exist in the usage of these relative pronouns.

Where the antecedent is defined, one can use “that” in place of “which”, for example in a possessive case: “The Mexican restaurant that we visited last week”.

Separated from its verb, “that” doesn’t sound quite well placed. But in Shakespearian plays, “who” is used in place of “that” on several occasions.

When using “that” to qualify the antecedent, it is not advisable to use it as a relative. This adds a negative redundancy to the sentence. For example, “That effect that I intended to reach with that other move was impressionable”.
Precedence of that by a preposition makes for an objectionable mood, for example, “This is the low that I fell to.” When separated from nouns to which they are attached, disyllabic prepositions give the effect intended to be gotten by adverbs.
Modern grammar prefers “who” after the use of pronominal adjectives, for example “Several of those people who can claim the existence of such a creature are here in this gathering”

“That” as a conjunction does not allow for it to be used a relative pronoun.

With “which” the sentence is made shorter with definite clauses that have a better level of coherence. The antecedent in this case is defined by means of the relative “which“, the addition of “and” only adds ambiguity to the original statement. To create a more conversational tone, one should use “which” without adding any cause for ambiguity. In grammatical sense “which” as a relative pronoun is preceded by an invariable word, using it in combination with “and” may distort the message. “Which” used with a human subject is used to define the character in question. This helps create a smoother subject verb agreement. The clauses in the sentence also marry well on excluding “and” bringing out the message clearly.

Information that does not hold importance in the main clause is made available in the subordinate clause by the use of “which”. This means that by adding “and” the meaning that is to be conveyed gets dissolved. For example, “The notion that an expressed opinion is valid has been expressed by a large population in the room, and which continues to hold this discussion hostage therefore little progress is going to be made if at all it comes to it.” The omission of “and” in this instance would make the statement clearer since in its present state, it is quite disagreeable. The issue of including “and which” in a sentence in place of “which” does not come out faster in a long sentence. On a shorter sentence, however, this would be edited faster.

Another example would be, “The biggest march Shaka Zulu ever made was towards the battle of Mfecane for the expansion of the Zulu empire, and which a large number of Impis helped him win.” By omitting the “and” in this sentence, the reader is able to see the antecedent being described in the statement. The invariable word being referred to in the sentence could either be the battle or the expansion. But with the replacement of “and which” by “which” gives the sentence a clearer meaning as to which of these two objects is being referred to. It is with in-animate words where “and which” tends to bring confusion. Otherwise, this is rarely the case when the relative is used with animate nouns.

The use of general terms in writing sometimes results in sentences being misunderstood by the reader. You have to write in such a way that the reader understands you and the meaning you were trying to bring out comes out exactly. Sometimes the use of adverbs and adjectives helps a lot in writing to make terms more particular or specific. Adding adjectives and adverbs will make the nouns and verbs more specific and the meaning of the sentence is easily brought out.

For instance, instead of writing “That dog belongs to my neighbor,” you can make the sentence more specific by giving more descriptions of the dog so that the sentence reads; “That black dog belongs to my neighbor.” You help the reader identify the object easily from among many with the color since you are more particular. However, the adjectives and adverbs should not be overused and only apply when the nouns and verbs you are using cannot deliver what you want.

When reading a piece of composition, readers tend to remember some words long after they have finished reading. Particular terms are easily remembered by the readers. The point is to give simple everyday expressions that the reader can identify with when describing something. Using fancy or unusual terms may only serve to change the meaning. Particular terms also involve the choice of correct active words because some instances are well described with such.

Avoid Verbal Nouns where Verbs can be used instead

Verbs are important terms in a sentence and should always be used instead of verbal nouns. Verbs express actions or happenings and can be in the present, present continuous, past tense, past participle tense and future tense. Unless a verbal noun will bring out the meaning of an expression better, you should stick to the verbs instead. Verbal nouns are derived from verbs and are best used in combination with prepositions such as “of.”

Most of the verbal nouns have ‘’ing’’ added to them, for example walking, writing, speaking, listening and standing among others. With the correct use of verbs following the Verb String Formula, you can make your sentences clear without the need for verbal nouns. You can choose strong verbs to describe an action since some of the verbs are stronger while others are weaker. Strong verbs are all inclusive and tell the meaning of a term more specifically, for instance, the word ’’sprint’’ is stronger than ‘’run’’ because it tells not just the action but how it was done as well.

A sentence will only make sense if the words are used in good grammar. If you wrongly place an adverb in the sentence it may end up becoming ambiguous, something you do not want when writing. Looking at the following example, She has quickly eaten and left for the city, you realize that the adverb comes before the verb, if not careful when using the connecting words your sentence may lack sense. For the words to be as near as possible to the words they are grammatically related to it is important to use adverbs in a unemphatic place by avoiding the use of an adverb followed by a past participle like She has eaten the food quickly it is better to say She quickly ate the food. There are many types of adverbs and most of them end in –ly like friendly, lovely, motherly, lonely and happily. A good example of a sentence with a good grammatical construction of two adverbs is: that friendly man lives in a lovely neighborhood, in this sentence you notice that the words used are nearly connected to each other.

For words to be as near as possible to the words with which they are grammatically connected the use of suitable infinitives is important. There are different types of infinitives, those that are dependant on the same word and those that are not. Let’s use an example to understand the different uses of infinitives Alice said that she preferred to take Mary with her to visit the city to buy clothes. Every time you choose to use an infinitive in your sentences remember that it has to begin with to. TO + VERB = INFINITIVE. An infinitive is not a verb and adding –ing,-ed,-es, is not advisable. To read is the only thing that Mary wants after a long day; in this sentence to read functions as the noun since it is the subject of the sentence.

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Instead of putting up literal statements, metaphors can be used in communicating or writing when comparing two objects either by their resemblance or by their similarity but not using “like” word connections.

For example, Daisy’s face was as pale as the moon.

These figures of speech can be used in place of literal statements where something is given a name that doesn’t belong to it but belongs to another. For instance when describing someone who is very tough one can say, “He is a lion”. This is also used in the aspect of transferring objects from their actual significant features to other improper aspects in order to imply beauty, the act of emphasis and necessity. Metaphors used in sentences can make it easy for one to understand the experience of something happening out of his context in terms of something else.

For example, that movie had struck a spark that ended up massaging the entire audience’s conscience.

Instead of communicating all times literally, employing metaphors makes it very generous for readers and listeners to easily interpret the phrases or words. Using literal meanings like saying “today the weather is very cold” does not give your listeners or readers any pleasure that can be obtained from thinking out possible solutions. But when you say “the old man passed away” your readers will be able to think and make choices from possible solutions.

The use of metaphors in the place of literal statements is very essential to all novice learners simply because they are more efficient and economical. This is greatly contributed by the use of few words in passing out the information.
For example, when you write, “My job is a prison” it’s out right that you are implying the situation found at your work place. This shows that your are deprived of your most preferred pleasures and it’s like your work environment is solitarily. This at the same time has been put across by using only few wordings compared to a literal description of your job status. The economy and efficiency are figured out here.

Metaphors also help people in creating new meanings, majorly about one’s feelings, past and present experiences and specify things and thoughts showing their necessities.

For example, when a small kid sees the moon’s lighting from the sky and doesn’t know its name she says, “Mum look at that lamp” giving it a new meaning.

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• direct speech: “I’m going to the movie tonight”
• reported speech: she says she is going to the movie tonight

We do not necessarily need to change the tense, and we do not need to change the ‘person’ from ‘I’ to ‘she’. In addition, we are not required to change words like ‘your’ and ‘my’. When reporting a speech in the first person whereby the writer might not know the exact words used by the speaker, or s/he may know the words but they are not important in that context; or the words used are uninteresting and lengthy, it is preferable to use the third person when reporting. In most cases, we do not need to change the present tense into the past tense provided that the information in the direct speech is still true, but this applies to those things, which are general facts. For example,

• direct speech: “The room is dark”
• reported speech: He said that the room is/was dark

Reporting a speech in the third person requires you to omit the word “that”. Even if you are reporting a speech in the third person, it is not always necessary to insert the word “that” before the dependent verb. Thus instead of saying “She said that she did not attend the party because she had a headache” we may write, “She said she did not attend the party because she had a headache” This sentence gives more life and it might give some clarity also.

There is no much difference when it comes to reported questions. For example,
• Direct speech: “where do you stay?”

How can one make a reported question here? There is no much different with the reported statements. We are required to keep the question word but the tense changes remain the same. One very important point, which you should note, is that once you tell a question to a third party, the question ceases to be a question anymore. Therefore, it is necessary that we change the grammar to a normal sentence structure. Confused? You have to look at the example once more in order t get it more clearly.

• Direct speech: “where do you stay?”
• He asked me where I stayed.

This example shows that the direct question is in the present simple tense. “Do” or “does” are used to make a present simple question.

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“Tim had nothing to say but he thought that he is capable of taking over the director’s post, and that his father’s services in the government will deserve gratitude from the Queen. This is an example of a sentence that is reported in the third person since the words used by the speaker are unimportant and not intended to be used when reporting the speech. The topic of reported speech in language deals with looking out on the flow of content in a conversation or narration. Direct and indirect speech is the vehicle through which two or more parties exchange information. It is through this that information is communicated back and forth from one person to another. In a conversation, direct speech simply involves exchanging words directly from one person to another and vice versa. It may contain information that the speaker reports concerning what someone outside of the conversation said, and this is called a third party.

Reported speech is when a person relays information that was derived from another person outside the conversation; a third party, who is not in the immediate conversation. Describing events as they are happening to someone else is what entails third person narrative. It is a challenge to most non-fiction novelists to write third person narratives because the scope is broader and may be unfamiliar to them. If you are used to writing in first person you may have many challenges if you want to write in third person because your narrative can lack fluency. Experimentation and practice is the only way forward that will help you to master the skills necessary for writing. In order to create a piece in the third person, you have to do the following.

Replace all personal pronouns with their first person equivalent. “I” and “we” replaced with “he”, “she”. Secondly, if you are writing about yourself like in a resume or report, you have to use a noun like “the applicant” or “the researcher” other than a pronoun. If you are writing a press release or any other fictional materials, you have to substitute names for the personal pronoun. Writing in the third person is preferred more if the writer is not conversant with the speaker’s words and this will help in avoiding ambiguities. Finally, it is important to practice so that you can master the art of writing in third party. The best way in examining the different perspectives and finding the results that best suit your situation is to convert a first person piece into a third party one.

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