Hao Ying Wen
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Q. If I write two short simple sentences:
The person was Ethan.
Ethan was in charge of the group project.
Instead of:
The person who was in charge of the group project was Ethan.
Are they the same in terms of meaning? What’s the difference between them?
A: To answer your questions, consider first why clauses are combined.
For the above two sentences, you don’t have to if you don’t want. You could simply string independent clauses together with ANDS, as small children frequently do. It wouldn’t be unusual for a child to tell you about her trip to the store in this way:
I went to the store, and I bought some peanut butter, and I took it home, and I was gonna make a sandwich. (23 words)
But, stringing clauses together is an inefficient way to speak or write. If these sentences are rewritten as:
When I went to the store, I bought some peanut butter, which I took home to make a sandwich (19 words)
Clearly, the combined sentence sounds better - much more adult-like.
At school as you learn more, you are expected to write with increased academic clarity:
assured words
acceptable phrases (strong vs powerful coffee / this vs today’s morning)
correct sentences
coherent paragraphs
adequate essays
Then,
At work you are supposed to write with expected professional clarity:
clear and correct daily e-messages
flowing and readable short summaries
convincing and presentable reports
All of this shows an individual’s increased fuller growth - maturity and
more maturity - more independence
more independence - more responsibility
more responsibilities - more productivity
more productivity - more satisfaction (advanced gains to be imagined)
So we learn to combine clauses in order both to specify relationships between our ideas and to save words - less time spent, more work done.
Simply put, clauses are combined (how) for efficiency (why)
Written, posted and shared by a professionally-trained Dr. Writer
The person was Ethan.
Ethan was in charge of the group project.
Instead of:
The person who was in charge of the group project was Ethan.
Are they the same in terms of meaning? What’s the difference between them?
A: To answer your questions, consider first why clauses are combined.
For the above two sentences, you don’t have to if you don’t want. You could simply string independent clauses together with ANDS, as small children frequently do. It wouldn’t be unusual for a child to tell you about her trip to the store in this way:
I went to the store, and I bought some peanut butter, and I took it home, and I was gonna make a sandwich. (23 words)
But, stringing clauses together is an inefficient way to speak or write. If these sentences are rewritten as:
When I went to the store, I bought some peanut butter, which I took home to make a sandwich (19 words)
Clearly, the combined sentence sounds better - much more adult-like.
At school as you learn more, you are expected to write with increased academic clarity:
assured words
acceptable phrases (strong vs powerful coffee / this vs today’s morning)
correct sentences
coherent paragraphs
adequate essays
Then,
At work you are supposed to write with expected professional clarity:
clear and correct daily e-messages
flowing and readable short summaries
convincing and presentable reports
All of this shows an individual’s increased fuller growth - maturity and
more maturity - more independence
more independence - more responsibility
more responsibilities - more productivity
more productivity - more satisfaction (advanced gains to be imagined)
So we learn to combine clauses in order both to specify relationships between our ideas and to save words - less time spent, more work done.
Simply put, clauses are combined (how) for efficiency (why)
Written, posted and shared by a professionally-trained Dr. Writer
