Power starts – keeping the blah out of sentences
by Ms. Grammar
Have you ever noticed sentences that begin weakly? One of the most commonly used, yet weak, starts to a sentence includes the word “there,” as in “There is something wrong with this sentence.”
When the word “there” used in this way, it is considered to be a function word that introduces the sentence. Ms. Grammar asks you, what is the benefit? Wikipedia explains that function words have little lexical meaning (or are ambiguous in meaning); they serve to express grammatical relationships with other words within a sentence, or specify the attitude or mood of the speaker.
While it is perfectly fine to start a sentence with “there” in some instances, in technical writing, you will almost always have stronger, clearer writing if you start your sentences in another way.
Consider the following examples – Don’t you agree that the suggested alternatives clearer and more direct?
» Weak: There are three possible solutions to the problem.
» Stronger: You can solve the problem in one of three ways.
Or, Three solutions to the problem exist.
» Weak: There is a main reactor for the co-precipitation reaction.
» Stronger: A main reactor is used for the co-precipitation reaction.
Test yourself
Can you improve the following sentences?
- There seems to be no alternative to our proposal.
- There are four modes for primary system operation.
- There are two parts to each query’s configuration, the Definitions query and Values query.
Stronger:
- No alternatives to our proposal seem to exist.
- The primary system can be operated in one of four modes.
- Each query’s configuration consists of two parts, the Definitions query and Values query.
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