Welcome to the 2013 A to Z Challenge!
This year, I’m
focusing on two themes: Emotions and
grammar,
depending on which
letter we’re on each day.
Today’s a grammar day!
__________
P is for Present Participle Phrase: in a sentence, a phrase using the –ing form of a verb as an adjective to
modify a noun or noun phrase. (This is
different from a gerund, or an –ing
verb that acts as a subjective or objective noun.)
Though this might sound confusing, it’s really simple. When you write a phrase, using an –ing
verb to describe a noun, (like I just did there,) that is a present
participle phrase. Did you recognize the
one I just used in that last sentence? I
underlined it. We use them all the time
when speaking, and we use them even more when writing. And that’s where the issue lies.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with this sentence
structure, and I use it just like everyone else, the issue comes down to its
frequency. As an editor, as well as an
experienced critique partner, I read a lot of manuscripts, especially debuts,
but also experienced and previously published authors, as well, and
undoubtedly, the one thing I see more than just about anything else—sans the
missing comma, of course—is the overuse of the present participle phrase.
Sometimes, writers will use them in fifty to seventy-five
percent of their sentences. So what’s
wrong with that, you ask? Well, first
off, it shows an inability to be creative with your writing, and it reads very
sing-song-ish, which is distracting. It
also shows that the writer isn’t truly aware of his or her writing.
Sentences within a paragraph need to be varied, in length,
in rhythm, and in structure. It’s boring
and monotonous to read the same type of sentence structure over and over
again. After a first draft is completed,
the author needs to read and analyze each separate sentence, each separate
word, revising it so it’s different from the ones right before and right
after. While present participle phrases
are fine every now and then, try to keep them down to three or less per
page.
I used to be a big PPP offender. I never even noticed it until I critiqued
with a college English professor. She
pointed it out, and I’ve become very sensitive to it ever since. Even still, I tend to overuse it, and cringe
when I read back over my work. Thank God
for the editing process!
What about you? Do
you find yourself overusing this particular type of sentence structure?
