Representing actions with nouns
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Reasons for representing actions with nouns | page 8 of 9 |
Summarising nouns used to give a positive evaluation
When a neutral summarising noun is chosen, eg announcement, explanation, the writer's personal opinion about the previous stretch of writing is not emphasised. However, in a different context, a writer might wish to project their own interpretation on the situation, and can do this by choosing an evaluative summarising noun. The selection of such a noun is a very useful device by which a writer or speaker can manipulate the reader or hearer's response to a given situation:
The Bible says you should always treat other people the way you would like to be treated yourself. And in fact you don't have to be a Christian to realise that if everyone followed this advice, the world would be a much more agreeable place.
The words this advice are used to refer back to a previous stretch of
writing, ie the details of who did the advising, plus the
gist of what was advised: you should
always treat other people the way you would like to be treated yourself. By referring
back in this way, the writer not only links the given information with the new idea which
follows: "people will be happier", but interprets the stretch of writing
positively, as advice .
Here is a list of evaluative summarising nouns which are typically used to give a
positive evaluation of the words being referred to :
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For further information about writing coherently, see Developing
cohesion: Using this to point backwards.
Introduction
Expressing ideas concisely
Expressing ideas in an appropriately technical manner
Manipulating the elements in a text
Expressing ideas coherently
Neutral summarising nouns
Summarising nouns used to give a negative evaluation
Summarising nouns used to give a positive evaluation
Summarising nouns referring to actions and events