NCO Primary Leadership Subjects
Completeness
Sometimes we misunderstand sentences because they omit an essential word or
Don't omit
phrase. If you compare or contrast ideas, the terms you use must be capable of being
words that
compared or contrasted.
compare or
contrast
Examples:
The U.S. Air Force has more planes than any other country.
UNCLEAR:
The U.S. Air Force has more planes than the air force of any
CLEAR:
other country.
The price of a computer is more than a typewriter.
UNCLEAR:
The price of a computer is more than the price of a typewriter.
CLEAR:
If your sentence uses more than one tense, you may need to use helping (auxiliary)
Don't omit
verbs.
helping verbs
Example:
Infantry always has and always will be decisive in battle.
OMITTED:
Infantry always has been and always will be decisive in battle.
CLEAR:
(Past perfect and future tenses.)
Certain expressions in our language have meanings that are not clear from the
Use idioms
component words. These expressions are called idioms. We learn them naturally,
correctly
just as we do other common words. Idioms don't always conform to rules of
grammar; therefore, writers often have difficulty determining the correct preposition
to use with idiomatic combinations. Check your dictionary for an idiomatic example
if you are unsure what preposition to use with a word.
Examples:
in accordance with,
according to
agree to a proposal,
agree with a person
charge for a purchase,
charge with a crime
Continued on next page
Writing Mechanics and Composition
3-35
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