NCO Primary Leadership Subjects
Unity
Unity in a sentence makes it logical and clear. Unity exists when all parts of the
Introduction
sentence contribute to expressing one idea.
Mixed construction disrupts unity and defeats clarity. It results when two or more
Avoid mixed
parts of the sentence don't fit together logically or grammatically. Separating two
construction
parts of a sentence with a form of the verb be requires that they equate sensibly.
Examples:
The use of stop lights was created to control traffic.
FAULTY:
Stop lights were created to control traffic.
CLEAR:
An examination is when you are tested on what you know.
FAULTY:
An examination is a test of what you know.
CLEAR:
Repeating an object or a conjunction also results in mixed construction.
Don't repeat
objects or
Examples:
conjunctions
He has a boat which all his friends want to
FAULTY OBJECT:
borrow it.
CLEAR:
He has a boat which all his friends want to
borrow.
FAULTY CONJUNCTION: There comes a time when each of us must work
when we want to earn a living.
There comes a time when each of us must work if we
CLEAR:
want to earn a living.
Writing Mechanics and Composition
3-37
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