Mulhern's "English likes . . ." Mantras--Preparation for the PSAT/SAT--Study to Help on the Tests. Copy and paste these mantras into a Word document, print them out, and place the document in you binder. If you write the mantras out, you will remember them better and be more successful on the SAT. You need not write every word; you can make the explanations more concise as long as you understand them.

Complete this phrase ("English likes . . . ) as many times as you can with the "English mantras" (concepts, principles, generalizations) you have learned. Try to create more mantras:

English likes brevity. 

    Unlike writing from earlier times, contemporary English texts tend to have shorter sentences, fewer commas, and fewer qualifiers--"very," "really," "extremely." In addition, essays, books, and articles are shorter than they once were. Of course, there are exceptions.

English likes concision.

    English texts tend to not have phrases when one word would do. For example, "all of a sudden" could be "suddenly." Try to discover how you can reduce groups of words to one or two words.

English likes precision.

    English texts should avoid vague statements or imprecision. Be exact in your writing. For example, instead of "They say it will rain today," write "Meteorologists have forecasted rain today."

English likes words that go together to be close together.

    This is a great mantra to remember in your own writing. When you read a sentence and something seems "off," it could be you need to move words around. For example, "Running down the street, the trees seemed so beautiful to the jogger." In this sentence, "jogger" should be close to the descriptive phrase that begins the sentence: "Running down the street, the jogger noticed the beautiful trees." The original sentence suggests the trees are running, which is illogical.

English likes parallel structure.

    Parallel structure means the same grammatical sequence. For example, "I came, I saw, I conquered" (Julius Caesar). In this sentence, you have a series of first-person pronouns followed by past-tense verbs. The sentence would not be parallel if it were written, "I came, I saw, and I was content that I conquered the country." (The last clause makes the sentence non-parallel.)

English likes directness.

    In earlier time periods, writers wrote long, comma-filled sentences. Contemporary texts tend to use shorter sentences and be more direct. For example, "It occurred to me that I was angry at the professor's very rude way of saying my writing was less than adequate, and that she thought I was a bad writer." Instead, write, "I was angry at the professor's rude comment about my 'bad' writing."

English likes balance.

    Writing should be balanced. For example, "The young man drove to the store, and then he decided he needed to buy tomatoes." Instead, write, "The young man drove to the store and he bought tomatoes." Even better--"The young man drove to the store and bought tomatoes." Notice how the latter sentences have more balance in phrasing. (They are also briefer and more direct.)

English likes logic.

    See the example above, "Running down the street . . ." The trees are not running down the street. 

English likes clarity.

    Instead of writing, "Go into the other room and get the book," write, "Go into the other room and get the book off the third shelf of the bookcase against the wall on the right."

English likes consistency.

    Instead of writing, "The job seekers brought a resume to the interview," write, "The job seekers brought resumes to the interview. (There are multiple job seekers; they do not all share one resume.) The original sentence is also illogical.

English likes active sentences with punch and power.

    Notice the difference in the following sentences. The second sentence is better.

    Martin Luther King Jr.'s influence had a strong impact on the members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, especially Jesse Jackson and Ralph Abernathy.

    Martin Luther King Jr. strongly influenced the members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, especially Jesse Jackson and Ralph Abernathy.

The above mantras overlap in some ways, but if you remember them when you are reading, you will better understand a text. If you remember them when you are writing, your readers will better understand your text.

As we discuss Writing Rules and/or SAT-skill questions, I will state additional mantras. Please add them to the handout of Mulhern's Mantras.