I avoided teaching the language of grammar and focused on the uses of grammar. The bulk of the course had the students write non-stop for five or ten minutes, then edit each other's work. When a particular problem was discovered, the review would stop and the questions would begin. Why does this not work? How can we make it work? That is, a need was created, and then the theory was taught.

From this, I created a set of four basic rules for the students that they could easily recall and use whenever they wrote.

Rule 1: Don't confuse formal writing with too many words.

An articulate person can speak simply, clearly, and concisely, yet when he or she writes it's as if the dictionary has sprung a leak. A common explanation is, "It's formal writing," which means, "I can't write the way I talk, because it's serious!"

There are good writers who can create a long sentence that just flows along and takes you with it. Inexperienced writers have a tendency towards the verbose when we choose to sit down and put pen to paper, somewhat like this sentence. So to strengthen their point, these writers bury it in verbiage.

Formal does not mean using "heretofore" or "notwithstanding." Keep it simple.

Rule 2: Don't use too many...

This is more of a tip than a rule. Count the number of verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions in a sentence.

If you have more than two verbs, you might want to see if there are too many clauses. This means that you have taken focus away from the main idea of the sentence.

If you have more than two prepositions, chances are that you are unsure of what you are saying. A restructure of the sentence is required.

Finally, if you have more than two conjunctions, maybe you should throw in a period.

As mentioned in Rule #1, you can have a long and complex sentence that works. When used with intelligence, this rule shows warning signs of a sentence that doesn't work.

Rule 3: VANA

The words of a sentence can be broken down into four functions: a verb, an adverb, a noun, or an adjective (VANA). Any of these functions can be single words, phrases, or clauses. Of course there are subtleties that this rule doesn't cover, but it helped the students to focus on and identify the function of their words in a sentence. When parsing a sentence, it was easier to ask "What part of VANA is this?" than to ask "Is this a verb, adverb,... "

Rule 4: Avoid uncertainty.

It's funny that a writer who is trying to strengthen their formal tone by using too many words will also weaken their argument by using too many words. Instead of "The new function will improve the process," they write, "The new function may be used to improve parts of the process." Some of the more popular ones I found were "in order to," "in order to help to," and "sometime."

I call this diplomatic writing, where the writer tries to avoid directness because it could be seen as too forceful. Instead, it hides the point that the writer is making.

Conclusion

These rules are only a starting point, but they have several positive characteristics. They are easy to remember. They could fit on a laminated card and put into a pocket. And, if used, they can significantly improve most writing.