mcgeorgeCDO: Want powerful resumes and cover letters? Eliminate ...

Want powerful resumes and cover letters? Eliminate nominalizations.

Except for passive voice, the use of nominalizations?(a/k/a buried verbs) is perhaps the best sign of poor legal writing.?Legal writing expert Bryan Garner?calls buried verbs ?the sworn enemy of every serious writer,? and ?an even more serious problem than passive voice? because invariably they ?reflect muddy thinking.? Click here for a great article on why we tend to use so many buried verbs and why we should get rid of them.?Here's an example of 30 nominalizations taken from three of Garner's?books, and the action verbs you should replace them with:

1. in violation of ??violate
2. provide an illustration of ??illustrate
3. undertake the representation of ??represent
4. furnish an indemnification to ??indemnify
5. in mitigation of ??mitigate
6. conduct an examination of ??examine
7. make accommodation for ??accommodate
8. make provision for ??provide for
9. make a contribution ??contribute
10. provide a description of ??describe
11. submit an application ??apply
12. take into consideration ??consider
13. in preparation for ??to prepare for
14. have a discussion about ??discuss
15. conduct an examination of ??examine
16. provide responses ??respond
17. offer testimony ??testify
18. make inquiry ??inquire
19. provide assistance ??assist
20. place a limitation upon ??limit
21. provide protection to ??protect
22. reach a resolution ??resolve
23. reveal the identity of ??identify
24. bring an action against ??sue
25. makes mention of ??states or says
26. are in compliance with ??comply
27. draw a distinction ??distinguish
28. made allegations ??alleged
29. was in conformity with ??conformed
30. to effect settlement ??settled

Source: http://www.mcgeorgecdo.com/2012/07/want-powerful-resumes-and-cover-letters.html

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