5 Conditional Words That Will Change Your Writing For The Better
Copywriting can seem intimidating, but with some knowledge and practice, you can improve your writing significantly. This article will highlight five conditional words that will enhance your copy. Learn how to use these words to make your essay more persuasive and engaging so that your readers will want to read on.
Purpose
Like most people, you spend a lot of time editing your writing. You might choose to use conditional words like “if,” “but,” and “although” to make your writing more concise and compelling. But what are these conditional words, and why are they so important?
The conditional word is simply a word or phrase that modifies another word or phrase to indicate whether or not something is true. For example, the conditional word “if” can be used in conjunction with other words to create sentences such as “If I win the lottery, I’ll buy new shoes.” The sentence indicates that if the person wins the lottery, he or she will purchase new shoes.
Conditionals are often used when writers want to indicate that something is possible or probable but not guaranteed. For example, in the sentence “If I win the lottery, I’ll buy new shoes,” buying new shoes is possible but not guaranteed. By using the conditional word “if,” the writer implies that it’s at least somewhat likely that he or she will win the lottery and purchase new shoes this way.
In addition to helping indicate possibility or probability, conditionals can also add emphasis. For example, in the sentence “I can’t believe she said that!” using the conditional word “would” adds emphasis by making it clear that what follows is not necessarily true even though it could be.
Audience
If you’re one of those writers who agonize over grammar and style, you may wonder what kind of tweaks you can make to your sentence structure to make your writing sound more polished. In this article, we’ll discuss conditional words that can change how your readers perceive your writing.
1. If: When followed by a subordinating conjunction such as if, unless, or whensoever, it functions as a linking verb and introduces a hypothetical situation. For example: If I had more time, I would finish this project.
2. Unless When followed by a subordinating conjunction such as unless, unless, or whensoever, it functions as an adverb meaning without the initial condition being met. For example, He always takes the subway unless he has to drive his car.
3. When: When used with time expressions such as when he arrives or when she wakes up, it functions as an auxiliary verb and expresses an action that will take place at a specific time. For example: He will arrive at 6 p.m. tonight when he flies in from London.
Tone
While writing, it’s important to be aware of how your tone will affect the reader. A tone can make or break a piece of writing, so choosing the right one for your topic and audience is important. Here are five different tones to help you write more effectively:
1. Informal
An informal tone is casual and relaxed. It’s appropriate for topics that are personal or recreational. This tone is sometimes used in news articles or blog posts written by friends or acquaintances.
2. British Literal
A British Literal tone is formal but still informal. This tone is often used in reporting or writing about formal events such as court hearings or political speeches.
3. Slang
Word choice
Conditional words are powerful tools that can change the direction of your writing for the better. They allow you to control how a sentence is read and can be used to create more effective, engaging, and persuasive prose. Here are six conditional words that will help improve your writing:
If…then…
This simple if-then construction allows you to control how readers receive information in a sentence. For example, this could introduce a new paragraph or section: “If you want to learn about history, read about the Roman Empire.” This would lead to the following if-then statement, explaining what readers should do if they want to learn about the Roman Empire: “Then read about the Roman Empire in my book.”
Avoid these five common mistakes in writing.
1. Using Too Many Conditionals
Many writers need to use more conditionals. A conditional sentence is a sentence that has two parts: the condition and the if-then statement. The condition can be either true or false, while the if-then statement tells what will happen if the condition is met. When you use too many conditionals, it can muddy your writing and make it easier to understand. Try to limit yourself to one conditional per sentence.
2. Missing Commas
Another common mistake made by writers is missing commas in their sentences. A comma is used to separate words unrelated to each other grammatically. This includes terms that are part of a series (i.e., “I went out with my friends,” not “I went out with my friends, Joe and Jane”). Commas are also used to set off modifiers (i.e., “She ate an entire pizza,” not “She ate an entire pizza, without onions”). If you need help determining whether or not you need a comma, consult a grammar guide or your editor.
3. Mixing Verb tense
Many writers need to correct their verb tense throughout their writing. English has three verb tenses: past, present, and future. To determine which verb tense to use, look for the word “to” in the sentence. If there is no word “to,” then the verb is in the present tense.