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12 March 2015, 4:41pm

WritersDiet Test Results

Your overall score

Fit and trim

verbs
nouns
prepositions
adjectives/adverbs
it, this, that, there

Needs toning
Fit and trim
Fit and trim
Lean
Fit and trim

Suggestions for improvement

Your writing sample contains a relatively high proportion of be-verbs. To pep up stodgy prose,
follow The Writers Diet principles below, paying special attention to the items highlighted in
yellow below.

Key principles
Verbal verve
Limit be-verbs (is, was, are, were, be, been) to no more than a few per paragraph. Favor strong,
specific, robust action verbs (scrutinize, dissect, capture) over weak, vague, lazy ones (have, do,
show). Steer clear of passive verb constructions (it has been demonstrated) except when used for
stylistic effect.

Noun density
Anchor abstract ideas in concrete language and illustrate theoretical concepts using real-life
examples. (Show, dont just tell!) Avoid overdependence on nominalizations: long,
important-sounding nouns formed from verbs or adjectives (overdependence, nominalizations,
pretentiousness).

Prepositional podge
Avoid long strings of prepositional phrases, especially when they drive nouns and verbs apart
("The principle of keeping nouns and verbs as close to each other as possible for the benefit of
readers has many benefits").

Ad-dictions
Employ adjectives and adverbs only when they contribute new information to a sentence; get
your nouns and verbs to do most of your descriptive work.

Waste words: it, this, that, there

Employ it and this only when you can state exactly what noun each word refers to; avoid using
that more than once in a single sentence or three times in a paragraph, except in parallel

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12 March 2015, 4:41pm

constructions; and beware of sweeping generalizations that begin with There.

Important: The WritersDiet Test offers an automated diagnosis, not a subtle stylistic analysis or
a prescriptive personal judgment. For best results, use the test together with The Writers Diet
(Sword 2007), which discusses stylistic nuances and exceptions that the WritersDiet Test cannot
address.
Text excerpted from H. Sword (2007) The Writers Diet Pearson Education NZ.

Your sample
Your sample has 284 words.
Student approaches to learning is a theory that students will take a different approach to their
study depending upon the perceived objectives of the course they are studying. It describe what
students do when they go about learning and why they do it. They may use different learning
approaches for different tasks including deep, surface and achieving approach. Deep learning
involves the critical analysis of new ideas, linking them to already known concepts and
principles, and leads to understanding and long-term retention of concepts so that they can be
used for problem solving in unfamiliar contexts. In their learning strategies, they try to develop
their own understanding by relating ideas together and make connections with previous
experiences. They are likely to explore the subject beyond the immediate requirements and have
positive emotions about learning. The next is surface approach which involves students aim to
reproduce information to meet external demands. In their learning, they use to limit their study
to the bare essentials and focus on pieces of information in an atomistic way, rather than making
relationship between them. They are likely to have negative view about learning. The not the
same between deep and surface approach can be intended by a deep approach involve the
intention to understand and create meaning from what is being learned, whereas a surface
approach involve an intention to reproduce. As a conclusion, students must approach to learning
as it is a new step forward in making higher education transparent. The best way to approach
learning is depend on themselves. Although it is not too easy goals, in order that they can feel
they have achieved something, and ensuring that people have support and reward for their
learning.