20130719180706TopIc 5 Business Writing 1

8/14/2019 20130719180706TopIc 5 Business Writing 1

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TopIc 5

BUSINESS WRITING 1


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LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Describe the different parts of a formal letter and

their respective functions;

2. Write various types of business letters with the rightformat and layout; and

3. Use correct punctuation and appropriate language to

effectively convey the message in business writing.


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INTRODUCTION

Language is the communication tool

that enables you to give form and shape

to ideas, feelings and events.

In business writing, it is important that

you express yourself effectively so that

your message is communicated to thereceiver without any misinterpretation.


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5.1 THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS

WRITING A direct writing style is encouraged.

Choose a style that is reader-friendly that get the

message across easily and quickly.

Work with words, sentences, paragraphs and thelayout of the document.

Selecting the right words will contribute to a

courteous tone and offer greater clarity.

Sentences are of the appropriate length and have

proper paragraphing.


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5.1.1Choice of words

In business writing, use words that are familiar

to your reader.

Be concise and precise, and get to the pointquickly.

Avoid using long, unwieldy sentences andunnecessary words - get in the way of themessage and result in ambiguity.

Do not use clichs.

Try to use non-sexist languageto protect youfrom accusations of gender bias.

e.g.staff or workforce instead of

manpower.


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ACTIVITY 5.1

The phrases below contain unnecessary

words. Find a suitable word or expressionto replace these unnecessary words and

write your answers in the space provided

on the right. The first one has been donefor you.


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5.1.2 sentence structure1. Readability

Short sentences are easier to read and convey themessage more clearly.

Long sentences cause confusion and important pointsbeing lost to the reader.

Too many short sentences lumped together- sounding

jerky and monotonous. It is better to use sentences of various lengths to improve

the flow of ideas.

The general rule in business correspondence is to keepsentences within a length of between 15 and 20 words.

Readers may not be able to understand long, complexsentences structures.

2. Punctuation

The use of proper punctuation helps the reader to pause

where necessary - adds clarity to the message.


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Activity 5.2

Rewrite the following long sentence into a paragraphof shorter sentences. Use appropriate punctuation toadd clarity to the message. You may change some ofthe words or use any of the following phrases:

Like many other types of .

Some of these are toTwo general strategies

Of course


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5.1.3 Paragraph structure

Basically, business writing has threefunctions, namely:

To inform;

To instruct; and To persuade.

To do this effectively, it is important to

organise your ideas to suit the purpose ofyour communication.


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Activity 5.3

The following paragraph is choppy and

disconnected when read. Rewrite the

paragraph. You may combine short

sentences or change the expressions used.

You may also use connectors such as

because, as and while to link your

sentences together. Begin with ...

Different seating arrangements


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5.1.4 tone In business communication, the choice of words and order of

information in paragraphs often help to convey the right tone.

It is important to be courteous at all times, regardless of thenature and purpose of your communicationmust retain yourcustomers goodwill.

In a written document, words are a permanent record whichcannot be deleted once they have reached the customer.

An aggressive and patronising tone as inHow could you have allowed a stop payment cheque? is

threatening and belittling.

We note that a stop payment cheque has been allowedconveys the same idea in a non-threatening manner.

Avoid using imperativese.g., Send your payment as soon as possible.Addplease tosound more polite so that a statement still fulfils the function ofrequesting an action.

Finally, sentences in each paragraph must have a logical

development and the use of connectors such as however,while, therefore and as will help to make a text more


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Activity 5.4

Read the following letter and describe its tone. If you

are the recipient of this letter, how would you feel?

Now, rewrite the letter to give it a more appropriatetone. Remember, this exercise focuses on the tone

and not the content of the letter.


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5.1.5 Word order

Every sentence should be complete.

Most sentences in the English language

contain a subject (S) and a verb (V). The

verb may or may not be followed by an

object (O).

A simple sentence has one clause.

The complement tells you more about the

subject.

Read the examples in Figure 5.2 (page 81)


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Activity 5.5

Why is it important to have grammatically

correct sentences in business writing?


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Activity 5.6

The following are the Seven Cs of effective

written communication. Write the correct

term next to its description.

5 2 THE FORMAT OF BUSINESS


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5.2 THE FORMAT OF BUSINESS

LETTERS

The style of writing in business letterscan be varied to reduce formality,

depending on the degree of familiarity

with the recipient.

Purpose of the different parts of a letter.

(a) Letterhead

The letterhead gives information aboutthe writer, the organisation he/ she

represents, the address and the

telephone number.

5 2 THE FORMAT OF BUSINESS


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5.2 THE FORMAT OF BUSINESS

LETTERS(c) Inside address

The inside address is placed after the date andbefore the greeting or salutation.

(d) Attention line

In business correspondence, letters are usually

addressed to the management but if you know thespecific section or person who is responsible forresponding, then an attention line would hasten theprocess.

(e) Greeting

Sometimes referred to as the salutation, thegreeting is placed two lines below the insideaddress or the attention line as the case may be.

Dear Madam and Dear Sir would mean you do

not know the recipients name and add to theformalit . You ma use the first name of the


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5.2 THE FORMAT OF BUSINESS LETTERS

(f) Subject line

Defines the letters subject or purpose. Itshould be no more than 10 words and placedafter the greeting.

(g) Body

There are three parts to the body :

- The opening paragraphcatches readersattention, explains the situation and states the

intention.- The middle section-bodyofthe letter-contains details about the purpose of thecommunication and should prompt the reader

to take the desired action.


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5.2 THE FORMAT OF BUSINESS LETTERS

(h) Complimentary close

The complimentary close should matchthe form of address used in the greeting.

A formal greeting e.g. Dear Sir/Madam

should close with Yours faithfully. This isfollowed by the senders signature, name

and/ or title or designation. If the

recipients name is used in the greeting,then close with Yours sincerely.

(i) Signature block

The signature block refers to the writers


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Activity 5.7

The following are the different parts of a

business letter. Tick (/) to indicate whether

each part is essential or optional.


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Activity 5.8

Label the different parts of the letter.

Write the names of the parts in the boxesprovided.


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5.3 GRAMMAR: SINGULAR AND

PLURAL FORMS 5.3.1 Countable Nouns

Are individual things, people and places:

a diary, a memo, a letter, a photograph, a

receptionist, a factory; Are units of measurement such as a

metre, a mile, a kilo, a pound, a litre, a

gallon;

Are used with a/an;

Can be used in the plural (diaries,

memos); and


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5.3 GRAMMAR: SINGULAR AND

PLURAL FORMS

5.3.2 Uncountable Nouns Substances: Gas, glass, gold, iron, oil,

plastic, water;

Abstract ideas: Health, humour,profitability, progress, relevance, safety; and

Verbal nouns: Brainstorming, job-sharing,

restructuring, shopping, timing. Do not take the when used in the general

sense (e.g. Travel broadens the mind, not

the travel broadens the mind);


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Activity 5.9

1. (a) Identify all the countable nouns in the letter

(Activity 5.8), e.g. brochure, products.

(b) Make a note of whether the nouns you identified

are singular or plural. If the noun identified is

singular, write down its plural form, and vice versa.


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5.3.3 Plural NounsSome rules on how to change a noun to the

plural form.(a) We add -s to form the plural of most

nouns.

Example: letters, minutes.

If the noun ends in -s, -x, or -ch or -sh, weadd -es.

Examples: classes, boxes, bunches,

crashes.(b) If the final consonant of a noun is

followed by y the y is replaced with -

ies.


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5.3.3 Plural Nouns

(d) Singular nouns ending in s

Some nouns end in s but are not plural:

The news was good.

(e) Groups and organisations

Singular nouns such as bank or committee can

be seen either as a number of people (plural)

or as a collective unit (singular).

(f) Irregular plurals Some words do not take an s but have other

forms, other endings or stay the same.


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Activity 5.10

The following sentences contain common

mistakes related to nouns. Correct themistakes in the words underlined.


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Activity 5.5 punctuation

There are two styles of punctuating

a business letter, namely:

(a) Open style; and (b) Mixed style.


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THANK YOU

20130719180706TopIc 5 Business Writing 1

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