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Chapter 4Chapter 4Making Your Writing Easy

to ReadGood StyleHalf TruthsBetter StyleTen Ways to Make Writing Easier to ReadReadability FormulasOrganizational Preferences

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Good Business & Administrative Writing Style

Closer to conversation Varies by audience Contains easy-to-read words,

sentences, and paragraphs Attention to visual impact Less formal than academic writing

(except reports)

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Half-Truths about Style

1. Write as you talk

2. Never use I

3. Never begin sentence with and or but

4. Never end sentence with preposition

5. Big words impress people

1/2

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Write as You Talk: Yes . . . But Yes

Do it for first draft Read draft aloud to test

But Expect awkward, repetitive, badly

organized prose Plan to revise and edit

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Never Use I: Yes . . . But Yes

I can make writing seem self-centered I can make ideas seem tentative

But Use I to tell what you did, said, saw—it’s

smoother

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Never Begin Sentence with And or But

And may make idea seem like afterthought And gives effect of natural speech But serves as a signpost, signals a shift But can make writing smoother

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Never End a Sentence with a Preposition: Yes . . . But

Yes A preposition may not be worth

emphasizing this way Readers expect something to follow a

preposition Avoid in job application letters, reports,

formal presentations

But OK now and then

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Big Words Impress People: Yes . . . But

Yes You may want to show formality or technical

expertise

But Big words distance you from readers Big words may be misunderstood Misused words make you look foolish

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Building Better Style

Write WIRMI: What I Really Mean Is Read draft aloud to person three feet

away Ask someone to read draft aloud

No stiff words Fix words where

reader stumbles

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Building Better Style, continued…

Read widely; write a lot Study revised sentences Polish your style with 10 techniques

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Ten Ways to Make Your Writing Easy to Read

As you draft—

1. Use accurate, appropriate, and familiar words

2. Avoid technical jargon; eliminate business jargon

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Ten Ways to Make Your Writing Easy to Read, continued…

As you write and revise—3. Use active verbs most of the time4. Use verbs—not nouns—to carry

weight of sentence5. Eliminate wordiness6. Vary sentence length and structure7. Use parallel structure8. Put readers in your sentences

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Ten Ways to Make Your Writing Easy to Read, continued…

As you draft and revise paragraphs—

9. Begin most paragraphs with topic sentence

10.Use transitions to link ideas

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1. Use Accurate, Appropriate Words Denotation—literal meanings; dictionary

definitions Bypassing—two people using same word to

mean different things; causes mix-ups

Connotation—emotional association; attitude

- / + nosy / curious fearful / cautious obstinate / firm tax / user fee

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2. Use Familiar Words

Words most people know Words that best convey

your meaning Shorter, more common

words Specific, concrete words

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Use Short, Simple Alternatives

Stuffy Simple

reside live

commence begin

enumerate list

finalize finish, complete

utilize use

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Avoid Jargon—Mostly

Jargon—special terms of technical field Use in job application

letters Use when essential and

known to reader Replace with plain English,

when possible

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Omit Business Jargon

Businessese—needless, old-fashioned wording

Example Alternative

Enclosed please find Here is

As per your request As you asked

I acknowledge receipt of (begin reply)

The undersigned Me

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3. Use Active Verbs

Active—subject of sentence does action the verb describes

Passive—subject is acted upon Usually includes form of “to be” Change to active if you can Direct object becomes subject

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Passive vs. Active Verbs

P: The program will be implemented by the agencies.

A: The agencies will implement the program.

P: These benefits are received by you. A: You receive these benefits. P: A video was ordered. A: The customer ordered a video.

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Passive vs. Active Verbs, continued…

Active verbs are better because— Shorter Clearer More interesting

Passive verbs are better to— Emphasize object receiving action Give coherence by repeating word in

previous sentence Avoid placing blame

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4. Use Verbs to Carry Weight

Replace this phrase with a verb

make an adjustment make a decision perform an examination take into consideration

= = adjust

= = decide

= = examine

= = consider

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5. Eliminate Wordiness Wordy—idea can be said in

fewer words Concise; a mark of good

writing Omit words that say nothing Use gerunds and infinitives Combine sentences to save

words Put the meaning in subject and

verb

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Omit Words that Say Nothing

Cut words if idea is clear without them . . . period of three months . . . at the present time

Replace wordy phrase with one word Ideally, it would be best to put the. . . . If possible, put the… There are three reasons for our success… Three reasons explain the…

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Use Gerunds & Infinitives

Gerund—“ing” form of verb used as noun Infinitive—verb preceded by “to”

The completion of the project requires the collection and analysis of additional data.

Completing the project requires us to collect and analyze more data.

wordy

tight

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Combine Sentences to Save Words: Example

Infante projected sales of $43 million in the first quarter. Our actual sales have fallen short of that figure by $1.9 million.

Although Infante projected first-quarter sales of $43 million, actual sales are $1.9 million less than that.

wordy

tight

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Put Meaning of Sentence in Subject & Verb: Example

The reason we are recommending the computerization of this process is because it will reduce the time required to obtain data and will give us more accurate data.

Computerizing the process will give us more accurate data more quickly.

wordy

tight

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6. Vary Sentence Length & Structure

Edit sentences for tightness Use short sentences when subject

matter is complicated Use longer sentences to

Show how ideas link to each other Avoid choppy copy Reduce repetition

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Vary Sentence Length & Structure, continued…

Group words into chunks Keep verb close to subject Mix sentence structures

Simple – 1 main clause Compound – 2 main clauses Complex – 1 main, 1 subordinate clause

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7. Use Parallel Structure: Example

During the interview, job candidates will Take a skills test. The supervisor will interview the prospective

employee. A meeting with recently hired workers will be held.

During the interview, job candidates will Take a skills test. Interview with the supervisor. Meet with recently hired workers.

faulty

parallel

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8. Put Readers in Your Sentences: Example

An election to name a beneficiary other than the participant’s spouse must be made with spousal consent, for any participant who is married.

If you are married, you need your spouse’s consent to name a beneficiary other than your spouse.

“You” gives the second example more impact

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9. Begin Most Paragraphs with Topic Sentence

Unity—¶ discusses one idea; a mark of good writing

Topic sentence—states main idea Tells what paragraph is about Forecasts paragraph’s structure Helps readers remember points

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10. Use Transitions to Link Ideas

Transition—signals the connections between ideas to the reader Tells if next sentence continues or starts

new idea Tells if next sentence is more or less

important than previous

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Use Transitions to Link Ideas

To add or continue an idea also likewise in addition similarly first, second, finally consequently

To introduce an example For example To illustrate For instance Specifically Indeed As shown in Table 2

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Use Transitions to Link Ideas

To show contrast or on the other hand

To show contrast more important than previous idea but however nevertheless

To show time after in the future next until when before

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Readability Formulas & Style

Measures text features, such as Average word length Average sentence length Syllables per word

Ignores real difficulty factors Complexity of ideas Organization of ideas Layout and design

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Instead of Readability Formulas—

Test drafts on actual audiences. How long to find

information they need? Do they make mistakes

using it? Do they think draft is

easy to use?

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Organizational Preferences in Writing Style

Good writing varies by organization Preferred style should be used

When preferred style is bad Use techniques in this chapter Help boss learn about good writing Recognize that a style may serve a purpose Ask about poor examples you find