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WritingLevel 3

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2 • Writing

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Writing • 3

INTRODUCTION

HI!! It’s me again, EdWIN. If you have met methrough an earlier course, then you know that I will beyour guide through this level. Look for me to pop upthroughout your lessons to give you a helpful tip,suggestion, or reminder as we go along.

You are about to begin Level 3 of Writing. Now, ifyou have become acquainted with me before, youalready know that I am not too hard a task master. Idon’t carry a whip around or anything, so don’t thinkyou are about to be tortured. Let me ease your mindabout what this level is all about. We are specificallyconcerned with the skills necessary to communicateeffectively with others as they relate to the workplace.We won’t be trying to write the Great American Novel.

In Levels 1 and 2, we covered many of the basics ofwriting. In this level, we will discuss some additionalaspects and also do some reviewing.

It is my goal, as always, to be your guide to helpyou develop your writing skills to the point that youcan go into any workplace situation with the confidencethat you can accomplish any task that may be required.Working together, I know that we can succeed.

So, without further ado, let’s begin ... Are you ready?OK, then, here we go!

Hi, I’m EdWIN!

4 • Writing

LESSON 1 The Basics

LESSON 2 Comma Splices, Run-On Sentences, and SentenceFragments

LESSON 3 Point of View

LESSON 4 Sentence Structure

LESSON 5 Listening to Instructions and Following Directions

LESSON 6 Principles of Organization

LESSON 7 Transitional Words and Expressions

LESSON 8 Formal vs. Informal Writing

LESSON 9 Posttest

REFERENCE Test-Taking Tips

OUTLINE

Writing • 5

THE BASICS

This section provides an overview of basic rules andpractices of grammar. It is a review of WIN WritingLevels 1 and 2. If you complete this lesson and feel youneed more practice in these areas, I would recommendreviewing levels 1 and 2. Let’s get started and see howyou do.

PARTS OF SPEECHEvery complete sentence has a subject and a verb.

Subjects are usually a noun or a pronoun. The subjectis the who or what that is doing whatever is being donein the sentence. A verb is an action word and it tellsyou what is being done. A simple sentence consists ofone subject and one verb. Always check your sentencesfor these basic elements. Other parts of speech can beadded to this basic sentence structure. There are eightparts of speech - nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives,adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Nouns

Nouns are always persons, places, things, animals,or ideas. Examples of these are boy, girl, house, woman,man, kindness, money, love, electricity, etc. Nouns arethe words that tell what is being talked about or thesubject of the sentence.

Example:

Dogs like to play.

LESSON 1

6 • Writing

A common noun names any person, place, or thing.A proper noun names a particular person, place, orthing. The easiest way to differentiate between propernouns and common nouns in sentences is the fact thatproper nouns are always capitalized. Some propernouns, such as “Mississippi River” have more than oneword. It would be incorrect to write “Mississippi river”You have to capitalize both words, as they are bothpart of the name. If you were to write “the river” notnaming any particular river, the word “river” wouldnot be capitalized.

Pronouns

Pronouns are substitutes for nouns in sentences.They change form according to their function. Someexamples of pronouns are:

he/him her/shethem ityou I/me/minewe/us everyone

Pronouns provide the ability to avoid clumsinessand redundancy in sentences. When you are speaking,you do not repeat a person’s name over and over in asentence of group of sentences because it quicklybecomes awkward and bulky. For example, if I didn’tuse pronouns, I might say, “Mary went back to Mary’shouse because Mary had to pick up Mary’s things thatMary needed for Mary’s trip.” Wow, that’s not justawkward, it’s absolutely annoying!

LESSON 1

Writing • 7

Verbs

Verbs show action, occurrence, or existence (stateof being). There are two kinds of verbs: action verbsand linking verbs. An action verb shows somethingbeing done, or logically, an action of some kind. Alinking verb shows state of being. It tells what thesubject is or was instead of showing action. Some ofthese verbs are was, were, is, am, and are.

Examples:

ACTION VERBS LINKING VERBSI shop at the mall. The software was difficult

to understand.

I ran in the race. It is a program for ourcompany.

Verbs can be more than one word. A helping verbworks with the main verb. A main verb is the mostimportant verb. The helping verb adds moreinformation to the main verb.

Here are some helpful rules for using helping verbs:

1. When the helping verb is am, is, are, was, or were,the main verb ends in ing.

Examples:

I am watching.Bears are hibernating.They were sleeping.

LESSON 1

8 • Writing

2. When the helping verb is has, have, or had, the mainverb often ends in ed.

Examples:

The company has moved.We have escaped.I had dreamed it.

Adjectives

Adjectives are descriptive words that modify orqualify nouns and pronouns. A modifier is a word thatcan change the meaning of nouns, pronouns, and verbsby adding or limiting information. An adjective canadd interest, detail, color, etc., to your writing.Adjectives answer the questions which, what kind, orhow many.

Examples:

The bright yellow sun shone over the field.She wore a beautiful red dress to the party.

Adverbs

An adverb is also a modifying word. It is a wordthat modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb ina sentence. An adverb answers one of five questionsabout the word or phrase that it is modifying. Thosequestions are how, when, where, how often, or to whatextent. Let’s look at a few examples of adverbs.

Examples:

Sharon and Pam walked quickly. (How?)We will arrive at the house soon. (When?)Gary was extremely upset. (To what extent?)

LESSON 1

Writing • 9

Let’s discuss one last thing about adverbs. The wordnot is an adverb; it means no. Never use two wordsthat mean no in the same sentence. This is called adouble negative and is never correct.

Examples:

Incorrect – I don’t have no time to bake cookies.Correct – I don’t have time to bake cookies.

Prepositions

In many sentences, special words join or show theconnections between other words. A preposition is aconnecting word. The preposition is usually followedby a noun or a pronoun that is called the object of thepreposition. Together, the preposition, the object, andthe modifiers form a prepositional phrase. The mostcommon prepositions are at, by, for, from, in, of, on, to,and with.

Examples:

Our subdivision has a playground for the children.The greyhounds ran on the track.

LESSON 1

10 • Writing

Conjunctions

A conjunction is also a connecting word. It connectswords, groups of words, or clauses. The most commonconjunctions are and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet.

Examples:

Sam and Alice went to the dance.Do you want chicken or steak for dinner?I remembered the party, but I forgot tobring the present.

Interjections

There are many words or phrases that are used toexpress strong feelings. Words that function in thismanner are called interjections. They can stand alone(usually followed by an exclamation point), or they canbe used within a sentence, set off by commas.

Examples:

Wow! She is beautiful.Oh, please excuse me.

Although interjections come in handy when youwant to show strong emotion in your writing, theyshould be used sparingly. In writing for businesspurposes, too many interjections can be a hindrance.Creative writing will use the interjection more often inmany cases, and this is permissible because this type ofwriting has a different purpose and audience. But formost business purposes, use of the interjection shouldbe limited.

LESSON 1

Writing • 11

EXERCISE – NOUNS, VERBS AND PRONOUNS

Instructions: Circle or underline the NOUNS in the following sentences.

1. The students passed all their courses.

2. She gave money to the church.

3. When they arrived, they met the President of the United States.

4. The truck demolished the restaurant and the cars in the parking lot.

5. Steve wants her to sit with him at the game.

6. He enjoys playing the viola in the orchestra.

7. We are excited about the new car.

8. Sunny January days have warmed everything in Florida.

LESSON 1

CONTINUED

12 • Writing

Instructions: Circle or underline the VERBS in the following sentences.









LESSON 1

Writing • 13

Instructions: Circle or underline the PRONOUNS in the following sentences if present. Ifthere are no pronouns in the sentence, leave it blank.









LESSON 1

14 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – NOUNS, VERBS AND PRONOUNS

Instructions: Circle or underline the NOUNS in the following sentence.


Answer: students, courses


Answer: money, church


Answer: President, United States


Answer: truck, restaurant, cars, parking lot


Answer: Steve, game


Answer: viola, orchestra


Answer: car


Answer: January, days, everything, Florida

LESSON 1

Writing • 15

Instructions: Circle or underline the VERBS in the following sentences.


Answer: passed


Answer: gave


Answer: arrived, met


Answer: demolished


Answer: wants, sit


Answer: enjoys playing


Answer: are, excited


Answer: have, warmed

LESSON 1

16 • Writing

Instruction: Circle or underline the PRONOUNS in the following sentences if present. Ifthere are no pronouns in the sentence, leave it blank.


Answer: their


Answer: She


Answer: they, they


Answer: none


Answer: her, him


Answer: he


Answer: we


Answer: none

LESSON 1

Writing • 17

EXERCISE – ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, PREPOSITIONS, CONJUNCTIONS

Instructions: Circle or underline the ADJECTIVES in the following sentences if present.

1. The young shortstop threw wildly and the catcher was not able tocatch the ball.

2. The hot sun shone brightly on the beautiful white sands.

3. The left-handed pitcher threw hard to first base.

4. We did not want to leave, but I had a terrible headache.

5. We baked delicious cakes and cookies during the storm.

6. The latest results of the election appeared.

7. She and I left the boring movie.

8. He tested the temperature before he jumped into the water.

9. The Early American Flatware design will be discontinued at the endof the year.

10. Jerry likes to swim in the gulf and play volleyball on the beach.

LESSON 1

18 • Writing

Instructions: Circle or underline the ADVERBS in the following sentences if present.











LESSON 1

Writing • 19

Instructions: Circle or underline the PREPOSITIONS in the following sentences if present.











LESSON 1

20 • Writing

Instructions: Circle or underline the CONJUNCTIONS in the following sentences ifpresent.











LESSON 1

Writing • 21

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, PREPOSITIONS, CONJUNCTIONS

Instructions: Circle or underline the ADJECTIVES in the following sentences if present.


Answer: young


Answer: hot, beautiful, white


Answer: left-handed, first


Answer: terrible


Answer: delicious


Answer: latest

LESSON 1

22 • Writing


Answer: boring


Answer: none


Answer: Early American Flatware


Answer: none

LESSON 1

Writing • 23

Instructions: Circle or underline the ADVERBS in the following sentences if present.


Answer: wildly


Answer: brightly


Answer: hard


Answer: none


Answer: delicious


Answer: none


Answer: none

LESSON 1

24 • Writing


Answer: before


Answer: none


Answer: none

LESSON 1

Writing • 25

Instructions: Circle or underline the PREPOSITIONS in the following sentences if present.


Answer: to


Answer: on


Answer: to


Answer: to


Answer: none


Answer: of


Answer: none

LESSON 1

26 • Writing


Answer: into


Answer: at, of


Answer: in, on

LESSON 1

Writing • 27

Instructions: Circle or underline or underline the CONJUNCTIONS in the followingsentences if present.


Answer: and


Answer: none


Answer: none


Answer: but


Answer: and


Answer: none


Answer: and

LESSON 1

28 • Writing


Answer: none


Answer: none


Answer: and

LESSON 1

Writing • 29

RULES FOR CAPITALIZATION

Almost nothing is more confusing, time consumingand frustrating than trying to read a note, memo orletter that does not use proper capitalization. Capitalletters denote importance of a particular word and alsoenable the reader to recognize main words in sentencesat a glance. In other words, they make specific wordsstand out from the rest.

All proper nouns (names of persons, places, orthings) are capitalized. Also, the first word in a sentenceis always capitalized whether it is a proper noun ornot.

Other uses for capitalization are:

• The first word of a direct quotation containedwithin another sentence

• The names of groups, associations, and businesses

• The letters of some abbreviations

• All historic events, buildings, monuments, anddocuments

• Titles used with proper nouns (Dr. Cole, Ms.Albright, Mr. Jackson)

• The first, last, and important words in titles ofprinted texts (books, songs, movies, plays, etc.)

LESSON 1

30 • Writing

LESSON 1

Prepositions, articles, and conjunctions are not capi-talized unless they are the first or last word of the title.

Procter and GambleBMWWorld War IIDeclaration of IndependenceDr. ColeSenator DouglasOf Mice and Men

Writing • 31

EXERCISE – CAPITALIZATION

Instructions: Rewrite the following sentences with the appropriate capitalization.

1. Mrs. johnson had to make a trip to miami.

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2. In florida, we visited disney world.

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3. The pacific ocean is on the west coast.

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4. Is peru east or west of the andes mountains?

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5. The virgin islands lie in the caribbean sea.

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LESSON 1

32 • Writing

LESSON 1

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – CAPITALIZATION

Instructions: Rewrite the following sentences with the appropriate capitalization.

1. Mrs. johnson had to make a trip to miami.

Answer: Mrs. Johnson had to make a trip to Miami.A proper noun names a particular person, place, or thing.Proper nouns are always capitalized. ‘Johnson’ is aparticular person and ‘Miami’ is a place

2. In florida, we visited disney world.

Answer: In Florida, we visited Disney World.Some proper nouns, such as ‘Disney World’, have morethan one word. You have to capitalize all the words asthey are all part of the name. ‘Florida’ is a particular placeand needs to be capitalized.

3. The pacific ocean is on the west coast.

Answer: The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast.‘Pacific Ocean’ and ‘West Coast’ are particular places andneed to be capitalized.

4. Is peru east or west of the andes mountains?

Answer: Is Peru east or west of the Andes Mountains?‘Peru’ and Andes Mountains’ are particular places and needto be capitalized.

5. The virgin islands lie in the caribbean sea.

Answer: The Virgin Islands lie in the Caribbean Sea.‘Virgin Islands’ and ‘Caribbean Sea’ are particular placesand need to be capitalized.

Writing • 33

COMPLETE SENTENCES

Exactly what is a complete sentence? This is a rathersimple concept that is overlooked many times whenwriting.

Complete sentences have a definite purpose. Theyallow us to present a clear and complete idea throughour writing. Sentence fragments are sometimes usedintentionally and effectively in creative writing oradvertising, but for the workplace setting they are notgenerally acceptable.

A complete sentence will always contain at least asubject and verb, and in most cases an object. The objectgives further information and is usually essential ingetting across the point, but it is not integral to makinga complete sentence.

LESSON 1

34 • Writing

Look at this example:

I write. (contains a subject and verb, but doesn’tgive much information)

I write papers. (contains subject, verb, andobject, giving us an important detail)

Both examples are complete sentences.

The other basic rules of sentence constructionconcern capitalization and punctuation. All sentencesbegin with a capital letter and all sentences end with aperiod, question mark, or exclamation point.

When writing, proofread your work and ask thesesimple questions:

1. Is there a subject and verb?

2. Does each sentence begin with a capital letter?

3. Does each sentence have ending punctuation?

If you can answer “yes” to each of the abovequestions, then all of your sentences are complete andcorrect in form.

LESSON 1

Writing • 35

LESSON 1

EXERCISE – COMPLETE SENTENCES

Instructions: Rewrite the paragraph with using complete sentences.

In writing for business purposes. the use of too manyinterjections can be a hindrance. creative writing. usesinterjections to show strong emotions this is acceptable.because of the audience and purpose of the writing. however,for most business purposes. the use of interjections isinappropriate.

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36 • Writing

ANSWER TO EXERCISE – COMPLETE SENTENCES

In writing for business purposes, the use of too manyinterjections can be a hindrance. Creative writing usesinterjections to show strong emotions. This is acceptablebecause of the audience and purpose of the writing. However,for most business purposes, the use of interjections isinappropriate.

LESSON 1

Writing • 37

COMMONLY MISSPELLED OR MISUSEDWORDS

When writing for the workplace, it is importantthat you always follow the basic rules. Yes, it’s the fourCs again: clear, concise, correct, and conversational.You may already be familiar with these from previousWriting lessons.

If you are, then you can readily see how commonmisspellings and misused words can render yourmessages ineffective and incorrect. Naturally, youshould be sure that the words you have chosen areappropriate as to meaning and clarity. Since there aremany, many words that can be used or spelledincorrectly, I will not attempt to list them all here.

The best way to avoid these types of mistakes is tobe sure of the meaning that you are trying to convey inany message. Then, having this firmly in mind, youcan check each spelling in the dictionary to confirmthe proper word to use. Since the meanings andspellings of these words are always different, it will bepretty easy to spot them if they do not fit the contextof your message. Always check these words during theproofreading and editing phase of your work.

On the next page is a list that I am sure you willfind useful.

LESSON 1

38 • Writing

Common Homonyms

all ready alreadycanvas canvasscapital capitolcite sight sitecourse coarsecomplement complimentcouncil counseldesert dessertholy wholly holeyprincipal principlesale sail sellstationary stationerytheir there they’rethrone thrownweak weekweather whetherwhose who’s

Troublesome Words

accept exceptaccess excessadverse averseadvice adviseaffect effectallusion illusionbreath breatheelicit illiciteminent imminentfaith fatehave ofits it’slie layloose losemoral moralepersonal personnelquiet quitesit setthan thentheir there they’reto too twowere wherewho’s whoseyour you’re

LESSON 1

Writing • 39

You may remember all of the spelling rules, or youmay not! I know I have trouble with them from timeto time. So, for review, we will briefly discuss them.

Rule 1Use i before e,Except after c,Or when sounded like aAs in neighbor or weigh.

Example:friend, fiendpiece, tiereceipt, deceive

Of course, there are always exceptions to most rules and the exceptionsto the above verse are these:

ei exceptions: either, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure, and neither

ie exceptions: ancient, efficient

LESSON 1

40 • Writing

Rule 2

Form the plurals of nouns and the s forms of verbs ending in y in theseways:

a.When a noun or verb ends in y preceded by a consonant, change they to i and add es.

Example:mystery to mysteries; berry to berries; carry to carries

b. When a word ends in y preceded by a vowel, add s.

Example:boy to boys; key to keys; pay to pays

c. When a proper noun ends in y, add s.

Example:Kennedy to Kennedys

Rule 3

Do the following when adding a suffix to a word that ends in a silent e.

a.When the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the silent e.

Example:live to living or livable; bake to baker or baking

b. When a word ends in ce or ge, keep the silent e when it is needed tomaintain the soft sound of c or g.

LESSON 1

Writing • 41

Example:manage to manageable

Exceptions to this rule are:judge to judgmentacknowledge to acknowledgment

Rule 4

When adding a suffix that begins with a vowel, it sometimes isnecessary to double the consonant.

a.When a one-syllable word ends with a consonant preceded by a singlevowel, double the consonant: This applies only when the suffix beginswith a vowel.

Examples:hop to hoppingwin to winnerstar to starred

b. When a word of two or more syllables ends in a single consonantpreceded by a single vowel, and when the final syllable is accented,double the consonant when adding a suffix.

Examples:rebel to rebelliouscontrol to controlled

c. When a word of two or more syllables does not have the accent onthe final syllable, the consonant should not be doubled.

Example:travel to travelershovel to shoveler

LESSON 1

42 • Writing

Rule 5

To form noun plurals and the third person singular form of presenttense verbs:

a. In most cases, add s

Examples:pencil to pencilsjump to jumps

b. When the word ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z, add es.

Examples:brush to brushesbox to boxeswatch to watches

Wow, remember all those spelling rules now?

COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS

Aabsence acquaintance analysis/analyzeabsorption across angel/angleabundance address annualaccessible advice/advise apparentaccidentally aggravate appearanceacclaim allotted argumentaccommodate a lot atheistaccomplish all right attendanceaccumulate already auxiliaryachievement amateur

Bballoon believe breathebarbiturate benefited Britainbargain biscuit buoyantbasically bouillon bureaucracybeggar boundary businessbeginning breadth/breath

LESSON 1

Writing • 43

Ccalendar colossal consciousnesscamouflage column consensuscantaloupe coming consistentcapital/capitol committee continuouscemetery commitment controlledchagrined comparative coollychallenge/challengeable competent corollarycharacteristic completely correlatechanging concede correspondencechief conceive council/counselchoose/chose condemn counselorcigarette condescend courteousclimbed conscience courtesycolonel conscientious criticize

Ddeceive desperate disappointdefendant develop disastrousdeferred developed disciplinedefinitely development diseasedependent/dependant dilemma dissatisfieddescend dining dominantdesirable disappearance drunkennessdespair

Eeasily environment exhaustecstasy equipped exhilarateefficiency equivalent existenceeighth especially expenseeligible exaggerate experimentembarrass exceed explanationeminent excellence extremelyenemy exuberanceentirely

Ffallacious fiery forfeitfallacy finally formerlyfamiliar financially fortyfascinate forcibly fourthFebruary foreign fulfillfictitious foresee fundamentally

LESSON 1

44 • Writing

Ggauge governor guardgenerally grammar guerrillagenius grievous guidancegovernment guarantee

Hhandkerchief hemorrhage hopinghappily heroes humorousharass hesitancy hypocrisyheight hindrance hypocriteheinous hoarse

Iideally independent interferenceidiosyncrasy indicted interpretignorance indispensable interruptimaginary inevitable introduceimmediately inoculate irrelevantimplement insurance irresistibleincidentally intelligence islandincredible intercede

Jjealousy judicial judgment

jewelry

Kknowledge

Llaboratory license literallylegitimate lieutenant lonelinessleisure lightning looselength likelihood loselenient likely luxury

Mmagazine medieval misspelledmaintain millionaire mortgagemaintenance miniature mosquitomanageable minor mosquitoesmaneuver minutes murmurmarriage mischievous musclemathematics missile mysteriousmedicine

LESSON 1

Writing • 45

Nnarrative neutron noticeablenaturally niece nowadaysnecessity ninety nuclearneighbor ninth nuisanceneither

Oobedience omission oppressionobstacle omit optimismoccasionally omitted ordinarilyoccurred opinion originoccurrence opponent outrageousofficial opportunity overrun

Ppanicky piece prevalentparallel pitiful primitiveparliament planning principleparticularly playwright privilegepeaceable possessive probablypeculiar potato procedurepenetrate potatoes proceedperceive practically processperformance prairie professorpermanent precede prominentpermissible preceding pronouncepermitted predominant pronunciationperseverance preference propagandapersistent preferred prophecy/prophesyphysical prejudice psychologyphysician preparation publiclypicnicked prescription pursue

Qquandary questionnaire quizzesquarantine

Rrealistically really receiptrealize recede receiverecognize religious reservoirrecommend remembrance resistancereference reminiscence restaurantreferred repetition rheumatismrelevant representative rhythmicalrelieving resemblance roommate

LESSON 1

46 • Writing

Ssacrifice skeptical subtlesafety skiing succeedsalary soliloquy successionsatellite sophomore sufficientscenery souvenir summaryschedule specifically supersedesecede specimen suppresssecretary sponsor surpriseseize spontaneous surroundseparate statistics susceptiblesergeant stopped suspiciousseveral strategy syllableshining strength symbolsimile strenuous symmetricalsimply stubbornness synonymoussincerely subordinate

Ttangible themselves tournamenttechnical theories tourniquettechnique therefore tragedytemperature thorough transferredtenant though trulytendency through twelfththan/then till tyrannytheir/there/they’re tomorrow

Uunanimous unnecessary usageunconscious until usuallyundoubtedly

Vvacuum vengeance villainvaluable vigilant violencevaries village visible

Wwarrant wherever womenweather/whether wholly writingWednesday whose/who’s writtenweird woman

XYZyacht your/you’re zoologyyield

LESSON 1

Writing • 47

COMMA SPLICES, RUN-ON SENTENCES,AND SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

You probably are fairly competent at writingsentences correctly, that is, making sure you have asubject, and verb, and that they express a completethought. A common mistake is using commas toofrequently. The comma’s main purpose is to show a pausein the writing, allowing the reader to grasp or clarify anidea before going on to the next part of the sentence. Manytimes, a writer will use too many commas, creatingsplices in their sentences which will break up a thoughtor idea making it unclear and hard to interpret.

Consider this sentence to clarify my meaning.

Example:

A fire just started, on State St., and it looks verybad.

Notice that I have set apart “on State St.”, bycommas. By doing this, I have made you pause therewhen reading the sentence. This makes the sentenceawkward to read. Notice the corrected sentence below:

Example:

A fire just started on State St., and it looks verybad.

Now see how easy the corrected version is tointerpret?

LESSON 2

Run-on sentences canwear you out!

48 • Writing

This is what I mean when I refer to unnecessarycommas. Unfortunately, most of us tend to overusecommas trying to be creative or entertaining to ouraudience. Instead, all we succeed in doing is confusingthem!

This common error should be avoided in all typesof writing, but especially when writing in the workplace.Our main purpose is to inform the reader of importantfacts or data.

See if you can spot any errors in comma placementin the following examples.

Examples:

I called the fire department, and told them, togo to the, 1900 block, to fight the fire.

I also told them, the exact location, of theburning house.

You should have been able to spot all those extracommas pretty quickly. Both of those sentencesprovided very cumbersome reading. All commas shouldbe eliminated from these sentences.

LESSON 2

Writing • 49

Comma splices are also a common error. This iswhere you incorrectly use a comma to join twoindependent clauses. These can be easily corrected.

Examples:

Comma Splice:

I went to work, I went home.

Correct by adding a conjunction:

I went to work, and I went home.

Correct by adding a period:

I went to work.I went home.

Correct by adding a subordinating clause:

After I went to work, I went home.

There are lots of ways to correct comma splices, sobe on the lookout for these in your writing.

LESSON 2

50 • Writing

Run-on sentences are very easy to spot. Those arethe ones that just never end and just go on and oncausing the reader to quickly lose the main idea of thesentence because by the time he has finished reading ithe has already forgotten what the beginning was andthen he has to go back and start all over again trying tofigure out what the writer was trying to tell him in thefirst place and he just gets so frustrated because hedoesn’t have time to read the sentence over and overagain because he has other work to do and just doesn’twant to fool with it anymore. Need I say more?

Naturally, a sentence like the one above should beavoided at all times. Break up a long sentence by makingit into several sentences. You may want to combineshort sentences or thoughts with coordinating orsubordinating clauses to provide more interestingreading. Too many simple sentences promote boringreading, so a combination of simple, compound, andcomplex sentences is the best construction.

Just remember the “read it yourself” rule. If it soundstoo long or spliced, rewrite it.

Fragmented sentences are also easy to spot. Theyusually are missing one or more parts, and they do notconvey a clear idea. Consider the following example:

Fire, the fire department. Was called on 1600block, very bad. House on State St.

LESSON 2

Writing • 51

If you had been the fire fighter answering this call,could you have saved the house from burning down?… maybe, or maybe not. By the time you had figuredout that there was a bad house fire in the 1600 blockof State St., the house would have already burned tothe ground!

You can also avoid this mistake by simply readingit yourself and making the necessary corrections. Let’spractice what we’ve discussed.

LESSON 2

Comma Drill!

52 • Writing

EXERCISE – COMMAS

Instructions: Place commas appropriately in the following sentences.

1. Union Station which is in San Francisco is known for its restaurantsand art galleries.

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2. Popular with all the employees managerial and occupational at J. T.Day Insurance are the new savings programs.

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3. High on a mountain often hidden by clouds the factory is located.

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4. Because they had studied Native American jewelry techniques Paulaand Diane who both love silver and turquoise were particularlyinterested in the exhibit.

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LESSON 2

Writing • 53

Instructions: Chose the best answer for the following questions.

5. What is the main purpose of a comma?

a. to show a pauseb. to avoid a run-on

6. What is the most common error when using commas in writing?

a. using too manyb. not using enough

7. Which of the following sentences shows a comma splice?

a. I went to work, I went home.b. After Sue went to John’s, she went to the store.

8. What is the name for a sentence that is incomplete?

a. fragmentb. run-on

9. What do you call a sentence that is missing a subject or verb?

a. comma spliceb. fragment

10. What to you call a sentence that does not express a completethought?


LESSON 2

54 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – COMMAS

1. Union Station which is in San Francisco is known for its restaurantsand art galleries.

Answer: Union Station, which is in San Francisco, is known for itsrestaurants and art galleries.

2. Popular with all the employees managerial and occupational at J. T.Day Insurance are the new savings programs.

Answer: Popular with all the employees, managerial and occupational,at J. T. Day Insurance, are the new savings programs.

3. High on a mountain often hidden by clouds the factory is located.

Answer: High on a mountain, often hidden by clouds, the factory islocated.

4. Because they had studied Native American jewelry techniques Paulaand Diane who both love silver and turquoise were particularlyinterested in the exhibit.

Answer: Because they had studied Native American jewelrytechniques, Paula and Diane, who both love silver andturquoise, were particularly interested in the exhibit.

LESSON 2

Writing • 55

5. What is the main purpose of a comma?


Answer: a. – Adding a comma does not correct a run-on sentence. A run-on is fixed by adding a period or semicolon between the twosentences. A comma shows a pause. We use commas afterlead-ins: “However, the truth came out.”, in a series: “I needmilk, eggs, soda,…”, around an insertion: “The sun, however,finally came out.”, or before words like ‘but’, ‘yet’, ‘nor’. Example:“Not only did she run, but she also lifted weights.”


a. using too manyb. not using enough

Answer: a. – Using too many commas in a sentence is the mostcommon error. Most people put in commas if a sentenceseems too long, but they are only needed at certain times.

7. Which of the following sentences shows a comma splice?

a. I went to work, I went home.b. After Sue went to John’s, she went to the store.

Answer: a.

8. What is the name for a sentence that is incomplete?


Answer: fragment

LESSON 2

56 • Writing

9. What do you call a sentence that is missing a subject or verb?

a. comma spliceb. fragment

Answer: b. fragment

10. What to you call a sentence that does not express a completethought?


Answer: a. fragment

LESSON 2

Writing • 57

EXERCISE – SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

1. Which sentence is a fragment?

a. I think.b. A guide for writers.

2. Which of the following contains a fragment?

a. We had to drain the pipes after every vacation. Especially in thewinter.

b. Salt and sugar look the same. Jane always mixes them up.

3. Which of the following sentences is a fragment?

a. He always wins.b. And they also.

LESSON 2

58 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

1. Which sentence is a fragment?

a. I think.b. A guide for writers.

Answer: b. is the correct answer because is has a subject and no verb.Selection “a.” is a complete sentence. The subject is “I” andthe verb is “think”.

2. Which of the following contains a fragment?

a. We had to drain the pipes after every vacation. Especially in thewinter.

b. Salt and sugar look the same. Jane always mixes them up.

Answer: a. – “Especially in the winter.” is not a complete sentence.

3. Which of the following sentences is a fragment?

a. He always wins.b. And they also.

Answer: b.

LESSON 2

Writing • 59

EXERCISE – SENTENCE REVIEW

Instructions: Identify the following sentences as a fragment, run-on, or comma splice. Thencorrect each one.

1. Two scientists were trying to catch an alligator with a wire rope anda net the alligator beat the water with its tail as it was trying to escapeinto the muddy swamp.

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2. The men wanted. To capture it. In order to conduct. an experiment.which may provide. medical information.

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3. One man had the rope around the alligator’s jaws the other manheld the net over its head, the alligator fought hard but lost.

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60 • Writing

4. If you join independent clauses with only a comma, what type oferror are you making?

a. run-onb. comma splice

LESSON 2

Writing • 61

LESSON 2

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62 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE– SENTENCE REVIEW

1. Two scientists were trying to catch an alligator with a wire rope anda net the alligator beat the water with its tail as it was trying to escapeinto the muddy swamp.

Answer: Run-on sentence

Two scientists were trying to catch an alligator with a wirerope and a net. The alligator beat the water with its tail. It wastrying to escape into the muddy swamp.

2. The men wanted. To capture it. In order to conduct. an experiment.which may provide. medical information.

Answer: Fragments

The men wanted to capture it in order to conduct anexperiment which may provide medical information.

3. One man had the rope around the alligator’s jaws the other manheld the net over its head, the alligator fought hard but lost.

Answer: Comma splices

One man had the rope around the alligator’s jaws while theother man held the net over its head. The alligator fought hardbut lost.

4. If you join independent clauses with only a comma, what type oferror are you making?

a. run-onb. comma splice

Answer: comma splice

LESSON 2

Writing • 63

POINT OF VIEW

When writing it is important to remember thatpersonal pronouns can be characterized or distinguishedby person. I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and everybodyare examples of personal pronouns.

First person is writing from your own point of view.It refers to the writer. First person pronouns include I,me, and mine. Second person refers to the person orpeople being written to. Second person pronounsinclude such words as you, your, and yours. Third personis the person or people being written about and thesepronouns include he, she, and they.

Many times when writing for business purposes,you may have to document someone’s words and notinterject your thoughts. For example, you may be askedto write a memo regarding information the bossconveyed during a meeting. Although you may wantto add your thoughts and opinions (first person), yourtask is to write a memo about your boss’s thoughts.

Switching back and forth from first to third personcan confuse your reader. This is very easy to do withouteven realizing it, so becoming familiar with thedifference will help you spot this error in your ownwriting. Let’s look at an example.

LESSON 3

1st, 2nd, and 3rd person

64 • Writing

Example: You are a reporter at a newspaper. Yourecently had a bad experience trying to return a sweaterto a new department store. Many people havecomplained about the service at this store and youreditor thought this would be a good article for you towrite. He would like the story to be written about acustomer’s experience using third person.

Many customers have complained that theexchange and return policies at XYZDepartment Store are not customer friendly. Arecent customer shared his experience when hetried to return a sweater he purchased at XYZDepartment Store. He could not get a refundbecause he did not have his sales receipt. Insteadhe asked for an exchange. The lady at the servicecounter would not help him. In fact, she wasalmost rude about it. She told me that noexchanges were made without a sales receipteither. She proceeded to tell her co-workers thatshe could not change the return policy on myaccount. This is another account of anunsatisfied XYZ Department Store customer.

Now, on first glance, this paragraph may seemcorrect. It does state the problem clearly and how itwas not resolved to the customer’s satisfaction. But ifyou will notice, I switched abruptly at the end ofsentence 6 from third to first person. I began describinganother person’s experience (third person) and endedit from my point of view, as though it were my ownexperience (first person).

LESSON 3

Writing • 65

Let’s rewrite the previous paragraph, attempting tokeep the point of view consistent throughout.

Example:

Many customers have complained that theexchange and return policies at XYZDepartment Store are not customer friendly. Arecent customer shared his experience when hetried to return a sweater he purchased at XYZDepartment Store. He could not get a refundbecause he did not have his sales receipt. Insteadhe asked for an exchange. The lady at the servicecounter would not help him. In fact, she wasalmost rude about it. She told him that noexchanges were made without a sales receipteither. She proceeded to tell her co-workers thatshe could not change the return policy on hisaccount. This is another account of anunsatisfied XYZ Department Store customer.

Notice that I have kept the entire paragraph in thethird person. Always check this aspect of your writingduring the proofreading and editing phase. Make surethat you do not switch back and forth. If you catchyourself doing this, go back and make the necessarychanges. As I have said earlier, this is easy to do withouteven realizing it, so be diligent about your proofreading.

Now, I know I have been asking you to do a lot ofexercises that require writing sentences and paragraphs,so I hope you don’t think I have been working you toohard. If you think this means that I am about to askyou to do more, well, you guessed it! Sorry about that,but it really is the only way to learn to write efficiently.

LESSON 3

Check your workcarefully when you

proofread.

66 • Writing

EXERCISE – IDENTIFYING PERSON

Instructions: Answer the following questions.

1. If a story is written from the writer’s point of view, what person is itin?

a. first personb. third person

2. If the writer is telling about someone else, what person is the storywritten in?


Instructions: State whether the following sentences are written in first or third person.

3. I am going to the office today.

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4. Mary is going to go with me.

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5. She needs to check on a few things, too.

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6. I will have to stop for gas.

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Writing • 67

7. My tank is almost empty!

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8. The attendant told me I needed oil.

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9. He said that I was running low.

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10. I’m afraid that I am not too diligent about checking it regularly.

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11. My friend says she has the same problem.

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12. My friend says she will go to the game as long as her mom lets her.

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13. I never really expected her to come to the party.

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68 • Writing


14. Which sentence is written in the first person?

a. I sensed that the horse was tired.b. Brian said he didn’t like soy sauce.

15. Which sentence is written in the third person?

a. She never told anyone she had a sister.b. I never am going to spend my weekends with Larry.


a. My car got a flat tire.b. Brandi thought she saw a comet.


a. He thought he was dreaming.b. I have been working here for a year.

LESSON 3

Writing • 69

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – IDENTIFYING PERSON


1. If a story is written from the writer’s point of view, what person is itin?

Answer: a. first person

2. If the writer is telling about someone else, what person is the storywritten in?

Answer: b. third person

Instructions: State whether the following sentences are written in first or third person.

3. I am going to the office today.

Answer: first

4. Mary is going to go with me.

Answer: first

5. She needs to check on a few things, too.

Answer: third

6. I will have to stop for gas.

Answer: first

7. My tank is almost empty!

Answer: first

LESSON 3

70 • Writing

8. The attendant told me I needed oil.

Answer: first

9. He said that I was running low.

Answer: first

10. I’m afraid that I am not too diligent about checking it regularly.

Answer: first

11. My friend says she has the same problem.

Answer: first

12. My friend says she will go to the game as long as her mom lets her.

Answer: first

13. I never really expected her to come to the party.

Answer: first

LESSON 3

Writing • 71



Answer: a – I sensed that the horse was tired.


Answer: a. – She never told anyone she had a sister.


Answer: b. – Brandi thought she saw a comet.


Answer: b. – I have been working here for a year.

LESSON 3

72 • Writing

EXERCISE – WORKPLACE SITUATIONS

Instructions: Write a short letter in first person using these criteria: You want to ask yourboss for a raise. Use your own creativity, so you may word it any way you like.I will give you my version. Just be sure yours is written in first person.

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LESSON 3

Writing • 73

LESSON 3


74 • Writing

LESSON 3

ANSWER TO EXERCISE – WORKPLACE SITUATIONS

Suggested letter:

Dear Boss:

I would like to request a meeting with you at your earliestconvenience to discuss with you the possibility of receivinga raise in my salary.

I hope that you feel that my work would justify one since Ihave received no complaints concerning my production orability. I have been working here over a year now, and I feelthat this would be a good time to discuss it with you.

Please let me know when we can schedule a meeting? Icertainly would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

EdWIN

Writing • 75

EXERCISE – WORKPLACE SITUATIONS II

Instructions: Now, I want you to rewrite the previous letter in third person. In other words,relate the story of my asking for a raise to someone else. You can make thismore of a personal letter than a business letter. (Important note: Actually, youshould never do this in a business setting as this kind of correspondence wouldnot be appropriate under any circumstances, but since we are just practicingfirst and third person writing, I will let it slide this time!)

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LESSON 3

76 • Writing

ANSWER TO EXERCISE – WORKPLACE SITUATIONS II

Suggested solution:

Dear Sue,

EdWIN wrote a letter to the boss the other day asking for ameeting to see about getting a raise. He told him that hehad been at his job for over a year, and that he had had nocomplaints about his work.

He also told him that he thought now would be a good timeto discuss the possibility. Good luck to him!

John

LESSON 3

Writing • 77

EXERCISE – WORKPLACE SITUATIONS III

Instructions: You are writing an article for the company’s newsletter. The editor prefers allarticles to be written in third person. The paragraph switches from first personto third person several times. Proofread the paragraph and take any sentencesthat are written in the first person and rewrite them in the third person.

The first family picnic was held Saturday, July 14. Theemployees and family members had many good things to sayabout it. They enjoyed the hot dogs and hamburgers themanagers cooked. Everyone loved the ice cream and cottoncandy the best. I enjoyed the rides the most. The children hadfun in the space walk. They said it was a great day. I am hopingwe will do this again next year.

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LESSON 3

78 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – WORKPLACE SITUATIONS III

Suggested solutions (answers may vary):

The first family picnic was held Saturday, July 14. The employeesand family members had many good things to say about it. Theyenjoyed the hot dogs and hamburgers the managers cooked.Everyone loved the ice cream and cotton candy the best. Thechildren enjoyed the rides the most and had fun in the space walk.They said it was a great day. Everyone is hoping the company willdo this again next year.

LESSON 3

Writing • 79

EXERCISE – AGREEMENT

Instructions: Correct the following paragraph, making it agree throughout; rewrite it infirst person and then once again in third person.

The Smith family made a trip to the beach during the summer.They had never been there before and were anxious andexcited to be going. I was very excited. I couldn’t wait to getthere. They had a lot of fun playing in the water. I had funplaying putt-putt and going to the amusement park. We allhope to go again soon.

First person:

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LESSON 3LESSON 3

80 • Writing

Third person:

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LESSON 3

Writing • 81


LESSON 3

82 • Writing

LESSON 3

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – AGREEMENT

Suggested solutions:

First personMy family, the Smith’s, made a trip to the beach during the summer. We

had never been there before and were anxious and excited to begoing. I was very excited. I couldn’t wait to get there. I had a lot offun playing in the water, playing putt-putt, and going to theamusement park. I hope we go again soon.

Third personThe Smith family made a trip to the beach during the summer. They had

never been there before and were anxious and excited to be going.Everyone was very excited and couldn’t wait to get there. They hada lot of fun playing in the water, playing putt-putt and going to theamusement park. They are hoping to go again soon.

Writing • 83

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Sentences can be written in a number of ways toexpress the same meaning. The important thing toremember is that you want to get the point across toyour reader in the clearest possible way. With this ideain mind, refer to the four Cs of writing: clarity,conciseness, correctness, and conversational.

Most ideas are presented best when placing thesubject, verb, and object in one, two, three order. Lookat these examples of the same idea presented in differentways:

The quarterback threw the ball into the end zonefor a touchdown.

This sentence has the subject (quarterback), verb(threw), and object (ball) in one, two, three order. Itexpresses the point clearly and concisely.

The ball was thrown into the end zone for atouchdown by the quarterback.

Notice the rearrangement. The original object (ball)is now the subject, the tense of the verb has changed,(was thrown), and the original subject (quarterback) isnow the object of a prepositional phrase.

The sentence has exactly the same meaning, but itis not nearly as concise as it could be. In fact, it nowreads rather awkwardly.

LESSON 4

84 • Writing

The quarterback threw the ball for a touchdown.

In this revision, the prepositional phrase “into theend zone” has been eliminated completely. Since it isonly logical that the ball would have to be thrown intothe end zone to be a touchdown, this phrase is notnecessary.

The ball was thrown for a touchdown.

In yet another revision, we have simplified thesentence even more. Assuming the quarterback is theone who would normally be throwing the ball, (or thatit might not matter who threw the ball) and that itwould have to be thrown “into the end zone” to be atouchdown, we have eliminated both parts of theoriginal sentence to convey the same point.

As you can see, the example sentence has beenwritten four different ways but has the same meaningeach time. It is up to you, the writer, to decide whichversion adheres to the four Cs rule best and choose theone that fits your application. Please tell me you didn’tthink that the second example was the best version.Let’s practice using the four Cs.

LESSON 4

Writing • 85

EXERCISE – CLEAR, CONCISE, CORRECT AND CONVERSATIONAL

Instructions: Write the following sentences in as many different ways as you can withoutchanging the meaning. You may add or delete phrases, change around thestructure, use abbreviations or whatever you like, applying what we havediscussed so far as best you can. When you finish, look at your work and choosethe sentence you think works best. If you think the original wording is the bestchoice, then choose that one.

1. The telephone pole was smashed into by the automobile.

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2. The information in the letter of recommendation won’t be seen bythe job applicant.

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LESSON 4

86 • Writing

3. My father was seriously injured during the fast-pitch softball game.

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4. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas while riding in amotorcade.

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members.

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LESSON 4

Writing • 87

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6. Doctor Thomasson needs to make a decision on which meeting heneeds to attend as his schedule will not allow him to attend both.

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LESSON 4

88 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – CLEAR, CONCISE, CORRECT ANDCONVERSATIONAL

1. The telephone pole was smashed into by the automobile.

Answer: The automobile smashed into the telephone pole.

2. The information in the letter of recommendation won’t be seen bythe job applicant.

Answer: The applicant will not see the letter of recommendation.

3. My father was seriously injured during the fast-pitch softball game.

Answer: During the fast-pitch softball game, my father was seriouslyinjured.

4. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas while riding in amotorcade.

Answer: President Kennedy was assassinated in a Dallas motorcade.

5. A choice on which invitation to accept needs to be made by the clubmembers.

Answer: The club members need to choose which invitation to accept.

6. Doctor Thomasson needs to make a decision on which meeting heneeds to attend as his schedule will not allow him to attend both.

Answer: Doctor Thomasson needs to decide which meeting to attend.

LESSON 4

Writing • 89

To understand sentence variety, perhaps we shoulddiscuss the different types of sentences in general beforewe try to achieve sentence variety. You may already befamiliar with these concepts, but just for review, let’sgo over the basics.

A sentence is a group of words that expresses acomplete thought. A complete sentence musthave at least one subject and one predicate (orverb).

There are four basic types of sentences. We willdiscuss each, give an example, and maybe even do ashort exercise on each.

Declarative sentence — This type of sentence makes astatement. It is always followed by a period.

Examples:

The news is good.I passed my assessment.

Interrogative sentence — This type of sentence asks aquestion and always ends with a question mark?

Examples:

Is the news good?Did I pass my assessment?

LESSON 4

This is importantinformation.

90 • Writing

Imperative sentence — This type of sentence gives acommand or makes a request and ends with a period.

Examples:

Don’t tell me the news.Please pass your assessment.

Exclamatory sentence — This type of sentenceexpresses strong feeling and ends with an exclamationmark.

Examples:

The news is good!I passed my assessment!

You will notice in the declarative and exclamatorysentences, the sentence type was changed simply bychanging the punctuation at the end. In theinterrogative and imperative sentences, the structurewas changed, but the same basic sentence wasmaintained.

All four types of sentences can be used in theworkplace setting, and they all have their specificpurpose. Depending on audience and purpose, you willprobably be using each type many times in your writing.

All of the sentence types can be used in simple,compound, or complex sentences to make your writingmore complete, interesting, and correct.

LESSON 4

Writing • 91

Just for a little practice, let’s do a short exercise tomake sure you can recognize these types of sentences.

Let’s look at compound and complex sentences andhow they can be used to provide variety in your writingkeeping in mind the four sentence types. You cancombine simple, compound, and complex sentencesalong with the four types of sentences to make yourwriting more interesting and informative. You may alsobe familiar with sentence structure, but for reviewpurposes, I will define each and give an example.

Simple sentence — A sentence that has one subjectand one predicate. Note: I have put the subjects initalics and the predicates in bold.

Example:

Reporters write.

This sentence has one subject and one verb.

Example:

The reporters on staff at the Kingston newspaperwrite clearly and accurately.

LESSON 4

92 • Writing

Compound sentences — A compound sentenceconsists of two or more simple sentences combined bya conjunction. Each part of a compound sentence hasits own subject and predicate and can stand alone whenthe conjunction is dropped. They can also be joinedby a semicolon.

Example:

Reporters may interview many people, or theymay search a library for information.

Drop the conjunction or from this sentence, andyou can see what I mean.

Example:

Reporters may interview many people; they maysearch a library for information.

LESSON 4

Writing • 93

Complex sentences — A complex sentence consists ofat least one independent clause and one subordinate(or dependent) clause. The independent clause and thesubordinate clause will be connected with a subordinateconjunction.

An independent clause can stand alone as a completesentence. A subordinate clause cannot.

If you have been studying with me in an earlierlevel, you may remember we discussed subordinatingand coordinating conjunctions.

Examples:

While he spoke, demonstrators held up signs.

Demonstrators held up signs while he spoke.

Can you identify the independent clauses in thisexample?

Demonstrators held up signs.

This sentence can stand alone as it has both a subjectand a verb and expresses a complete thought. Eventhough I have written it with the subordinate clause atthe beginning of the sentence and then again at theend of the sentence, the independent clause remainsthe same.

LESSON 4

94 • Writing

While he spoke

This clause does not express a complete thought,and even though it does contain a subject and a verb,it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Any sentence that contains a subordinate clause thatcannot stand alone as a sentence is a complex sentence.

Now that we have reviewed basic sentences, let’swork on how to put them together to give your writingsentence variety.

LESSON 4

Dive into theexercises on sentence

structure.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Writing • 95

EXERCISE – SENTENCE VARIETY

Instructions: Read the following sentences and choose the correct sentence variety.

1. I passed my final exam.

a. Exclamatoryb. Declarative

2. Is the news good?

a. Interrogativeb. Imperative

3. The news is good.

a. Declarativeb. Imperative

4. Did I do well on my project?

a. Declarativeb. Interrogative

5. Don’t tell me about the book.


LESSON 4

96 • Writing

6. Please pass me the corn.

a. Imperativeb. Declarative

7. We did well!

a. Exclamatoryb. Imperative

8. I just got a new car!

a. Declarativeb. Exclamatory

Instructions: Read the following sentence and choose the correct sentence type.

9. Reporters write.

a. Compoundb. Simple

10. The reporters on staff at the Kingston newspaper write clearly andaccurately.


11. The girl may call her mother; she may walk home.


LESSON 4

Writing • 97

12. Reporters may interview many people, or they may search a libraryfor information.


13. While he spoke, demonstrators held up signs.

a. Compoundb. Complex

14. The students paid attention while the professor was speaking.


15. Read the following sentence and choose the independent clause.

As she stood up, everyone began to clap.

a. As she stood upb. everyone began to clap


The band started to play when the conductor lifted his arms.

a. The band started to playb. when the conductor lifted his arms

LESSON 4

98 • Writing

17. What part of the following sentence is a subordinate clause?

As her mom started to cook, Susan finished her homework.

a. As her mom started to cookb. Susan finished her homework


People left the theater when the movie ended.

a. People left the theaterb. when the movie ended

LESSON 4

Writing • 99

EXERCISE – SENTENCE VARIETY

Instructions: Read the following sentences and choose the correct sentence variety.

1. I passed my final exam.

a. Exclamatoryb.Declarative

Answer: b – The sentence is declarative. A declarative sentencemakes a statement and is always followed by a period.

2. Is the news good?


Answer: a – The sentence is interrogative. An interrogative sentenceasks and question and always ends with a question mark.

3. The news is good.

a. Declarativeb. Imperative

Answer: a – The sentence is declarative. A declarative sentencemakes a statement and it always followed by a period.

4. Did I do well on my project?

a. Declarativeb. Interrogative

Answer: b – The sentence is interrogative. An interrogative sentenceasks a question and always ends in a question mark.

LESSON 4

100 • Writing

5. Don’t tell me about the book.


Answer: b – The sentence is imperative. This type of sentence givesa command or makes a request and ends with a period.

6. Please pass me the corn.

a. Imperativeb. Declarative

Answer: a – The sentence is imperative. This type of sentence givesa command or makes a request and ends with a period.

7. We did well!

a. Exclamatoryb. Imperative

Answer: a – The sentence is an exclamatory sentence. This type ofsentence expresses strong feelings and ends with anexclamation mark.

8. I just got a new car!

a. Declarativeb. Exclamatory

Answer: b – The sentence is an exclamatory sentence. This type ofsentence expresses strong feelings and ends with anexclamation mark.

LESSON 4

Writing • 101

Instructions: Read the following sentence and choose the correct sentence type.

9. Reporters write.


Answer: b – The sentence is a simple sentence. A simple sentencehas one subject and one predicate. The subject is ‘reporters’and the predicate is ‘write.’

10. The reporters on staff at the Kingston newspaper write clearly andaccurately.


Answer: b – The sentence is a simple sentence. A simple sentencehas 1 subject and 1 predicate. ‘The reporters on staff at theKingston newspaper’ is the subject, ‘write clearly andaccurately’ is the predicate. The sentence has 1 subject and1 verb.

11. The girl may call her mother; she may walk home.


Answer: a – A compound sentence consists of two or more simplesentences combined by a conjunction. They can also bejoined by a semicolon. (1 sentence: ‘The girl in the wreckmay call her mother.’ 1 sentence: ‘She may walk home.’)

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102 • Writing

12. Reporters may interview many people, or they may search a libraryfor information.


Answer: a – A compound sentence consists of two or more simplesentences combined by a conjunction. (1 sentence: ‘Reportersmay interview many people.’ 1 sentence: ‘They may search alibrary for information.’ Conjunction: ‘or.’)

13. While he spoke, demonstrators held up signs.


Answer: b – A complex sentence consists of at least one independentclause and one subordinate clause. ‘While he spoke’ is asubordinate clause, and ‘demonstrators held up signs’ is anindependent clause.

14. The students paid attention while the professor was speaking.


Answer: b – A complex sentence consists of at least one independentclause and one subordinate clause. ‘While the professor wasspeaking’ is a subordinate clause, and ‘the students paidattention’ is an independent clause.

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Writing • 103


As she stood up, everyone began to clap

a. As she stood upb. everyone began to clap

Answer: b – An independent clause can stand alone as a completesentence. Answer (a) is not a complete thought, therefore itis not a complete sentence.


The band started to play when the conductor lifted his arms.

a. The band started to playb. when the conductor lifted his arms

Answer: a – An independent clause can stand alone as a completesentence. Answer (b) is not a complete thought, therefore itis not a complete sentence.


As her mom started to cook, Susan finished her homework.

a. As her mom started to cookb. Susan finished her homework

Answer: a – A subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a completesentence. It is not a complete thought, therefore it is not acomplete sentence. Answer (a) is a subordinate clause.

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104 • Writing


People left the theater when the movie ended.

a. People left the theaterb. when the movie ended

Answer: b – A subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a completesentence. It is not a complete thought, therefore it is not acomplete sentence. Answer (b) is a subordinate clause.

LESSON 4

Writing • 105

EXERCISE – SENTENCE VARIETY II

Instructions: Read the short paragraphs and answer the question that follows.

1. The Green Bay Packers were last year’s sentimental favorite to winthe Super Bowl. They were a small town team. They had won the firsttwo Super Bowl games. They went through a 29-year championshipdrought.

Does this paragraph use sentence variety?

a. yesb. no

2. Ten years ago, I was a member of the baseball team. This small-town team won every game and then went on to the statechampionships. As champions, the team pulled together and startedraising funds for local charities.


a. yesb. no

3. I conducted a survey at school recently. It revealed a need for morecomputers. A large percentage of students said they would like tohave more access to computers.


a. yesb. no

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106 • Writing

4. With more computers available, students will have extraopportunities to get hands-on experience and to learn more aboutcomputers in general. Although there are five computers in thelibrary, we really do need more.


a. yesb. no

LESSON 4

Writing • 107

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – SENTENCE VARIETY II

Instructions: Read the short paragraphs and answer the question that follows.

1. The Green Bay Packers were last year’s sentimental favorite to winthe Super Bowl. They were a small town team. They had won the firsttwo Super Bowl games. They went through a 29-year shampionshipdrought.


Answer: b. no – All of the sentences are simple sentences.

2. Ten years ago, I was a member of the baseball team. This small-town team won every game and then went on to the statechampiionships. As champions, the team pulled together and startedraising funds for local charities.


Answer: a. yes – The paragraph contains compound and complexsentences, using conjunctions to connect them in order tomake the story more interesting.

3. I conducted a survey at school recently. It revealed a need for morecomputers. A large percenage of students said they would like tohave more access to computers.


Answer: b. no – All of the sentences are simple sentences.

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108 • Writing

4. With more computers available, students will have extraopportunities to get hands-on experience and to learn more aboutcomputers in general. Although there are five computers in thelibrary, we really do need more.


Answer: a. yes – There are compound and complex sentences in theparagraph.

LESSON 4

Writing • 109

LISTENING TO INSTRUCTIONS ANDFOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

Listening skills ... Wow, how many of us really needto improve? Just about everyone could be a betterlistener. One of the main causes of poor communicationinvolves this concept. Have you ever been listening toa conversation and suddenly realized you have not heardhalf of what was said? Oh yes, we all do it. We let ourminds wander, and we begin thinking of other things.There is this great quote by an anonymous writer thatgoes like this, “Instead of listening to what is beingsaid to them, many people are already listening to whatthey are going to say in reply.” That pretty much sumsup many listening skills in a nutshell.

I know that I do not have to go into all the reasonswhy listening is so important. Obviously, avoidingconfusion, misinterpretation, and omitting importantdetails are just a few.

There are some basic skills you can develop usingcertain techniques that will help you to become anexpert listener.

Listening manners are something often overlookedor little considered. But, they are very important. Haveyou ever been talking with someone and noticed thatthey are looking around the room, examining theirnails, fidgeting, doodling on paper, or behaving in someother distracting manner? Boy, does that make you feelinsignificant, or what? This type of behavior is veryrude, so don’t ever let yourself be guilty.

LESSON 5

Sometimes it is difficultto listen.

110 • Writing

Being a good listener makes the speaker feelcomfortable and important. You never want to letsomeone feel as though his/her ideas and opinions areinsignificant or trivial. Not to say that you must agreewith or listen to endless commentary or complaint,but being polite is essential in all circumstances. Therewill be times when you must extricate yourself from aconversation, but methods of doing that we will leaveto Miss Manners! Our focus in this lesson is to improveour own listening skills and learn methods forimproving them.

There are three guidelines to promote good mannerswhen listening:

Look at the speaker. Focusing on the speakershows your interest and helps you concentrate.

Sit comfortably and quietly. No fidgeting,whispering, or doodling is allowed. It willdistract you and others, and probably the speakertoo.

Do not interrupt the speaker. Interruptionsmake it harder to follow what is being said. Ifyou have questions, wait until he/she is finished.If you are listening to a long speech or talk, jotdown a note about your question; but, do itquickly and quietly so as not to cause adistraction.

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Writing • 111

In addition to practicing listening manners, you willalso need to practice the EARS technique to become agood listener.

This technique includes: Examine, Anticipate,Remind, and Summarize.

Examine — Examine the speaker’s purpose. Keep thatpurpose in mind as you listen.

Anticipate — Try to ask yourself, “What point will bemade next?” This will keep you listening actively.

Remind — If your mind begins to wander, remindyourself of the purpose of the talk. This will help youreturn your attention to the speaker.

Summarize — Try to summarize the speaker’s pointsfrom time to time. If possible, jot down briefly thespeaker’s main ideas and points. This will help you recallthem later.

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112 • Writing

These techniques will help you not only if you arelistening to a speech or talk, but also if you are justengaged in a conversation with someone. It only standsto reason that you will not be taking notes of aconversation in most cases, but you can always makemental notes of the exchange for later recall.

When listening for specific instructions, learningthese techniques and putting them into practice willbe immeasurable. Being able to follow instructions maybe a “make or break” situation for you. Imagine howlong you would keep your job if you habitually didnot complete assignments correctly because you didnot follow the instructions.

Following instructions requires including all details,and taking the proper steps (usually in a particularorder) to achieve the desired outcome. Always takenotes when given specific instructions, especially if itis for a process that you will be doing frequently. Thendouble check to insure you have not left out animportant step or detail. This way, you can refer to thenotes anytime during the assignment, and you will alsohave them for future reference. If it is a specific taskthat you will be performing on a regular basis, onceyou have repeated it a few times you will probably nolonger need the notes. Always keep them in a safe placethough, and never throw them away because you nolonger need them. There will undoubtedly be timeswhen you are not available, and your co-workers willappreciate the fact that you have left writteninstructions.

LESSON 5

It pays to listen!

Writing • 113

I have included this section of Listening because the Ready to Work Writing assessment administers the writing test through audiotape. One test, Listening and Writing, tests both skills. You will listen to directions or a message (twice) and then be asked to write what you heard. Your writing score will not reflect the accuracy of your response. Rather, your sentence structure, grammar, clarity, and conciseness will be evaluated.

EdWIN

Good luck when you take the test

LESSON 5

114 • Writing

EXERCISE – EARS REVIEW

Instructions: Answer the following questions using the EARS technique.

1. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the E stand for?

a. Examineb. Explain

2. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the A stand for?

a. Anticipateb. Analyze

3. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the R stand for?

a. Realizeb. Remind

4. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the S stand for?

a. Speakb. Summarize

5. Which is a good listening manner?

a. look at the speakerb. ask questions during the speech

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Writing • 115


a. ask someone next to you if they understand the speakerb. sit quietly


a. don’t interrupt the speakerb. clap every time you agree with something the speaker says

8. Are you showing good listening manners if you look at the speaker?

a. Yesb. No

9. Are you showing good listening manners if you whisper to someonenext to you?

a. Yesb. No

10. Are you showing good listening manners if you ask questions duringthe speech if you don’t understand?

a. Yesb. No

11. Are you showing good listening manners if you think the speaker isincorrect about something and you point it out during the speech?

a. Yesb. No

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116 • Writing

12. A good way to help you remember listening manners is:

a. Look, sit quietly, don’t interruptb. Ask questions, clap when you agree, make lots of notes

LESSON 5

Writing • 117

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – EARS REVIEW

Instructions: Answer the following questions using the EARS technique.

1. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the E stand for?

a. Examineb. Explain

Answer: a – E = examine. To be a good listener, you must examinethe speaker’s purpose. Keep that purpose in mind as youlisten.

2. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the A stand for?

a. Anticipateb. Analyze

Answer: a – A = anticipate. To be a good listener, try to ask yourself,‘What point will be made next?’ This will keep you listeningactively.

3. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the R stand for?

a. Realizeb. Remind

Answer: b – R = remind. If your mind begins to wander, remind yourselfof the purpose of the talk. This will help you return yourattention to the speaker.

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118 • Writing

4. To become a good listener, remember the EARS technique. Whatdoes the S stand for?

a. Speakb. Summarize

Answer: b – S = summarize. Try to summarize the speaker’s pointsfrom time to time. If possible, jot down briefly the speaker’smain ideas and points. This will help you recall them later.


a. look at the speakerb. ask questions during the speech

Answer: a – There are three good listening manners: look at thespeaker, sit quietly, don’t interrupt the speaker.


a. ask someone next to you if they understand the speakerb. sit quietly

Answer: b – There are three good listening manners: look at thespeaker, sit quietly, don’t interrupt the speaker.


a. don’t interrupt the speakerb. clap every time you agree with something the speaker says


LESSON 5

Writing • 119

8. Are you showing good listening manners if you look at the speaker?

a. Yesb. No

Answer: a – Focusing on the speaker shows your interest and helpsyou concentrate.

9. Are you showing good listening manners if you whisper to someonenext to you?

a. Yesb. No

Answer: b – A good listener sits comfortably and quietly. No fidgeting,whispering, or doodling is allowed. It will distract others, andprobably the speaker too.

10. Are you showing good listening manners if you ask questions duringthe speech if you don’t understand?

a. Yesb. No

Answer: b – Do not interrupt the speaker. Interruptions make it harderto follow what is being said. If you have questions, wait untilhe/she is finished. If you are listening to a long speech ortalk, jot down a note about your question; but, do it quicklyand quietly so as not to cause a distraction.

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120 • Writing

11. Are you showing good listening manners if you think the speaker isincorrect about something and you point it out during the speech?

a. Yesb. No

Answer: b – Do not interrupt the speaker. Interruptions make it harderto follow what is being said. If you have questions, wait untilhe/she is finished. If you are listening to a long speech ortalk, jot down a note about your question; but, do it quicklyand quietly so as not to cause a distraction.

12. A good way to help you remember listening manners is:

a. Look, sit quietly, don’t interruptb. Ask questions, clap when you agree, make lots of notes


LESSON 5

Writing • 121

LESSON 5

EXERCISE – EARS

Instructions: Now we are going to try a few exercises involving the techniques we havestudied. Since I cannot actually talk to you, you will have to read the textinstead of listening. As you read, pretend you are listening and use the EARS(examine, anticipate, remind, and summarize) technique to practice theseskills. I am going to write a paragraph and ask you some questions about it.DO NOT go back and reread the paragraph to answer them. I’m trusting youhere ... answer the questions as though you were hearing the text. Think youcan do it? Got what I want you to do? Then let’s try it.

Speaker: Mr. John Williams, Marketing Manager, Top FlightMarketing Co.

Yesterday I spoke with a Mr. Bill Alexander concerning someideas he had for marketing our newly developed remote-controlled robot. Although, his suggestions were innovativeand creative, I relayed to him that they were not in keepingwith the marketing strategy that we had already developed. Ialso told him that we would like to hear any other ideas fromhim in the future.

Instructions: Answer the following questions: (Now remember, don’t look back at theparagraph. If you have to, cover it with some scrap paper, so you won’t betempted to glance at it for the answers!)

1. Who was the speaker?

____________________________________________________________

2. What was his position?

____________________________________________________________

122 • Writing

3. Who was the person the speaker talked about?

____________________________________________________________

4. What was the name of the company?

____________________________________________________________

5. What was the main point of their conversation?

____________________________________________________________

6. What was the product?

____________________________________________________________

7. What was the conclusion?

____________________________________________________________

LESSON 5

Writing • 123


LESSON 5

124 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – EARS

1. Who was the speaker?

Answer: Mr. John Williams


Answer: Marketing manager

3. Who was the person the speaker talked about?

Answer: Mr. Bill Alexander

4. What was the name of the company?

Answer: Top Flight Marketing

5. What was the main point of their conversation?

Answer: Marketing strategy ideas

6. What was the product?

Answer: Newly developed remote-controlled robot

7. What was the conclusion?

Answer: His ideas were good, but they were not in line with marketingdecisions that had already been made. He was encouragedto continue presenting any other ideas he might have.

Well, how did you do? Could you answer thequestions without going back to check the paragraph?Concentration is the key here. Let’s try another.

LESSON 5

Writing • 125

EXERCISE – EARS II

From: EdWINOffice Manager, ABC Accounting

Re: Report to office personnel

I recently ordered the bookshelves we needed for the officefrom Jones Office Supply Company. The ones I ordered wereto be 8 feet tall and 36 inches wide. Instead, they sent us shelvesthat were 8 feet tall and 45 inches wide.

I have spoken with Mr. Gary Trimble, and he has informed methat they will be sending the correct shelves within the nexttwo days. He also apologized for the inconvenience and thedelay.

He assured me we will soon have the correct bookshelves. Assoon as we receive them, I will have maintenance install them.Thanks for your patience.

LESSON 5

126 • Writing

Instructions: Answer the following questions. Remember, do not refer to the paragraphuntil you make a significant effort to answer all of the questions.

1. Who is the speaker?

____________________________________________________________

2. What is his position?

____________________________________________________________

3. What is the name of the company?

____________________________________________________________

4. What was the product ordered?

____________________________________________________________

5. From what company was the product ordered?

____________________________________________________________

6. Who was contacted at the office supply company?

____________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________

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Writing • 127

8. What was the reason for the conversation?

____________________________________________________________

9. What were the results?

____________________________________________________________

10. Who was intended to receive this message?

____________________________________________________________

LESSON 5

128 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – EARS II

1. Who is the speaker?

Answer: EdWIN

2. What is his position?

Answer: Office Manager

3. What is the name of the company?

Answer: ABC Accounting

4. What was the product ordered?

Answer: bookshelves

5. From what company was the product ordered?

Answer: Jones Office Supply

6. Who was contacted at the office supply company?

Answer: Gary Trimble


Answer: Wasn’t given (tried to trick you ... did you peek?)

LESSON 5

Writing • 129

8. What was the reason for the conversation?

Answer: bookshelves were wrong size

9. What were the results?

Answer: EdWIN was assured that the proper size would be sent rightaway, and that they would be installed by maintenance assoon as possible.

10. Who was intended to receive this message?

Answer: office personnel

How did you do on that one? There were a fewmore questions to answer. You might consider jottingdown notes as you listen or read, so that you canremember. Let’s practice one more.

LESSON 5

130 • Writing

PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION

Organizing your writing may be one of the mosthelpful basic steps to you in beginning a writingassignment. Many times, just getting started is thetoughest part. That opening sentence can signal theend before you even begin, causing much frustration.

Organize your thoughts by asking (and answering)the following questions: who, what, when, where, why,and how. Once you have established these answers, youshould be able start your project.

If you will research these questions completely andthoroughly, you should have all of the information youneed to complete your task.

If necessary, write down the questions and ascertainthe answers before you attempt the assignment itself.Some of these questions may not apply to the specifictask you are undertaking. If not, skip them. If thereare others that occur to you that are not listed here,include them instead. You may find the suggestedquestions helpful.

WHO:• Who are the important people involved?• Who is responsible?• Who should receive credit?• Have I included everyone who needs this

information?• Is everyone properly identified?

LESSON 6

Tip: These questions arehelpful in organizing your

writing.

Writing • 131

WHAT:• What is the action needed?• What is the event?• What decision needs to be made?• What has happened or will happen?• Are there secondary actions, events, or decisions to

be included?

WHEN:• When did the event occur or when will it occur?• When is a decision needed?

WHERE:• Where did or will the event occur?

WHY:• Why did the event happen?• What triggered it?• Why was a certain decision made?• Is there one overall explanation, major reason, or

minor reason?

HOW:• How did the event or action take place?• Was there a process or series of steps or events that

led to the event?• How was a decision reached?

Naturally, you will not necessarily convey all of thisinformation in the first paragraph. Much of this isdetermined by what type of format you will be usingto convey this information. A memo, for example, caninclude most of this information in just the headingalone. A letter may not always include the why or how,but a report almost always will.

LESSON 6

132 • Writing

If you are writing a letter, you may want toemphasize the what as the most important point, andthen include the who, when, and where in the sameparagraph. Perhaps you will choose to put the whatand why in the first paragraph and save the when, where,and who for the second paragraph.

The point I am trying to make is there is no secretformula that will work equally for every format andpurpose. The order in which you answer the questionsis up to you, and you will have to use your ownjudgment as to the arrangement. Your decision willdepend on what you think is the most importantinformation to be conveyed first, second, third, and soforth. Organize your work in this fashion to avoidconfusing your reader.

Let me give you a short example of exactly what Imean. Suppose you want to send a letter to a businessassociate informing him of a meeting that will be takingplace next week. You do not want to give the date ofthe meeting in the first paragraph and then the time ofthe meeting in the last paragraph. It would make senseto answer when questions (date and time) at the sameplace in your letter. Organize your thoughts for thereader.

Now let’s try a few exercises to practiceorganizational skills. I will give you some information,(not necessarily in order) and you use that informationto complete the activity.

LESSON 6

Writing • 133

EXERCISE – ORGANIZING LETTERS AND MEMOS

Instructions: Write a business letter that includes the following information.

To: Mr. Jim ReynoldsFrom: EdWINRe: request for employment, interviewSkills: computer technician, A+ certification, LAN management

immediately availableDate: todayTo: ABC Computer Co.

1213 Northwest Blvd.Kansas City, Mo. 54221

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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134 • Writing

Instructions: Read the following information and write a memo.

To: Accounting staffFrom: EdWIN, Office ManagerDate: todayRe: vacation schedules

reply necessarydue by February 6th

attachments: request form

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

LESSON 6

Writing • 135

Instructions: Write a letter to a customer explaining what went wrong with his order.

To: Mr. James GeorgeFrom: ABC Office SuppliesDate: todayRe: shipment, wrong address on order form, 4309

Health Circle, Atlanta will reship at oncecustomer address: 4309 Heath Circle

Atlanta, GA 30389shipper address: 8759 Park Vista Place

Macon, GA 32097writer: EdWINposition: shipping dept. manager

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

LESSON 6

136 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – ORGANIZING LETTERS AND MEMOS

Suggested letter (answers may vary):

January 21, 1998

Mr. Jim ReynoldsABC Computer Co.1213 Northwest Blvd.Kansas City, Mo. 54221

Dear Mr. Reynolds:

I am writing to request an employment application and hopefullyan interview with you at your earliest convenience.

As a computer technician with an A+ certification in DOS andWindows and some experience in LAN management, I believe Iwould be an asset to your company. I am eager to work for acompany with your reputation, so I would be available to workimmediately.

I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

EdWIN

Did you get all the information in the letter? Is itproperly organized for clarity and conciseness? Did yourreader have to search around for information?

Your letter will not be worded exactly like mine.That’s perfectly all right. I don’t expect it to be. Themain thing is that your organization is good.

LESSON 6

Writing • 137

Suggested memo (answers may vary):

To: Accounting staffFrom: EdWIN, Office ManagerDate: January 21, 1998

Subject: Vacation Schedules

I know all of you are looking forward to vacation thissummer. I need for each of you to send me your requestsfor the dates you would like to have reserved.

Please complete the attached vacation request form assoon as you can do so. This will enable us to prepare apreliminary schedule so that if we have conflicting requests,they may be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

Please turn your request in by February 6th. If you haveany questions or problems, please let me know.

Once again, is your memo organized well, and doesit include all necessary information? You may want toask a friend to read your work to see if they can easilyunderstand your message.

LESSON 6

Vacation Time

138 • Writing


ABC Office Supplies8759 Park Vista PlaceMacon, GA 32097

January 21, 1998

Mr. James George4309 Heath CircleAtlanta, GA 30389

Dear Mr. George:

I regret the delay in receiving your order. Your shipment wasreturned to us marked, “no such address.” I immediatelyinvestigated and found the address on the order form wasincorrectly identified as 4309 Health Circle instead ofHeath. We will reship immediately with the correctedaddress, and you should be receiving your merchandisewithin the next few days.

I apologize for the delay and inconvenience, and I will besure that we have your shipping address corrected on all ofour files. We appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

EdWINShipping Dept. Manager

Compare your version of the letter with mine. Onceagain, ask yourself the organizational questions thatapply. If you are satisfied with your work, move on tothe next lesson.

LESSON 6

Writing • 139

TRANSITIONAL WORDS ANDEXPRESSIONS

You may think you do not know what a transitionalword or expression is but, in fact, you probably do.Transitions help us lead our readers from one thoughtto another.

A transitional word or expression simply shows howideas relate to one another. Transitional words or phrasesare like a bridge that connects two sides of a river. Theyhelp you get from one idea to another in a sentence.They also bridge ideas within paragraphs and betweenparagraphs.

Transitions help create flow and direction in a letteror report. They keep the document moving, logicallyand clearly, and keep the reader’s attention.

There are a variety of words that connect oursentences and show different relationships. Study thefollowing examples to see what I mean.

LESSON 7

Transitions help youmove from one idea to

another ...

140 • Writing

TRANSITIONAL WORDS

Creating a sentence that links one idea to anotheroften means beginning that sentence with a transitionalword or phrase or using a transitional word to linkideas within the sentence. In the following example,transitional words both between and within sentencesare underlined.

Examples:

Cotton mill workers in Opp, Alabama, arenegotiating the purchase of one of the biggestmills in the state. Most workers and townspeopleare backing the plan, but some union officialshave reservations.

Because the plan would mean a 30 percentreduction in salary and benefits for the workers,top union officials say the negotiations are farfrom over. However, they realize failure to reachsome agreement will result in permanent closureof the mill and unemployment for 7,000workers.

Indeed, officials say they are bending overbackward to negotiate with the King CottonCo., owners of the mill. Similarly, governmentofficials in this company town say they areprepared to make certain concessions.

LESSON 7

Writing • 141

Our language has a variety of words to expressdifferent relationships. Consider the following list oftransitional words that:

LINK THOUGHTS

again, also, and, and then, besides, further, next,furthermore, in addition, last, likewise, moreover

COMPARE LIKE IDEAS

also, as well as, in the same way, likewise, resembling,similarly

CONTRAST IDEAS

after all, although, but, conversely, even though, granted,however, in contrast to, in spite of, nevertheless, on thecontrary, on the other hand, otherwise, still, yet

SHOW SEQUENCE AND TIME

after, afterward, at the same time, before, during, earlier,first, second, following, in the first place, last, later,next, simultaneously, while, soon, now, later, at length,in the meantime

SHOW CAUSE AND EFFECT

accordingly, as a consequence of, as a result of, because,consequently, hence, it follows that, since, then,therefore, thus

LESSON 7

142 • Writing

EMPHASIZE

certainly, clearly, indeed, in fact, surely, to be sure, truly,undoubtedly, without a doubt

SUMMARIZE

consequently, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in short,in sum, thus, to sum up

ESTABLISH PLACE

here, beyond, nearby, opposite to, adjacent to, on theopposite side

Because transitional sentences perform such a vitalfunction in a message, they must be clear and precise.A sentence error here can destroy the logical movementof ideas and ruin coherence.

SOURCES: HARBRACE COLLEGE HANDBOOK, 11TH EDITION (1990)WHEN WORDS COLLIDE, 2ND EDITION (1988)

LESSON 7

Writing • 143

EXERCISE – TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS


1. What kind of words connect sentences and show how ideas relateto one another?

a. prepositionsb. transitional

2. Can transitional words be used to link thoughts?

a. Yesb. No

3. Can transitional words be used to compare like ideas?

a. Yesb. No

4. True or False: You cannot use transitional words to contrast ideas.

a. Trueb. False

5. True or False: Transitional words can show sequence and time.

a. Trueb. False

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144 • Writing

6. Can transitional words emphasize and summarize?

a. Yesb. No

7. True or False: Transitional words can establish place.

a. Trueb. False

8. Can transitional words be used to show cause and effect?

a. Yesb. No

LESSON 7

Writing • 145

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – TRANSITIONAL WORDS ANDEXPRESSIONS

1. What kind of words connect sentences and show how ideas relateto one another?

Answer: b. transitionalTransitional words connect sentences and show how ideas relate toone another.

2. Can transitional words be used to link thoughts?

Answer: a. YesTransitional words can be used to link thoughts with words like“again, also, and, besides, further, next, furthermore, in addition,last, likewise.”

3. Can transitional words be used to compare like ideas?

Answer: a. YesTransitional words can be used to compare like ideas with wordslike “also, as well as, in the same way, likewise, similarly.”

4. True or False: You cannot use transitional words to contrast ideas.

Answer: b. FalseTransitional words can be used to contrast ideas with words like “afterall, although, but, conversly, even though, on the other hand.”

LESSON 7

146 • Writing

5. True or False: Transitional words can show sequence and time.

Answer: a. TrueTransitional words can show sequence and time with words like“after, afterward, before, during, earlier, first, second, while, now, later.”

6. Can transitional words emphasize and summarize?

Answer: a. YesTransitional words that emphasize: certainly, indeed, in fact, truly,undoubtedly, without a doubt. Transitional words that summarize:consequently, finally, in brief, in short, thus, to sum up.

7. True or False: Transitional words can establish place.

Answer: a. TrueTransitional words can establish place with words like “here, beyond,nearly, opposite to, on the opposite side.”

8. Can transitional words be used to show cause and effect?

Answer: a. YesTransitional words can show cause and effect with words like “accordingly,as a result of, because, hence, therefore, thus.”

LESSON 7

Writing • 147

EXERCISE – TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES

Instructions: Use a transitional word or phrase noted in the parentheses to connect or addto the following sentences.

1. A meter is longer than a yard.A liter holds more than a quart. (link thoughts)

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2. A senator is an elected official.A congressman is an elected official.(compare like ideas or things)

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3. We went to the ball game.It was very cold. (contrast ideas)

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4. I went to find our seats.Nancy went for cold sodas. (show sequence of time)

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LESSON 7

148 • Writing

5. My nephew really enjoys the circus.(emphasize)

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7. We must all work together on this project.(summarize)

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8. Jane lives on the west side of town.Jenny lives on the east side.(establish place)

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LESSON 7

Writing • 149

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES

Answers may vary.

1. A meter is longer than a yard.A liter holds more than a quart. (link thoughts)

Answer: A meter is longer than a yard, and a liter holds more than aquart.

2. A senator is an elected official.A congressman is an elected official.(compare like ideas or things)

Answer: A senator, as well as a congressman, is an elected official.

3. We went to the ball game.It was very cold. (contrast ideas)

Answer: We went to the ball game in spite of the cold.

4. I went to find our seats.Nancy went for cold sodas. (show sequence of time)

Answer: I went to find our seats; in the meantime, Nancy went for coldsodas.

LESSON 7

150 • Writing

5. My nephew really enjoys the circus.(emphasize)

Answer: Without a doubt, my nephew really enjoys the circus.

6. We must all work together on this project.(summarize)

Answer: In conclusion, we must all work together on this project.

7. Jane lives on the west side of town.Jenny lives on the east side.(establish place)

Answer: Jane lives on the west side of town while Jenny lives on theopposite side.

Let’s try a few exercises using transitional words toconnect sentences.

LESSON 7

My alarm always works on Saturday morning!

Writing • 151

EXERCISE – APPLYING TRANSITIONS

Instructions: The following are ideas that pertain to a letter sent to a prospective employer.Rewrite it using transitional words to make it read more coherently andconnected.

To: Ms. Wanda WorkFrom: I. B. Good

I would like to apply for a position in your advertising agency.

I have served in the advertising department of Allen’sAdvertising Agency and Dillon’s Department Store. I havestudied art at Southern University. I have studied advertisingthere, also.

I am a conscientious employee. I am creative. I enjoy creativeproblem solving.

I can work with a team.

I am immediately available for employment.

LESSON 7

152 • Writing

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LESSON 7

Writing • 153

LESSON 7


154 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – APPLYING TRANSITIONS


Dear Ms. Work:

Please accept my application for a position in youradvertising agency. Because of my experience at Allen’sAdvertising Agency and Dillon’s Department Store, Ibelieve I would be an asset to your team. I also studiedadvertising along with art at Southern University.

Certainly my creativity, problem solving ability,conscientious work habits, and cooperative team spirit arequalities you are pursuing in your employees. In addition, Iam available immediately for employment.

I appreciate your consideration of me for the position. Youwill find my resumé enclosed.

Sincerely,

I. B. Good

LESSON 7

Writing • 155

FORMAL VS. INFORMAL WRITING

For business purposes, the formal method ofconstructing letters, reports, etc., is the accepted formto use. In a workplace setting, a certain amount ofseriousness and professionalism is expected andrequired.

When you write a personal note or letter to a friend,you do not worry too much about using slang, jargon,or expressing your opinions and ideas. The same holdstrue for creative writing where the main purpose is toentertain the reader.

A business letter, memo, report, or other documentshould always be formal and professional. That’s notto say that it has to be cold, stuffy, or boring. You canmake your writing business like and still constructinteresting sentences to convey the information. Yourmessage should be conversational, but professional.

There are some guidelines you can use to ensureyou have the correct tone in your business writing.Follow these guidelines when proofreading your work,and you should have no problem.

The colon used properly in the salutation of thebusiness letter is a dead give away of formality. If youwere with me in the preceding level of Writing, youknow we discussed the proper use of the colon in regardto the business salutation. The colon is always theproper punctation to use in the salutation.

LESSON 8

Formal vs. Informal ... I’drather be informal.

156 • Writing

Examples:

Dear Mr. Brown:Mr. John Brown:Dear Mr. President:

All of the above salutations set the tone of formalityin a letter.

Never use slang terms, jargon, or idioms whenwriting for business. These terms make your writingless formal, and they may not be understood by yourreader. A slang term is one that is used frequently inperson-to-person conversation but is never acceptablein the business format. Jargon speaks of words orphrases that are unique or common to a certainprofession or industry, but may be unfamiliar to thereader. The same is true of idioms, which are phrasesthat carry a certain meaning but may also be unknownto your reader. Good examples of idioms would be “adevil of a time,” “comin’ up a cloud,” or“fixin’ to havea fit,” If you were not familiar with these particularphrases, you wouldn’t “have the foggiest” idea of whatI was talking about! Avoid these expressions in yourwriting.

There are sometimes exceptions to rules, so let memention one.

In the salutation of a business letter, you may find atime when you are addressing a letter to a personalfriend or acquaintance with whom you are on a firstname basis. In these cases, it is considered acceptableto use your friend’s first name followed by a commainstead of a colon, but the body and format of the lettershould still remain businesslike and professional. Inmost situations, though, this will not be the case. Ifyou are ever in doubt, always take the safe route anduse formality.

LESSON 8

Writing • 157

EXERCISE – LETTER WRITING


1. What is the tone of formal writing in the workplace?

a. To be businesslike in the workplaceb. To be cold, stuffy and boring

2. A colon after the salutation (Dear Mr. Brown:) shows a letter waswritten in what style?

a. informalb. formal

3. True or False: It is acceptable to use jargon and slang terms in abusiness letter.

a. Trueb. False

LESSON 8

158 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – LETTER WRITING



a. To be businesslike in the workplaceb. To be cold, stuffy and boring

Answer: a – The tone of formal writing in the workplace is to bebusinesslike. In a workplace setting, a certain amount ofseriousness and professionalism is expected and required.

2. A colon after the salutation (Dear Mr. Brown:) shows a letter waswritten in what style?

a. informalb. formal

Answer: b - The colon used properly in the salutation of the businessletter is a dead giveaway of formality.

3. True or False: It is acceptable to use jargon and slang terms in abusiness letter.

a. Trueb. False

Answer: b - Never use slang terms, jargon, or idioms when writing forbusiness. These terms make your writing less formal.

LESSON 8

Writing • 159

LESSON 8

EXERCISE – LETTER WRITING II

Instructions: Look at the following short letter and tell if it is written in a formal or informalstyle.

January 22, 1998

Dear Sir:

As per our phone conversation yesterday, I am sending outyour order immediately.

We thank you for your business.

Sincerely,

Style: _____________

Instructions: Now, take the same short letter and rewrite it in the opposite format.

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160 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – LETTER WRITING II

Answer: Style — Formal

Suggested informal letter (answers may vary):

January 22, 1998

Dear Jim,

Thanks for your phone order yesterday. It was good to talkwith you. I am sending it out right away. Keep in touch.

Thanks again,

LESSON 8

Writing • 161

EXERCISE – WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER

Instructions: Rewrite the following letter, making it formal.

Jan. 22

John,

Let me tell you something. I have placed an order with yourco. to get some bookshelves for our office.

I hope they will get here soon as our people are climbing thewalls for more shelf space.

I talked with your sales clerk yesterday and she said she wouldsend them right away.

Here’s hoping they do! I will let you know if anything goeswrong.

EdWIN

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LESSON 8

162 • Writing

ANSWER TO EXERCISE – WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER


January 22, 1998

Name of CompanyAddress of Company

Mr. John Whatever:

Please be aware that I spoke with your sales clerkyesterday regarding a delay in an order for bookshelvesfrom your company. She indicated the shelves will beshipped immediately. I certainly hope so since our staff hasan urgent need for shelf space.

I would appreciate your attention to this matter and will letyou know if there are any delays or problems.

Sincerely,

EdWIN

EW/sp

LESSON 8

Writing • 163

EXERCISE – IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE PHRASES

Instructions: Determine whether the following words or phrases would be found in formalor informal writing.

1. Dear Sir: ____________________

2. You gotta be kidding! ____________________

3. Sincerely, ____________________

4. Affectionately, ____________________

5. Hey buddy, ____________________

6. Mr. President: ____________________

7. I am writing in response to ... ____________________

8. Please respond at your convenience ... ____________________

9. Get back to me on this ASAP! ____________________

10. Like a duck to water ... ____________________

LESSON 8

164 • Writing

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE – IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE PHRASES

1. Dear Sir:

Answer: formal

2. You gotta be kidding!

Answer: informal

3. Sincerely,

Answer: formal

4. Affectionately,

Answer: informal

5. Hey buddy,

Answer: informal

6. Mr. President:

Answer: formal

7. I am writing in response to ...

Answer: formal

8. Please respond at your convenience ...

Answer: formal

9. Get back to me on this ASAP!

Answer: informal

10. Like a duck to water ...

Answer: informal

LESSON 8

Writing • 165

Well, that concludes Level 3 of Writing. I hope Ihave been informative and helpful to you. That is mygoal, after all!

If you feel unsure about any of the points we havecovered, go back and review now because I am aboutto test your knowledge of this level! Surprise! … ormaybe not, if you have been studying with me before!

The answer key is located at the end of the Posttest,but answer all of the questions by yourself before youlook!

Remember, you can always go back and study againif you do not do well the first time around. Good luck!

LESSON 9

Don’t peek at theanswers.

166 • Writing

EXERCISE – POSTTEST


1. What is the main purpose of the comma?


2. What is a comma splice?

a. using a comma to separate ideasb. joining independent clauses with only a comma


a. using too many commasb. comma splices

4. A story where the writer is telling about someone else’s experienceis written in ____________________.


5. A story that is written from the writer’s point of view is written in____________________.


POSTTEST

Writing • 167

6. What are the three rules for good listening manners?

a. look at the speaker, sit quietly, ask the speaker if you have aquestion

b. look at the speaker, sit quietly, don’t interrupt the speaker

7. What are four techniques to ensure correct listening?

a. examine, anticipate, remind, summarizeb. examine, ask questions, remind, take notes

8. What questions do you need to ask yourself for effectiveorganization?

a. who, where, when, what, whyb. who, what, when, where, how

9. ______________ connect sentences and show how ideas relate toone another.

a. transitional wordsb. euphemisms


a. to be businesslike and professionalb. to be businesslike, conversational, and persuasive.

POSTTEST

168 • Writing

11. What are at least three things you should never include in businesscorrespondence?

a. euphemisms, slang, salutationsb. jargon, slang, idioms

12. What is NOT okay to use in a business letter?

a. To keep inventory straight, all employees better fill outexchange waivers completely.

b. Please be sure to completely fill out all waivers.

13. A sentence that is incomplete, missing a subject or verb, or notexpressing a complete thought is what type of sentence?

a. incomplete sentenceb. sentence fragment

14. Which is okay to use in a business letter?

a. As a result of the number of customer complaints...b. There have been so many customers griping about us...


a. I’m so tired of hearing about it...b. Full refunds will be given to customers with a sales receipt...

POSTTEST

Writing • 169

POSTTEST

ANSWERS TO POSTTEST

1. What is the main purpose of the comma?

Answer: a. - to show a pause

2. What is a comma splice?

Answer: b. - joining independent clauses with only a comma


Answer: a. - using too many commas

4. A story where the writer is telling about someone else’s experienceis written in ____________________.

Answer: b. - third person

5. A story that is written from the writer’s point of view is written in____________________.

Answer: a. - first person

6. What are the three rules for good listening manners?

Answer: b. - look at the speaker, sit quietly, don’t interruptthe speaker

170 • Writing

POSTTEST

7. What are four techniques to ensure correct listening?

Answer: a. - examine, anticipate, remind, summarize

8. What questions do you need to ask yourself for effectiveorganization?

Answer: b. - who, what, when, where, why, and how

9. ______________ connect sentences and show how ideas relate toone another.

Answer: a. Transitional words connect sentences and show howideas relate to one another.


Answer: a.- to be businesslike and professional

11. What are at least three things you should never include in businesscorrespondence?

Answer: b. - jargon, slang, or idioms

12. What is NOT okay to use in a business letter?

Answer: a. To keep inventory straight, all employees better fillout exchange waivers completely.

Writing • 171

POSTTEST

13. A sentence that is incomplete, missing a subject or verb, or notexpressing a complete thought is what type of sentence?

Answer: b. sentence fragment


Answer: a. As a result of the number of customer complaints...


Answer: b. Full refunds will be given to customers with a sales receipt...

172 • Writing

SUMMARY

Well, how did you do on the posttest? If you scored 93% or higher, you have a reasonable chance to pass Level 3 of the Ready to Work Writing assessment. Remember the basics of writing, take your time and think about each question, and you will do fine. But, you may want to complete Level 4 with me before you take the assessment. Hope to see you there!

Now don’t be discouraged if you scored below 93%. You can do it! Your enhanced work skills will pay off in the long run. Practice makes perfect.

Take time to review the Test-Taking Tips provided at the end of this workbook. Good luck improving your work skills and attaining your goals!

Congratulations ... you havecompleted Level 3!

Writing • 173

REFERENCE

EDWIN’S TEST-TAKING TIPS

Preparing for the test . . .Complete appropriate levels of the WIN Instruction Solution self-study courses.Practice your writing skills until you feel comfortable with your ability to listen toa message, take notes, and compose written messages conveying what you haveheard.

Get a good night’s rest the night before the test and eat a healthy breakfast on testday. Your body (specifically your mind) works better when you take good care ofit.

Allow adequate time to arrive at the test site. Being in a rush or arriving late willlikely upset your concentration when you actually take the test.

The answers must be written in blue or black ink, so if you have a favorite pen,you may want to take it with you. However, the test administrator will have pensavailable for your use.

About the test . . .Writing and listening skills are both assessed in one test, but are scored separately. You will listen to an audiotape of work-related messages and compose written messages to communicate the information to someone else. You are asked to play the role of an employee who receives messages from customers, co-workers, and suppliers. The Ready to Work Writing assessment will not measure accuracy or completeness of message. Scoring will be based on writing mechanics, such as sentence structure and grammar, and on your writing style. Listening score is based on the accuracy of the message.

The Assessment includes 6 workplace communications that begin with one speaker’s brief message; gradually, the messages become longer, more detailed, and include two speakers. You will listen to each message twice and are encouraged to take notes as you listen. You will be given 2 to 6 minutes to write your version of each message after the second reading; the time is dependent upon the difficulty of the message. There will be adequate time to write your responses to each message if you have taken proper notes as you listen. You may work on previous messages at any time during the test. The entire Assessment takes approximately 40 minutes.

174 • Writing

Make sure your work is legible for the grader to read your work. Since you mustwrite in pen, you will not be able to erase. Do not worry if you have to mark outmistakes. Cross through the incorrect word one time (mistake) without making amess (mistake). You will not be penalized for marking through words to correctsentences.

During the test . . .Listen to the instructions carefully. Do not hesitate to ask the administratorquestions if you do not understand what to do. Make sure you can hear theaudiotape clearly from where you are sitting.

Your test booklet will provide space for you to take notes and for you to composeyour written messages. Do not try to write every word that is spoken on theaudiotape. As you listen, write key words in your notes to help you rememberwhat is being said. Please notice that the workplace situation does not includeyou, so your written messages should not include the word “I.” Remember also toavoid writing or drawing anything on the message page that is not appropriate forthe business setting.

Dealing with test anxiety . . .Being prepared is one of the best ways to reduce test anxiety. Study the WINInstruction Solution course material. Practice will increase confidence in your writingand reduce your test anxiety.

Do not think negatively about the test. The story about the “little engine thatcould” is true. You must, “think you can, think you can, think you can.” If youprepare yourself by writing clear, concise, and complete sentences, there is noreason why you cannot be successful. Don’t get discouraged; be persistent. It iseasy to become frustrated on this test while listening to details. If you do notremember names or dates, then make up information in order to write clear,concise sentences. If you do not do well with one workplace situation, do not letthat interfere with how you do on the next ones.

If you have extra time after one message, you may go back and check punctuation,spelling, etc. from other messages. If time allows, ask yourself the followingproofreading questions:

REFERENCE

Writing • 175

• Does each sentence begin with a capital letter?• Does each sentence have ending punctuation?• Have you used “I” in the message? If so, and you have time, change this.• Is there a subject and a verb in each sentence?• Do the subject and verb agree?

Prior to the test, relax, close your eyes, take several deep breaths, and think of arelaxing place or a favorite activity. Visualize this setting for a minute or twobefore the test is administered.

Studying with a partner is another way to overcome test anxiety. Encouragementfrom each other helps to increase your confidence.

REFERENCE

176 • Writing

REFERENCE

RESOURCES

ACT, Inc. (1994). WorkKeys® Targets for Instruction: Writing. Iowa City, IA: ACT.

Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc.1000 Waterford Place Kingston, TN 37763

Toll-free 888.717.9461Fax 865.717.9461 www.w-win.com

WIN Career Readiness Courseware - ©2008 Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

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