MGT 201- Business Communication (SUN 1:30-4:30)

Chapter Objectives

At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. explain the principles of writing;

2. explain the steps involved in the writing process;

3. discuss the basic revision strategies; and

4. identify and analyze the factors to be considered in revising and editing the final draft.

Basic Principles of Writing

There are three basic principles of writing, namely: (1) Unity,(2) Coherence, and (3) Emphasis. These will serve as our basic guides as
we go through the writing process.

1. Unity. It means consistency or oneness. A sentence has unity if it expresses only one main idea.

a. Consistency of Tense. Tense means time. Consistency of tense or unit of tense may be achieved by observing
proper tense sequence.

Example:The goods will be shipped tonight, and they will reach Zamboanga City at early dawn.

In the above example, the verb in the adverbial clause agrees with the tense of the verb in the main clause.

b. Consistency of Voice. Voice is that aspect of the verb which indicates whether the subject persons the action
(active) or receives it (passive). Use the same voice throughout the sentence.

Example: If you have already remitted your payment, please disregard this reminder.

Note that in the above example, the first clause and second clause have verbs, which are both in the active voice.
Therefore, there is unity of voice

c. Consistency of Mood. Mood is an aspect of the verb which indicates whether the action or the condition is
factual (indicative), or contrary to fact (subjunctive). Maintain the same mood throughout the sentence.

Examples:The secretary hopes she can finish her work before the deadline comes. (indicative)

Albert wishes that he were the boss. (subjunctive)

d. Consistency of Subject. Avoid unnecessary shifts of subjects in a sentence.

Example: The janitors worked fast, and soon they were done with their duties ahead of time.

e. Consistency of Number and Person. The pronoun will have to agree in number and person with its antecedent.

Example: Everyone in the department played his part well.

Note that the indefinite word everyone is singular. It corresponds consistently in both number and person because the
antecedent pronoun his is likewise singular.

f. Consistency of Ideas. Maintain consistency of ideas by excluding loosely related or irrelevant ideas from the
sentence by avoiding too many details and by using the proper connective or conjunctive word to relate the ideas
expressed in the sentence.

Example: As the department head, I report to office on time because I would like to set an example to my
subordinates.

g. Consistency of Tone. Tone refers to the style or manner of expression.

Example: The AA club held a shindig in honor of the new members.

In the above example, the word shindig is not formal in tone. To preserve the consistency of tone, it must be
replaced with either dance or ball.

h. Consistency of Language. This refers to the use of the same language throughout the sentence. If a foreign
term has been used, it should either be enclosed in quotation marks or underlined to maintain/ preserve the
consistency of language.

Example: The “mamaya na” attitude is common among our government employees.

Note that the Filipino words injected into the sentence are enclosed in quotation marks.

2. Coherence. It means the quality of putting ideas together (how the ideas gel together within the sentence).
 Example: We have just opened our scenic hotel in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

The young business executive brings with him fresh perspectives.

In both examples, the modifiers (scenic, young, fresh) are placed before the nouns they modify.

3. Emphasis. There are several strategies or techniques. One can emphasize the positive aspects of the situation in a variety
of ways:

 State the information positively. Emphasize what will you do rather than what will you not do.

 Eliminate negative words.

 Omit negative statements that are unimportant.

The Writing Process

- Involves a three-step process.

• Pre-writing

• Writing

• Revising

Prewriting

 Involves answering the four key questions of letter writing:

 What is my purpose? Who is my audience? What should the letter cover be? What desired action or response do I want?

Writing

 Involves writing the rough copy all the way through to the end. The first draft is just a working draft. Just write until the letter is
finished.

Revising

 Means reading the draft and organizing the letter so that it flows logically from point to the point. Check for grammatical lapses,
double-check the accuracy of facts and figures, eliminate unnecessary words and irrelevant ideas, and proofread or edit the final
copy.

Writing and Revising the Rough Draft

Facing a blank piece of paper is intimidating for all writers, both novice and experienced. Experienced writers, however, have strategies
for getting the first draft down on paper and for revising the draft effectively. The following are the various work styles of different writes.

Producing the First Draft

When writing the first draft, you must get the ideas down on paper. Polishing, rethinking, and reshaping can come later.

Even when you think you already have a clear idea about a certain topic in mind, writing it down is another matter. Indeed,
some writers would agree that they do not know what they think until they see it on paper. Finding the right words to write is easier if
there are notes to work with. If you have written out the answers to the four key questions in the pre-writing stage, you already have
some raw material for your draft.

Below are the techniques, which some writers find useful:

1. Jot down ideas or phrases you want to include in your letter or memo.

2. If you have a lot of material, as in a report, or if tight logic is crucial, as in a problem-solving or negative message, write a
formal outline.

3. Brainstorm—list as many ideas as you can. Then, go back and decide which reader-benefit or attention-getter is best.
Brainstorming helps writers get over the tendency to develop a mental block after they have thought of one idea or
approach. The first idea one has may not be the best.

Revising the Draft

 Revision means one has to revisit his draft several times.

 Revision is not a matter of checking the spelling and punctuation

 To revise effectively, you must be able to step out from your work mentally and to look at it as an outsider would.

 Angell (2007) succinctly puts it this way: Revising means "re-vision," looking at the document as if you had never seen it before.

Revision Strategies

There are three basic revision strategies.

1. Revise as you go along

2. To get the first draft down on paper and then revise it.
 3. Start over

What to look for when you revise

1. Content

A. Are all the information I have Included correct?

B. Have I included all the necessary information?

2. Organization, Emphasis and Logic

A. Have I organized my material in a way that fits the situation and the reader?

B. Have I used the beginning and end of the letter or memo to highlight important points?

C. Should I use additional techniques if emphasis, such as repetition, underlining, lists, headings, etc.?

D. Are all the information I have Included correct?

3. You-Attitude

A. Look at the situation from your reader's point of view.

B. Stress information, which the reader wants to know.

C. Show the reader how he or she can benefit from what you have to offer.

D. Use the word "you" more often than "I" or "we."

4. Positive Emphasis

A. State the information positively.

B. Justify the negative information by giving reason or linking it to the reader's benefits.

C. Eliminate negative words.

D. Omit negative statements that are unimportant.

E. Put negative information in the middle of paragraph or memo.

5. Words

A. Check the denotation, a word's literal or dictionary meaning; and connotation.

B. Accurate denotations are important to avoid the situations.

You may want to ask yourself the following questions:

A. Can the reader take my words literally?

B. Have I avoided confusing often misused words?

C. Are the connotations consistent with my meaning?

6. Sentence

Ask these questions:

A. Have I used a good variety of simple, complex and compound sentences?

B. Are my sentences clear and free from wordiness?

C. Have I used active verbs in most cases?

D. How will I hold my reader's attention and interest?

7. Paragraph

Ask these questions:

A. Have I provided transitions between ideas?

B. Is each paragraph about only one subject?

C. Does each paragraph have a topic sentence?

D. Have I kept paragraphs reasonably short?

Editing the final draft

Ask these questions:

1. Format
 A. Is the format appropriate for the message and the reader? Are all the necessary elemebts included?

B. Is the visual impact good?

2. Spelling

A. Is there any doubtful words?

Mechanics of Writing

Punctuation

1. Joining Independent Clauses

 The independent clause is complete with subject and predicate and makes sense by itself. Two or more independent clauses
joined together make a compound sentence. They may be joined by proper marks, with or without connective words, in four main
ways.

a. The most common way of putting two independent clauses together is to connect them with and or noc or for (coordinating
conjunction) with a comma before the conjunction to show the turn.

Note: The comma before the conjunction is important and must always be used, because it tells the reader that what follows
is a complete clause. Without the comma, readers will rush without stopping, expecting the next words to be just a short
phrase; then they will have to back up and start all over to get the clear meaning of the clause. It is especially important to
use the comma before fQ_! as a conjunction; otherwise may be read as a preposition and the meaning obscured.

b. Clauses connected by one of the coordinating conjunctions may even require a semicolon before the conjunction to show
where one clause stops and the next one starts. If the first clause is already broken up with commas for other uses, the
middle comma between the clauses may not have enough force.

c. independent clauses may be joined without connective words if the semicolon is used between them (but the use of the
comma alone is called the "comma splice" and, according to some English teachers, is a mark Of illiterate writing).

d. If the clauses are connected by SO therefore, hence, however, nevertheless, moreover, also, otherwise, accordingly,
besides thus, then, in fact, still, in other words, or similar connectives, a semicolon must be used between the clauses (in
informal writing, a comma is frequently used before so).

Note: As a special case, when the two clauses say the same thing in different words, or when the second one merely
explains the first one, the colon is used (although not commonly used, this is a useful information to know).

2. Attaching Dependent Clauses to Main Clauses

 A dependent clause has its subject and predicate, but is introduced by a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun, which
keeps it from being an independent statement and serves as a modifier to be attached to the main clause.

a. When the dependent clause comes before the independent one, use a comma to separate the two.

Example: While the manager is on vacation, his subordinates will be at ease.

b. When the dependent clause follows the independent clause or breaks into it, punctuation is optional

Example: His subordinates will be at ease while the manager is on vacation.

3. Punctuation of Parenthetical Expressions

a. Use commas ordinarily to set off parenthetical or "thrown in" expressions.

Example: The first thing to do, I believe, is to set your goals.

b. Use a comma to set off a non-restrictive phrase or clause—one that gives additional information, but is not essential to the
sentence.

Example: The tailoring shop on the corner, which has excellent tailors, is closed on Sundays.

c. Use dashes to enclose elements of parenthetical nature when you want to emphasize them.

Example: Because of one word—just one word—he lost his job.

d. Use a parenthesis when the material is not strictly part of the main thought. Example: He encodes the message to an
intended listener-reader (receiver).

4. Punctuation of Introduction

a. Use a colon to introduce a vertical list or series listed vertically on the page.

Example: He brought the following documents: pictures, books, and maps.

b. Use a colon to introduce a quotation that is set off from the sentence and indented.

Example: Rizal once said: "The youth are the hopes of the Motherland."

c. Use a comma after a long introductory phrase or clause.

Example: After spending so much time and effort to solve the problem.
5. Punctuation of Quotations

d. When the exact words of Q0meone other than the writer are being them off with quotation marks if they are part of the main
paragraph.

Example: “A minute of heroism is better than a decade of useless life” were the words of wisdom of the late Senator Benigno S.
Aquino, Jr.

e. Slang expressions and words used in special sense should be enclosed in quotation marks.

Example: "I gotta go," said Pedro.

6.Hyphenated Words

a. Use the hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before noun

Example: This is a hard-to-understand usage.

b. Use the hyphen for compound numbers (e.g. twenty-one, ninety-nine) and with fractions (e.g. one- half, three – fourths)

Example: Twenty-one years ago, I was exactly in this corner.

Agreement

1.Subject—Verb

 Subject and verb must be both singular or both plural. If there is an intervening phrase between the subject and the verb, make
sure the verb agrees the subject with the subject not with a noun in the intervening phrase. Also, the verb always agrees with
subject not with the predicate noun.

Examples:

a. The mayor, along with all his consultants, attends the public hearing.

Note: The encircled group of words called the intervening words.

b. My fear is the problems to be encountered along the way.

Note: The encircled word is the predicate noun.

2. Noun—Pronoun

 Pronouns must agree in number and gender with the nouns they represent. Use a singular pronoun when you are talking about a
company as a corporate entity.

Examples:

a. Nena enters her room surreptitiously.

b. The secretaries are in their quarters.

Note: The encircled words in both examples above are the antecedent pronouns.