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Bus 251 (Lecture 05) : Business Communication Course Instructor: LKK E-Mail: Looksina - Khan@Northsouth - Edu

This document provides a summary of a business communication lecture that discusses constructing clear sentences and paragraphs. It identifies issues with stringy/see-saw sentences and provides examples. It also discusses how to economize on words by avoiding cluttering phrases, surplus words, and unnecessary repetition. The document outlines techniques for managing emphasis and unity in sentences, including starting/ending with short sentences and using independent/dependent clauses. It concludes by covering paragraph design principles like unity, length, topic sentences, detail removal, and coherence transitions.

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Fahim Ashab Chowdhury
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21 views

Bus 251 (Lecture 05) : Business Communication Course Instructor: LKK E-Mail: Looksina - Khan@Northsouth - Edu

This document provides a summary of a business communication lecture that discusses constructing clear sentences and paragraphs. It identifies issues with stringy/see-saw sentences and provides examples. It also discusses how to economize on words by avoiding cluttering phrases, surplus words, and unnecessary repetition. The document outlines techniques for managing emphasis and unity in sentences, including starting/ending with short sentences and using independent/dependent clauses. It concludes by covering paragraph design principles like unity, length, topic sentences, detail removal, and coherence transitions.

Uploaded by

Fahim Ashab Chowdhury
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BUS 251(Lecture 05)

Business Communication
Course Instructor: LkK
E-mail:
[email protected]
Chapter 04
Constructing clear sentences &
paragraphs
Avoid Stringy and See-Saw sentences
Pg 72-73

“Receiving the property requires a $500 security


deposit, which will be refunded unless there is
damage to the property or evidence that there
has been smoking in the cottage or a pet on the
premises or if the reservation is canceled within
one month prior to the rental period.”

Problem???
Stringy/See-Saw
Avoid Stringy and See-Saw
sentences

“Although we have not definitely determined the


causes for the decline in sales volume for the
month, we know that during this period
construction on the streets adjacent to the store
severely limited traffic flow and that because of
resignations in the advertising department
promotion efforts dropped well below normal.”

Problem???
Stringy/See-Saw
But Is it okay to always make sentences
short?
 Sometimes, short and clear sentences might
give a choppy effect that’s irritating. Example-

“An employee may change jobs. The change


may result in a lower pay bracket. The new
coverage is effective when this happens. The job
change should be because of physical
disability…”

“The new insurance coverage becomes effective


when because of disability, infirmity, or age an
employee’s job change results in lower pay…”
Economize on words
 Cluttering Phrases-
Along the lines of/ like
For the purpose of/ for
In accordance with/ by
In the near future/ soon etc..

“In view of the fact that we financed the


experiment, we were entitled to some of the
profit”

“I will talk to him in regard to the new policy.


Economize on words
 Surplus words & Roundabout Constructions-

“ It is essential that we take the actions that are


necessary to correct the problem”

“Sales can be detected to have improved over last


year”

“His performance was good enough to enable him to


qualify for the promotion”

“The chairperson is engaged in the activities of


preparing the program.”

“The president is of the opinion that the tax was


paid”
Economize on words

 Unnecessary repetition of words & ideas-

“You should study all new innovations in your field”

“The job requires a minimum of at least three years


of experience”

“We expect to deliver the goods in the event that


we receive the money”

“The consensus of opinion is that the tax is unfair”


Manage Emphasis on Sentence
Design
 Start and end with short sentences-
 Independent and dependant clauses-

The company lost money last year. The loss occurred


despite records sales.”

“and”- emphasis on both sentences


“Although” (when placed before the first sentence)-
emphasis on lost money.
“although” (when placed after the first clause)-
emphasis on sales increase.

 Emphasize logically- See Page 80 of your book for


the example.
Maintain the unity of meaning in
sentences
 Unrelated ideas/ excessive details??

“We concentrate on energy-saving products, and


70% of our business comes from them.”

“We have attempted to trace Plytec insulation you


ordered fro us October 1, and about which you
inquired in your October 10 message, but we
have not yet been able to locate it, although we
are sending you a rush shipment immediately.”
Word Sentences Logically

Mixed constructions??
Active + Passive, First person + second person
etc…

“Because the Swift company has a service


oriented culture is the reason it supports all forms
of volunteerism”

“Thank you for your feedback that will help us


continue to improve”

“Each department will now be able to update


your section of the website”
Word Sentences Logically

 Incomplete Constructions
“She was so happy with the retirement party we
gave her”

 Dangling Modifiers

“Depending on how you make your request will


determine how the reader will respond.”

“Believing the price would drop, the purchasing


agents were instructed not to pay.”
Word Sentences Logically
 Faulty parallelism

“To create a more appealing website, we can gather


personal stories, create a new logo, as well as making
the layout more readable.”
Make it more parallel ???

Bullet points ???

The branding standard includes-


 The approved logos
 A style guide
 Using the approved color palette
 How to redesign existing materials (Problem??)
Paragraph Design
Paragraph Design

 Keep unity of sentences in a paragraph.


 Keep paragraphs short.
 Use topic sentences effectively, usually at the
beginning but sometimes within or at the end of
the paragraph.
 Leave out unnecessary details.
 Use these transitional devices for coherence-
-Repetition of key words
-Pronouns that refer back to the previous
content
-Transitional words (moreover, in other words
etc.)
Quiz on: Chp. 1,3,4 ( lec
1-5)
Date: 9 June 2018!

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