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Business Writing I

This document provides an introduction to business writing by outlining important differences from other types of writing and key rules and best practices. It discusses avoiding slang, writing in complete sentences using standard English, proper pronoun usage, spelling, avoiding redundancies and unnecessary words, and using an approach that appeals to the reader's point of view. The document also recommends several resources for further reference.

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Noor Deen
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111 views30 pages

Business Writing I

This document provides an introduction to business writing by outlining important differences from other types of writing and key rules and best practices. It discusses avoiding slang, writing in complete sentences using standard English, proper pronoun usage, spelling, avoiding redundancies and unnecessary words, and using an approach that appeals to the reader's point of view. The document also recommends several resources for further reference.

Uploaded by

Noor Deen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Business Writing: Introduction

Business writing is different from


creative writing or journalistic writing!
• Do not write the way you speak.
• Do not use slang.
• Do not expect your reader to know what you
mean.
• Do not write in fragments.
• Use complete sentences.
• Always use Standard Written English
(SWE)
What to Avoid in Business Writing

• Second person “you”


• Inconsistent person
• Inconsistent tense
• Abbreviations
• Do not use: ya, thru, wanna, gonna
• Do not use: etc., &
• Avoid ending verbs with “en” or “in” instead
of “ing”: waitin, watchen
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
and Reference
• Pronouns take the place of nouns
(he, she, it, they, I, you)
• The antecedent is the word to which
the pronoun refers. For example: Mary
went to the store and she bought
candy. (Mary is the antecedent for the
pronoun she.)
Mechanical Rules
• Numbers – Never begin a sentence with
a number.(Spell it out.)
• All numbers below 100 should be
spelled out. Those above 100 are
optional but should be consistent.
Commonly Misspelled Words

• your you’re
• to too two
• there their they’re
• its it’s
• quite quiet
• than then
• whose who’s
Unnecessary Repetition

• A round circle
• Refer back
• An eyewitness present at the scene
• The whole entire world
Words and Phrases to Avoid
• A-lot is two words – very, thing, you, I
• Avoid beginning sentences with conjunctions (for, and,
nor, but, or, yet, so)
• Avoid contractions
• There are no such words as: theirself, hisself, alright. Write
themselves, himself, all right.
• Do not capitalize subjects like biology, math, science,
history.
• Use the word “finish” instead of “done”
• Use “who” when referring to people.
• The party would (of, have) made me happy.
Parts of Speech
• Nouns – person, place, thing
• Pronouns – take the place of a noun
• Verbs – action words
• Adjectives – Describes a noun or pronoun
• Adverbs – Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb
• Prepositions – Form a phrase modifying another word in a
sentence. Usually show movement such as around, under,
over, into, through, etc.
• Conjunctions – Connect words, phrases, clauses: for, and,
nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS)
• Interjections – Express surprise or emotion. (Oh! Hey!
Wow!).
Pronoun Usage I
I, he, she, they, & who are used as subjects.
Me, him, her, them, who, & whom are used as objects.
Use who when you would use he; whom when you would use
him.
When a pronoun is part of a compound subject or object, say the
sentence using only the pronoun (leave out the noun and the
conjunction).
Mr. Fielding asked Sophia to work with Tom and (I, me) on the
project.
(Who, whom) was asked to work with Sophia on the project?
With (who, whom) will Sophia be working on the project?
Who, whom was given the project?
To (who, whom) was the project given?
Pronoun Usage II
The subordinators than and as are often
used incompletely.
• No one in the office is friendlier than
(she, her).
(…….friendlier than she is.)
• I have been on the job as long as (he,
him.)
(……….as long as he has.)
Adjectives
• Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They tell
which one, what kind, or how many.
the entertainment industry, high salaries, several
employees
• Real and good are adjectives.
We had real value for our money.
She is a good tennis player.
• Well can be an adjective referring to health.
Andrea looks well today.
Practice E
1. He feels (good, well) again after a bout with
the flu.
2. I feel (good, well) about the project.
3. My team played (good, well) in the
tournament.
4. Greg’s memo was (real, really) clear.
5. His death caused everyone to be (real, very)
sad.
6. The pizza tastes (real, really) (good, well).
Contractions and
Possessive Pronouns
• Contractions are shortened forms of words. The
apostrophe goes where the omitted letters
would be.
It’s time for lunch.
Who’s able to help with the mailing?
• Possessive pronouns show ownership. They
never use apostrophes.
We can see its advantage.
I will find out whose fault this is.
Practice F

1. (It’s, its) time to leave.


2. The restaurant is known for (it’s, its)
fine food.
3. (Who’s, whose) book is this?
4. I will find out (who’s, whose)
responsible for your account.
Lay/Lie
• To lay means to “put down”.
place=lay
• To lie means to “assume a horizontal position”.
recline=lie

PRESENT PAST PAST PARTICIPLE


lay laid laid
lie lay lain
Affect/Effect
• Affect, as a verb, means “influence”.
• Effect, as a verb, means to “bring
about”. As a noun, effect means
“results”.

In most cases, you will be safe if you


remember to use affect for the verb
and effect for the noun.
All Together/Altogether

• All together means “in a group”.

• Altogether is an adverb meaning


“entirely”.
Bring/Take

• One brings something to a place where


one is or will be.

• One takes it when one is leaving for


somewhere else.
Accept/Except

• Accept is a verb meaning “agree” to


something.

• Except, when used as a verb, means


“exclude”. As a preposition, except
means “with the exclusion of”.
Less/Fewer
• Use less for money and things that are
not countable, often singular nouns.

• Use fewer for things that are


countable, often plural nouns.

less time, fewer clocks


Review of
The Notorious Confusables
1. His dismissal (affected, effected) me.
2. My goal is to (affect, effect) a change
in this company.
3. We know that many obstacles (lay,
lie) in our path.
4. You can (lay, lie) the report on my
desk.
5. We were (all together, altogether) in
the conference room.
Review
6. His argument was (all together,
altogether) wrong.
7. Be sure to (bring, take) your laptop to
the meeting in Chicago.
8. Please (bring, take) me that memo.
9. I (accept, except) your offer.
10. John’s boss (accepted, excepted) him
from the general criticism.
Review

11. (Less, fewer) than 100 people work


for our company.
12. Now that he’s earning (less, fewer)
money, he’s making (less, fewer) large
expenditures.
Avoid “X-rated” Expressions
There is no x in:
Espresso
Etcetera
Especially
Spell-check won’t catch these!

• cite/site
• complement/compliment
• council/counsel
• farther/further
• liable/libel
• principal/principle
• stationary/stationery
Avoid Redundancy in
Speech and Writing

 At this point in time-NOW


 In spite of the fact that-ALTHOUGH
 Cooperate together-COOPERATE
 Owing to the fact that-BECAUSE,SINCE
 On account of the fact that-BECAUSE
 During the time that-WHILE
 In an efficient manner-EFFICIENTLY
 Where we’re at-WHERE WE ARE
Use Non-Sexist Language
• Nouns-chairperson, spokesperson
• Pronouns- he or she, his or her
• Use examples from both sexes
• Find out your company’s policy
on “sexist language” regarding
nouns and pronouns.
The “You Approach”
Through the use of courtesy and tact,
your speech and writing appeal to the
point of view of your customer or co-
worker.
Change Please accept our apologies.
To We hope you have not been seriously
inconvenienced by the delay.
Some Resources
• Barron’s Better English by Andrea B. Geffner,
1998
• The Careful Writer by Theodore M. Bernstein
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and
E. B. White
• Good Grief, Good Grammar-The Business
Person’s Guide to Grammar and Usage by Diana
Booher
• Impact A Guide to Business Communications by
Ann Fischer and Margot Northey

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