Transcript Chapter 7 - English 345–Business Writing

McGraw-Hill/Irwin
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
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Chapter 7
Planning, Composing,
and Revising
Good Writers
Ten Ways to Make Writing
Composing Activities Easier to Read
Half-Truths
Revise, Edit, and Proofread
Ways Good Writers Write
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Revise first drafts
Write regularly
Break big jobs into small chunks
Focus on purpose, audience
Choose from several different strategies
Use rules flexibly
Finish a draft before editing text
7-3
Basic Composing Activities:
Planning
 Analyze problem, define
purposes, analyze audiences
 Brainstorm information to
include
 Gather information
 Select the points you want to
make
 Choose organization pattern
7-4
Basic Composing Activities:
Writing
 Put ideas into words on
paper or screen
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Make a list
Develop headings
Jot notes
Do stream-ofconsciousness writing
 Create drafts
7-5
Basic Composing Activities:
Revising
 Evaluate in terms of audience, goals,
and situation
 Will audience understand it?
 Is it complete?
 Is it convincing? Friendly?
 Get feedback from someone else
 Add, delete, substitute, or rearrange
single words or large sections
7-6
Basic Composing Activities:
Editing
 Focus on surface of message:
 Standard English
 Grammar and spelling
 Capitalization and punctuation
 Business principles
 Build goodwill
 Use conventional format
 Proofread; correct typographical errors
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More About Composing Activities
 Don’t have to do in 1-2-3 order
 Don’t have to finish one to start another
 Don’t have to use all activities for every
message
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Half-Truths about Style
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Write as you talk
1/2
Never use I
Never use You
Never begin sentence with And or But
Never end sentence with preposition
Big words impress people
7-9
Write as You Talk: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 Do it for first draft
 Read draft aloud to test
 But
 Expect awkward, repetitive, badly
organized prose
 Plan to revise and edit
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Never Use I: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 I can make writing seem self-centered
 I can make ideas seem tentative
 But
 Use I to tell what you did, said, saw—it’s
smoother
7-11
Never Use You: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 Writing to familiar audiences
 Describing audience benefits
 Writing sales text
 But
 Avoid in formal reports or other situations
where formality is required
7-12
Never Begin Sentence with And or
But
 And may make idea seem like
afterthought
 And gives effect of natural speech
 But serves as a signpost, signals a shift
 But can make writing smoother
7-13
Never End a Sentence with a
Preposition: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 A preposition may not be worth
emphasizing this way
 Readers expect something to follow a
preposition
 Avoid in job application letters, reports,
formal presentations
 But
 OK now and then
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Big Words Impress People: Yes . . .
But
 Yes
 You may want to show formality or technical
expertise
 But
 Big words distance you from readers
 Big words may be misunderstood
 Misused words make you look foolish
7-15
Ten Ways to Make Your Writing
Easy to Read
As you choose words—
1. Use accurate, appropriate, and
familiar words
2. Avoid technical jargon; eliminate
business jargon
7-16
Ten Ways to Make Your Writing
Easy to Read, continued…
As you write and revise sentences—
3. Use active voice most of the time
4. Use verbs—not nouns—to carry weight
of sentence
5. Eliminate wordiness
6. Vary sentence length and structure
7. Use parallel structure
8. Put readers in your sentences
7-17
Ten Ways to Make Your Writing
Easy to Read, continued…
As you write and revise
paragraphs—
9. Begin most with topic
sentence
10. Use transitions to link
ideas
7-18
1. Use Accurate, Appropriate Words
 Denotation—literal meanings; dictionary
definitions
 Bypassing—two people using same word to
mean different things; causes mix-ups
 Connotation—emotional association;
attitude
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/
+
nosy / curious
fearful / cautious
obstinate / firm
tax / user fee
7-19
2. Use Familiar Words
 Words most people know
 Words that best convey
your meaning
 Shorter, more common
words
 Specific, concrete words
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2. Use Short, Simple Alternatives
Stuffy
reside
commence
enumerate
finalize
utilize
Simple
live
begin
list
finish, complete
use
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2. Avoid Jargon—Mostly
 Jargon—special terms of
technical field
 Use in job application
letters
 Use when essential and
known to reader
 Replace with plain English,
when possible
7-22
2. Omit Business Jargon
 Businessese—needless, old-fashioned
wording
Example
Alternative
Enclosed please find
As per your request
I acknowledge receipt of
The undersigned
Here is
As you asked
(begin reply)
Me
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3. Use Active Voice
 Active—subject of sentence does
action the verb describes
 Passive—subject is acted upon
 Usually includes form of “to be”
 Change to active if you can
 Direct object becomes subject
7-24
3. Passive vs. Active Voice
 P: The program will be implemented by
the agencies.
A: The agencies will implement the
program.
 P: These benefits are received by you.
A: You receive these benefits.
 P: A video was ordered.
A: The customer ordered a video.
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3. Passive vs. Active Voice,
continued…
 Active voice is better because—
 Shorter
 Clearer
 More interesting
 Passive voice is better to—
 Emphasize object receiving action
 Give coherence by repeating word in
previous sentence
 Avoid placing blame
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4. Use Verbs to Carry Weight
Replace this phrase with a verb
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make an adjustment
= adjust
make a decision
= decide
perform an examination = examine
take into consideration = consider
7-27
5. Eliminate Wordiness
 Wordy—idea can be said
in fewer words
 Concise; a mark of good
writing
 Omit words that say nothing
 Combine sentences to save
words
 Put the meaning in subject
and verb
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5. Omit Words that Say Nothing
 Cut words if idea is clear without them
 . . . period of three months
 . . . at the present time
 Replace wordy phrase with one word
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Ideally, it would be best to put the…
If possible, put the…
There are three reasons for our success…
Three reasons explain the…
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5. Combine Sentences to Save
Words: Example
 Infante projected sales of $43 million in the
first quarter. Our actual sales have fallen
short of that figure by $1.9 million.
 Although Infante projected first-quarter
sales of $43 million, actual sales are $1.9
million less than that.
7-30
5. Put Meaning of Sentence in
Subject & Verb: Example
 The reason we are recommending the
computerization of this process is because
it will reduce the time required to obtain
data and will give us more accurate data.
 Computerizing the process will give us
more accurate data more quickly.
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6. Vary Sentence Length and
Structure
 Edit sentences for tightness
 Use short sentences when subject
matter is complicated
 Use longer sentences to
 Show how ideas link to each other
 Avoid choppy sentences
 Reduce repetition
 Group words into chunks
 Keep verb close to subject
7-32
7. Use Parallel Structure: Example
 During the interview, job candidates will
 Take a skills test.
 The supervisor will interview the prospective
employee.
 A meeting with recently hired workers will be held.
 During the interview, job candidates will
 Take a skills test.
 Interview with the supervisor.
 Meet with recently hired workers.
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8. Put Readers in Your Sentences:
Example
 An election to name a beneficiary
other than the participant’s spouse
must be made with spousal consent,
for any participant who is married.
 If you are married, you need your
spouse’s consent to name a
beneficiary other than your spouse.
“You” gives the second example more impact
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9. Begin Most Paragraphs with
Topic Sentence
 Unity—¶ discusses one idea; a mark
of good writing
 Topic sentence—states main idea
 Tells what paragraph is about
 Forecasts paragraph’s structure
 Helps readers remember points
7-35
10. Use Transitions to Link Ideas
 Transition—signals the connections
between ideas to the reader
 Tells if next sentence continues or starts
new idea
 Tells if next sentence is more or less
important than previous
 Examples: in addition, similarly,
for example, however, on
the other hand
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Revise, Edit, and Proofread
 Revise – change content,
organization, and tone to satisfy
purposes and audiences
 Edit – change mechanical flaws,
grammar errors
 Proofread – correct typing errors
7-37
When You Revise
 Revise draft three times
or more
1. Content and clarity
2. Organization and layout
3. Tone and style
 Read the document from
start to finish
 Do light revision when
time is short
7-38
When You Edit
 Revise first; then edit
 Edit hard copy, not screen
 Check errors you often make:
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Sentence structure
Agreement: subj./verb, noun/pro.
Punctuation, numbers
Word usage, spelling
7-39
When You Proofread
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Check with spell checker and by eye
Swap copy with proofing buddy
Read once quickly for meaning
Read again slowly
 Correct any error; reread that line
 When you know text well—
 Read backward (short)
 Read pages out of order (long)
7-40