Transcript 20 Written communica..

Some Interesting Blunders…
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An employee applied for leave as follows:
Since I have to go to my village to sell
my land along with my wife, please
sanction me one-week leave.
Another employee applied for half day
leave as follows:
Since I've to go to the cremation ground
at 10 o-clock and I may not return,
please grant me half day casual leave"
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Covering note: "I am enclosed herewith...”
Another one: "Dear Sir: with reference to the
above, please refer to my below...“
Another gem from CDAC. Leave-letter from an
employee who was performing his daughter's
wedding: "as I am marrying my daughter,
please grant a week's leave..“
A candidate's application: "This has reference
to your advertisement calling for a 'typist and
an accountant - Male or Female'... As I am
both! for the past several years and I can
handle both, I am applying for the post.
Written Communication
Why Do We Write?
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Mostly it’s about communication:
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Thoughts;
Feelings;
Self-expression;
Sharing some aspect of yourself with
others.
Styles of Communication
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Many styles of written communication:
 Letters. Scribbled notes to yourself. Email.
SMS. CVs and job applications. Websites.
Reports.
Theses
and
dissertations.
Academic papers. Posters. Exams…
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Do we write the same way for all of them?
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Why are there different styles?
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Be careful—the style you use is part of
what you’re communicating!
Examples of Bad Style
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From an exam
paper:
“…quick sort is really hard
to explane cos it’s usually
recersive. I personally
don’t like it. It’s got a
pivot.”
Spelling
Use of ‘first person’
Shortened words
Related to previous sentence or not?
Irrelevant
• it’s imprecise!!!
Dear Sir, I would be
delighted to accept
your kind invitation
to join you in the
upstairs Bar of the
Bay Hotel at 7pm.
Yours sincerely,
Dave.
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You don’t see SMS like this
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…Another Example
“In view of the restrictions on the use of
acetyl hydride derivatives as antibacterial agents imposed by recent
secondary legislation, the attention of
members of the estates maintenance staff
is drawn to the need, subject to any
overriding
health
and
safety
considerations, to avoid using proprietary
anti-bacterial agents that do not display
the relevant certification mark.”
[from instructions issued to cleaners]
…and Another
“i want more info about use of hash
tabls pls send 2 me thx”
[The entire text of an email sent to me about an
assignment.]
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No name (who is this person?)
No punctuation; hard to read.
Not very polite (demanding).
Not clear (exactly what information do they
need?)
Text speak is not really appropriate in an email to
a lecturer.
Written communication is a
creative activity
Written communication
involves time factor
Written communication has
fewer cycles
Advantages of Written Communication
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Maintenance of proper records
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Promotes
uniformity
procedures.
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Gives access to a large audience through
mass mailing.
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Builds up organization’s image.
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Advantage
of
unambiguous.
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Facilitates
proper
responsibilities.
being
in
policies
and
accurate
and
assignation
of
Tips On Clear Writing
All effective writing is clear writing. H.W Fowler
in his book “The Kings English” laid down four
golden rules on words that should be used in
the language of communication.
His four golden rules are:
•Prefer
•Prefer
•Prefer
•Prefer
the
the
the
the
familiar word to the far fetched;
concrete word to the abstract;
single word to the circumlocution;
short word to the long
Use Familiar Words
Familiarity with a word depends upon the
background of the sender and the receiver
of the message.
If the two parties belong to different
backgrounds /cultures/disciplines it may
take some effort to find a familiar word.
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Continual vigilance is imperative on the public to
ensure...—Times. (We must be ever on the
watch)
'I have no particular business at Lears', said he;
'I was merely going thither to pass a day or
two.'—Borrow. (there)
Use Concrete Words
Concrete Words- words that
form sharp, clear images in our
mind.
Abstract words- These
create vague or fuzzy
meanings.
Concrete words stand for things that exist in the
real world while abstract words stand for broad
meanings, concepts, ideas, feelings etc.
Abstract v/s Concrete
Abstract
Concrete
•a piece of Art
• Machine that does work of 10 worke
•the majority
•45% rise
•near/foreseeable
•a painting /statue
•labor saving device
•68 percent
•significant rise
•by Friday evening
Use of single words in place of circumlocution
This rule points towards one word substitutes.
E.g.
1) After his retirement, he took up a job just
for honor, not caring for any emoluments.
1B)
After his retirement,
honorary job
he
took
up
an
2) He always uses words with several meanings
and interpretations
2B) He always uses ambiguous words.
Short vs long words
During the preceding last year
year
Definitive action
final action
inconvertible
evidence
proof
acceleration
speeding up
AVOID: Individuals who make their abodes in
vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain
from catapulting perilous projectiles.
USE: People who live in glass houses should
not throw stones.
Use Strong words
Communication becomes really forceful when we use
strong, vigorous words specially coined to carry the spirit
of the message.
Tycoon
very successful businessman
Boom
period of business prosperity
Slump
period of decline in business
Bear market
generally declining market
Bullish market
favorable
market
Principles of Choosing Words
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Choose understandable words
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Use specific, precise words
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Choose strong words
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Emphasize positive words
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Avoid overused words
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Avoid obsolete words
How to Improve Word Precision
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Avoid slang, idioms and SMS
abbreviations in formal writing.
If you can’t express something
simply, do you understand it?
Clarify unusual words on their first
usage.
Avoid acronyms unless you know
the person understands them.
Learning Objective 2
Discuss the elements that create clear,
concise, and effective sentences.
Requisites of a good sentence
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The sentence is an important element of a
written structure. A good sentence needs to
look atClarity:
Adequate Punctuation
Clear Pronoun Reference
Correct word order
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Consistency:
Main idea
Diction
Grammatical Correctness: Tense Consistency, subjectverb agreement
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Economy:
Precision
Avoiding circumlocution
Developing Sentences
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Compose clear sentences.
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Use short sentences.
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Prefer active voice in sentences.
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Give sentences appropriate
emphasis.
Learning Objective 3
Develop clear, concise, logical,
coherent, and effective paragraphs.
The paragraph is a series of
sentences developing
one point.
Effective Paragraphs
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Use short paragraphs.
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Give paragraphs unity.
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Organize paragraphs logically.
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Give paragraphs appropriate emphasis.
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Provide paragraph coherence.
The Topic Sentence
The topic of a paragraph is stated in one
sentence. This is called the topic sentence.
Developing Paragraphs
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Inductive order: Details, ideas, illustrations
and arguments lead to a conclusion. (Topic
sentence at the end of the paragraph)
Deductive order: States an idea, which is
illustrated. (Topic sentence in the beginning of
the paragraph)
Interrupted method: (In the middle of the
paragraph)
Implied: The idea may not be explicitly
stated but is implied in every sentence
Question to Answer order
Chronological
Linear
The rest of the paragraph consists of
sentences that develop or explain the
main idea.
Through
the
centuries
rats
have
managed to survive all our efforts to
destroy them. We have poisoned them
and
trapped
them.
We
have
fumigated, flooded, and burned them.
We have tried germ warfare. Some
rats even survived atomic bomb tests
conducted on Entwetok atoll in the
Pacific after World War II. In spite of all
our efforts, these enemies of ours
continue to prove that they are the most
indestructible of pests.
Unity in the Paragraph
Every sentence in a paragraph should support the main
idea expressed in the topic sentence.
Coherence in a Paragraph
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Stick to the point:
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Put details or examples or
The ideas
have a clear and logical relation to each
other.
incidents in logical order.
chronological
in relation to each other
in order of importance
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Connecting Sentences
Within the Paragraph
Transition words
chronological
order
objects in relation to
one another
in order of
importance
first
next to
however
meanwhile
in front of
furthermore
later
beside
as a result
afterwards
between
in fact
finally
behind
yet
Types of Paragraphs
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The narrative paragraph
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The persuasive paragraph.
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tries to convince the audience
The descriptive paragraph
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tells a story
describes something
The expository or explanatory
paragraph
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gives information or explains something
Aspects of text organisation
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Cohesion
Punctuation
Reference(s)
Coherence
Cohesion
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All the parts or ideas should fit together
well so they form a united whole. This is
done by using:
Pronouns (this/these, it/he/she)
Repetition
Synonyms
Cohesive markers (firstly, secondly,
however, furthermore, however)
Words with the same root (e.g.
commerce >commercialisation, diversify
> diversification)
Punctuation
Some common problems are:
 Misuse of commas
 Confusion between colons (:)which
introduce lists and semi-colons
(;)which separate parts of
sentences
 Very long sentences with no division
of clauses
 Misuse of capital letters
 Misuse of apostrophes
Punctuation Makes a Difference
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what love is
all about. You are generous, kind,
thoughtful. People who are not like you
admit to being useless and inferior. You
have ruined me for other men. I yearn
for you. I have no feelings whatsoever
when we're apart. I can be forever
happy, will you let me be yours?
Maria.
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what love is.
All about you are generous, kind,
thoughtful people, who are not like
you. Admit to being useless and
inferior. You have ruined me. For other
men, I yearn. For you, I have no
feelings whatsoever. When we're
apart, I can be forever happy. Will you
let me be?
Yours, Maria.
Reference
Pronouns are one of the most
common ways to refer back in a
text but take care not to confuse
the readers.
example: The dog bit the man and
his son. He had been teasing it.
Who does ‘he’ refer to?
Coherence
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This is achieved by applying the
principles of cohesion and ordering
the text logically.
examples
Chronological order
General > specific information
Most important >least important
factors
Most common > least common
factors
Learning Objective 4
Use
appropriate
ensure
unbiased
messages.
alternatives
to
language
in
Unbiased Language
Language should be unbiased and
respectful
of
all
individuals
regardless of race, gender, culture,
age,
ability,
religion,
socioeconomic status.
or
Learning Objective 5
Use
words
and
combinations
of
words that not only are understood
by your receiver but also reveal who
you are—words that give style and
distinction to your messages.
Personalizing Your Message
Use
words
and
combinations
of
words that not only are understood
by your receiver but also reveal who
you are-words that give style and
distinction to your message.
BAD PARAGRAPH
In Alice Walker’s "To Hell with Dying," Mr. Sweet was a
good companion for the narrator and her siblings. Mr. Sweet
always made the narrator feel special. She loved to be
around him and was overjoyed whenever he would visit her.
Mr. Sweet played with the children just as if he were a child
himself. Mr. Sweet also displayed a great deal of respect for
the narrator and her family. Even though his alcoholism and
lifestyle was a bad influence on the children, his virtues far
outweighed his faults. Mr. Sweet had a positive impact on
the children that would last their entire lives. He was
compassionate, caring, and honest, and the children learned
to respect themselves and others from their experiences with
Mr. Sweet. He also inspired the children to succeed. Mr.
Sweet's lifestyle did not make him an excellent role model
for the children, but he was always an excellent companion.
REASON
The reason is that there is no
argument at all presented in the
paragraph. Instead, the writer has
simply written a series of claims
with
no
supporting
evidence
whatsoever. In other words, there
are no facts from the story
presented in the paragraph to
convince readers that any of the
claims are believable.
Give one word for each of the following:
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Pertaining to compounds formed by chemical reaction
synthetic
as opposed to those of natural origineffecting organic changes metabolize
pertaining to preparation of drugs, medicines etc- pharmaceuticals
to recover or regain retrieve
pertaining to internal heat of the earthgeothermal
the science of mind or mental states or processes- psychology
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medicine used in the treatment of infectious
diseases - antibiotics
a person pursuing the science of vital and
social statistics, as of births, deaths, marriages
etc. - demographers
land capable of producing crops or suitable for
farming – arable
having or seeming to have the dimensions of
depth as well as width and height - three
dimensional
a broad range of varied but related ideas or
objects that form a continuous series or
sequence – spectrum
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a natural inclination or tendency – propensity
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generations yet to come- progeny
Abridge the following sentences
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He confessed that he was guilty of the
crime.
He confessed his guilt.
It is not outside the bounds of possibility
that a man who is an expert in the
study of languages can write grammar
of a language that he does not know.
It is not impossible for a linguist to write
grammar of an unknown language.
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Scintillate, scintillate, asteroid minim.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
All
articles
that
coruscate
with
resplendence are not truly auriferous.
All that glitters is not gold.
Members of an avian species of identical
plumage tend to congregate.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Surveillance should precede saltation.
Look before you leap.
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Pulchritude possesses solely cutaneous
profundity.
Beauty is only skin deep.
Exclusive
dedication
to
necessitous
chores without interludes of hedonistic
diversion renders Jack a hebetudinous
fellow.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull
boy.
Where there are visible vapors having
their provenance in ignited carbonaceous
materials, there is conflagration
Where there's smoke, there's fire!