1、McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies,All Rights Reserved.4-2Making Your Writing Easy to ReadGood StyleHalf TruthsBetter StyleTen Ways to Make Writing Easier to ReadReadability FormulasOrganizational Preferences4-3Good Business&Administrative Writing Style Closer to conversat
2、ion Varies by audience Contains easy-to-read words,sentences,and paragraphs Attention to visual impact Less formal than academic writing(except reports)4-4Half-Truths about Style1.Write as you talk2.Never use I3.Never begin sentence with and or but4.Never end sentence with preposition5.Big words imp
3、ress people1/24-5Write 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 edit4-6Never 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,sai
4、d,sawits smoother4-7Never 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 smoother4-8Never End a Sentence with a Preposition:Yes.But Yes A preposition may not be worth emphasizing
5、 this way Readers expect something to follow a preposition Avoid in job application letters,reports,formal presentations But OK now and then4-9Big 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 misunders
6、tood Misused words make you look foolish 4-10Building Better Style Write WIRMI:What I Really Mean Is Read draft aloud to person three feet away Ask someone to read draft aloudNo stiff wordsFix words where reader stumbles4-11Building Better Style,continued Read widely;write a lot Study revised senten
7、ces Polish your style with 10 techniques4-12Ten Ways to Make Your Writing Easy to ReadAs you draft1.Use accurate,appropriate,and familiar words2.Avoid technical jargon;eliminate business jargon4-13Ten Ways to Make Your Writing Easy to Read,continuedAs you write and revise3.Use active verbs most of t
8、he time4.Use verbsnot nounsto carry weight of sentence5.Eliminate wordiness6.Vary sentence length and structure7.Use parallel structure8.Put readers in your sentences4-14Ten Ways to Make Your Writing Easy to Read,continuedAs you draft and revise paragraphs9.Begin most paragraphs with topic sentence1
9、0.Use transitions to link ideas4-151.Use Accurate,Appropriate Words Denotationliteral meanings;dictionary definitions Bypassingtwo people using same word to mean different things;causes mix-ups Connotationemotional association;attitude -/+nosy/curious fearful/cautious obstinate/firm tax/user fee4-16
10、2.Use Familiar Words Words most people know Words that best convey your meaning Shorter,more common words Specific,concrete words 4-17Use Short,Simple AlternativesStuffySimplereside live commence beginenumerate list finalize finish,complete utilize use4-18Avoid JargonMostly Jargonspecial terms of te
11、chnical field Use in job application letters Use when essential and known to reader Replace with plain English,when possible4-19Omit Business Jargon Businesseseneedless,old-fashioned wordingExampleAlternativeEnclosed please find Here is As per your requestAs you askedI acknowledge receipt of(begin r
12、eply)The undersigned Me 4-203.Use Active Verbs Activesubject of sentence does action the verb describes Passivesubject is acted upon Usually includes form of“to be”Change to active if you can Direct object becomes subject4-21Passive vs.Active Verbs P:The program will be implemented by the agencies.A
13、: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.4-22Passive vs.Active Verbs,continued Active verbs are better because Shorter Clearer More interesting Passive verbs are better to Emphasize
14、 object receiving action Give coherence by repeating word in previous sentence Avoid placing blame4-234.Use Verbs to Carry WeightReplace this phrase with a verb make an adjustment make a decision perform an examination take into consideration adjustdecideexamineconsider4-245.Eliminate Wordiness Word
15、yidea can be said in fewer words Concise;a mark of good writing Omit words that say nothing Use gerunds and infinitives Combine sentences to save words Put the meaning in subject and verb4-25Omit Words that Say Nothing Cut words if idea is clear without them.period of three months.at the present tim
16、e Replace wordy phrase with one word Ideally,it would be best to put the.If possible,put the There are three reasons for our success Three reasons explain the4-26Use Gerunds&Infinitives Gerund“ing”form of verb used as noun Infinitiveverb preceded by“to”The completion of the project requires the coll
17、ection and analysis of additional data.Completing the project requires us to collect and analyze more data.wordytight4-27Combine 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 Infant
18、e projected first-quarter sales of$43 million,actual sales are$1.9 million less than that.wordytight4-28Put 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
19、accurate data.Computerizing the process will give us more accurate data more quickly.wordytight4-296.Vary Sentence Length&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 copy Reduce r
20、epetition4-30Vary Sentence Length&Structure,continued Group words into chunks Keep verb close to subject Mix sentence structures Simple 1 main clause Compound 2 main clauses Complex 1 main,1 subordinate clause4-317.Use Parallel Structure:Example During the interview,job candidates will Take a skills
21、 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.faultyparallel4-328.Put Readers in Your Sentences:Example An elec
22、tion to name a beneficiary other than the participants spouse must be made with spousal consent,for any participant who is married.If you are married,you need your spouses consent to name a beneficiary other than your spouse.“You”gives the second example more impact4-339.Begin Most Paragraphs with T
23、opic Sentence Unity discusses one idea;a mark of good writing Topic sentencestates main idea Tells what paragraph is about Forecasts paragraphs structure Helps readers remember points4-3410.Use Transitions to Link Ideas Transitionsignals the connections between ideas to the reader Tells if next sent
24、ence continues or starts new idea Tells if next sentence is more or less important than previous 4-35Use Transitions to Link Ideas To add or continue an idea also likewise in addition similarly first,second,finallyconsequently To introduce an example For example To illustrate For instance Specifical
25、ly IndeedAs shown in Table 24-36Use Transitions to Link Ideas To show contrast or on the other hand To show contrast more important than previous idea but however nevertheless To show time after in the future next until whenbefore4-37Readability Formulas&Style Measures text features,such as Average
26、word length Average sentence length Syllables per word Ignores real difficulty factors Complexity of ideas Organization of ideas Layout and design4-38Instead of Readability Formulas Test drafts on actual audiences.How long to find information they need?Do they make mistakes using it?Do they think dr
27、aft is easy to use?4-39Organizational Preferences in Writing Style Good writing varies by organization Preferred style should be used When preferred style is bad Use techniques in this chapter Help boss learn about good writing Recognize that a style may serve a purpose Ask about poor examples you find
