Words, Sentences, Paragraphs

What style of writing works best for industry or business?

VerbsClutterMarket-speakPronounsTransitionsParallelismJargon

Verbs

• Use strong verbs.• Avoid passive.• Avoid overusing to be.• Vary verbs.• Keep same tense throughout.

Weak Verbiage

• Being that you are an employee, the form must be submitted at two o’clock.

Active Voice

• Active:– The employee found the stapler.

• Passive:– The stapler was found by the employee.

• Use active voice unless you want to– Add variety.– Emphasize the object.– Leave out the subject.

Good Uses for Passive

1. The orders were not prepared in time for the delivery.

2. The President was honored today in a special ceremony by the U.S. Navy.

Reword

1. After the report has been completed and submitted, the card must be inserted into the clock.

2. The task was completed by Tim.3. The homework was done by someone

other than the person whom it was supposed to be done by.

Phrases to Avoid

• Through the use of• In order to/for• On the part of• As to whether• In the case of• For the purpose of • Being that

Sentence Makeover

1. For a good grade to occur, you will need to make good use of your study time.

2. There is widespread abuse of alcohol on this college campus by students.

3. If you hear the alarm, you will leave the building immediately.

4. Quickly, douse that flame through the use of a fire extinguisher!

Avoid Marketspeak

1. Install the nutritious and delicious Pop-It Toast Supreme into your primary toasting mechanism—it’s a no brainer!

2. Our team will facilitate a seamless knowledge transfer to the client-base, improve workflow, and do some heavy lifting towards generating buzz.

3. Pursuant to the operational procedure, you are expected to outflow a minimum content generation of 1,000 word units.

Cut the Fluff

1. Due to the fact that some students have not been in the habit of paying attention, I have little choice but to give a pop quiz.

2. This report should provide some clarification of the issue.

3. In order to secure a more accurate inspection of the specimen, I used the high-power lens in spite of my supervisor’s request not to make use of it.

Official Style

Passive/impersonalComplex verb constructions Latin diction (-shun, -zed)Long windupsLong strings of

prepositional phrasesDifficult/tedious to read

aloudEuphemistic (buzzwords)

What is Solutionize?• Solutionize is a breakthrough knowledge and

services platform for Technology Solutions that dramatically reduces costs, exposes new revenue opportunities, facilitates and simplifies partner collaboration, and knowledge enables a vendor's sales force. It provides a solution dimension that simplifies collaborative e-commerce between partners selling combined solutions.

Pronouns

• Make sure the pronoun fits the antecedent.– Number– Gender– Case

• Consider using plural nouns or specific words to avoid the “he/she” problem.

• Every student will need to bring their books to every class.

• Them and me will send our recommendation to he and she.

• An electrician must wear his rubber-soled boots at all times.

When to use you?

• When writing instructions or guides, use you and imperative verbs.– After you have installed the software, click the

green button to proceed to the next step.• Make sure the “you” is referring to the

actual reader.– You must wear a jockstrap while sparring.

That and Which

• Place a comma before which.– I bought these bulb at Menard’s, which was

offering a discount on them.• Do not place a comma before that.

– I have assembled all of the ingredients that are called for by the recipe.

Commonly Confused Words

Effect is a noun; affect is a verb.• I loved the special effects in that film.• I was not affected by the change in policy.

All ready/Already• We were all ready for the party.• We were already late for it.

Accept/Except Lose/loose

Sentences

• Write short to medium sentences (less than 30 words).

• Avoid repetition.• Don’t put more than one idea in a single

sentence.• Use lists when appropriate.

1. The homework should be completed in a timely and orderly fashion in order for the student who is assigned the homework to earn a good grade on the homework.

2. School is not actually boring, and I have found that coffee is not good for me to drink before having breakfast.

Lists

• Maintain parallelism • Make sure order is appropriate• Consider mentioning # of items

beforehand.• Be wary of bulleting unimportant lists.• If the items are longer than a phrase or

short sentence, put them in paragraph form.

Lists Geometry students should bring three

tools to each class: Graphing Calculator Protractor Compass.

Today we will discuss six types of pronouns: personal, demonstrative, indefinite, reflexive, reciprocal, and relative.

• Notify your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:– Sudden dizziness.– You discover that your finger or toes are

turning blue.– Temporary loss of hearing.

Transitions

• I have never had a problem earning an A in any of my classes. I earned a C in Chemistry.

• Ted was one of the luckiest guys I know. Yesterday, his car exploded into flame, and he died in the fire.

Paragraphs

• Vary the length of your paragraphs.• Place transitions between paragraphs.

• I voted in the last election. I voted for John Smith. John Smith was the only Whig candidate running for the office. The office was mayor. John Smith would have made a good mayor. I am certain. John Smith did not win the election. That is unfortunate.

Sections

• Divide up long documents into sections.– Begin each section with a proper header.

• Don’t go more than three levels deep.– Don’t treat section names as body text.

What should you consider when using expert terminology?

1. After the flop, you’ll have a better idea of the strength of your hand.

2. If you have PC, search the vehicle.3. Please do not install any cracks or

keygens on university computers.

Problems?

• Please submit your TPS Report (Test Procedure Specialization) as soon as you arrive for work. Submit your TPS Form (Training Personnel Schedule) before leaving for the day.

Helpful Section Headings

• Selecting a rod.– Wood vs. Fiberglass– Long vs. Short Rods

• Selecting a reel.– Open Face Reels– Spin Cast Reels

Bad Section Headings

• Section 1– Part One– Part Two

• Fishing Guidebook– Anglers– Stuff to Know– What to Do