Using statistics

Speaking of sources, if you used a statistic, you need to provide your audience with additional information including where the statistic came from. You should be wary of statistics that seem to appear out of nowhere.
· A poor example: The ten largest cities in the U.S. comprised 54% of the total U.S. population.
· A good example: According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2000, the ten largest cities in the U.S. comprised 54% of the total U.S. population.
In the second example, your audience knows exactly where the statistic comes from (if they don't believe your statistic, they can go and check themselves) and it comes from a reputable source (the U.S. Census Bureau).
This information is from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/672/02/. Visit the OWL website for more information on writing.

Use Positive Wording

Use positive wording Your writing will be more successful if you focus on positive wording rather than negative since words that affect your reader positively are likely to produce the response you want. A positive emphasis helps persuade the reader and creates goodwill. In contrast, negative words may generate resistance.

Avoid judgmental words such as “you claim,” “failed to, “neglected to,” and “lack of.” Avoid words with negative connotations such as no, do not, refuse, and stop and words that convey unhappy or unpleasant associations such as unfortunately, unable to, cannot, mistake, problem, error, damage, loss, and failure. In a few cases, you may want to use the negative for emphasis. There is a difference in tone between the contracted form and the two-word form--“can’t” and “cannot” or “don't” and “do not.”

Negative: In response to your question about how many units are needed to meet minimum graduation requirements, I regret to report that you are two short of the requirement.

Positive: In response to your question about how many units you need for graduation, students need 48 units to qualify for graduation. Our records show you have earned 46 units. You will need two more units for graduation. If you have any questions or want to discuss this, please contact me.

Use the Right Word

As Mark Twain once quipped, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

When you are sick to your stomach, are you nauseated or nauseous? If you say "nauseous," you're telling people that you are making them sick to their stomachs. Oops!

Is everytime one word or two? It's always two words. But what about everyone? Check out this website for the answer: Common Errors in English: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors

Bookmark this terrific website, and you'll never use the wrong word again.