Writing Letters

Letters go outside the organization and can be on paper or via e-mail. E-mail letters must meet the same requirements as paper letters for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.


· Make sure you have the correct spelling for the recipient’s name.
· Make sure the address is correct.
· Formal letters use “Dear Title Last Name:” for a salutation; informal letters use “Dear First Name,”
· Be courteous, but get to the point.
· Avoid jargon and biz-write and explain acronyms.
· Be specific, not vague. Make sure nothing is open for interpretation.
· End with action that the recipient needs to take or that you will take.
· Use a signature.

Conjunctions

There are seven coordinating conjunctions called FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Coordinating conjunctions position themselves between words in a series. Coordinating conjunctions are words that connect other words and parts of sentences.

· FOR - introduces the reason for the preceding clause.
· AND - joins two similar ideas together
· NOR - used in the correlative pair, neither-nor
· BUT - joins two contrasting ideas together
· OR - joins two alternative ideas
· YET - is similar to 'but' as it also joins two contrasting ideas together
· SO - shows that the second idea is the result of the first

Don’t start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

Improve Your Vocabulary

Using the right word is important; learning new words is also important. Having a good vocabulary gives you credibility and authority. Knowing what a word means and how to correctly pronounce it is the mark of a professional.

• Read. Reading is one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary.
• Get a good dictionary and use it. Look up every word you don’t recognize.
• Spend one hour a week browsing through the dictionary and set a goal to learn the meaning at least 20 new words each week. Use them in your conversation the following week. Put the words, their meaning, and pronunciation on a 3x5 index card and carry the cards with you.
• Practice the words when you have pockets of time.
  Each week, buy one newspaper from a different area of the country. If you live on the West coast, buy a Florida paper. Try to identify how that newspaper uses words. Is it different from the newspaper you are used to? If so, what’s different?
• Each month, read one magazine you have never read before to expand your vocabulary in new areas.
• Do crossword puzzles and word games.
• Ask someone you trust to correct you when you misuse or mispronounce a word.
• Play Scrabble® with someone who has a better vocabulary than you.
• Use a thesaurus to learn words with similar and opposite meanings.
• Buy and use a book designed to help you improve your vocabulary.
  

Capitalization

Capitalize:
· The first word of every sentence.
· The days of the week and months of the year.
· Proper names and trade names; the names of geographic regions, government
agencies, specific landmarks, streets, buildings, works of art, religious groups, and holidays;
and acronyms.
· Titles that appear before a proper name, e.g., President-elect Barack Obama.

Paragraph Construction

A paragraph uses several related sentences to develop a single subject or a single aspect of a large subject. A paragraph is constructed with a topic sentence, several sentences that support and expand the topic sentence, and a concluding sentence that draws the paragraph to a close and/or transitions to the next paragraph. The writer moves the reader from one paragraph to the next by repeating key words, phrases, and thoughts.

The topic sentence states what the paragraph is all about. It sets the reader’s expectations and is usually the first sentence of a paragraph. It states the point you are going to make in the paragraph. All the following sentences expand on the topic sentence and serve to prove your point. The entire paragraph works together and has no extraneous elements. It is focused and direct.

Most business writing is explanatory and/or persuasive.

Explanatory paragraphs answer who, what, where, when, why, and how. They are used to interpret facts, give directions, or provide reasons.

Persuasive paragraphs communicate the writer’s opinions and attempt to influence and persuade the reader to adopt an idea, support a cause, or take action. With persuasive paragraphs, you:

- Develop an opinion, which is stated in the topic sentence.
- Add support by using facts, figures, expert opinion, comparison, etc.
- Acknowledge and refute arguments for the other side.
- Anticipate and answer questions.
- End with a call to action.

Writing Mistakes: Using a Negative Tone

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 are need for graduation, students need 48 units to qualify for graduation. Our records show that you have earned 46 units. Two additional units will be required to for graduation. If you have any questions or want to discuss this, please contact me.

Parallel Construction

Parallel construction means that like parts of a document are treated in the same way. Parallel construction helps create logical flow, so the reader can move through the document. When parallel construction is violated, readers subconsciously know something is wrong, even if they can’t recognize what it is.

When you use bullets, numbers, heads, or subheads, pay attention to parallel construction. Most bullets are organized with a lead verb. With numbers, each number usually is a complete, stand-alone sentence. Here’s an example of proper parallel construction for bullets:

Correct: Here’s the plan for communicating the new vacation procedures:
· Draft the procedures.
· Have the draft reviewed.
· Revise draft.
· Obtain approvals.

In the above example, each bullet starts with a verb. Here’s the same example, but in this case, the bullets do not follow parallel construction:

Incorrect: Here’s the plan for communicating the new vacation procedures:
· Draft the procedures.
· The draft is reviewed.
· The draft is revised.
· Obtaining approvals.

Parallel construction also applies to sentences.

· Incorrect: Reading a book is easier than to write one.
· Correct: Reading a manual is easier than writing one.

· Incorrect: Jane researched her book reading archives and by interviewing subject matter experts.
· Correct: Jane researched her book by reading archives and by interviewing subject matter experts.

Revise before Sending

Revision is your opportunity to make sure your document does what you want it to do. This is the process by which you hone your work so that it communicates clearly what you mean and is easy to read and understand. The best-written documents are revised.

Don’t revise immediately after you finish writing. Most of us need to let a first draft “cool off” before we can objectively evaluate what’s wrong with it.

• Cut. Cut. Cut.
• Look at every sentence and eliminate redundancies.
• Replace vague phrases and words with concrete ones.
• Delete adjectives and adverbs.
• Eliminate passive voice. Passive voice is the use of the verb “to be.” Where appropriate, turn passive sentences into active ones. Active voice is more direct and concise.

Business Writing Workshop - Good Business Writing Starts With the End in Mind

To improve business writing:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Business-Writing-Workshop---Good-Business-Writing-Starts-With-the-End-in-Mind&id=1529482

Adjective comparatives

Adjectives describe nouns and other adjectives -- brown puppy or chocolate brown puppy. They show what kind, how many, and which one. Adjectives must be placed near the words they modify. They may come before the word they describe -- a cute puppy -- or they may follow the word they describe -- the puppy is cute.

Comparatives compare two things connected with "than" or "but." Examples:

- Steve is older than Carl.
- Steve is older, but Carl is taller.

Note: When using pronouns, the subject form of the pronoun always follows "than." Example:

- Steve is older than I [am].

Superlatives compare more than two things and usually use "the" because only one element is the superlative. Examples:

- Sears Tower in Chicago is the tallest building in North America.
- The Empire State Building in New York is tall, but the Sears Tower in Chicago is taller. Taipei 101 in Taiwan is the tallest building in the world.

For tips on developing as a professional, go to http://developingasaprofessional.blogspot.com/