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.

Quick Comma Rules

· Separate items in a series that are not joined by conjunctions, e.g., “The sandwich
is made of ham, cheese and lettuce." Omit the comma before the conjunction.
· Separate adverbs or adjectives modifying a single item, e.g., “Use the red, white,
and blue tablecloth.”
· Separate independent clauses with different subjects, e.g., “The light went out, and someone screamed.”
· Set off nonessential information and clauses, e.g., “My best friend, Annabelle, is
going to Europe this summer.”
· Set off contrasting expressions, e.g., “You should use a pie chart, not a bar chart.”

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.