BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BBA

FUNDAMENTALS OF BUSINESS WRITING

ADAPTATION AND THE SELECTION OF WORDS CONSTRUCTION OF CLEAR SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS WRITING FOR EFFECT
I. ADAPTATION AND THE SELECTION OF WORDS

The study of clear business writing logically begins with adaptation. By adaptation we mean fitting the message to the specific reader. You should form your message to fit that persons mind. This process of adaptation begins with visualizing what the reader imagine, what he feels, thinks and such. In many business situations, adapting to your reader means writing on a level lower than the one you would normally use. In writing to less educated workers, for e ample you may need to simplification, for highly educated people you may write differently. !t times adapting to multiple reader, if you write for one person in the group, you may miss the others. To communicate with all of them, write for the lowest member of the group. There fore adaptation is a basic rule which underlines all writing aspects. "#$$%"TI&'" (&) "%*%+TI'$ ,&)"electing the write word is a part of a adaptation. (ollowing are some suggestions to help you select words. These suggestions stress simplicity for three reasons ./0 1any people tend to write at a difficult level .20 The writer usually knows the sub3ect better than the readers and .40 The results of research based on writing skills support simplicity. "#$$%"TI&' (&) ,&)- "%*%+TI&' #sing familiar words to communicate related to the language that most of us use in everyday conversation. % ample Instead of using the terminate, use end. Instead of using endeavor use try. !t the same time the suggestion to use familiar words does not rule out some use of more difficult words. -ifficult words are not all bad. #se them when they fit your needs and are understood. #"% "*!'$ !'- 5&5#*!) +*I+6%" ,IT6 +!#TI&' !t any given time in any society same slang words and clich7s are in vogue. #se popular slang and clich7s when meaningful. Thus you should use such e pressions always only in informal communication with people who know and appreciate them.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BBA

+6&&"% "6&)T ,&)-"8 $enerally short words communicate better than long words. "ome times e ceptions e ist. You should concentrate on short words and use long words with caution. #se a long word only when you think you reader knows it.

#"% T%+6'I+!* ,&)-" !'- !+)&'Y1" ,IT6 +!#TI&' %very field of business, accounting, information systems, and finance has its technical language. This language can be so comple that is some cases specialized dictionaries are compiled. These words are useful when you communicate with people inn your field. But they do not communicate with outsiders. #se them with caution. "ome e amples 9 covered employment, cerebral vascular accident, annuity, bob tail etc. These words are all well known to people in special fields, but not to most outsiders. Initials including acronyms should be used with caution too. "pell out and define as needed. "%*%+T ,&)-" ,IT6 )I$6T "T)%'$T6 !'- :I$&) In a way, words are like people, they have personalities some words are strong and vigorous. "ome are weak and dull and some fall between these e tremes. $ood writers know these differences and they consider them carefully. They use the words that do the best 3ob of carrying the intended meaning. !s a rule, they make the stronger words stand out. To select words wisely, you should consider shades of difference in meanings. % ample bear market is stronger than generally declining market; mother is stronger than female parent. "ometimes weaker words serve your purpose best. :erbs are the strongest words. :erbs are action words. 'ouns are second which are the doers of the action, heroes of the sentence. !d3ectives and adverbs are weak words. They involve 3udgment. #se them sparingly. #"% +&'+)%T% *!'$#!$% $ood communication is marked by words that form sharp and clear meaning in the mind. These are concrete words and you should prefer them in your writing. They stand for things that e ist in the real world8 deck, chair, and road. !bstract nouns on the other hand cover broad meanings 9 concepts, ideas and the like. Their meaning is general, as in their e ample administration, communication etc. +oncreteness also involves how we put words to gather. % act or specific wordings are concrete, vague and general wordings are abstract. #"% !+TI:% :&I+% ,hile writing prefer the active voice than passive voice. In active the sub3ect does the action, in passive voice it receives the action. !ctive voice is stronger and shorter. % ample8 5assive voice8 The result were reported in our <#*Y = letter

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BBA

!ctive voice8 we reported the result in our <#*Y = letter. !t times passive voice is better when the doer of the action is not important. 5assive voice helps avoid accusing the reader and passive voice is better when the performer is not known. Your decision on whether to use active or passive voice is not simply a matter of choice. It is also better when the writer prefer not to name the performer. "%*%+T ,&)-" (&) 5)%+I"% 1%!'I'$8 ,riting re>uires some knowledge of language. In fact, the greater your knowledge of language, the better you are likely to write. You should study language and learn the shades of the difference in meanings of other words. #se correct idiom. By idiom we mean the ways things are said in a language you can use idioms for certain reasons but violations of idiom rule affect the reader. "#$$%"TI&'" (&) '&' -I"+)I1I'!T&)Y ,)ITI'$8 By discrimination .or0 discriminatory words we mean words that do not treat all people e>ually and with respect. !void words that discriminate against se , race, nationality, age, se ual orientation or disability. ,e often use discriminatory words without bad intent. a0 #se gender 9neutral words 8 !void using masculine pronouns for both se es .he, his,him0 b0 You can make the reference plural .their, them , they0 c0 You can e press neutral by . he or she , he?she , you, they etc0 d0 !void words suggesting male dominance . 1an@made to manufactured, Businessman to business e ecutive, salesman to sales e ecutive0 e0 -ont use words which lower the status of women f0 !void words that stereotype by race, nationality, se ual orientation, old age, disability.

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