Lecture 2

STEPS TO EFFECTIVE
WRITING
 2.1 Writing Process
3 stages:
 Prewriting
- analysing purpose of writing & audience
 Writing
- organising & composing message
 Revising
- proofreading & revising message
 2.2 Analysing Purpose &
Audience
Important Questions:
 Why am I sending this message?
 What do I hope to achieve?

Results - Help to determine:

 what & how much information to include
 how information is organised
 how information is presented (tone)
 2.2 Analysing Purpose &
Audience
Selecting the most appropriate channel
Determinant Factors (Guffey & Almonte, 2005):
 importance of the message
 amount & speed of feedback required
 necessity of a permanent record
 cost of the channel
 degree of formality
 best practices in the organisation
 2.2 Analysing Purpose &
Audience
Analysing your audience enables you shape
your message in terms of:
 language use
 word choice
 tone appropriateness

Figure 2.1 provides some of the questions

asked to profile audience
2.3 CONSTRUCTING CORRECT
& EFFECTIVE SENTENCES
In communication writing, it is important that
language used is accurate for several
reasons (p. 3):
 to establish a relationship
 to communicate ideas precisely
 to convey good corporate image
2.3 CONSTRUCTING CORRECT
& EFFECTIVE SENTENCES
The process of writing involves the construction of
sentences, thus let’s look at the fundamentals of
sentence constructions.

Basic sentence elements:

 Complete sentence
 Clauses
 Phrases
 Complete Sentence
A complete sentence is a
group of words that:
contains a subject
contains a verb
expresses a complete thought
Task 1
Which of the following are complete sentences?

 The report is clear and complete.

 The secretary types our reports.
 Don’t panic!
 Please switch off the computers.
 The man carrying some files.
 Was very attractive.
 The manager made.
 Clauses & Phrases
They are the key building blocks
of sentences
Clauses have subjects and
verbs
Phrases do not
E.g.:

By reading carefully, we

learned about the merger.

She left the room without

saying a word.
E.g.:

 Mary replies most customers’

letters because she writes
well.

 If you are away, you should

redirect your e-mail
messages.
 Clauses
 Independent Clauses
• are grammatically complete

 Dependent Clauses
• depend for their meaning on

independent clauses
• do not make sense by

themselves
• often introduced by subordinating

conjunctions
E.g.:
 Chris uses simple English.

 When Chris writes to

customers.

 When Chris writes to

customers, he uses simple
English.
 2.4 ACTIVE & PASSIVE
VOICE
Active voice
 The subject performs the action
expressed in the verb
 The subject acts

Mr. Wong completed the tax return

before the April 30 deadline.
 2.4 ACTIVE & PASSIVE
VOICE
Passive voice
The subject receives the action
expressed in the verb
The subject is acted upon

The tax return was completed

before the April 30 deadline.
In most situations, active voice is
preferable to passive.

Active( Direct)
The manager conducted the
interview.

Passive (Indirect)
The interview was conducted by the
manager.
Active (Direct)
John made an error in the
report.

Passive (Indirect)
• An error was made in the
report.
 A summary of the best use of
active- & passive-voice verbs:

Active Voice
• It is used for effective writing.
• It clearly tells what the action is &
who is performing the action.
• It is shorter.
Passive Voice
• To emphasize an action / the
recipient of the action

• To de-emphasize negative news

• To conceal the doer of an action

 Examples (when passive voice is preferable):

• You have been selected to represent us.

• If payment has been overlooked, I hope that

the account can be settled by end of this
month.

• Your watch has not been repaired.

• A major error was made in the estimate.

 2.5 PARALLEL STRUCTURE
 Parallelismis a writing technique that
involves balanced writing.
 Toachieve parallel construction, use similar
structures to express similar ideas.
 Tryto match nouns with nouns, verbs with
verbs, adverbs with adverbs, clauses with
clauses, infinitive with infinitive, -ing with -ing
forms, etc.
 Avoid mix forms
Examples:
Lacks parallelism
The market for industrial goods includes
manufacturers, contractors,
wholesalers, and those concerned with
the retail function.
Revision
The market for industrial goods includes
manufacturers, contractors,
wholesalers, and retailers.
Examples:
Lacks parallelism
Our primary goals are to increase
productivity, reduce costs, and the
improvement of product quality.
Revision
Our primary goals are to increase
productivity, reduce costs, and
improve product quality.
Examples:
Lacks parallelism
We are scheduled to meet in Toronto on
5th January, we are meeting in Montreal
on the 15th of March, and in London on
June 3.
Revision
We are scheduled to meet in Toronto
on 5th January, in Montreal on 15th
March, and in London on 3rd June.
Finally,
all items in a list should be
expressed in balanced constructions.

Example:
Three primary objectives of advertising
are as follows:
1.Increase the frequency of product use.
2.Introduce complementary products.
3.Enhance the corporate image.
 2.6 IMPROVING WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Some additional writing tips to make
communication more effective:
 Sentence length
- 20 or fewer words
- break long sentences up; beware of too many
monotonous short sentences

 Paragraph length
- Ideally, keep it within eight or fewer printed lines
 2.6 IMPROVING WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Some additional writing tips to make
communication more effective:
 Emphasis
- emphasis through mechanics
- emphasis through style
- choose words carefully and construct
sentences skilfully to emphasise or
de-emphasise ideas.
 2.6 IMPROVING WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Vivid words:
A customer said that he wanted the contract returned soon.
Mr Chin insisted that the contract be returned by 1 July.
Labelling main idea:
Explore the possibility of leasing the site, but also hire a
consultant.
Explore the possibility of leasing the site; but most important,
hire a consultant.
Important idea in simple sentence or independent clause
You are the first trainee whom we have hired for this
programme.
Although we considered many candidates, you are the first
trainee whom we have hired for this programme.
 UNIT 2 (Chapter Review)
STEPS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
2.1 Writing Process
2.2 Analysing purpose & audience
2.3 Sentence construction
2.4 Active & passive voice in business
writing
2.5 Parallel structure
2.6 Improving writing techniques