A style of writing that values simplicity, directness, and clarity
Acceptable to write in everyday language
Saves time and improves clarity
Endorsed by government, businesses, professions, and industries that value
comprehensibility
Ex.: I will arrange my daily schedule.
Why is plain style effective for business writing?
It helps the audience remember the message
In plain style, sentence lengths should be no more than how many words?
20
To incorporate the plain-language style, which of the following should a writer practise?
Avoiding passive-voice constructions
What are three principles of plain style writing?
Using common, everyday words, except for necessary technical terms; using reasonable
sentence lengths; using the active voice and phrasal verbs; using personal pronouns (I, you and
we); using unambiguous language; and placing the subject as close as possible to the verb
*** Plain language is good for business because it saves time, puts readers first, makes ideas
and information meaningful
Achieving Conciseness
Writing should be concise, complete, and polite
Be aware that “time is money”
Shorten as much as possible
Avoid sounding choppy, blunt, or rude
Ex.: Please review and comment on attached file.
What are three ways to achieve conciseness?
Include eliminating long lead-ins; revising noun conversions; eliminating redundancies;
eliminating or revising empty words and phrases; using strong verbs; revising wordy
prepositional phrases; eliminating fillers; shortening multiple that/which/who clauses; and
combining shorter sentences
, *** A technique to achieve conciseness is : eliminating redundancies. Writers should eliminate
unplanned repetitions, or redundancies, such as exactly identical.
*** Writers should try to save their reader’s time by writing concise documents; however,
overdone conciseness can create a tone that seems blunts or rude
Writing with Consistency
Number: don’t switch from singular to plural or opposite when referring to the same
thing
Person: don’t switch the frame of reference from first to second or third person (I, you,
she, he, it, they...)
Verb tense: show time changes only when logic requires them
Voice: don’t shift unnecessarily from active to passive voice
What is true about writing concisely?
Conciseness must be balanced with completeness and politeness
What is a technique to achieve conciseness?
Eliminating or revising empty words and phrases
Parallelism
Use of the same grammatical forms or sentence structures to express equivalent ideas
Tone: Personal and Impersonal style
Personal style Impersonal style
Warm and friendly Seems objective and detached
Use of first- and second-person pronouns Use of third-person pronouns
Seems like it is delivering the writer’s Commonly used for announcements and
perspective policy statements
Ex.: I am sorry to tell you that subscription Ex.: Subscription rates have increased by less
rates have increased by less than 5 percent than 5 per cent
What is true about an impersonal style?
It uses a mix of sentence lengths
To develop a polite tone, what should writers do?
Develop a courteous tone that is natural and friendly
A confident tone includes:
Data and informative material
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