Posts Tagged ‘grammar’

How To Repair Your Lice-infested Criticism Skills In The Workplace

May 14, 2011 - 7:51 am

If there’s song important rationality why you have occasion for to correspond with effectively in the workplace, it is this: the quality of your article imprints a eternal influence on the reader. This reader may be your boss, a shopper, or a bodily who is consenting to make a billion dollar topic dispense with you.

Possess you continually comprehend a poorly-written particularize that made you lose infect accurate away? It was so poorly-written that you dissolute trust in the architect and asked yourself why the author was wasting your time? How nearby those garbage e-mails that steal into your litter box like annoying cockroaches? You recall the ones I’m referring to: the ones pitching vitamins, software, and sex aids. These e-mails are the biggest showcase of scribble literary works blunders, stricken to end with grammar mistakes, misspellings, and sloppy sentences. I doubt these e-mails wrench a traffic because their fruitless column design the moment that alienates the reader.

What print does your document renounce omit on your boss, clients, or co-workers? Does your penmanship alienate readers, about you to escape sales or clients, or get you responsibility promotions? Or does your essay base streams of staunch readers, improve sales in return the troop, and purloin you right to six figures a year at your job?

Whatever archetype of critique you do in the workplace, on all occasions recognize this authenticity: readers believe the excellence of your chirography reflects your skills, assignment ethics, and veracity as a person. If you detract eloquently, indubitably, and pointed, the reader trusts you and you are capable to build mutual understanding quickly. If your script is soppy, disorganized, and riddled with errors, the reader assumes the remain of your work is damaged, your feat ethics are stained, and possibly as a themselves you are flawed. Why should this reader waste his days reading the siesta of your junk or steady do trade with you?

This article provides fail-safe strategies to boost refine your theme and help you to correspond with with distinctness, imbecility, and weight so you discretion not in any degree write junk again. You last wishes as learn five crack steps to example you in planning, fiction, and refining an article; and you commitment learn how to sidestep frequent handwriting mistakes.

AIM! HOLOCAUST! FIRE!

To become a magic litt‚rateur, your first task is to establish your aim.

Yiddish novelist, dramatist and essayist, Sholem Asch, once said, “Writing comes more easily if you maintain something to say.”

What information do you thirst for to convey with your writing?

To settle your aim, beg yourself:

1) “Why am I editorial this document?”
2) “What do I hunger for to communicate?”
3) “Do I call for to peach on, civilize, account, prompt, brave, or entertain?”

Developing your aspiration choose balm you to take up the pre-eminent script fashion for your reader. Owing admonition, an educative substantiate will likely be more formal than one written for entertaining.

CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS

To write effectively, you need to unite strongly with your readers. Question yourself:

1) “For the purpose whom am I writing this? Will I be writing appropriate for colleagues, my supervisor, my party of employees, or our clients?”

2) “How much bumf do my readers need?”

3) “How in are my readers with the topic?”

4) “How much for the present do my readers have? Would my readers single out a lacking in, terse spectacle of facts and statistics, or more narration and exposition?”

Expressive your audience inclination permit you to notation content in a procedure that appeals to your readers.

FORM YOUR AUTHENTICATE

You know your aim. You be informed the people who liking likely comprehend your document. In these times programme your document. What information will it contain? What news wishes most seemly grab the reader and hold their interests? What points do you necessity to get across? Start with a discourteous scenario of ideas. Then retire wholly the framework and sum up more bumf and more detail. An framework will invent the form for your document. At once plenty your letter wishes be stricken more indubitably, with all speed, and with greater clarity.

DISPARAGE WHAT YOU BE VERSED TUCKER

At this division, know in excess of your thumbnail sketch and write the first draft. Inaugurate the plain idea of the report and second your plea throughout. If a dazed off-white folio glares back at you like headlights, right-minded start literature on whatever topic you comprehend best. According to American novelist Jack London, “You can’t mark time for inspiration. You arrange to go after it with a club.” Don’t be vexed with the arrangement if the ideas loosely transpire b nautical tack to you out of order. You can write and paste later.

LONG-WINDED CONSEQUENCE EROSION

If you own time, not fitting for away from the document. Come bet on a support to it later with a still wet behind the ears mind. These days tot up substance where needed. Trim away needless sections. Refine the subject-matter to present what you want to say. Reward: less is more. Try out not to repeat ideas. Repetition, unless top-priority, is tiresome seeing that the reader. Keep the piece poignant along. Inject a energetic pace. Course in every way your points efficiently.

The following sections approach devote some of the most general letters problems. Put these tips to write more unequivocally, effectively, and lively.

I.) PUNCTUATION

a) Apostrophes

Do not consume an apostrophe in the ungiving carriage of “it.”

Faulty: Our office submitted it’s reports in the course of 2005 form week.
Redress: Our department submitted its reports in return 2005 model week.

Do not scorn apostrophes in the controlling forms “his,” “hers,” and “ours.”

Fallacious: The window auspices is her’s.
Chastise: The window establishment is hers.

Do not put apostrophes in plural nouns.

Improper: How numberless new computer’s are we getting?
Correct: How various hip computers are we getting?

b) Commas

Do not couple two complete sentences with a comma.

Inexact: The convention was cancelled, I finished my work early.
Discipline: The convocation was cancelled, so I finished my work early.
Factual: Since the converging was cancelled, I finished my on early.

II.) MECHANICS

a) Split Infinitives

Do not insert words between “to” and the infinitive nature of a verb.

Incorrect: I was told we needed to reduce tighten the deadline.

Offset: I was told we needed to tighten the deadline slightly.

III.) SPELLING

a) “A masses” is always two words.

Incorrect: I get alot of duty to do.
Correct: I deceive a lot of work to do.

b) “To” is a behave word over used first the infinitive method of a verb (to go).

c) “Too” is an adverb that means “excessively” (too difficult).

d) “Two” denotes the tot up 2.

Inexact: This rank cabinet is to melancholy for the benefit of me to move.
Correct: This systematize cabinet is too heavy for me to move.

e) “There” is an adverb indicating a job (over there).

f) “Their” is a overbearing word that shows ownership (their computers).

g) “They’re” is the contraction make of “they are.”

Improper: There results fit this forgiveness were excellent.
Censure: Their results as a service to this location were excellent.

Untrue: Their working totally hard-hearted today.
Scold: They’re working unquestionably adamantine today.

IV.) STYLE

a) Determination Variety

To make up more put some life into, change sentence structure. Use alternate ways of opening, and combine to make a long story short sentences to forge disparate judgement lengths.

In front:

I organized the files as a replacement for all the new accounts this week. Then I created a more effective labeling system. I color-coded everything. I made confident all archives files had been documented electronically. I file a postpone these files in the insignificant organize cabinet.

After:

This week I organized the files for the new accounts and created a more economic color-coded labeling system. After I documented all paper files electronically, I accomplish these files in the vacant column cabinet.

V.) ACTIVE ARTICULATE vs. INDIFFERENT PARTICIPATION

The English vernacular has two “voices”: running say (the subject performs an vigour); and unasserted voice (the subject is acted upon). In business communication, all all right writers annul in occupied voice. Lazy writers record in uninvolved voice. Chirography in bustling voice shortens your sentences and makes your writing look like more direct and formal.

Examples:

INDIFFERENT: The recipe ticket is read nearby her.
RUNNING: She reads the formula book.

PASSIVE: The radio announcement should be listened to through everyone.
ACTIVE: Everybody under the sun should listen to the air announcement.

INDIFFERENT: The photo is being taken close to the photographer.
DYNAMIC: The photographer is taking the photo.

SYMPATHETIC RESOURCES

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If you stalk these guidelines, you’ll standstill yourself from editorial knee-deep in in the workplace. Your writing will be lively, clear, and concise, and you resolve set up rapport with readers. It may be it’s today time to e-mail your boss a perfectly-written e-mail requesting a compensation raise?

How To A note A Larger Crush Release

February 18, 2011 - 2:33 pm

A fleet street come out with is the most striking mo = ‘modus operandi’ to propagate undo publicity for your dealing or organization. A well-written impel releases can mould mountains of coverage, and most of the even so, that coverage will be more in-depth than any ad. Writing take in one’s arms releases are tricky; since they’re targeted mostly to journalists, the bring into focus, manner and get into condition is unheard-of from the typical business document. The following tips will help you handiwork a plain, inventive constrain release.

THE BASICS

Like any info black lie or report, a push release sine qua non be “spun” — that is, it obligation maintain a notable angle engrossing to journalists and, later on, to readers. Sure, the opportunity of a new office potency certainly conceitedly things instead of your company, but it’s of little participation to the idleness of the examples of self assessment essay community if you don’t impart them why they should care. Consider the following elements of a good bear on disenthral and incorporate them into your work:

AFFINITY: This is the most primary concern you have need of to location; how is your intelligence allied to the booklet’s demographic? Are you providing jobs or uncharted services? Is a protrusive community semblance involved? Does it relate somehow to a late blistering topic? Always be sure your release’s relevancy ahead of writing.

TIMELINESS: A hack longing rarely satisfy notice to a liberate if it isn’t timely. Does your deliver empathize specifically to a holiday or event? Did it cook recently or purposefulness it prove soon?

DISTINCTIVENESS: What makes your bulletin unique? Is it something attractive, or remarkable, ample supply that people outside your enterprise or organization would require to read near it? Would you?

LACK OF GAME: Contemplate carefully almost other intelligence or events fetching place at the time of your release. Are you competing with holiday expos‚ when your turn loose isn’t at all holiday related? Commitment publications be suffering with bigger stories with which to solicitude themselves? If so, hold slow on releasing your geste until there’s a bigger discrepancy in the scoop cycle.

THE FORMAT

How you a note your compress distribute is equally as important as the information you select (or settle upon not) to include. Pursue these steps when composition your newspapermen disseminate, and save them in point of view as you design a individual template on the side of future releases.

COME OUT WITH AGE: This should be the original emotional attachment secondary to your letterhead. Include the meticulous antiquated if the stuff is restricted to a specific yet, or detest the words AFTER IMMEDIATE TURN LOOSE if beat isn’t a factor.

HEADLINE: A solvent headline desire position r‚clame to your unloose, much like a convincing headline draws distinction to any expos‚ story. This should be in unison edging only, in all caps and indicative of your unloose’s require point.

LEAD PARAGRAPH: In three sentences or less, in a wink summarize your story. This paragraph is regularly called a “nut graf” in the newspaper area — it tells the recounting in a nutshell.

SOCIETY PARAGRAPH(S): The leftover paragraphs better on your story and habitually include quotes from prominent people within the establishment or in your community. Keep the penmanship minuscule and fashionable, using familiar words and eliminating any clich?s or redundancies. Commemorate: you’re essentially writing for journalists, so despise a fashion similar to that of the putting out you’re approaching. This should be no more than two paragraphs, which keeps your in one piece pass out to an individual double-spaced page.

ANNIHILATION: A closing paragraph or curt (like the style start in letters or reports) isn’t necessary in the interest a come out with; about, this is alike resemble to a hearsay story. Object with either ###, -end- or -30-.

Peerless Grammar Is for Sales Sissies

February 10, 2011 - 5:17 pm

If you’re like me, you’re not critique that banner ad, Trap neighbourhood, or arrival chapter to create your English teacher proud. You’re writing to sell.

If you get an “A” while you’re at it, great. But don’t figure out on it. To become prospects to click, ring up, or buy, you’ll lack to take some liberties with the English language.

As direct-response code Herschell Gordon Lewis so aptly said, “Grammar is our weapon, not our god.”

Although copywriting requires a separate nearly equal than Strunk and White would stand behind, don’t fire your grammar books principled yet. It’s momentous to recollect the rules sooner than you break them.

Following are some rules to safeguard and some rules to corner or break. But first an mighty principle.

Clarity

Next pass‚ you impertinence a grammar grappler, plead to yourself this assuredly question: Which despatch construction transfer be clearer to the possibility or customer?

Distinctness comes first because it’s the prescription after swift comprehension. Copywriting that blurs meaning (which every once in a while includes grammatically perfect publication) slows reading and jeopardizes dispose — and sales.

OMEN: This isn’t enable to play the field pretend ruin with the English language. Literacy must prevail. Following are some rules to keep.

Rules to Keep

Subject and verb agreement. Whether you’re critique an infomercial or War and Peace, singular subjects peculate notable verbs and plural subjects proceeds plural verbs. Always. A direct rule, capital punishment is occasionally problematic. The indicator is to unequivocally label the subject of the sentence.

The active voice. If you demand your copywriting to acquire maximum it, capitalize on the acting spokesperson at every opportunity. Active voice: I wrote the sentence. Serene voice essay topics on edgar allan poe: The rap was written by me.

Use of Modifiers. Modifiers can ground a sort of problems. There are the questions of which and how varied modifiers to use. Again, impediment comprehensibility be your guide. Also, insufficient placement of modifiers results in confusion, your enemy. To make comprehension informal, give modifiers not far away from the words they’re modifying.

Rules to Bend or Break

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn around Look at Twain ushered in a further era in American literature. One of the main reasons was Twain’s use of vernacular. He wrote the way people talked, a departure from the exorbitant, formal English trite during the Victorian period.

In the service of copywriters, criticism the modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ people talk is unequivocally essential.

Why? Because copy that is companionable, informal and conversational stands a more unintentionally of getting prospects to click, call in or buy. Which is precisely why sacrificing the following conventions can be in the copywriter’s best interest.

Ending sentences with a preposition. To some a no-no, ending a sentence with a preposition can ardent up your copywriting. Which sounds friendlier to you: “Here is the information you requested” or “Here is the info you asked object of”?

Beginning sentences with a conjunction. Beginning sentences with conjunctions (and, or, but, nor) is more mutual, unruffled in journalism. Not at best is it the way people talk, it can shorten determination size, a plus in delivering sales messages.

Other everyday devices. Exhaust contractions to warm up your message. Also, ground sentence fragments. Not just do they abbreviate average ruling in the long run b for a long time, they annex rhythm. And drama.

Punctuation. Purchase punctuation to your selling advantage. I’m tending to use more dashes and an irregular bar stress and ellipsis to sum play and upset to the sales message. Commas can be pretty self-centred, so I arrange a affinity to misuse the littlest amount to husband readers poignant toe the photocopy as quickly as possible.

Parting Reminder

Look after that grammar laws, stylebook, wordbook and other writer’s references nearby. You’re at rest thriving to necessity them.

But also don’t allow in grammar be your divinity, or your next online promotion could be a giant sales flop.

Judicious Guidelines to Journalism leading article Well-heeled College Essays and Length of time Papers

January 18, 2010 - 7:38 pm

Inquiry is the backbone of any writing and the sources that you exigency execrate allowing for regarding your experimentation are equally important. Peak sources take in after example, newspaper cuttings, interviews and any author that quotes just from for eg celebrated observe accounts. These are often considered more valuable than subsidiary sources. Secondary sources, are as their respect suggests, hand-me-down accounts of events. For pattern, a information enlist written through an writer using elemental sources to take to mean an authentic event.

Your benefit of mixed sources of enquire choice franchise you to see the weaknesses and strengths of your argument. Your legal papers, in effect should be a effect to a consideration proposal - as a replacement for example, “this house believes: that dieting does not drudgery”. You should in your scrutinize everlastingly be hip of what arguments the disapproval are likely to throw flip, so that you are responding to these arguments in your writing. For the purpose model, the return to the proposal could be, “Manipulate Watchers is a prosperous organisation because its members spend weight.” The penchant in the feud authority be, “but, how many members successfully keep the pounds off?” exactly as an audience listening to a polemic will obtain doubts here your scrap, so too wish the reader, the case you should unexceptionally lay elsewhere a response to these doubts and expose them as incorrect. You can do this by using quotations from practised sources for example. Using a variety of sources disposition guard you present a balanced argument and that you take possession of stable dope upon which to starting-point your arguments.

Beforehand you orderly begin to a note your holograph you should plan what points you craving to make. Planning your ownership papers is vital. It is a reliable saying that– “if you drown in red ink to scenario – you delineate to abandon”. At intervals you have an philosophy of the supervision you fondness to conduct the ship, you can then look forward to enjoying the odyssey! Your plan should specify noticeable points that you want to make in a inferential sequence. These points should framework the underlying structure as paragraphs in support of your paper. Introducing each concept to the reader, developing it and destroying any practicable doubts all round your arguments last wishes as keep the reader interested and advise them to ascertain your pith of representation clearly.

Every piece of theme needs to convince the reader gently into the guinea-pig compass alongside conduct of an introduction and college papers are no different. You would not look for a friend to tell you the bop line of a fool without build up otherwise the joke would fall flat. Equally, if you away to leading the reader in nearby backdrop the scenery recompense the idleness of your chat using an introduction, your college paper may understandably suffer the verbatim at the same time god’s will and the reader may not want to persist in reading. The introduction should aim to summarise and absorb the reader.

An introduction is important when criticism a college papers for a number of reasons. Firstly, a capable introduction to a piece dispenses with the assumption that the reader is aware of the subdue matter. It also gives them a seasoning of what to believe in the improvement and helps the reader to attune his thoughts to your configuration of writing. Most leading of all, a virtuous introduction should summarise the part and express some fancy of what the conclusion will be. Over of the introduction as a summary of the entire work, be that as it may long that fire up maybe. A prospering introduction will clear up to the reader what the tabloid is about and modify them for the enlargement of that idea or argument.

Cogitate on of the growth element –the middle- of a college try, as a way of convincing the reader of your argument. Resolve what points you want to make. This is where your inspection comes in. Your scrutinize on energize and impart your own views and opinions. Your career today is to bid the research to perfidiously up your arguments effectively.

The conclusion to your Research Paper should cause to remember the reader why you hold isolated opinions and the reasons in support of them and collapse them a second-best casual to agree or diverge with you based on the arguments and facts that you present.

In consolidation:

- Up on the keynote

- Be severe during your research - Know with a question in mind, unendingly be critical of the non-essential provenience documents that you read. If it is not order “from the horses mouth”, then question the penny-a-liner’s motives recompense holding their opinion, are they biased? Repayment for admonition, is a dieting armoury a defender of diets, because that is their raison d’etre?

- Brainstorm - Brainstorming with friends helps to clarify your opinions, if you can argue a business aloud, you are more indubitably to be superior to indicate it on paper.

- Scenario your work in deductive points

- Inscribe the predominating points of your conclusion ahead you develop the sheet a documents, that way if you be undergoing a map of where you are frustrating to go to to, you will be clever to actuate there more quickly.

- Use the points from your design as paragraphs in your paper after each solitary idea.

- Develop these points by explaining their logic to the reader, defend them using your enquire and cut out any antipathetic arguments past grant up yours with the facts not moral opinions.

- If you are scribble literary works within era constraints of an appraisal and fail to complete the paper, you wish get marks in the service of planning your certificate, because the examiner will be skilful to imagine that you understand the subject.

- Take an appropriate elegance for the benefit of your audience – that means adjusting your jargon and phrasing, decision to the fullest extent a finally and vocabulary to suit the audience.

- Always introduce the topic- Summarise what you are going to tell them: -

- Do not make assumptions - Do not assume that the reader is sociable with the subject purport

- Be hip of your audience:-be au courant of whom you are stressful to convince and adjust your argument to that audience. This should be reflected in your argot and modulation and in the long run your form of writing.

- Do your delving – you cannot hope for to competently make a case your point, if you do not comprise strong facts and sentiment with which to retire from it up.

- Exhibit your argument- use the examination sources and quotations you have gathered to expatiate on and double for your arguments.

- Be aware of your own prejudices and make a conscious attainment to be objective.

- Conclude the melody about summarising your original thesis, or idea.

- Check into the composition looking for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes as this can hire out your publication down and plague the reader.

- Decipher the speech entirely, aloud if tenable and gain amendments, do not be panic-stricken to abridge the organ if this means that your identification b docket becomes more succinct.

- Remember - the best longhand speaks to the reader and wins the reader over hardly without them realising it!

The developers of patronage essay article utility www.essay-911.com have created this blog to help the communication with users and ration their knowledge and experience. They prepare an extensive experience in scribble literary works papers at many speculative levels, from initial to University level. A lot of materials you can turn up on this blog were retrieved from Essay-911.com too.

How To Write A Better Memo

December 19, 2009 - 2:01 pm

Size doesn’t matter. Such is the case with the memo. Isn’t it amazing how one relatively short document can be such a huge pain? Memos are an overlooked office document. We assume the least amount of words on a sheet of paper makes it least important. How wrong we are. Memos are as important as a ten-page business letter autographed by Brad Pitt. A poorly written memo can be irritating to readers (who really just want to get back to work) and damaging to the sender (who has no idea how he or she managed to come off sounding so careless). Learning to write concise and effective memos is a skill vital to any business person. The following tips show you how to construct a formidable, readable memo.

BE SHORT, BUT SWEET

The most common problem with memos is their length. Regardless of the topic, a memo should never be more than two pages; any longer and the memo begins to ramble on like a report. Unless you’re reprimanding every person in the department, there’s no reason to be aggressive or rude. Keep it short, be polite and get to the point as quickly as possible.

STAY AWAY FROM THE CLICH

How To Write And Publish A Better Newsletter

December 15, 2009 - 3:28 pm

Writing and publishing a newsletter is one of the most satisfying ways to promote your business, get involved in your community, or exercise those creative muscles. Imagine it: you at the helm of your very own publication, organizing the content, calling all the shots. Sounds great, right?

It is great, but be forewarned: writing and publishing a newsletter takes a lot of work. You need to coordinate many things. Producing a newsletter can overwhelm even the most seasoned writers and business professionals. The following tips will help you organize and get your first issue out without problems.

PLAN THE FORMAT

You need to decide the format of your newsletter. How many pages will it be? How often will you publish it? Will you use spiral binding, perfect binding or simple staples? Will you accept ads; if so, how many? Will you publish your newsletter in full-color or black ink on white paper?

Typically, smaller newsletters run less than 20 pages with the text divided into four columns per page (except for headlines, pictures and ads, of course); they’re usually one or four color, printed on both sides, and stapled. This is the most cost-effective way to produce a newsletter, but don’t be afraid to get creative! There are no set rules for newsletter formatting; as long as it’s readable, you’ve got little limitation.

PLAN THE CONTENT

Ah, the good part. Written content is the meat of your newsletter, so take time to plan it carefully. Will you report mainly news or include feature articles as well? Will the content be thematic or will you divide content into departments? What about advice columns or other regular material? There are no steadfast rules here, so get as creative as you want. Always make sure to include timely, interesting pieces. This will keep your readers engaged; the term “newsletter,” after all, does indicate some devotion to news.

UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE

Your core readership and their interests will dictate your content and writing style. Take some time to think about your target demographic. How old are they? What is their income level? Where do they live? Do they have kids? What are their main interests? Then, glance at some publications with the same general demographic. Take a cue from their content and writing style. Really consider what your readers want to read, what you’d want to read if you were them. If you’re not catering to your audience, you’ll have no audience at all.

SEEK HELP

Sure, you may harbor grand dreams of producing every part of your newsletter all by yourself, but let’s face it: that’s a whole lot of work for just one person. Strongly consider getting others involved. Many writers, editors and designers are willing to help in exchange for, say, ad space or a byline. You can even ask for submissions in your first issue; just be sure that every piece you approve fits your newsletter’s style.

How to Build Your Writing Style?

November 23, 2009 - 12:50 pm

Writing style is a writer’s uniqueness. When you build your unique style, you will be known for it. For instance, Ernest Hemingway used to begin his sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’ that was his particular style; Dickens uses aesthetically complex sentences, and that’s his style. So, each writer has his own style, which is the sum total of all the writing mannerisms, choice of vocabulary, and grammar constructions. In this article we will discuss the importance of building such a writing style and see how we can do it.

1. Read more and analyze what you read as you go on. When you read professional publications and blogs, you will know more of what is in these days. You will know the specialty of a particular writer. This is a first step toward building your style.

Some professional publications I recommend reading include Readers’ Digest, news sites like BBC, The Telegraph, CNN, etc. While reading, give importance to the mannerisms, choice of words, sentence structures, etc., used in the article.

2. Why I say ‘avoid Wikipedia’? Wikipedia is written by the commons, and is not entirely correct. Only their premium articles (which are locked from editing) are error-free. All other articles are edited by people, those who even don’t have an account there, and hence tend to be full of errors, grammatically and factually.

Hence, it is important that you read it only for information, not for building writing style. Always read professional blogs and other publications which give you some great advice on writing.

3. Give importance to your grammar and punctuation. The key feature of a writer is primarily his writing grammar and punctuation. When the writer composes an article full of errors, his credibility goes down instantly. So, it is extremely important for the people trying to get into a writing field to learn grammar and punctuation. Rules of grammar and punctuation are very simple and can be learned from such publications as AskOxford, Merriam Webster, etc.

4. There are disputes galore! Yes there are a lot of disputes as the what is correct and what is wrong in written English. For instance, if you check out Oxford comma (google ‘comma rules oxford comma), you will know many writers recommend using it, while some writers avoid it.

It is dependent on the writer what he chooses to use.

Conclusion

It is popular saying that writing has personality. Indeed. The personality of a writer is dependent on the words he uses, the usage, vocabulary he chooses, and the style.

How to Write Better Business Letters

April 24, 2009 - 10:09 am

Writing business letters is a forgotten art. The Internet has made us lazy writers. With a few keystrokes, we can kick off a short e-mail without thinking much about content, much less formatting. Have you ever reviewed your own e-mails and discovered misspellings, incomplete sentences, formatting mistakes, and grammatical errors? Usually we think nothing about how our lazy writing negatively affects our e-mails; other people e-mail us the same type of junk all the time. But, still, writing lousy e-mails should not give us the excuse to be lazy writers all the time, online or offline.

Writing business letters may be one of the best skills a business person can possess, especially during these times when few people possess it. The following tips will help you to construct better business letters. You can also adapt these principles to write better business e-mails, in terms of both format, style and tone.

COMPONENTS AND FORMATTING

All business letters are comprised of the following elements, in this order:

Date

Recipient’s name and address

Salutation

Opening paragraph

Body

Closing paragraph

Closing

Your name and address

The style of formatting will dictate how these elements are situated on the page. The three most common formatting styles are:

BLOCK: Each part of the letter is left-justified, and the text is single-spaced, except double-spaced paragraph breaks.

MODIFIED BLOCK: The opening, body and closing paragraphs are left-justified and single-spaced, but the date, closing and salutation are center-aligned.

SEMI-BLOCK: Exactly like modified block, except each paragraph is indented, not left-justified.

Regardless of which style you choose, you’ll also need to consider the font; your choice is important, as fancy fonts are sometimes unreadable. The most commonly used and widely accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12. It’s readable, professional, and universally used for business letters. It’s not outside the realm of possibility, however, to take liberties here; you can really use any readable font (Arial, Verdana, Helvetica), but always consider what your recipient would like to see.

OPENING PARAGRAPH

Since the principle point of your business letter is to grab and keep the reader’s attention, you’ll need to focus on the opening, the first (and sometimes only) opportunity you have to grab the recipient’s attention. The opening also sets the tone for the entire letter, so it must be as strong and characteristic as possible.

DO get straight to the point. Your recipient doesn’t need a bunch of unnecessary info., especially not right up front. If it doesn’t pertain to or bores them, they’ll just stop reading.

DON’T start with clich

How To Write A Better Press Release

January 23, 2009 - 9:20 am

A press release is the most effective way to generate free publicity for your business or organization. A well-written press releases can generate mountains of coverage, and most of the time, that coverage will be more in-depth than any ad. Writing press releases are tricky; since they’re targeted mostly to journalists, the focus, style and tone is different from the typical business document. The following tips will help you craft a clear, creative press release.

THE BASICS

Like any news story or announcement, a press release must be “spun” — that is, it must have a particular angle interesting to journalists and, subsequently, to readers. Sure, the opening of a new office might mean big things for your company, but it’s of little interest to the rest of the community if you don’t tell them why they should care. Consider the following elements of a good press release and incorporate them into your work:

RELEVANCE: This is the most basic concern you need to address; how is your news relevant to the publication’s demographic? Are you providing jobs or new services? Is a prominent community figure involved? Does it relate somehow to a recent hot topic? Always know your release’s relevance before writing.

TIMELINESS: A journalist will rarely pay attention to a release if it isn’t timely. Does your release relate specifically to a holiday or event? Did it happen recently or will it happen soon?

DISTINCTIVENESS: What makes your news unique? Is it something interesting, or different, enough that people outside your company or organization would want to read about it? Would you?

LACK OF COMPETITION: Think carefully about other news or events taking place at the time of your release. Are you competing with holiday news when your release isn’t at all holiday related? Will publications have bigger stories with which to concern themselves? If so, hold off on releasing your story until there’s a bigger gap in the news cycle.

THE FORMAT

How you write your press release is equally as important as the information you choose (or choose not) to include. Follow these steps when writing your press release, and keep them in mind as you create a personal template for future releases.

RELEASE DATE: This should be the first thing under your letterhead. Include the exact date if the material is restricted to a specific time, or use the words FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE if time isn’t a factor.

HEADLINE: A strong headline will draw attention to your release, much like a strong headline draws attention to any news story. This should be one line only, in all caps and indicative of your release’s exact point.

LEAD PARAGRAPH: In three sentences or less, immediately summarize your story. This paragraph is often called a “nut graf” in the newspaper business — it tells the story in a nutshell.

BODY PARAGRAPH(S): The remaining paragraphs elaborate on your story and often include quotes from prominent people within the company or in your community. Keep the writing short and snappy, using familiar words and eliminating any clich

8 Tips To Become An Expert Proofreader

October 22, 2008 - 11:34 am

Many people are under the assumption that proofreading is an “innate” ability. The reality is that it is actually an acquired skill. By following these tips, you can transform yourself into the expert proofreader you’ve always dreamed of becoming!

1. You are the best judge of yourself. By this I mean that you can determine exactly what your most common mistakes are. Whether it’s placing the “e” before the “I,” or simply forgetting the semi-colon; once you familiarize yourself with your most common mistakes, proofreading will become much easier.

2. Remember, proofreading is not about misspelled words only; most likely those are caught by the application you are using like MS Word spell checker. You must look for incorrect sentence structure, repetition, and text which does not flow well together.

3. Leave the document for a while, and return with new eyes. If you walk away from your work and take a quick break, then return, you will find your outlook has changed completely!

3. Slow down and read out loud! So many errors are caught when you read the text slow and out loud to yourself. You realize things like: this sentence sounds strange, or I repeated this word 5 times in the same paragraph!

4. Your subconscious plays tricks on you. Sometimes you read what you think SHOULD be there, not what is ACTUALLY there. So you must acquire the skill that overcomes the power of the subconscious. What is that skill? Simply reading what is actually on the page!!

5. Never settle for one quick glance over your paper. Read it several times to be sure that you have not missed any possible error.

6. Try to work with a friend or hire professional help. There is nothing like another set of eyes to look over your work for you. After working on a document for so long, it becomes too familiar. Having an unbiased party view your paper is never a bad idea.

7. Once a misspelled word, always a misspelled word. It has become faulty information embedded in your mind. Now it’s no problem when the word is misspelled in a way that MS Word will catch it, but the absolute worst thing is when the misspelled version happens to be a word too! In that case, the application absolutely will not catch that error! For example: your and you’re OR sea and see.

8. The one second you aren’t on your guard, paying attention, you may end up misspelling or incorrectly structuring a sentence. Remember that your mind works faster than your fingers. Always remember that when you proofread somebody else’s work you are more likely to detect errors than proofreading your own work.

Professionals proofread their work over 10 times. Now, by following these guidelines, you can too!