GREAT GRAMMAR AND PAINLESS PROOFREADING

Transcription

1 GREAT GRAMMAR AND PAINLESS PROOFREADING DISCLAIMER: The principles and suggestions in this handout and the GREAT GRAMMAR AND PAINLESS PROOFREADING webinar are presented to apply to diverse personal and company situations. These materials and the overall seminar are for general informational and educational purposes only. The materials and the seminar, in general, are presented with the understanding that CareerTrack is not engaged in rendering legal advice. You should always consult an attorney with any legal issues CareerTrack, a division of PARK University Enterprises, Inc. Registered U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and Canadian Trade-Marks office. Except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, no part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from PARK University Enterprises, Inc.

2 ONE Business Grammar English Grammar Written Formal: Business: Informal: Spoken Formal: Business: Informal: Why is good grammar important? Your Business Identity You Are What You Speak Sharp Business Communication 2

3 TWO Sentence Structure Independent and Dependent Clauses Subject and Verb Agreement Parallel Structure Run-on Sentences Sentence Fragments Dangling Modifiers Improve Sentence Clarity 1. Go from old to new information 2. Use transitional words 3. Use active voice 4. Be careful with clauses 5. Use parallel construction 6. Avoid noun strings 7. Avoid overusing noun forms of verbs 8. Avoid multiple negatives 9. Choose action verbs 10. Avoid unclear pronouns 3

4 THREE Punctuation The Traffic Signals of Language: Incorrect Punctuation Can Change the Meaning of Your Communication: When to Use a Comma To separate the subject from the verb After a long introductory prepositional phrase or more than one introductory prepositional phrase Apostrophes: After introductory verbal phrases After an introductory clause If there is a distinct pause Quotation Marks: To avoid confusion Hyphens and Dashes: 4

5 FOUR Grammar Tips Common Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Unprofessional Mixing Up Words There, Their, They re: Subject Verb Agreement Then, Than: Mixing Tenses Loose, Lose: Proper Endings to Past Verbs To, Two, Too: Apostrophe Errors It s, Its: Incorrect Commas Grammar Errors to Avoid in Your Business Letters Its or Their: Than, She, or Her: Who or Whom: Common Ownership: Is Because? Word Placement: Good or Well: Parallel Structure: Distance, Money, and Time: 5

6 FIVE Painless Proofreading Four Important Proofreading Rules 1. The copy editors creed: First, do no harm. 2. Unless you re absolutely positive about something, look it up. 3. Use the adage If it ain t broke, don t fix it. 4. Do not assume and take nothing for granted. Tools: Techniques: Common Errors Spellcheckers Won t Catch: Tips for Effective Proofreading Take a break. Look for one type of problem at a time. Use a hard copy. Place a ruler under each line as you read. Read aloud. Double-check facts, figures, and proper names. Trust your dictionary. Proofread the second half of the document first. Proofread at the time of day that you are most alert to spotting errors. Use a spellchecker. Customize your spellchecker. 6