Business Writing Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. 1000 Waterford Place, Kingston, TN 37763 888.717.9461 2008 Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright 1998 by Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Revised 2006. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. ACT and WorkKeys are trademarks of ACT, Inc. Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. is not owned or controlled by ACT, Inc.; however, ACT, Inc. has reviewed these training materials and has determined that they meet ACT, Inc. s standards for WorkKeys Training curriculum. The WorkKeys employment system is a product of ACT, Inc. The use of materials in this manual does not imply any specific results when WIN materials are used with the ACT WorkKeys system. Requests for permission to reproduce or make other use of this material should be addressed to: Worldwide Interactive Network, Inc. 1000 Waterford Place Kingston, Tennessee 37763 USA Tel: (865) 717-3333 Fax: (865) 717-9461 info@w-win.com www.w-win.com Business Writing VERSION 5.0
introduction HI!! It s me again, EdWIN. If you have met me through an earlier course, then you know that I will be your guide through this level. Hi, I m EdWIN! You are about to begin of Business Writing. If you have become acquainted with me before, you already know that I am not too hard of a task master. I don t carry a whip around or anything, so don t think you are about to be tortured. Let me ease your mind about what this level is all about. I will be asking you to do some writing on your own. We are specifically concerned with the skills necessary to communicate successfully with others as they relate to the workplace situation. In Level 1 of Business Writing we covered many of the basics of writing. In this level, we will take that a step further and also do some reviewing. It is my goal, as always, to help you develop your writing skills to the point that you can feel confident in any required writing task in a workplace situation. Working together, I know that we can succeed. So, without further ado, let s begin are you ready? VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 3
LESSON 1 LESSON 2 LESSON 3 LESSON 4 LESSON 5 LESSON 6 LESSON 7 REFERENCE Audience and Purpose Business Letters and Memos Complete Sentences Compound and Complex Sentences Commonly Misspelled or Misused Words Basic Grammatical Errors Posttest Test-Taking Tips 4 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 1 Some days writing can be a chore! audience and purpose Even though the purpose of your writing may change with each job assignment you may receive, the main goal is always the same: to get your point across clearly, accurately, and effectively (or successfully). Writing a message, letter, or report may not ever be easy for you. Some people have a natural talent for the job, and some have to work at every word that s put to paper. Which type are you? Can you sit down and write a letter easily with only a few changes, or is it a painful chore just to write a short note? Whichever type you are, there are some things that you can do to make the work less difficult and to write more effectively at the same time. When considering the purpose of the message, ask yourself some questions about the subject. It may help to write down the questions and answers in list form to get a clearer meaning. Ask yourself: What am I trying to communicate? What details do I need to include? Make a list of the points and details. If you make such a list, this will help avoid omitting important information. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 5
LESSON 1 Did you ever go to the grocery store without a list? When you are at home you might make a mental list of the items you need, but more often than not, when you return home you find that there is always at least one item you forgot to purchase. Then you are kicking yourself for not writing it down (and always promising that next time you will)! Remember, you want to be sure the work is as correct and complete as possible before sending it out. Check the list one more time if necessary. Next, consider the audience and add this to your list. Who will be reading this message or report? Will it be directed to just one person, or will a group be reading it? Will it be a co-worker who is a friend or just a casual acquaintance? Will it be your boss or the Chairman of the Board? Will the reader be a customer, client, or creditor? Once you have determined your target audience, you will have a better idea of just what style and attitude you can use when composing your message. There are many different moods in which the same message can be written. In business writing, a certain amount of professionalism and seriousness is required and expected. Even so, you may write in a different fashion to a co-worker who is also a friend, as compared to how you would compose the same message designed for your boss. Another question you may need to consider: Will the message be of a negative nature? All of these things can determine tone or mood. This is why understanding your audience is important. 6 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Then as a last step, ask yourself, What form should this message take? Does it need to be a memo, a report, or a business letter? All of these use different formats, so you will need to know which is appropriate for the job. Many times you will not have to make a decision concerning the format. For example, if your employer says, Send a letter, then naturally that will be the format. However, it is up to you to decide which format will best fit the four Cs (Clear, Concise, Correct, Conversational). A clear idea of the purpose and audience is vital. Now that we have discussed the importance of understanding audience and purpose, let s try a few basic exercises to practice. Yes sir,... I ll send a letter right away! VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 7
LESSON 1 Exercise Audience and Purpose Instructions: Read the paragraph and answer the questions regarding its audience and purpose. All of our engineering staff will be meeting next week regarding changes that are going to be made to our computers. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 10:00 a.m. in the conference room. I urge all of our engineering staff to arrange their schedules so that they can attend. Thanks, Mr. Bossman 1. What is the purpose? 2. Who is the audience? 3. Who is the speaker? 8 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Instructions: Read the paragraph and rewrite making any corrections that you think are necessary. People. We need a meeting about problems we are having. Be there at 1:00 p.m. next Tuesday. The meeting will probably last an hour or two or maybe more, depending on what we will have to discuss and what everyone will have to say about our delivery trucks and repairs that might have to be made. There will be coffee and doughnuts in the conference room. thanks Your Paragraph: VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 9
LESSON 1 Instructions: I will give you some information, and you write a paragraph containing the given information. Remember to keep it clear, concise, correct, and conversational. Remember your purpose and audience. Don t worry if the wording is different. That is not the important thing, here! Original Information: notice of conference Monday, May 8 9:00 to 4:00 Lunch break - 12:00 to 1:00 new hiring policies personnel employees personnel director main conference room Your Paragraph: 10 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Answers to exercise Audience and Purpose 1. What is the purpose? To notify of a meeting 2. Who is the audience? All engineering staff 3. Who is the speaker? Mr. Bossman Suggested paragraph: There will be a meeting in the conference room next Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. to discuss maintenance problems with our delivery trucks. All maintenance staff need to attend. Please schedule a minimum of two hours for this meeting. Thanks, Maintenance Supervisor NOTE: You will notice that I did not include a date of the meeting as this information was not given. The best I could do was say, next Tuesday! VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 11
LESSON 1 Suggested rewrite: You may have had trouble figuring out exactly what this paragraph is about. Here is what I think this person was trying to say. Try to determine the purpose and audience. All personnel employees will be required to attend a meeting in the main conference room to address our new hiring policies. The conference will be held on Monday, May 8 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., with a lunch break from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please clear your calendar for that day so that you will be able to attend. Thanks, Personnel Director OK, how did you do on those exercises? Were your paragraphs clear; did they contain all the necessary information? Were they concise and to the point with no unnecessary wording? Was the purpose and audience clear? 12 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
business Letters and memos LESSON 1 Probably the most common forms of writing that will be required of you are the business letter and the memo. The salutation sets the tone of the letter. We will concentrate on the business letter first. Now, at first glance you may think that any ol way you slap together a letter will work just fine. Just as long as you get everything in it, it will be okay. Wrong! There are rules concerning the proper way to structure a business letter, and we will cover each of these. The first thing we need to remember is that there are five specific parts to any business letter. Those parts are: heading, salutation, introduction, body, and closing. The heading is made up of several pieces of information, and they are placed in the same order every time. First, you have the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if relevant, the name of the company, and the full address, including the zip code. The salutation is next in order of structure. You know this part. It usually is something like: Dear Sir Dear Mr. Caldwell To Whom It May Concern Salutations can set the tone of the letter, so it is important to review purpose and audience when choosing one. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 13
LESSON 1 For example, consider these two choices: Dear Mr. Caldwell: as opposed to Mr. Brown:. Feel the difference in the mood that the salutation sets? Whereas, Dear Mr. Caldwell, carries a certain friendly tone, Mr. Brown seems a bit stern and cold. The latter sounds like something you might receive from the IRS informing you of an impending audit! Also something to consider in choosing a salutation is the position of the person you are addressing. Many times the appropriate choice includes the title of the person, i.e. Mr. President:, or Dear Mr. President:. By the way, don t ask me why the word Dear is considered an appropriate beginning for almost any salutation. The word dear normally indicates a close personal relationship with someone, but in the case of the business letter, well, that s just the way it is! The introduction is pretty much self-explanatory. It is the section where you introduce yourself. Include a reminder of a past phone conversation or a request you received from this person. This will tell the reader why you have written. Keep this brief and to the point. Next, include the body of the letter. Once again, be specific about the information you are communicating to the reader. When you have finished the body, then put in the closing and you re outta there! A common closing that will work in almost any situation is Yours truly, or even more commonly used, Sincerely. Always follow the closing with your name and title. 14 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 15
LESSON 1 The punctuation contained in any business letter is the same as proper punctuation in any writing. The only fast rule is that the punctuation at the end of the salutation is always a colon. A comma placed here makes it a personal letter rather than a business letter. Also, using a person s first name in the salutation without the last name sets the tone as a more personal letter. The only time that you would ever do this is if you were, in fact, writing a business letter to a friend. Then, the casual greeting is acceptable. For example, you might need to write a letter to a friend in another business about a meeting you attended recently. Even though it is a business letter and is set up and written in this format, your friend might be truly offended if you wrote Dear Sir as the salutation. (I know I would be.) Once again, this is a situation that calls for knowing your audience. (Literally!) For the most part though, you will be using the standard salutation and punctuation. 16 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Outlines help organize information. The alignment of a business letter has two basic formats. The first is a block format, aligned with the left margin of the page. Any enclosures are noted under the closing by the abbreviation enc., and if the letter has been typed by someone other than the writer, then the writer s initials are in capitalization with a forward slash, followed by the typist s initials in lower case. Also, copies of some letters will be sent to others as a means of communicating that correspondence has been sent. If this is the case, then the small letters cc will be followed by a list of names of those that will receive the correspondence. The second type of format aligns the heading (except for the date), salutation, body of letter, enclosure notation, writer, and typist initials in a straight line at the left margin. Paragraphs are not indented. The date, the closing with the writer s name and title, are in the center of the page. All other heading items are in a straight line, on the left margin. This is sometimes referred to as a mixed format. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 17
LESSON 1 I. Five parts of business letter A. Heading. Date. Recipient s name 3. Recipient s title 4. Name of company 5. Address of company B. Salutation. Sets tone. Indicates title 3. Shows respect 4. Is formal C. Introduction. Introduce yourself. Mention previous call, etc. D. Body of letter. Get straight to the point. Communicate information, make request 3. Avoid unnecessary comments E. Closing. Use a standard closing. Followed by name and title II. Alignment rules A. Left margin (or block) format. All lines straight down left margin B. Mixed format. Date begins at center. Other heading items straight line, left margin 3. No indentations for paragraphs 4. Closing, writer s name and title begin at center, in line with date 5. Enclosure notation, copies to, and writer s/typist s initials on left margin III. Punctation A. Always use colon after salutation. Exception is business letter to a personal friend, then a comma is appropriate IV. Additional rules A. Note any enclosures with enc. B. Initials of writer in all caps, forward slash, followed by initials of typist in lower case C. Copies sent to others will be designated with cc followed by names 18 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 You thought this would be easy, didn t you? Take a look at the following example to see the parts of the business letter. M Miller Computer Components 1000 Winwood Way Edwinsville, OH 12345-0000 April 12, 1998 Mr. William Alexander 298 West End Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46259-4599 Dear Mr. Alexander: heading salutation introduction Top Flight Marketing is pleased to acknowledge receipt of your innovative marketing suggestions for our newly developed computer controlled lighting system. We are, however, currently following a different marketing strategy which is not in keeping with those suggestions outlined in your proposal. body Thank you for your enthusiastic correspondence. We look forward to working with you in the future. Sincerely yours, Barbara Sutton closing Barbara Sutton Sales Manager Enc. BS/em additional: enclosures, initials of writer VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 19
LESSON 1 We will now address the memorandum or memo. The business memo also has a certain format that must be followed in order to make specific points and avoid confusion. This format allows your readers to determine a great deal of information in a very brief amount of time. There are several headings in a memo. They will include the person(s) to whom it is addressed, the writer s name, the date, and the subject. (Sometimes the subject is given prior to the date.) The next part will be the introduction. It is similar to a business letter; reviewing any relevant information that the reader may have already received concerning the topic of the memo. The body of the memo will provide the purpose and details of the information being communicated. Generally, there is no indentation at the beginning of the paragraph. The closing is different from a letter in that it is usually a closing statement referring to any follow-up details that may apply. As you can see, the memo is very brief, which is, of course, the whole idea of a memo. Some memos may contain a detail noted under the subject in the headings section. This is the notation cc which means copies to. The purpose of including this on a memo is to avoid unnecessary communication about the contents to those who were not direct recipients (those receiving the communication), but may need or wish to know the information communicated. 20 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Review the outline of a memo below. I. Headings A. Date B. Addressee C. Writer s name D. Subject E. Copies to (optional) II. Introduction A. Mention previous information III. Thesis and Body A. Brief B. Include all pertinent information IV. Closing A. Closing statement Look at the example of a standard memo. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 21
LESSON 1 To: From: All Customer Service Managers William Schmitt Date: February 15, 1998 Subject: Training Session You are aware that the company has bought a new computer system to handle customer orders. Therefore, you are required to attend one of the training sessions, as indicated below. Please write your name by the session you plan to attend. Naturally, not everybody can come to the same session, so please write your name for a second option. I expect your answer no later than February 17. I will contact you confirming your scheduled time. First Option Second Option February 27 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. February 27 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. February 28 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. March 1 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. It is time to do some practice exercises covering the proper format of the business letter and memo. Now, don t groan. Aren t you tired of reading anyway? Let s write for awhile. 22 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Exercise Business letters and memos Instructions: Answer the following questions by choosing the best answer. 1. There are five specific parts to any business letter. Which part includes the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if applicable, the name of the company, and the full address? a. salutation b. heading 2. There are five specific parts to a business letter. What is the name for the following part? Dear Mr. Caldwell: a. salutation b. introduction 3. There are five specific parts to a business letter. Which section is the part where you introduce yourself? a. salutation b. introduction 4. There are five specific parts to a business letter. Which is the main part of the letter? a. heading b. body VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 23
LESSON 1 5. There are five specific parts to a business letter. Which is the section for ending your letter? a. salutation b. closing 6. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. your name b. the date 7. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee b. your company name 8. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee s phone number b. the title of the addressee 9. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee s company name b. your address 10. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee s full address b. your zip code 24 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 11. True or false: The salutation makes no difference in setting the tone of a letter. a. True b. False 12. True or false: It is acceptable to make personal observations and comments in the body of a business letter, just as long as you get all of the important details in also. a. True b. False 13. True or false: A colon placed after the salutation in a business letter denotes formality. a. True b. False 14. The alignment of a business letter has two basic formats. What is one of them? a. block format b. type format 15. The alignment of a business letter has two basic formats. What is one of them? a. mixed format b. special format VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 25
LESSON 1 16. What does enc. indicate to the reader? a. an enclosure is in the document b. the initials of the writer are enc 17. What does EW/sp signify at the bottom of a letter? a. initials of writer and reader b. initials of writer and typist 18. The business memo has a certain format that must be followed in order to make specific points and avoid confusion. What are the parts of a memo? a. heading, introduction, body, closing b. heading, salutation, introduction, body, closing 19. In the heading of a memo, we include the date, addressee, and what else? a. writer s name, subject, copies to (optional) b. writer s name, writer s address, thesis 20. What is the main difference between a letter and a memo? a. Letter - longer, more parts in the heading. Memo - contains more information, not as detailed. b. Letter - longer, more formal, contains more information. Memo- brief,communicates information in just a glance 26 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 Answers to Exercise Business letters and memos 1. There are five specific parts to any business letter. Which part includes the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if applicable, the name of the company, and the full address? a. salutation b. heading b The heading is always included in a business letter. It always contains those several pieces of information in the same order every time. 2. There are five specific parts to a business letter. What is the name for the following part? Dear Mr. Caldwell: a. salutation b. introduction a Dear Mr. Caldwell: is a salutation. Salutations can set the tone of the letter, so it is important to review purpose and audience when choosing one. 3. There are five specific parts to a business letter. Which section is the part where you introduce yourself? a. salutation b. introduction b The introduction is the section where you introduce yourself. This will tell the reader why you have written. Keep this brief and to the point. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 27
LESSON 1 4. There are five specific parts to a business letter. Which is the main part of the letter? a. heading b. body b The body of the letter is the main part of the letter. This is the section where you make a request of pass along the facts. 5. There are five specific parts to a business letter. Which is the section for ending your letter? a. salutation b. closing b The closing is the section that ends the letter. A common closing is: Sincerely, always follow the closing with your name and title. 6. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. your name b. the date b The heading is made up of several pieces of information, and they are placed in the same order every time. First, you have the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if applicable, the name of the company, and the full address including the zip code. 28 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 7. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee b. your company name a The heading is made up of several pieces of information, and they are placed in the same order every time. First, you have the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if applicable, the name of the company, and the full address including the zip code. 8. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee s phone number b. the title of the addressee b The heading is made up of several pieces of information, and they are placed in the same order every time. First, you have the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if applicable, the name of the company, and the full address including the zip code. 9. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee s company name b. your address a The heading is made up of several pieces of information, and they are placed in the same order every time. First, you have the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if relevant, the name of the company, and the full address including the zip code. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 29
LESSON 1 10. You must include several things in the heading. What is one of them? a. the addressee s full address b. your zip code a The heading is made up of several pieces of information, and they are placed in the same order every time. First, you have the current date, the name of the person whom you are addressing, the title of that person if applicable, the name of the company, and the full address including the zip code. 11. True or false: The salutation makes no difference in setting the tone of a letter. a. True b. False b The salutation can set the tone of the letter. A formal letter would use a colon in the salutation and look something like Dear Sir: and an informal letter may look something like Hey buddy! 12. True or false: It is acceptable to make personal observations and comments in the body of a business letter, just as long as you get all of the important details in also. a. True b. False b In the body of a business letter, just pass along the facts or make the request. Avoid unnecessary comments or observations. 30 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
13. True or false: A colon placed after the salutation in a business letter denotes formality. a. True b. False LESSON 1 a A colon placed after the salutation in a business letter shows it s a formal letter. 14. The alignment of a business letter has two basic formats. What is one of them? a. block format b. type format a Block format is one of the two basic formats in a business letter. It is aligned with the left margin of the page (no paragraph indents.) 15. The alignment of a business letter has two basic formats. What is one of them? a. mixed format b. special format a One type of format aligns the heading, salutation, body, enclosure notation, and initials in a straight line at the left margin. The date, the closing with the writer s name and title, are aligned on the right side of the letter, approximately 1-1/2 inches from the right margin. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 31
LESSON 1 16. What does enc. indicate to the reader? a. an enclosure is in the document b. the initials of the writer are enc a Enc. stands for enclosure and indicates to the reader that an enclosure is in the document. 17. What does EW/sp signify at the bottom of a letter? a. initials of writer and reader b. initials of writer and typist b Initials of the writer is in all caps, then a forward slash, followed by initials of the typist in lower case. 18. The business memo has a certain format that must be followed in order to make specific points and avoid confusion. What are the parts of a memo? a. heading, introduction, body, closing b. heading, salutation, introduction, body, closing a There are four parts to a memo: heading, introduction, body, and closing. As you can see, the memo is very brief, which is, of course, the whole idea of a memo. 19. In the heading of a memo, we include the date, addressee, and what else? a. writer s name, subject, copies to (optional) b. writer s name, writer s address, thesis a There are several headings in a memo. They will include the person(s) to whom it is addressed, the writer s name, the date, and the subject. 32 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 1 20. What is the main difference between a letter and a memo? a. Letter - longer, more parts in the heading. Memo - contains more information, not as detailed. b. Letter - longer, more formal, contains more information. Memo - brief, communicates information in just a glance b A letter is longer, more formal, and contains more information than a memo. A memo is brief and conveys information in just a glance. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 33
LESSON 2 2 Exercise Business letter and memo Instructions: I am going to give you some information that needs to be put in the form of a business letter. Using this information, write a letter to the appropriate party using the rules we have stated. Then use the same information and write a memo to your co-workers in the purchasing department to notify them that you have requested this information. (I ll give you a little help. The recipients can be: all purchasing dept. employees.) If you need to, go back and study the outlines and the written explanation of the points in this lesson before you start. Given information: Assume you work as a purchasing manager for Export Products, Inc. and you want to obtain the catalogs and price lists of Good Products, Inc. (999 Elm Street, Nashville, TN 37210) The sales manager of that company is James White. You would like to obtain a 10% commission discount for your business. Prepare a letter making your request. Use the mixed format, everything aligned on the left margin except the date and closing. There are no enclosures and your secretary s name is Sue Smith. 34 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 2 VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 35
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Answer to exercise Business letter and memo LESSON 2 Suggested letter: January 1, 1998 Mr. James White Sales Manager Good Products, Inc. 999 Elm Street Nashville, TN 37210 Dear Mr. White: Would you please send me your most recent catalog and price list? Also, since our company deals in volume sales, would it be possible for your company to extend to us a 10% commission discount? I would appreciate your reply as soon as possible as we are very interested in ordering from your company. Thank you for your attention in this matter. Sincerely, EdWIN Sales Manager EW/ss VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 37
LESSON 2 Exercise Memo Instructions: Now using the same information we used in the business letter, use this information to write a memo to your co-workers in the purchasing department to notify them that you have requested this information. (I ll give you a little help. The recipients can be: all purchasing dept. employees.) If you need to go back and study the outlines and the written explanation of the points in this lesson before you start. Given information: Assume you work as a purchasing manager for Export Products, Inc., and you want to obtain the catalogs and price lists of Good Products, Inc. (999 Elm Street, Nashville, TN 37210). The sales manager of that company is James White. You would like to obtain a 10% commission discount for your business. There are no enclosures and your secretary s name is Sue Smith. 38 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 2 Suggested memo: Memo To: Purchasing Department Employees From: EdWIN Date: January 1, 1998 Subject: Good Products, Inc. Please be aware that the request for Good Products, Inc. to be a supplier of Export Products has been submitted. I will keep you posted as to our progress. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 39
LESSON 2 EXERCISE Rejection letter Instructions: Let s try a letter with a negative nature. Assume you work at the Human Resources Department of Big Company, Inc. You need to send a rejection letter to Mr. I. M. Awaiting, 999 Hopeful Ave., Swan Lake, UT 84094, who wants to work for your company as an accountant. Your company does not have any openings. Use the mixed format. Once again, your secretary is Sue Smith. There is an application form enclosed. 40 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 2 Answer to exercise Rejection letter Suggested letter: January 1, 1998 Mr. I. M. Awaiting 999 Hopeful Ave. Swan Lake, UT 84094 Dear Mr. Awaiting: I am sorry to inform you that we do not have any openings for accountants with our company at this time, but I want to thank you for your interest in working with us. I have enclosed an application form for you to fill out and return to us should an opening become available in the future. Please feel free to follow-up with our personnel department periodically if you are still interested at a later time. Sincerely, Enc. EW/ss EdWIN Personnel Director VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 41
LESSON 2 Exercise Writing Memos Instructions: Write a memo using the information provided. all secretarial staff concerning new flex schedules sign up for preference Charles Chief, office manager date (you pick one) 42 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 2 Answer to exercise Writing Memos Suggested memo: To: All secretarial staff From: Charles Chief, Office Manager Date: Jan 1, 1998 Subject: Flex scheduling As you may know, we have recently instituted a flexible schedule option to all of our secretaries, in order to meet each individual s needs, both personal and professional. You will be receiving a sign-up sheet through interoffice mail, and I would like each of you to fill out the sheet as to your schedule preferences. Please fill out your first, second, and third choice and return it to my office as soon as possible. We will do all we can to satisfy each person s preferences as best we can. You will be notified of follow-ups on this subject in the near future. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 43
LESSON 3 3 complete sentences Exactly what is a complete sentence? This is a rather simple idea that is overlooked many times when writing. Complete sentences have a definite purpose. They allow us to present a clear and complete idea through our writing. Sentence fragments are sometimes used on purpose and are very useful in creative writing or advertising, but for the workplace setting they are not generally acceptable. A complete sentence will always contain at least a subject and verb, and in most cases an object. The object gives further information and is usually critical in getting across the point, but it is not required when making a complete sentence. Look at this example: I write. (contains a subject and verb, but doesn t give much information) I write papers. (contains subject, verb, and object, giving us an important detail) Both examples are complete sentences. 44 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
The other basic rules of sentence construction concern capitalization and punctuation. All sentences begin with a capital letter and all sentences end with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. When writing, proofread your work and ask these simple questions: 1. Is there a subject and verb? 2. Does each sentence begin with a capital letter? 3. Does each sentence have ending punctua tion? LESSON 3 Always proofread your work. If you can answer yes to each of the above questions, then all of your sentences are complete and correct in form. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 45
LESSON 3 Look at the following example. It is full of sentence fragments and incomplete ideas. Do your best to make sense of it and think about using the complete sentence rules. Doug yesterday - wants 100 more of the same CD. labels 50 CD s, 25 none, 25 hand-written label. overnight express - office address. 500 brochures 1000 business cards As you can see, incomplete sentences and poor punctuation and capitalization skills really make communicating difficult! In fact, you may have had a hard time getting the meaning from this at all! This is what it looks like when we rewrite it: I heard from Doug yesterday and he wants 100 of the same CD s that we sent him last month. Only put labels on 50 of the CD s, don t put any lables on 25 CD s, and write the label on the last 25 CD s. Send the CD s overnight express to Doug s office address. Please include 500 brochures and 1,000 business cards. 46 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 3 Exercise the Sentence 1. A complete sentence must contain 2 things. What are they? a. a noun and a pronoun b. a subject and a verb 2. A complete sentence must make what kind of statement? a. a complete statement b. a coordinating statement 3. A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence is called a(n). a. independent clause b. dependent clause VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 47
LESSON 3 Answers to Exercise the Sentence 1. A complete sentence must contain 2 things. What are they? a. a noun and a pronoun b. a subject and a verb b A complete sentence is a group of words which must contain at least a subject and a verb and make a complete statement. 2. A complete sentence must make what kind of statement? a. a complete statement b. a coordinating statement a A complete sentence is a group of words which must contain at least a subject and a verb and make a complete statement. 3. A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence is called a(n). a. independent clause b. dependent clause a A clause that can stand alone as complete sentence is called an independent clause. 48 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 3 EXERCISE Complete sentences Instructions: Complete the phrases to form complete sentences with correct punctuation. Combine questions with multiple phrases to form complete sentences. 1. We always. go to the fair in September. Because we have such a good time. 2. Like to ride the ferris wheel? 3. A friend of mine together her own computer system. 4. The monitor. Is part of the system. 5. Could put together one? VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 49
LESSON 3 6. Now and then wish I had a new system. 7. The car stopped it was out of gas. 8. We stood up. And sang the song. 9. You find that dog. That is whimpering. 10. Everyone came inside was cold. 50 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 3 Answers to exercise Complete sentences Suggested sentences (answers may vary) 1. We always. go to the fair in September. Because we have such a good time. We always go to the fair in September because we have such a good time. 2. Like to ride the ferris wheel? Do you like to ride the ferris wheel? 3. A friend of mine together her own computer system. A friend of mine is putting together her own computer system. 4. The monitor. Is part of the system. The monitor comes as part of the system. 5. Could put together one? Could you put one together? VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 51
LESSON 3 6. Now and then wish I had a new system. Now and then, I wish I had a new system. 7. The car stopped it was out of gas. The car stopped. It was out of gas. 8. We stood up. And sang the song. We stood up and sang the song. 9. You find that dog. That is whimpering. You find that dog that is whimpering. 10. Everyone came inside was cold. Everyone came inside because it was cold. 52 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 3 EXERCISE Correcting the paragraph Instructions: Rewrite the paragraph with complete sentences. When writing. do not use too many short or simple. sentences writing can often improved by combining. Two simple sentences. into one complex idea. Just be. sure that the sentences complete, having a subject and a verb. and that do not run on. Do not contain at least one subject. Or verb they are not complete sentences. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 53
Answers to exercise Correcting the paragraph Suggested paragraph (answers may vary) When writing, do not use too many short or simple sentences. Writing can often be improved by combining two simple sentences into one complex idea. Just be sure that the sentences are complete, have a subject and a verb, and that they do not run on. If they do not contain at least one subject and one verb they are not complete sentences. LESSON 3 We will practice combining sentences in the next lesson. 54 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 4 4 Take note of these conjunctions... you will be needing them. compound and complex sentences If you followed along with me in Level 1 of this course, you know we covered the basics of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. However, in this level we will review them as I explain complex and compound sentence structure. This can be a bit confusing, so I will try my best to explain it so that you can understand the differences. Since this can get rather complicated, I will not expect you to have mastery of it in this level, just develop a better understanding and ability to use coordination and subordination in your sentences. coordinating conjunctions The simplest way of combining sentences is called compounding. Compounding combines sentences by joining them together with coordinating conjunctions. The most common coordinating conjunctions are: and, or, nor, but, for, so, and yet. There are a variety of ways to create a compound sentence using these conjunctions. Examples: My father is a dentist. My mother is a writer. Combined: My father is a dentist, and my mother is a writer. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 55
Notice the comma placed before the coordinating conjunction. When combining two complete sentences (also called independent clauses) you always place a comma before the conjunction. Different conjunctions may be used. Example: LESSON 4 My father is a dentist, but my mother is a writer. You may also use conjunctions to combine sentence parts, but they do not make a compound sentence. Examples: The departing guests smiled. The departing guests waved. Combined: The departing guests smiled and waved. These two sentences have been compounded by joining the verbs. Notice that there is no comma placed in front of the conjunction when the sentences are joined. Examples: The day was bright. The day was sunny. Combined: The day was bright and sunny. 56 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
In this example we joined the adjectives to combine the sentences, but we do not have two independent clauses. Notice once again that there is no comma in front of the conjunction since we did not join two complete sentences or thoughts. Remember the main purpose of a comma is to show a pause in the writer s thoughts. Without any pauses, reading would be very confusing. A comma makes writing easier to understand. A common error in writing is to use too many commas. If you are in doubt about a particular sentence, and you cannot recall the specific rule, read the sentence aloud and see if it needs a pause. Frequently, you will be able to tell if a pause is needed, and where it should be in the sentence. subordinating conjunctions A complex sentence is one in which one independent clause is joined with one or more subordinate clauses to form a sentence. A subordinate clause is one that cannot stand alone as a sentence as it does not express a complete thought. Subordinating conjunctions usually show the connection between time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, or purpose. The most common subordinating conjunctions are provided. Time: after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, since, until, when, whenever, while Manner: as, as if, as though Cause: because Condition: although, as along as, even if, even though, if, provided that, though, unless, while Comparison: as, than Purpose: in order that LESSON 4 VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 57
LESSON 4 Example: I cannot go to the movies because I have no money. Because is a subordinating conjunction showing cause. Example: Until you balance your checkbook, you cannot write another check. Notice the punctuation in the previous two examples. When the subordinate clause is following the independent clause in this manner, there is no comma placed in front of the subordinating conjunction. However, when the subordinate clause is at the beginning of the complex sentence, there is a comma placed between the two clauses. Now, look at the examples again, and I will attempt to clear up a common confusing element concerning the difference between an independent clause and a subordinate clause. 58 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 4... because I have no money is NOT a complete thought. You will notice in the examples because I have no money and until you balance your checkbook both contain a subject, verb, and an object. If you dropped the subordinating conjunction, they could stand alone as complete sentences. BUT, since the conjunction adds a condition, time or cause to the meaning of I have no money and you balance your checkbook, they are a part of the whole phrase and cannot be dropped. They do not carry a complete thought or idea by themselves. These clauses cannot stand alone. In other words, they need something else to finish the idea. The something else they need is the accompanying independent clause to form a complete thought. I hope I made that clear. If you are still unclear how to use subordinating conjunctions, it is important that you learn to understand when you have written a complete thought and when you have a sentence fragment. Let s practice by combining some simple sentences into compound and complex sentences using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. Now, don t skip these writing exercises. They re for your own good! VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 59
LESSON 4 Exercise Conjunctions Review Instructions: Answer the following questions. 1. What is it called when you combine sentences? a. compounding b. coordinating 2. Which is a type of conjunction studied in this level? a. coordinating b. supporting 3. Which is a type of conjunction studied in this level a. complex b. subordinating 4. What type of conjunctions are the following?: and, or, not, but, for, so, yet a. subordinating b. coordinating 5. What type of conjunction is the word because? a. subordinating b. coordinating 60 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
6. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. time b. explanation LESSON 4 7. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. possession b. manner 8. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. cause b. substitute 9. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. example b. condition 10. If the subordinate clause is at the beginning of the sentence, where is the comma placed? a. before the clause b. following the clause 11. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. comparison b. punctuation VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 61
LESSON 4 12. What is the purpose of a comma? a. to show a pause b. to form contractions 13. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. verb b. purpose 14. A sentence is one in which two independent clauses (or complete sentences) are connected using a coordinating conjunction. a. compound b. complex 15. A sentence is one in which an independent clause and at least one subordinate clause are connected using a subordinating conjunction. a. compound b. complex 62 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 4 Answers to Exercise Conjunctions Review 1. What is it called when you combine sentences? a. compounding b. coordinating a Combining sentences is called compounding. 2. Which is a type of conjunction studied in this level? a. coordinating b. supporting a We learned two types of conjunctions in this level: subordinating and coordinating 3. Which is a type of conjunction studied in this level a. complex b. subordinating b We learned two types of conjunctions in this level: subordinating and coordinating. 4. What type of conjunctions are the following?: and, or, not, but, for, so, yet a. subordinating b. coordinating b The simplest way of combining sentences is called compounding. Compounding combines sentences by joining them together with coordinating conjunctions. Example: My father is a dentist, but my mother is a writer. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 63
LESSON 4 5. What type of conjunction is the word because? a. subordinating b. coordinating a Because is a subordinating conjunction showing cause. Subordinating conjunctions add a condition. 6. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. time b. explanation a The relationships that subordinating conjunctions can show: time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, purpose. 7. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. possession b. manner b The relationships that subordinating conjunctions can show: time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, purpose. 8. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. cause b. substitute a The relationships that subordinating conjunctions can show: time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, purpose. 64 Business Writing VERSION 5.0
LESSON 4 9. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. example b. condition b The relationships that subordinating conjunctions can show: time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, purpose. 10. If the subordinate clause is at the beginning of the sentence, where is the comma placed? a. before the clause b. following the clause b The comma follows the clause. 11. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. comparison b. punctuation a The relationships that subordinating conjunctions can show: time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, purpose. 12. What is the purpose of a comma? a. to show a pause b. to form contractions a The purpose of a comma is to show a pause. VERSION 5.0 Business Writing 65
LESSON 4 13. What relationship can subordinating conjunctions show? a. verb b. purpose b The relationships that subordinating conjunctions can show: time, manner, cause, condition, comparison, purpose. 14. A sentence is one in which two independent clauses (or complete sentences) are connected using a coordinating conjunction. a. compound b. complex a A compound sentence is one in which two independent clauses (or complete sentences) are connected using a coordinating conjunction. 15. A sentence is one in which an independent clause and at least one subordinate clause are connected using a subordinating conjunction. a. compound b. complex b A complex sentence is one in which an independent clause and at least one subordinate clause are connected using a subordinating conjunction. 66 Business Writing VERSION 5.0