Business Writing

Chiyu Chen 1

Chiyu Chen

CHAPTER FOUR

Bernie L Mullen

February 22, 2020

Question one

Explain the role of adaptation in writing clear sentences (rank 4)

Adaptation is key in sentence construction because it the process by which a writer is going to decide which information goes to which sentence and in which order and form. Adaptation also enables a writer to choose words that fit the intended audience. Main points must be placed in such a way that they stand out and through choice of words you should be able to emphasize certain parts. Having better design of sentences enables the writer to control how the meaning is perceived.

Example https://www.assignmentpoint.com/arts/english/adaptation-selection-words.html

Target receiver/audience: Shareholders

“…last year the company’s total sales were Taka 12,000, which was slightly higher than the Taka 11,250 total for the year before. After deducting all expenses, the company had Taka 9,500 as profits. Since the profit increased significantly last year as compared to that of the year before, the company increased the annual dividend…”

Target receiver/audience: Investors

“…the excess of the investments in certain companies over net asset value at dates of acquisition was taka Taka 15,000. The company’s equity in net assets as of December 31, 2005 was Taka 25,000 and in the results of the operations…”

The statement t investors is written in professional business language which may be hard to understand. The same is simplified for stakeholders.

Question two (rank 5)

Write short, clear sentences by limiting sentence content and economizing on words

When a writer uses long sentences, there is high possibility that mistakes will be committed or there will be areas that the message is not clear. The choice of words and design of sentences is therefore important to avoid such mistakes. Some words can be sued to replace several words hence making the sentence shorter and clear.

Example (Page 74)

In the event that payment is not made by January, operations will cease.

If payment is not made by January, operations will cease.

The two sentences pass the same message but one is shorter.

Question three

Design sentences that give the right emphasis to content. (rank 4)

Emphasizing on certain message is important because it finds use in many situations during the writing process. The use of short sentences is in itself a way to emphasize messages. The use of independent and independent clauses is another way to emphasize.

Example (Page 79)

The company lost money last year. The loss occurred despite record sales.

The company lost money last year, and the loss occurred despite record sales.

The first sentence gives emphasis by using two separate sentences, the second does the same combining the sentences and still being to stress out that money was lost.

To emphasize on record sales, the sentence was framed like this

The company enjoyed record sales last year, although it lost money.

Question four

Employ unity and good logic in writing effective sentences (rank 4)

It is important that sentences have unity in expressing ideas. This means that a sentence should be able to communicate a single idea and all parts should talk about related things. To avoid confusion, it is important to avid excess details and having many ideas in the same sentence.

Sentences must also be logical by avoiding use of passive and active voices in the same sentence which makes it hard to follow.

Example (Personal example)

· My son is in Chicago, United States. He will be studying engineering and it has been his dream career.

· My son is in Chicago, United States studying engineering, his dream career.

The second sentence is more unified.

Question five

Compose paragraphs that are short and unified, use topic sentences effectively, and communicate coherently. (rank 4)

Paragraph design is very important and the use of short and unified paragraphs makes everything easy to follow. The first sentence of a paragraph is the topic sentence and it should introduce what idea the paragraph will be talking about. It can however be placed at the middle or at the end. The sentences that follow should simply provide support of that idea, expound on it and may be provide examples. There should be a final sentence that concludes on that main idea.

Example (page, 89)

Three reasons justify moving from the Crowton site. First, the building rock in the Crowton area is questionable. The failure of recent geologic explorations in the area appears to confirm suspicions that the Crowton deposits are nearly exhausted. Second, the distances from the Crowton site to major markets make transportation costs unusually high. Obviously, any savings in transportation costs will add to company profits. Third, the out-of-date equipment at the Crowton plant makes this an ideal time for relocation. The old equipment at the Crowton plant could be scrapped.

The above paragraph meets the qualities of a good paragraph. It is short, coherent and unified.