WRITING SKILLS

Business writing has seven purposes:
1. Convey information
2. Explain a situation
3. Request action
4. Seek information
5. Persuade
6. Reply to communication previously received
7. Convey an attitude
The goal of business writing is to have readers understand
the message completely, clearly, and accurately. A
few recommendations by authorities follow.
EFFECTIVE WRITING
Effective writers use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

776 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION
Writing Skills in Business
EFFECTIVE GRAMMAR
• Use first person personal pronoun (I) to indicate
who is stating the action: Sally and I visited the
museum. (not Me and Sally).
• Use parallel construction: Managers’ days are spent
completing reports, interviewing personnel, and
attending meetings. (not in meetings.)
• Make each sentence complete: Please read the article.
You will find it a truly moving experience. (not Please
read the article. A truly moving experience).
• Do not run sentences together: Enter the competition.
I think you’ll win. (not Enter the competition I
think you’ll win.)
• Make the meaning of sentences very clear. Assume
you wish to declare limits on your work times. I
work only in the mornings. (not I only work in the
mornings, which concentrates not on work times,
but on activities).
• Do not and does not, are preferred in formal writing.
However, in informal writing don’t or doesn’t may be
substituted. Jones does not have any objections to the
changes in the project. I don’t have time for lunch.
• Double negatives are illogical. I don’t want any more
carrots. (not I don’t want no more carrots.).
• The use of lie and lay determines their meaning.
Lay takes an object, while lie does not. I need to lie
down. (not lay down). Lay the book on the table.
(here lay means to set something down).
• The past tense of know is known. I have known her
for a year (not knowed).
• The word from (not than) usually follows different.
Today is different from yesterday.
EFFECTIVE SPELLING
Spell all words correctly. Use a dictionary if you are not
sure how a word is spelled. Following are correct spellings
of words often misspelled:
• accommodation
• judgment
• its (possessive) vs. it’s (contraction for it is)—I
dropped the tire off of its mounting. It’s Friday.
• E-mail is now accessible.
• accept (take) vs. except (excluding)—Will you accept
my invitation? I want my pizza with everything
except onions.
• lose (misplace) vs. loose (not tight)—I’m afraid I’ll
lose my notes. The nail came loose.
• than (comparison) vs. then (time)—My light is
brighter than a spotlight. I went to the bank then
saw my customer.
• I am grateful for your assistance.
EFFECTIVE PUNCTUATION
Use periods to end sentences that:
• State fact or opinion: I’m reading a book.
• Suggest or order action: You should visit Dorothy.
• Request action in question form: Will you please go.
• Are indirect questions: She asked when school started.
• End with an abbreviation: She lives on Palm Ave. (no
double period).
Use question marks to end sentences that:
• Ask questions of fact or opinion: Are students admitted?
• Close with abbreviations: Is it 7:00 p.m.?
Use exclamation points to end sentences showing
strong opinions: Your house is on fire!
Use commas:
1. After introductory parts of sentences: After studying,
she got an “A” grade.
2. After prepositional phrases: During the meeting,
everyone talked.
3. Before and after “interruptors” within sentences:
Please come in, Mrs. Alexander, before guests arrive.
4. To separate two independent clauses in one sentence
joined by a conjunction. I saw her Friday, but she’s
home now.
5. To separate series of three or more words, phrases,
or clauses: Germans, Russians, and Spaniards were
there.
6. Before and after non-essential interruptors, where
meanings would be clear without interruptors: This
clock, as you might have guessed, is an antique.
7. Do not use commas around interruptors that are
essential to the meaning: The automobile parked in
Stall C-16 is mine.
Semicolons join independent clauses not joined by
coordinating conjunctions: Spring is here; it’s finally warm!
Use colons where:
• Series of items follow: Four brothers stand before you:
Abraham, Benjamin, Charles, and Herman.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION 777
Writing Skills in Business
• Long quotations follow: The mayor said: “…Never
before have I experienced the joy of knowing that one
of our citizens was elected governor…”
Use quotation marks at beginning and end of:
• Direct, exact quotations: “Holidays,’ said one speaker,
“are students’ friends.”
• Titles of book chapters, poems, or magazine articles:
The chapter is entitled “Computers and Clocks.”
• Terms possibly unfamiliar to readers, such as An IRA
is an “Individual Retirement Account.”
Rules for punctuation related to quotation marks
include:
• Periods and commas go inside quotation marks: “I
am listening, Father,” said Robert, “I am listening.”
• Colons, semicolons, exclamation points, and question
marks go outside quotation marks unless part
of the quoted material: You said, “No one can solve
this puzzle”; I found three who could.
• Do not use quotation marks around indirect quotations:
He said he’d leave before 3:00 p.m.
• Use single quotation marks for quotations within
quotations: Virginia said, “I saw the movie ‘Titanic.’”
• Use underscore, all capitals, or italics (but not quotation
marks) for titles of books; pamphlets, long
poems, magazines, or newspapers; or performing,
musical, literary, or visual art pieces.
Apostrophes have two major rules:
1. To show possession for nouns, not pronouns: The
composer’s melody is beautiful.
2. To substitute for missing letters in “contractions”:
You’re the winner!
Some major rules for capitalization are:
• Capitalize first words in sentences. Eighty-five books
were purchased.
• Capitalize names: Finally Marie visited Portland,
Maine.
• Capitalize and abbreviate titles: Here’s Mr. Blake.
EFFECTIVE SENTENCES AND
PARAGRAPHS
Writing effectively requires skillfully transforming correct
grammar, spelling, and punctuation into sentences and
paragraphs.
Effective Sentences. Main ideas can be emphasized by
placement in independent clauses at ends of sentences:
From shrewd investments, Martin achieved overwhelming
success. Emphasis also comes by comparing or contrasting:
He speaks with the force of a thunderbolt. Connecting words
emphasize ideas: She’s inexperienced; however, look at her
sales reports. Positive attitudes increase sentence effectiveness:
We appreciate your thoughtful reply. We will study it
carefully (versus We cannot understand your reply.)
Effective Paragraphs. Place a central core thought in each
paragraph. Central core thoughts may come first followed
by supporting sentences.
We’re concerned about declines in sales and profits.
Two years ago, sales reached $260 million.
Last year they dropped to $214 million. Two years
ago, our profit rate was 13 percent on sales. This
past year, it dipped to 8 percent.
Ending paragraphs with central core thoughts are
equally effective:
Two years ago, sales reached $260 million. Last
year they dropped to $214 million. Two years ago,
our profit rate was 13 percent on sales. This past
year, it dipped to 8 ercent. We’re concerned about
declines in sales and profits.
Skillful repetition makes a paragraph effective:
Bosses forgive occasional tardies. They even overlook
mistakes. But they never condone a negative
attitude.
Climatic paragraphs can generate excitement by
sequencing events in order of occurrence:
On June 14, two girls carrying shopping bags
entered our men’s furnishings department. While
one girl talked to a sales associate, the other
slipped around quietly loading her shopping bag.
Soon, they left by the front door. However, our
security patrol spotted them. When the two girls
got outside, security nabbed them and called the
police.
VISUAL ASPECTS
Whether transmitted via letter, FAX, e-mail, or interoffice
communication, appropriate formats create favorable
impressions.
Business Letters. Business letters are mailed to persons
outside the writer’s company:
• One-inch margins give clean, open appearances.

778 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION
Writing Skills in Business
• Indent first lines of paragraphs five spaces.
• Use 10- or 12-point font sizes for most letters and
memos.
• Except for extremely short letters, use single spacing.
• Most business stationery is 8.5 by 10 inches.
• On envelopes, place the return address at upper left
and the addressee’s address in approximate vertical
and horizontal center.
Business Memos. Memos go to persons within the
writer’s company. Their format, which is often informal,
is similar to that of business letters.
Facsimilies. Business faxes (facsimiles), business letters,
and memos have similar formats. Faxes, however, have
attached cover sheets listing name, title, organization,
address of company, and fax number of both addressee
and writer. Also shown is number of pages, counting cover
sheets.
E-Mail. Formats for e-mail are less formal than for letters.
• Avoid capitalizing all words. It is equivalent to
shouting.
• When replying to an earlier e-mail, include a copy
of the message you received.
• Always include subject lines.
• Make grammatical structures, typing, numbers, and
technical information accurate and clear. Compose
lengthy messages off-line.
• Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed with e-mail.
Good Impressions. Always convey a good impression.
• Write sincerely and courteously.
• Avoid big words. Do not try to impress.
• Aim communications to the reader’s level.
• Have appropriate-length messages. Short messages
may be curt; long messages may lose readers.
• Be correct. If the meeting is Wednesday, November
30, do not write Thursday, November 30.
• Messages should flow smoothly from beginning to
end and reach logical conclusions.
• Get to the point early.
• Do not pretend to know readers when you actually
do not.
• Avoid gender stereotyped communications.
• Correctly convey company policy. Consult with colleagues
if necessary.