“A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
– Professor William Strunk
Use the Active Voice
Active voice focuses on the action and holds the readers attention.
Active – The bank opted for the government bailout money.
Passive – The bailout money was accepted by the bank.
Active – Chapter dues differ throughout the organization.
Passive – Chapter dues throughout the organization are different.
The verb
to be (am, is, are, was, were) falls flat and makes your writing less interesting. Try to eliminate forms of the verb
to be from your writing—you will use active voice more often and produce more interesting copy.
Use Parallel Construction
Be Positive
Write in the positive form as much as possible. For example:
Remember is a much stronger statement than
don't forget; learn from is stronger than
don't reinvent.
Use Jargon Appropriately
Jargon is a specialized language used by a group or profession. It is a useful communications tool when used within the defined group. If your audience extends beyond that defined group, you should avoid using jargon and state your message in plain English.
Avoid Clichés
When you’re grasping for a metaphor, clichés will inevitably pop into your mind as you’re typing away. Resist the temptation to use them! Clichés will weaken your message and will bore your audience. Eliminate trite sayings and stale metaphors from your writing, and force yourself to be original.
Avoid Slang
Slang is specific to local or regional areas of the country. Avoid using slang; it's easily misunderstood.
Avoid Fluff
Wordy phrases weaken your message. Using more direct language will have a bigger impact on your audience.
Examples:
Wordy: I hope that you will consider joining us.
Direct: I hope you will join us.
Wordy: I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in the past.
Direct: Thank you for your past support.
Wordy: We are going to hold a meeting on February 3.
Direct: We will meet on February 3.
Avoid Overused Words and Phrases
See Gobbledygook
As Versus Because
We often see the word
as used instead of the word
because. However, Bryan A. Garner, in
Garner’s Modern American Usage, says this usage “should generally be avoided” because “it may be misunderstood.” I agree with Garner on this; using
as instead of
because can cause your reader to misunderstand your message.
Used as a conjunction,
as expresses during, while, or when, or a correlative (e.g., white as snow).
Because expresses causality/for the reason that.
Example:
Ambiguous: As Peggy was leaving, I walked to the door.
It’s unclear whether “I walked to the door” because Peggy was leaving or at the same time that Peggy was leaving.
Clear: I walked to the door, because Peggy was leaving.
While Peggy was leaving, I walked to the door.
Using And or As Well As
When you write
as well as, you're saying that what follows is not as important as what precedes
as well as. The singular main subject of the sentence remains singular and therefore uses a singular verb; e.g.,
Peggy, as well as Tom, is at the bank.
When you write
and, you give equal importance to the two items. You also create a compound subject that uses a plural verb; e.g.,
Peggy and Tom are at the bank.
Using Lay and Lie
For a more detailed explanation, See Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips
Using Less and Fewer
The basic rule is that you use
less with mass nouns and
fewer with count nouns.
Mass noun example: Banks are doing less in-house training.
Count noun example: Cancellations received five or fewer days are not entitled to refunds.
The phrase "less than" is preferred over "fewer than" with expressions denoting time units:
This course is a cost-effective way to provide skills to professionals who have been in banking less than three years.
Writing Educational Degrees
Educational degrees are capitalized only when you are writing the formal name of the degree, e.g., Bachelor's of Arts Degree in English Literature. Otherwise, use lowercase. Degrees are possessive, so remember to use an apostrophe.
Categories of Things
The words
sort, kind, and
type are interchangeable. When used with
this or
that, they are singular; e.g.,
I once had this sort of investment.
I like that kind of cake.
When used with the word
these,
sort, kind, and type become plural and you need to
put an
s on the end; e.g.,
She always uses these kinds of paperclips.
Uninterested or Disinterested
The perceived difference between these two words is that
uninterested conveys a sense of indifference or lack of interest, while
disinterested conveys a sense of impartiality.
Are Two BlackBerry Phones Presented as BlackBerries or BlackBerrys?
Typically, we make words that end in
y plural by replacing the
y with
ies, however, the same rule does not apply to proper nouns. Therefore, the proper plural of of the BlackBerry phone is
BlackBerrys.
Never Use Irregardless
Irregardless is, in general, an unaccepted term. Use
regardless or
irrespective instead.
Quote Versus Quotation
Remember to use
quote as a verb and
quotation as a noun.
Examples:
I plan to quote Bartlett. (verb)
I saw that quotation the newspaper. (noun)