Contractions in Business Writing

Contractions in Business Writing A client questioned the proper use of contractions in business writing: Are there any guidelines for using contractions in business writing? Smart question! There are clear guidelines about contraction use from most style guides, but they can be contradictory. My approach to contractions has evolved over the past few years.To define:a contraction is a shortened form of a word or phrase, with the omitted letters replaced with an apostrophe (should not - shouldn't). Should Contractions be Used in Business Writing? Yes, contractions can and should be used, but use them thoughtfully. Years back, some grammarians feltcontractions did not belong in formal writing, but that was questionable advice then, and now most (but not all) style guides recommend contractions: Chicago Manual of Style: Most types of writing benefit from the use of contractions. If used thoughtfully, contractions in prose sound natural and relaxed and make reading more enjoyable. (â€Å"Contractions.† Chicago Manual of Style Online. Section 5.103. accessed Mar. 7 2012.) Modern American Usage: The common fear is that using contractions can make the writing seem breezy. For most of us, though, that risk is nil. What you gain should be a relaxed sincerity- not breeziness. (Brian A. Garner. 2003. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. p. 194.) Federal Government's Plain Language Website: â€Å"Write as you talk† is a common rule of writing readably, and the best tool to do that is to use contractions. People are accustomed to hearing contractions in spoken English, and using them in your writing helps them relate to your document. (PlainLanguage.gov. accessed Mar. 7, 2012.) Gregg Reference Manual: As a rule, contractions are used only in informal writing or in tables where space is limited. However, contractions of verb phrases are commonly used in business communcations where the writer is striving for an easy, colloquial tone.(William A. Sabin. 2005. The Gregg Reference Manual, 10th ed. McGraw-Hill. p. 148.) A Problem All business writing should be matched to your readers. If you commonly write to an international audience, use contractions very judiciously. Two style guides, specific to non-native writing, advise against contractions: Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications: "Avoid contractions. As basic as contractions are to the native reader, they add unnecessary complexity for the non-native reader. For example, contractions that end in 's can be mistaken for possessive nouns, and the 's can be read as either has or is." The Elements of International English Style: A Guide to Writing Correspondence, Reports, Technical Documents, and Internet Pages for a Global Audience: "Avoid abbreviations, contractions, and acronyms" and "Contractions have no place in formal writing." Our Recommendation Use contractions in your business writing if it will sound more stilted or awkward not to use them. I set my grammar check to flag contractions. While I often use contractions because I want to project a warm and engaged voice, I do check my use of them in all documents, and especially in this blog since we have many non-native readers. When a contraction is flagged by my grammar checker, I ask myself if the contraction would still sound natural written out. If so, I avoid the contraction. If writing out the word or phrase sounds stilted, I use a more natural sounding contraction. Do not be afraid to use contractions. They do add an engaging voice. But, one can still be warm and engaging without contractions. This article has no contractions, yet I hope both my tone and information has helped your business writing!

Tips and Tools for Becoming a Book Critique Expert

Tips and Tools for Becoming a Book Critique Expert Writing a Book Critique Many students face the first challenges of writing a book critique even before they get started. Unfortunately, critique is not the most common school or college task, so to succeed you should first understand what the assignment is about. Book critique is often taken for a prà ©cis, which is a compressed description of the source text. Some students also think that it is a report, which is simply a summary of the plot. Basically, a critique is a piece of writing, which aims to evaluate and analyze the source book critically. As you understand, it is quite a difficult task and consists of multiple stages and skills. You won’t find a book critique, which was written by a person, who has never read the source. That is why you should not only possess good writing and analytical skills but also have enough time to reread the analyzed book several times, making notes and drafts. If you want to succeed, follow our tips. They will help you to create a thoughtful and comprehensive book critique. Book critique format As almost any other assignment, a book critique consists of three main parts: Introduction; Body paragraphs; Conclusion. Introduction As you already get from its name, the main goal of this section is to introduce readers to the topic and give them basic information on the name of the author, title of the book, year of its publication, etc. You should also include a thesis: the key idea book’s author is trying to render. It is possible to include several sentences on your own opinion and impressions. Body paragraphs This section is surely the most important part of the whole text and contains all the details you are willing to share. Start with a summary. Usually, a book critique is read by those, who don’t know the original book. That is why you should provide maximum details on the plot, main topics and discuss organization of the book. The main goal of your summary is to draw a comprehensive picture of what the source text is about. Luckily, you don’t have to summarize every chapter: just highlight the main points. After the summary goes evaluation. It is the heart of your book critique, because here you show how well you understand the book and the reasons, which urged the author to write it. Here are a few tips you can use: Is the plot logical? Discuss whether you have noticed inconsistencies of plot development; Render your own opinion about the book’s characters. Do they look natural? Are they developed? What relationships can you mark? Who are protagonists and antagonists? Give more detailed information on text’s language. What language techniques were used? How well the thoughts were expressed? Were there any units, which could be omitted? Provide your explanation of book’s ideas. Was the author able to render them to the fullest or were they confusing? If possible, write about book’s uniqueness. Was the story interesting and new? Were there any original outlooks and ideas in the text? If you had a feeling the book simply restates someone else’s ideas and characters, include your thoughts to the critique; A nice idea will be to write about the social impact of the book. Does it have a lesson to teach? If the source text contains valuable information to enrich knowledge and experience of a certain audience, don’t hesitate to use examples! Provide your own opinion on the book. Critique is quite a subjective paper, because you have your own vision and it can’t be influenced. Mention what you liked about the book and what confused you. However, you should always prove your ideas and back them with examples from the text. Conclusion The final part of your critique should give the reader an idea whether the book is worth their attention or not. You can compare it to similar books; say if you agree with book’s author and whether you recommend it to the audience. Now you have all the necessary instruments to write a great book critique. If you have any doubts or have no time to write the assignment on your own, we recommend you to get familiar with examples online. They will help you to stick to the structure and will give the right direction.