Exam Specifications:

I. Decide whether each of the following research

methods is Formal (F) or Informal (I):
Informal Research Methods
Many routine tasks—such as drafting e-mails, memos,
letters, informational reports, and oral presentations—
require information that you can collect informally.
Where can you find information before starting a project?
The following techniques are useful in informal research:
1. Search your Company’s files
2. Talk with the boss
3. Interview the target audience
4. Conduct an informal Survey
5. Brainstorm for ideas
Formal Research Methods
Long reports and complex business problems require
formal research methods. In formal research consider the
following research options:
1. Access electronic sources
2. Search manually
3. Investigate primary sources
4. Conduct scientific experiments
II. Decide whether you would use the Direct (D) or
the Indirect (I) approach to write your message in
each of the following cases:

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 Direct Strategy for Receptive Audiences: When you
expect the reader to be pleased, mildly interested, or, at
worst, neutral - use the direct strategy. Compare the
following direct and indirect strategies:

In the direct method the main idea comes first and

explanations and details follow. It is also called
frontloading.
Indirect Strategy for Unreceptive Audiences: when you
expect the audience to be uninterested, unwilling,
displeased, or even hostile, the indirect strategy is more
appropriate. In this strategy you reveal the main idea only
after you have offered explanation and evidence. This
approach suits three kinds of messages (a) bad news, (b)
ideas that require persuasion, and (C) sensitive news
especially when transmitted to superiors.

III. Choose the correct answer: Which one is more or

less emphatic?
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Developing Emphasis:
Emphasis in writing can be achieved primarily in two
ways: mechanically and stylistically.
Achieving Emphasis Through Mechanics. To
emphasize an idea in print, a writer may use any of the
following devices:
Underlining Underlining draws the eye
to a word.
Italics and boldface Using italics or boldface
conveys special meaning.
Font changes Selecting a large, small, or
different font draws
interest.
All caps Printing words in ALL
CAPS is like shouting
them.
Dashes Dashes—used sparingly—
can be effective.
Tabulation Listing items vertically
makes them stand out:
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Achieving Emphasis Through Style. Although

mechanical device are occasionally appropriate, more
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often a writer achieves emphasis stylistically. That is, the
writer chooses words carefully and constructs sentences
skillfully to emphasize main ideas and de-emphasize
minor or negative ideas. Here are four suggestions for
emphasizing ideas stylistically:
Use Vivid, not general, word: Vivid words are emphatic
because the reader can picture ideas clearly.
General Vivid
The way we seek jobs has The Internet has
changed. dramatically changed
how job hunters search for
position.
Someone will contact you Ms. Rivera will telephone
as soon as possible. you before 5 p.m.
tomorrow, May 3.

Label the main Idea. If an idea is significant, tell the

reader.
Unlabeled Labeled
Consider looking for a job Consider looking for a job
online, but also focus on online; but, most important,
networking. focus on networking.
We shop here because of We like the customer
the customer Service and Service، but the primary
low prices. reason for shopping here is
the low prices.
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Place the Important Idea first or last. Ideas have less
competition from surrounding words when they appear
first or last in a sentence. Observe how the concept of
productivity can be emphasized by its position in the
sentence.
MAIN IDEA LOST MAIN IDEA
EMPHASIZED
Profit-Sharing plans are Productivity is more likely
more effective in to be increased when
increasing productivity profit-sharing plans are
when they are linked to linked to individual
individual performance performance rather than to
rather than to group group performance.
performance.

Give the Important Idea the spotlight. Don’t dilute the

effect of the main idea by making it share the stage with
other words and clauses. Instead, put it in a simple
sentence or in an independent clause.
MAIN IDEA LOST MAIN IDEA CLEAR
Although you are the first You are the first trainee we
trainee we have hired for have hired for this
this program, we had many program. (Simple sentence)
candidates and expect to
expand the program in the
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future. (The main idea is
lost in a dependent clause)

De-emphasizing When Necessary. To de-emphasize an

idea, such as bad news, try one of the following stylistic
devices:
Use general words.
EMPHASIZES HARSH DE-EMPHASIZES
STATEMENT HARSH STATEMENT
Our records indicate that Our records indicate that
you were recently fired. your employment status
has recently changed.

Place the bad news in a dependent clause connected to

an independent clause that contains something
positive. In sentences with dependent clauses, the main
emphasis is always on the independent clause.
EMPHASIZES BAD DE-EMPHASIZES BAD
NEWS NEWS
We cannot issue you credit Although credit cannot be
at this time, but we have a issued at this time, you can
special plan that will allow fill your immediate needs
you to fill your immediate on a cash basis with our
needs on a cash basis. special plan.

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Using the Active and Passive Voice Effectively
Most business writing should be in active voice as active
voice sentences are shorter, more direct, and are easier to
understand. However, passive voice is useful to: a)
emphasize an action rather than a person, b) de-emphasize
negative news, and c) conceal the doer of an action.
IV. Substitute the following (Flabby, redundant, trite
phrases) with businesslike phrases:
In business, time means money so concise messages save
time and money. Conciseness in writing means to find a
shorter way to say way what you mean. This can be
achieved if you eliminate flabby expressions, drop
unnecessary introductory words, get rid of redundancies,
and purge empty words.
 Many flabby expressions can be shortened into one
concise word.
FLABBY CONCISE
As a general rule Generally
At a later date Later
At this point in time Now, present
Despite the fact that Although
Due to the fact that, Because
inasmuch as, in view of the
fact that
Feel free to Please
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For the period of, for the For
purpose of
In addition to the above Also
In all probability Probably
In the event that If
In the near future Soon
In very few cases Seldom, rarely
Until such time as Until

Limiting Long Lead-Ins. Another way to create concise

sentences is to delete unnecessary introductory words.
Consider this sentence: 1 am sending you this e-mail to
announce that a new manager has been hired. A more
concise and more direct sentence deletes the long lead-in:
A new manager has been hired. The meat of the sentence
often follows the long lead-in.
WORDY CONCISE
We are sending this
announcement to let
everyone know that we
expect to change Internet We expect to change
service providers within six Internet service providers
weeks. within six weeks.
This is to inform you that
You may find lower
you may find lower airfares
airfares at our website.
at our website.
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I am writing this letter
Professor Brian Wilson
because Professor Brian
suggested that your
Wilson suggested that your
organization was hiring
organization was hiring
trainees.
trainees.

Dropping Unnecessary There is/are and ft is/was

Fillers. In many sentences the expressions there is/are
and it is/was function as unnecessary fillers. In addition to
taking up space, these fillers delay getting to the point of
the sentence. Eliminate them by recasting the sentence.
Many’—-but not all—sentences can be revised so that
fillers are unnecessary.
WORDY CONCISE
There are more women
than men enrolled in More women than men are
college today. enrolled in college today.
There is an aggregator that
collects and organizes An aggregator collects and
blogs. organizes blogs.
It was a Facebook post that A Facebook post revealed
revealed the news. the news.

Rejecting Redundancies: Expressions that repeat

meaning or include unnecessary words are redundant.
Saying unexpected surprise is like saying surprise surprise
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because unexpected carries the same meaning as surprise.
As you revise, look for redundant expressions such as the
following:
REDUNDANT CONCISE
absolutely essential essential
adequate enough adequate
basic fundamentals fundamentals or basics
big in size big
combined together combined
exactly identical identical
each and every each or every
necessary prerequisite prerequisite
new beginning beginning
refer back refer
repeat again repeat
true facts facts

Dumping Trite Business Phrases

To sound “businesslike,” some business writers repeat the
same stale expressions that others have used over the
years. Your writing will sound fresher and more vigorous
if you eliminate these trite phrases or find more original
ways to convey the idea.
TRITE PHRASE IMPROVED
as per your request < as you request
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pursuant to your request at your request
enclosed please find J enclosed is
every effort will be made ’Z we'll try
in accordance with your
as you wish
wishes
in receipt of have received
please do not hesitate to please
respond forthwith respond immediately
thank you in advance thank you
under separate cover separately
with reference to about

V. Each of the following sentences has a problem

with Parallelism. Rewrite the sentences using a
parallel structure.

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Developing Parallelism
Parallelism is a skillful writing technique that creates
balanced writing. Sentences written so that their parts are
balanced, or parallel, are easy to read and understand.
To achieve parallel construction, use similar structures to
express similar ideas.
LACKS PARALLELISM ILLUSTRATES
PARALLELISM
The policy affected all The policy affected all
vendors, suppliers, and vendors, suppliers, and
those involved with consultants. (Matches
consulting. nouns)
Our primary goals are to Our primary goals are to
increase productivity, increase productivity,
reduce costs, and the reduce costs, and improve
improvement of product product quality. (Matches
quality. verbs)
We are scheduled to meet We are scheduled to meet
in Atlanta on January 5, we in Atlanta on January 5, in
are meeting in Montreal on Montreal on March 15, and
the 15th of March, and in in Chicago on June 3.
Chicago on June 3. (Matches phrases)
Shelby audits all accounts Shelby audits all accounts
lettered A through L; lettered A through L;
accounts lettered M Andrew audits accounts
through Z are audited by lettered M through Z.
Andrew. (Matches clauses)
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 Our Super Bowl ads have Our Super Bowl ads have
three objectives: three objectives:
1. We want to increase 1. Increase product use
product use. 2. Introduce
2. Introduce complementary products
complementary 3. Enhance our corporate
products. image (Matches verbs in
3. Our corporate image listed items.)
will be enhanced.

VI. Each of the following sentences contains a mistake

with the modifier (dangling or misplaced modifier).
Rewrite the sentences correctly.
Escaping Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
For clarity, modifiers must be close to the words they
describe. A modifier dangles when the word or phrase it
describes is missing from its sentence.
DANGLING OR CLEAR
MISPLACED MODIFICATION
MODIFIER
Skilled at graphic design, Skilled at graphic design,
the contract went to DesignOne won the
DesignOne. contrac.
Working together as a Working together as a
team, the project was final team, we finally completed
completed. the project.

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To meet the deadline, your
Excel figures must be sent
by May 1.
The recruiter interviewed
candidates who had
excellent computer skills in
the morning.
As an important customer
to us, we invite you to our
spring open house.
To meet the deadline, you
must send your Excel
figures by May 1.
In the morning, the
recruiter interviewed
candidates with excellent
computer skills.
As an important customer
to us, you are invited to our
spring open house.

VII. Revise the following sentences to recover buried

verbs, and to eliminate long lead-ins.

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