ELIMINATING

WEAKNESSES IN
WRITING
THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS FOR BETTER
WRITING
1. FOR NOUNS AND VERBS
- SIMPLIFY COMPLEX NOUNS
- LOOK FOR NOUNS THAT CAN BE CHANGED TO
STRONG VERBS
- USE SPECIFIC NOUNS RATHER THAN GENERAL
- STRENGTHEN VERBS
- REDUCE THE NUMBER OF LINKING VERBS
- USE ACTIVE VISUAL VERBS
2. FOR VOCABULARY
- CUT JARGON
- REDUCE THE NUMBER OF
MULTISYLLABIC WORDS
- USE VOCABULARY APPROPRIATE TO THE
AUDIENCE
3. FOR SENTENCES
- STRIVE FOR AVERAGE SENTENCES
- VARY SENTENCE LENGTH
- BE CAREFUL OF COMPOUND SUBJECTS
AND VERBS
- USE SUBJECT – VERB – OBJECT WORD
ORDER
4. FOR CONTENT
- CONCENTRATE ON SPECIFIC RATHER
THAN ABSTRACT
- GET TO THE MESSAGE QUICKLY
- ORGANIZED THOUGHTS IN LOGICAL
ORDER
5. FOR STYLE
- ELIMINATE THERE
- WRITE IN SHORT PARAGRAPH
- PUT WORDS THAT DEMAND EMPHASIS OF
THE SENTENCE
- LIMIT EACH SENTENCE TO ONE OR TWO
THOUGHTS
- DO NOT OVER USE TRANSITIONAL WORDS
OR PHRASE
6. ABOUT WEAK PHRASES
WEAK BETTER
WEALTHY BUSINESS PEOPLE - TYCOON
BUSINESS PROSPERITY - BOOM
CARRYING A CHILD - PREGNANT
LONG YEARS - YEARS
ONE YEAR OLD BOY - ONE YEAR OF AGE BOY
7. ABOUT GENDERISM
WRITING REQUIRES US TO REFRAIN
FROM USING TERMS THAT DISCRIMINATE
OR SHOW BIASES IN THE TREATMENT OF
MALES AND FEMALES. NEUTRAL TERMS
SHOULD BE USED TO MANIFEST FAIRNESS
AND EQUALITY AMONG PEOPLE.
7. ABOUT GENDERISM
WEAK BETTER
IF A WOMAN DRIVES - IF A PERSON DRIVES
BUSINESSMAN - BUSINESSPERSON
MAN-MADE - ARTIFICIAL, SYNTHETIC,
MANUFACTURED
MANPOWER - HUMAN POWER, WORKFORCE
CHAIRMAN - CHAIRPERSON
SALESMAN -SALESPERSON, SALES CLERK
FOREMAN - CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR
8. ABOUT WORDY LINES
WORDY STRAIGHT FORWARD
(BETTER)
CONSENSUS OF OPINION - CONSENSUS
AT THIS POINT IN TIME - AT THIS TIME; NOW
PLEASE KINDLY DO THIS - KINDLY DO THIS OR PLEASE
DO THIS
ATTACHED HEREWITH - ATTACHED IS; OR HEREWITH IS
PLEASANT GOOD MORNING - PLEASANT MORNING
OR GOOD MORNING
KIND CONSIDERATION - CONSIDERATION OR KINDNESS
DURING THE PRECEDING YEAR - LAST YEAR
THE ACTION WAS PREDICATED - THE ACTION WAS BASED ON
THE BELIEF
ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT - THAT
9. ABOUT GENERALITY
GENERAL SPECIFIC (BETTER)
TRAVELED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY - TRAVELED IN JAPAN
ONE KILO OF RICE - ONE KILOGRAM OF RICE
VISITS THE PROVINCE - VISITS QUIRENO PROVINCE
MY PARENT CALLED ME - MY MOTHER CALLED ME
OR MY FATHER CALLED ME
10. ABOUT ABSTRUCT LINES
ABSTRACT CONCRETE (BETTER)
LONG AND WIDIND ROAD - 50 KILOMETERS WINDING ROAD
WAITED FOR MANY HOURS - WAITED FOR 11 HOURS
FOUR LONG YEARS - FOUR YEARS
11. SPLIT INFINITIVES
SPLIT USE SUGGESTED PROXIMATE
USE
I WANT YOU TO SERIOUSLY - I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER
CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL SERIOUSLY THE PROPOSAL

SHE WAS TRYING TO RAPIDLY - SHE WAS TRYING TO

COMPLETE
COMPLETE HER REPORT RAPIDLY HER REPORT
12. SENTENCE UPGRADING STRATEGY

THIS STRATEGY HELPS US TO

STANDARDIZE OR TRANSFORM
STATEMENTS USING THE FREQUENTLY
USED VERBS LIKE AM, IS ARE, WAS AND
WERE, TO BE SUBSTITUTED WITH VIVID
VERBS OR PHRASES TO AVOID
MONOTONY.
12. SENTENCE UPGRADING STRATEGY
ORDINARY UPGRADED
MY CUSTOMER WAS SICK. - MY CUSTOMER GOT SICK.
MY CUSTOMER FELT SICK.
SHE IS BEAUTIFUL. - SHE LOOKS BEAUTIFUL
SHE EXUDES BEAUTY.
THE VOICE IS FAMILIAR TO ME.- THE VOICE SOUNDS FAMILIAR
TO ME.
THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE - THEY BELONG TO THE
BUSINESS
BUSINESS CLUB. CLUB
I AM COMFORTABLE HERE. - I FEEL COMFORTABLE HERE.
THE MANAGERS ARE TALL. - THE MANAGERS STAND TALL
THE ROPES ARE SIX METERS. - THE ROPES MEASURES SIX
METERS.
13. ABOUT VOICE OF THE VERB
VOICE REFERS TO THE FUNCTION OF THE
VERB INDICATING WHETHER THE SUBJECT ACTS
AS PERFORMER OF THE ACTION OR THE ONE
ACTED UPON. THE VERB IS IN THE ACTIVE VOICE
IF THE SUBJECT IS THE DOER OF THE ACTION. IT
IS IN THE PASSIVE VOICE IF THE SUBJECT IS THE
ONE ACTED UPON IN THE SENTENCE.
AS A GENERAL RULE, ACTIVE VOICE IS
PREFERRED IN COMMUNICATION BUT SOMETIMES
PASSIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE IN SOME
INSTANCE:
13.1 TO EMPHASIZE THE RECEIVER OF THE ACTION MORE THAN
THE DOER

PREFER (PASSIVE) - THE THIRTEENTH MONTH

PAY IS NOW BEING COMPUTED.

AVOID - THE TREASURER IS NOW

COMPUTING THE BONUS
FOR THIS YEAR.
13.2 TO AVOID THE TONE OF ACCUSATION

PREFER (PASSIVE) - SOME DOCUMENTS WERE TAKEN FROM

MY FILE
AVOID (ACTIVE) - YOU TOOK SOME DOCUMENTS FROM MY
DESK.

PREFER (PASSIVE) - THE VENDOR WAS KILLED AT THE

SIDEWALK.

AVOID (ACTIVE) - PETER KILLED THE VENDOR THIS MORNING

AT THE
SIDEWALK.
13.3 TO CONCEAL NAMES OR IDENTITIES

PREFER (PASSIVE) - THE PROGRAM WAS ASSESSED POORLY.

AVOID (ACTIVE) - THE PARTICIPANTS FROM PRIVATE

CORPORATIONS
ASSESSED THE PROGRAM AS POOR.
14. ABOUT WRITING NUMBERS IN DOCUMENTS
BUSINESS PERSONS OFTEN USE
NUMERICAL DATA WHICH ENTAILS THE
FREQUENT APPEARANCE OF NUMBERS IN
BUSINESS PAPERS. THE COMMON PROBLEM
IN EXPRESSING QUANTITIES IS WHETHER TO
WRITE IN FIGURES OR TO SPELL THEM OUT
IN WORDS.
14.1 USE FIGURES FOR THESE REASONS
A. FIGURES ARE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION THAT NEED
EMPHASIS;
B. FIGURE ARE EASY FOR READERS TO VISUALIZE IF
THEY NEED TO
REASON FOR CRITICAL POINTS.
C. FIGURES PROVIDE ECONOMIC USE OF TIME AND
SPACE.
EXAMPLE:
2000 CAN BE ENCODED FASTER AND IN LESS SPACE
THAN TWO THOUSAND.
14.2 A SENTENCE SHALL NEVER START WITH NUMBERS
EXAMPLE:
CORRECT – SIXTY CUSTOMERS PAID IN CASH.
WRONG - 60 CUSTOMERS PAID IN CASH.
IN CASE THAT A SINGLE DIGIT IS ACCOMPANIED BY TWO
OR MORE DIGIT NUMBERS IN THE SAME SENTENCE
THAT SINGLE DIGIT NUMBER SHALL ALSO BE WRITTEN
IN FIGURES.
EXAMPLES:
1. WE NEED TO PURCHASE SIX PRINTERS FOR OUR
OFFICE.
2. WE WILL ACQUIRE 16 PRINTERS AND 2 SCANNERS
FOR OUR OFFICE
14.2 A SENTENCE SHALL NEVER START WITH NUMBERS
FIGURES SHALL ALSO BE USED WHEN EXPRESSING
DATES, SUM OF MONEY, MIXED NUMBERS DECIMALS,
DIMENSIONS, DISTANCE, CUBIC CAPACITY,
PERCENTAGE, WEIGHTS, TEMPERATURES AND PAGE
NUMBERS.
- USE ORDINALS (TH, ST, RD, ND) WHEN THE NUMBER
PRECEDES THE MONTH
EXAMPLE:
4TH OF JULY 3RD OF APRIL
1ST OF MAY 2ND OF JANUARY
14.2 A SENTENCE SHALL NEVER START WITH NUMBERS
BUT IN CASE OF INDUCTIVE WRITING OF COMPLETE DATE, IT
MAY BE LIKE THESE:
25 FEBRUARY 2005
10 MAY 2004
02 JANUARY 2002
- USE CIPHERS WHEN WRITING AN EVEN MONEY FIGURE
THAT IS ACCOMPANIED WITH A PESO FIGURE THAT INCLUDES
PESO WITH CENTAVOS.
EXAMPLE:
1. WE RECEIVED PHP 60 YESTERDAY.
2. HE CONTRIBUTED PHP 125.50 AND PHP 10.00
YESTERDAY.
14.3 SPELL OUT THESE:

A. ONE DIGIT NUMBER IN A STATEMENT

B. NUMBERS THAT REPRESENT TIME WHEN O’CLOCK (OF THE CLOCK) IS USED.
EXAMPLE:
I WILL DELIVER THE MERCHANDISE AT NINE O’CLOCK.
SHE CALLS ME AT 9:20 P.M.
C. NAMES OF PLACES FROM 1 T0 12.
EXAMPLE:
SECOND AVENUE
ELEVENTH AVENUE
TWELFTH STREET
D. THE FIRST NUMBER WHEN ARE PLACED TOGETHER IN THE SAME SENTENCE.
EXAMPLE:
WE NEED FIVE 10 – PESO STAMPS.
I HAVE TEN 50 – PESO BILLS
15. ON DIVIDING WORDS AND LETTER DESCRIPTION
IN WRITING DESCRIPTIONS INTRODUCED BY LETTERS, THE LETTER
DESCRIPTION IS CAPITALIZED AND SEPARATED BY A HYPHEN FROM THE WORD IT
MODIFIES.
EXAMPLE:
T-SHIRT T-SQUARE
U-SHAPE V-NECK

16. CONVERSION OF BUSINESS TIME TO COMMON TIME

EXAMPLE:
CONVERT 1700 TO COMMON TIME
SOLUTION:
1700
- 1200
5 OR 5:00 PM
17. GOBBLEDYGOOK
IT IS THE UNNECESSARY USE OF LONG WORDS AND
STUFFY STYLE IN COMMUNICATION THAT COMPLICATES
THE MESSAGE OF A LETTER OR MEMORANDUM AND
MAKES IT LESS UNDERSTANDABLE OR READABLE TO THE
RECEIVER.

EXAMPLE:
 AERODYNAMIC PERSONAL DECELERATORS -
 INTERLOCKING SLIDE FASTENER –
 WOOD INTERDENTAL STIMULATORS -