Business Communications Standard 2 Students will communicate using

Business Communications Standard 2 Students will communicate using correct usage and mechanics.

Objectives n Students will identify: – Concise sentences – Modifiers – Redundancy – Word Usage

Concise Sentence n Concise means brief, to the point, or short. n Concise sentences are effective in business because they are emphatic (forceful) and easy to remember. n They capture and hold the attention of receivers who are too busy to read long, complicated messages.

Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that provide description in sentences. n Modifiers allow writers to take the picture that they have in their heads and transfer it accurately to the heads of their readers. n Essentially, modifiers breathe life into sentences. n Take a look at this "dead" sentence: Stephen dropped his fork. Now read what several well placed modifiers can do: n

Modifiers Continued… n Poor Stephen, who just wanted a quick meal to get through his three-hour biology lab, quickly dropped his fork on the cafeteria tray, gagging with disgust as a tarantula wiggled out of his cheese omelet, a sight requiring a year of therapy before Stephen could eat eggs again. n Without modifiers, sentences would be no fun to read.

Modifiers Continued… n Ex: Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on. – What is the dangling modifier? § – Why? § – Having finished States an action – does not name correct “doer” of that action. Doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows!

Modifiers Continued… Ex: Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on. n – – In this sentence, the subject would logically be a person (rather than the TV) who is doing the acting ("having finished"). The TV cannot finish an assignment! A correct sentence would be as follows: Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV.

Modifiers Continued… n Which sentence uses modifiers correctly? a. Taxiing on the runway, the radio tower was in contact with the pilot. b. Missing my family, the dormitory felt like a lonely place. c. Standing on top of the Sears Tower, the city of Chicago looked like a picture postcard. d. Playing in the yard, Sally broker her leg.

Modifiers Continued… n Modifiers must always be placed next to what they are modifying. – In A, the radio tower is taxiing on the runway. – In B, the dormitory is missing my family. – In C, the city of Chicago is standing on the Sears Tower. – D is correct. Sally is playing in the yard.

Redundancy n Unnecessary sentence elements~ empty phrases, and wordiness, weaken business communications.

Redundancy Continued… n Redundancy over again. means to say the same thing – Examples: § Past history § Circle around § Free gift § Each and every

Redundancy Continued… n How many redundancies can you see in the sentence below: n During the month of June, employees can preview the full and complete Annual Report for the year 2003 before it is distributed to stockholders. n During June, employees can read the complete 2003 Annual Report prior to its distribution.

Review n What is a concise sentence? n What is a modifier? n What is redundancy?

Word Usage n Which sentence is written incorrectly? a. When are they going to search for there books? b. They’re going to the movie tonight. c. The students all needed to take their books home to study for the test tomorrow. d. They are all coming over for dinner tomorrow. A. When are they going to search for their books.