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Module -I
Effective Writing Skills
III Semester
The language used for communication in business is no special variety of English but
simple Standard English. However, owing to certain hackneyed practices in using words,
phrases and sentences, especially in business correspondence, people have, rather
unfortunately, come to look upon it as a substandard kind of English. In order to ward off
such hackneyed practices and make our communication effective it is necessary to aim at
clear writing. The basic purpose of any written communication is to convey a message to
the reader. To serve this purpose well, the message must be easily understood and quickly
read. A well-written document approaches the subject logically and shows the writer has
a thorough knowledge of the subject. The decision to use a written rather than oral
communication often rests with - the communicator. In such cases, the communicator
must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each form of communication in order to
make an intelligent decision. Written communications are usually more carefully
formulated than oral communications, so the message conveyed tends to be more clearly
stated. Written messages also can be retained as references or legal records. The
tips/guidelines given below have been found useful in achieving this aim.
Tips Regarding Choice of Words: Regarding the choice of words H.W. Fowler laid
down five golden rules in his book. ‘The King’s English.’
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Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched;
Prefer the concrete word to the abstract;
Prefer the single word to the circumlocution;
Prefer the short word to the long;
Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance;
Fowler’s advice was given long ago, but it is as useful today as it has always been. In
business communication it is indispensable. It is important to remember that he receiver
of the message must be able to decode what we transmit. And that can be possible only
when we encode the message in symbol/words with which both of us are familiar.
o Use Familiar Words:
This is, therefore, the first rule of word selection. In this connection it is important to note
that it is not so easy to define ‘familiar’ words. What seems familiar to one group of
people may not be familiar to another. Whether or not a word is familiar depends on the
background of the sender and the receiver of the message, letter, memo etc. It is
interesting to note that most communication takes place within the range of 2000 to 3000
words. Many business writers do not use so familiar/simple words as, for example,
Endeavour in place of try, ascertain in place of find out, terminate in place of end,
demonstrate in place of show, utilize in place of use, antiquated in place of old,
experimentation in place of test, mechanism in place of machines. Communication would
be much more effective with the simpler choice given above.
o Use Concrete Words:
Effective business writing is characterized by words that form sharp, clear images in our
mind. We may call such words ‘concrete’ words as opposed to ‘abstract’ words that
create vague or fuzzy meanings. Concrete words stand for things that exist in the real
world while abstract words stand for broad meanings, concepts, ideas, feelings etc.
Common and proper nouns like ‘bank’, ‘telephone’, ‘satellite’, ‘Bill Gates’, ‘chair’,
‘desk’, ‘MRF Tyres’ etc, are concrete words that at once create clear pictures in the
reader’s mind. On the other hand, abstract nouns like ‘administration’, ‘inconsistency’,
‘compatibility’, ‘conservation’, ‘competence’, ‘performance’, ‘loyalty’, etc cover broad
meanings. Effective communication is based on concrete words creating concrete images,
and not really on abstractions, broad ideas or fuzzy images.
Concreteness means not only picking up concrete words but also how we put our
words together. In other words we can say that the expression that are exact and specific
are concrete, and those that are vague and general are abstract. For example, let us
compare the abstract and concrete expressions given below:
Abstract
Concrete
A piece of art
a painting/statue
Significant rise
45% rise
The majority
68 per cent
Near/foreseeable future
by Friday evening.
Labour saving device
machine that does the work of ten workers
Substantial gain
20 per cent interest
It shows that specific facts and figures make concrete expressions.
Concreteness can also be achieved, by avoiding use of words like ‘high’, ‘low’,
‘big’, ‘small’, ‘several’, ‘often/very often’, ‘most’, ‘least’, etc. They may be termed as
‘opinion words’, and opinions are subjective rather than exact.
o Use single words in place of circumlocution (indirect way of
expressing):
This rule points towards one-word substitution, an exercise that is generally given to
students at the intermediate and undergraduate level. People sometimes use many more
words than needed and end up with circumlocution or speaking/writing in a roundabout
manner. This leads to waste of words while effective communication is, to a large extent,
based on economy of words. Let us consider the following examples:
(1) After his retirement he took up a job just for honour, not caring for any
emoluments (compensation).
(2) He always uses words with several meanings and interpretations.
The same sentences can be more effectively written as follows:
(1) After his retirement he took up an honorary job.
(2) He always uses ambiguous words.
o Use short words in place of long words:
Short words generally communicate better than long ones. It has been observed that
readers are likely to be confused by long words. The reason is that the long words appear
to be difficult to understand. They don’t easily pass through our mental filter. The result
is that the effect of the message is likely to be lost when the sender uses long words. It
poses a comprehensive problem.
There are some exceptions. Not all words are difficult. In certain cases there are no
substitutes for them, as, for example, in the case of ‘hippopotamus’, ‘rhinoseros’,
‘sterilize’, ‘automobile’, ‘scrutinize’ etc. They are words of everyday use and, therefore,
communicate easily. But on the whole, our effort should be to simplify our message by
submitting short words for long as, for example, in the following expressions:
Long words
Short words
(i) During the preceding year
last year
(ii) Definitive action….
Final action
(iii) Incontrovertible evidence
proof
(iv) ….acceleration….
speeding up
o Use strong words:
Communication becomes really forceful when we put pep into it through strong, vigorous
words specially coined to carry the spirit of the message. For example, given below in the
left column are the stronger words for their plain English equivalents.
Tycoon
very successful businessman
Boom
period of business prosperity
Slump
period of decline in business
Bear market
generally declining market
Bullish market
favourable market
o Use active voice:
Communication is much more effective when the message is carried in active voice
rather than in passive. In active voice the subject does the action while in passive voice it
receives the action. And that makes all the difference in the force of the statement. For
example, let us look at the two sentences given below and compare their impact:
Actice: The management highly appreciates your efforts.
Passive: Your efforts are highly appreciated by the management.
In the first sentence the focus is on the management that ‘appreciates’, thus giving it an
important role. In the second sentence the subject has been relegated to a subservient
position, and the helping word ‘are’ dulls the verb.
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o Use precise words and idioms:
As has been pointed out earlier in this book “….writing maketh an exact man”.
Successful communication in business depends to a very large extent on our choice of as
precise words and phrases as possible. And it is by no means easy to choose the most
suitable words and phrases for what we want to say. It requires hard work to look through
long lists, dictionaries, glossaries and thesauruses to find the right word for our intended
meaning. Every concept carries with it a whole range of meanings and words to convey
those meanings. Many of those words seem to be similar in meaning, but on careful
observation we find that there are delicate shades of difference in their meanings and the
context in which they are used.
For example, an effective writer/communicator will always take care to find out whether
he means to use the word ‘artist’ or ‘artiste’, ‘artful’ or ‘artificial’ or ‘artistic’, ‘money’,
or ‘finance’, ‘strong’ or ‘powerful’ or ‘resourceful’, ‘merge’ or ‘emerge’ or ‘submerge’,
‘tired’ or ‘exhausted’, ‘pleased’ or ‘glad’. ‘surprised’ or ‘amazed’ and so on.
Very often confusion arises in the use of ‘for’ and ‘since’, ‘few’, ‘a few’, ‘the few’,
‘little’, ‘a little’ and ‘the little’, ‘less’ and ‘low’, affect’ and ‘effect’, ‘continual’ and
‘continuous’, ‘further’ and ‘farther’, ‘previous’ and ‘preceding’, ‘earlier’ and ‘former’,
‘later’ and ‘latter’ and a number of such words each of which has its own, precisely
defined meaning and function.
English has a large number of idioms and phrases that express meanings in a more
effective manner than individual words in particular contexts. Each idiom or phrase has a
singular character of its own. It can not be changed and, therefore, should not be
tempered with. For example, the meanings conveyed by idioms and phrases like ‘red
herring’, ‘red-hot’, ‘paint the town red’, ‘keep up with the Joneses’, ‘take after’, ‘take up’,
‘look up’ and ‘look into’, are very special, precise and effective. It is, therefore, necessary
to be familiar with their use that can be observed in written and spoken English of
everyday use. If we try to change them knowingly or misuse them unknowingly, we may
distort the meaning as we see in the following examples:
Faulty idiom/phrase
Children normally take up their
parents.
The committee is looking up this
matter.
The hot and humid climate of India
has told at this health.
The painter painted the town red.
This boy is a black horse.
Correct use
Children normally take after their parents
The committee is looking into this matter.
The hot and humid climate of India has told
upon his health.
They were so happy that they painted the
town red.
This boy is a dark horse.