1. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. MODULE 14 Revising Sentences and Paragraphs

2. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. Module 14 Skills to Develop your writing style Use revision strategies

3. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. Module 14 Outline What is “good” style? Are there rules I should follow? What should I look for when I revise sentences? What should I look for when I revise paragraphs? How does corporate culture affect style?

4. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. Good business writing style is: Polite Friendly Natural Revising Sentences & Paragraphs

5. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. To Create Good Style Use friendly, conversational words Avoid contractions, slang, and grammatical lapses Edit your writing to sound confident, even in uncomfortable situations Allow for some individual variation—use your own “voice” Revising Sentences & Paragraphs

6. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. To Use Business Style: –Friendly, conversational tone –Contractions occasionally –Friendly –Names –Short, simple words, sentences, and paragraphs –Standard edited English –Visual impact Revising Sentences & Paragraphs

7. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. To Improve Style Read widely and write a lot Get a clean page or screen Try WIRMI (what I really mean is) Read the draft aloud to someone Ask someone else to read it to you Revising Sentences & Paragraphs

8. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. To Revise Sentences Use strong, active verbs whenever possible Tighten your writing Vary sentence length and structure Use parallel structure Put your readers in your sentences Revising Sentences & Paragraphs

9. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. To Revise Paragraphs Begin most paragraphs with topic sentences Use transitions to link ideas –and, but, however, for example, after, moreover Revising Sentences & Paragraphs

10. ©2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. Dealing with Poor Style at Work Use the techniques in this module Help the organization learn about writing Recognize that a style serves many communication purposes Ask people if old documents represent the standard Revising Sentences & Paragraphs