Lecture#4 Writing your Message As you edit your message you will find yourself: o Rewriting passages o Sentences

o Even whole section Create Effective Sentence Every sentence contains a subject (noun or noun equivalent) and a predicate (verb and related word) Types of Sentence To give your sentence variety use the three types of sentences: o Simple o Compound o Complex A Simple Sentence A simple sentence has a single subject and a single predicate. Profits have increased in the past year. Subject is in bold and predicate is underlined. A Compound Sentence A compound sentence expresses two or more independent but related thoughts. Wage rates have declined by five percent, and employee turnover has been high. Subject is in bold and predicate is underlined. A Complex Sentence A complex sentence expresses one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. Although you may question Alis abilities, you must admit that his morals are strong. Subject is in bold and predicate is underlined . o Avoid passive sentences like sales were increased by 32% last month . o Use Active sentences like sales improved by 32% last month. Less Emphatic: We are cutting the price to stimulate demand. More Emphatic: To stimulate the demand, we are cutting the price.

Sentence Style Break long sentences into shorter ones to improve readability. Active sentences are stronger than passive ones. Use passive sentences to soften bad news, and to put yourself in the background, or to create an impersonal tone. Eliminate Unnecessary Words and Phrases Be on the lookout for: o Inefficient phrases o Redundancies o Unnecessary relative pronouns and articles Example: Confusing The project manager told the engineer last week the specifications were changed. Clear The project manager told the engineer last week that the specifications were changed. Emphasize key thoughts Emphasize parts of a sentence by: o Examples o Giving them more space o Putting them at the beginning or the end of the sentence o Making them the subject of the sentence Develop Coherent Paragraphs Paragraphs are functional units that revolve around a single thought. Elements of a paragraph are: o Topic sentence o Related sentences o Transitional elements
Five ways to develop a paragraph o Illustrations o Comparisons and contrasts o Cause and effect o Classifications o Problems and solutions