Comments for Writing With Clarity

Comment on Using “they” for singular reference: It has a long precedent by webmaster

webmaster — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:07:19 +0000

Wow, this is not at all what I expected. The history on the use of “their” to stand in for single nouns is really surprising! I have been working really hard to make the pronouns agree with their subjects. So many people think it’s wrong that we may be stuck having to make them agree. If we want to persuade, it really helps not to get set grammar police sirens off in people’s heads. Do you think that’s a problem?

Comment on Using “they” for singular reference: It has a long precedent by Ken

Ken — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:26:34 +0000

Many people are surprised to learn that several of the “rules” our teachers taught us in school were not really rules but were guidelines that individual language scholars as far back as 200 years ago had declared arbitrarily to be proper rules of grammar. Or they were guidelines that surfaced in more recent times from one teacher’s interpretation of what was right, without any basis in fact or in linguistic theory. This certainly does not apply to most principles of grammar, which have been in place for 300 years and have not changed significantly.

Comment on Using “they” for singular reference: It has a long precedent by Dave Shea

Dave Shea — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:38:37 +0000

Strunk and White are turning over in their graves.

Comment on Writing the “Bad News” Message by Ken

Ken — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:11:42 +0000

Carrie,
Thank you for your note. Your point is valid regarding the statements you mentioned, but if I were writing to someone responsible for the failure to meet certain goals, I would not open with that statement. Something more positive or neutral would be something that the reader and I both agree on, such as the importance of striving for excellence and maintaining high performance. Or maybe, if it was appropriate, I would compliment the reader on his or her effort toward reaching our goals, especially in light of … (yadda yadda), and then express my concern about our failure to achieve what we needed to.

Thank you for writing.

Comment on Writing the “Bad News” Message by Carrie

Carrie — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:00:14 +0000

The reader’s perception and feelings about the statement are what determines whether the statement is truly neutral. Neutrality, like beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder, regardless of whether the statement is fact-based or not.

Consider leading statements like, “Temperature variability goals were not met this month”, or “Maintenance issues for critical equipment have increased operating costs”. These types of direct, fact-based statements can immediately put the reader on the defensive, especially if he or she may be held responsible for the issues that are mentioned.

The reader will probably find the rest of the email hard to swallow, and the reader may not attend to the facts in the body of the memo very well, if a direct, fact-based leading statement has already triggered uneasy or negative feelings when the recipient first started to read the “bad news” message.

Comment on Exclamation Points: Use Them Sparingly by admin

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:17:37 +0000

Jim,
Thanks for writing, and for your thoughtful use of the exclamation point. It would be helpful if more people limited its use to those occasions when they are truly exclaiming something. The emotional tone of a statement sometimes lends itself to the use of an exclamation point, such as “happy birthday!” But you are right that in business writing, it is seldom necessary, given the nature of the statement. Additionally, readers often misinterpret it, as we all know. Without the facial expression and tone of voice to help convey the intended meaning, readers are left to make a judgment.

Comment on Exclamation Points: Use Them Sparingly by Jim Sanville

Jim Sanville — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:14:07 +0000

I’ve always believed that exclamation points should be used for exclamations, like “Stop!” or “Help!” In business writing, if I use more than one a year, something’s probably wrong with my style.

Comment on Writing tip: Be open to criticism by admin

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:07:43 +0000

Diane,
We all have our “oops” moments, and this is one for me. Thank you for pointing that out.
Ken

Comment on Writing tip: Be open to criticism by Diane Balogh

Diane Balogh — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:25:07 +0000

Ken,
I hope you are open to criticism. You have repeated “can” in the last sentence.
Diane

Comment on Between you and “me” or “I”? by Ken

Ken — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:17:26 +0000

Lynn,
Thank you for commenting. The often-heard deviations from standard English, such as misuse of pronouns, help illuminate the challenge we all face as communicators. When we are not consicientous enough to proofread carefully and to look things up when we are uncertain, then we are less polished in speaking and writing.

Staying on top of traditional grammar guidelines is not as difficult as some people think. Yes, it has its nuances, but it is, afterall, grammar; it is not biomolecular chemistry. If we take the time to use resource books and to ask people to read our copy for things we might have overlooked, we gradually will commit things to memory. The guidelines are not that difficult to grasp.

To your question, it is not considered acceptable, and careful writers and speakers observe the traditional guidelines, which have been in place for more then 250 years. People do cut us some slack, but only to a point. Significant errors are a distraction to a listener or a reader, and they can tarnish our credibility. I happen to enjoy grammar, but a person doesn’t need to be a grammar enthusiast to care about writing and speaking clearly and professionally. Impressions matter in the business world, just as manners do.

I always thought some of former President Bush’s oral missteps were rather embarrassing. Politics aside, a Texas drawl can be folksy, but I am not sure how many people think it’s folksy when the president of the United States, a graduate of an Ivy League college, cannot correctly pronounce simple words like “nuclear.” That’s just a lack of effort.