11. Don’t be a perfectionist, at least not every time. It’s great to know how to create a perfect document, but doing it every time is a lot of work. Not everything you write NEEDS to be perfect. The main thing is to make sure it’s good enough to achieve your purpose and meet the needs of your reader. Of course, it’s also important to know you CAN make it perfect for the times when you need to.

12. Show the bones of your writing. Your writing is clear when readers can see the shape of your message. There are many ways to reveal this shape—getting to the point, creating a hierarchical structure, writing talking headers, using layout to show how sections relate to each other, and using transitional markers to connect ideas. The more you use these tools to reveal the bones of your message, the easier it is for the reader to grasp your message quickly and easily.

13. Show the muscle of your writing. If bringing the bones to the surface clarifies your message, bringing the muscles to the surface improves the style and readability. Muscular writing is concise, uses strong verbs, is positive, conversational and active. Muscular writing energizes readers and propels them to act.

14. Be transparent. Try not to let anything distract your reader from your message. Distractions can be big things, such as a rambling structure or an offensive tone. It can be little things, such as an ill-chosen font, too many big words, sloppy spacing, and bad grammar or spelling. Transparent writing doesn’t draw attention to itself and lets the reader absorb your message effortlessly.

15. Be precise and concrete. The details make your writing memorable and vivid. Here’s one of my favourite examples from Strunk and White. First, the vague version: “In proportion as the manners, customs, and amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous, the regulations of its penal code will be severe.” And the vivid example: “In proportion as men delight in battles, bullfights and combats of gladiators, will they punish by hanging, burning and the rack.”

16. Use a conversational tone, but don’t be conversational. A conversational tone is warm and personal. It captures the sound of your voice. You don’t want to replicate your actual conversation, because that would capture all the ums, ahs, redundancies and hesitations. The best way to create the warmth of your voice is by reading your writing out loud. If you know you’d never say the words in speech, you shouldn’t write them either. Worried you’ll be too chatty? Remember who you are writing to and use the degree of formality you’d use if you were speaking to that person. You’ll find that way you can easily balance warmth, formality and respect.

17. Assume ignorance but not stupidity. Many writers assume too much prior knowledge on the part of the reader. And when they write to a large group of readers, they alienate readers who are unfamiliar with the subject matter. It’s best to assume your readers are ignorant, but not stupid. The readers who are knowledgeable aren’t likely as close to the content as you are, and they appreciate a quick refresher. Readers who know nothing are not alienated and can get up to speed quickly.

18. Make sure important information stands out. Decide what’s most important and help the reader see it by using boldface, isolating it in white space, or using headings, visuals, lists or colour. Just don’t use all these devices at once. Remember that if you try to emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.

19. Use a style guide. In a pinch, make it up, but be consistent. Readers love consistency. Style guides are a great way to be consistent, because they define usage. If your company has, or recommends, a style guide, great! Use it. If you don’t have one, or don’t have time to consult one, make it up. Just be consistent. Not sure if you should spell out numbers from 1 to 10 or 1 to 20? Make an executive decision, be consistent. You’ll fool 90% of your readers. (Okay, I made up that statistic, but it feels right.)

20. Keep your layout simple and elegant. Less is more. Only use as many text elements as you need. If you’re writing a complex document, like technical documentation, start by considering what kinds of information you need. Assign a look to each element and be consistent in how you treat it. For example, the title of every visual should be the same. Every bulleted list should look the same, and every Level 3 Heading should look the same. This gives the reader confidence that text that looks alike functions alike.

Any suggestions to add?

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This is from the Merriam Webster site, where there are lots of fun top 10 lists. I only knew one word on this particular list: muntin. And that’s only because I once bought windows with muntin bars. I only remember the word because it’s fun to say.

Philtrum: the vertical groove on the median line of the upper lip

Example Sentence: His chiseled features even included a well-defined philtrum.

Ferrule: the protective point or knob on the far end of an umbrella

Example Sentence: He used his umbrella as a cane, and with every step planted its ferrule in the ground.

Origin: Ferrule comes from the Latin viriola, meaning “small bracelet.” This makes more sense when you consider that ferrule is also the term for the metal band at the end of a table leg (or similar object) that strengthens it or prevents it from splitting.

Aglet: the tag covering the ends of a lace or point – e.g., the reinforcement at the end of a shoelace

Example Sentence: A missing aglet can make lacing one’s shoes a challenge.

Origin: Aglet indirectly comes from the Latin acus, “needle” – as does the word acute.

Punt: an indentation at the bottom of a molded glass bottle

Example Sentence: Pouring the champagne, she held the bottle with her thumb in its punt.

Note: Although it remains a matter of debate, explanations for the function of the punt include strengthening the bottle and also reducing its holding capacity. The alternative name for the punt is kick.

Lunule: a crescent-shaped body part or marking (such as the whitish mark at the base of a fingernail)

Example Sentence: He folded his hands together to give an impression of calm, but the ragged skin below his lunules told another story.

Origin: This mark got its name because of its shape: lunule comes from the Latin luna, meaning “moon.”

Tittle: the dot over i or j

Example Sentence: In a handwritten business note, it’s best to avoid smiley-face tittles.

Origin: Tittle comes from the Latin titulus, which originally meant “title.” Titulus came to refer to marks such as the abbreviated form of n written over a vowel (like the Spanish tilde, which indirectly got its name from titulus), and then to any mark above a letter.

Glabella: the smooth prominence of the forehead between the eyebrows

Example Sentence: If you don’t wish to look people in the eyes, you can make a similar impression by focusing on their glabellae.

Origin: Glabella derives from the Latin glaber, “bald” or “smooth.

Muntin: a strip separating panes of glass in a window sash

Example Sentence: I thought the ball would smash a window, but fortunately it hit a muntin.

Origin: Named for the way it sticks up from the window, muntin comes from the French monter, “to rise.”

Lemniscate: the infinity symbol (or more precisely, “a figure-eight shaped curve whose equation in polar coordinates is ρ²=a² cos 2θ or ρ²=a² sin 2θ“)

Example Sentence: Not surprisingly, a certain brand of automobile uses a modified lemniscate in its logo.

Origin: Lemniscate comes from a Latin word that means “with hanging ribbons” – an origin that’s reflected in the symbol’s graceful shape.

Fourchette: the strip or shaped piece used for the sides of the fingers of a glove

Example Sentence: A fine pair of gloves includes well-fitted fourchettes.

Origin: The French word fourchette (pronounced “foor-SHET”) means “fork.” It was applied to this item presumably because of the forking pattern of the fingers.

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My sort of sister-in-law Jane speaks English as a foreign language. She’s just finished a course that taught her business skills—she learned how to interview for a job, write a resume, give a presentation and speak better English. (Really, there’s nothing wrong with her English.) She told me her instructor advised the class to, “NEVER use the word can. Instead,” she said, “use may.”

Hmmm. Never is an awfully long time and to me always (also a long time!) raises a red flag. The instructor appears to be like one of those annoying grade school teachers we’ve all had, who, when you asked “Can I please go to the washroom?” would say condescendingly, “I don’t know if you can, but you may.” We learned quickly that the fastest way to get permission to go without being humiliated was to say “May I please go to the washroom?”

Traditionally, may is used to ask permission. Can is used to express ability.

May I have a cookie? Yes, you may.

Can you do a push up? Yes! I can do 20 push ups! (We wouldn’t say May you do a push up?)

But in everyday speech, we use can to make a request. We are understood when we say, “Can I have a cookie?” In fact, the meanings of these words do overlap. We use can to indicate ability, possibility, permission and a request. May indicates permission, probability and a request.

According to the Merriam Webster site, “Can and may are most frequently interchangeable in senses denoting possibility; because the possibility of one’s doing something may depend on another’s acquiescence, they have also become interchangeable in the sense denoting permission. The use of can to ask or grant permission has been common since the 19th century and is well established, although some commentators feel may is more appropriate in formal contexts. May is relatively rare in negative constructions (mayn’t is not common); cannot and can’t are usual in such contexts.”

Okay okay, if you’re writing to a stickler prescriptivist, use may when asking permission. After all, if you want something from them it’s best not to annoy them, even if they annoy you. And if I’m in a super formal situation, I might be inclined to prefer may to can when asking permission. But unless I find myself talking to the queen, it’s hard to imagine a situation that formal.

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Subject: Portable Signs

As you are all aware, portable signs are becoming the norm, yet this act stands in blatant contravention of the lease agreement. We are no longer willing to turn a bind eye to this total disregard of the rules and regulations set by the landlord.

We ask that all illegal signs be removed by September 15, 2010. Be aware that any signs found on the property after this date will be removed. All costs incurred in this exercise will be for the account of the offending party.

If you require a portable sign in the future, please contact Phil Roche at 555-1212. Phil will approve signs for a maximum period of two weeks. We remind all tenants that signage is still available on the building pylon sign.

Send your rewrite directly to me by email to jody@brunerbiz.com.

Good luck!

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When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.—Mark Twain

Forty is the old age of youth, fifty the youth of old age.—Victor  Hugo

It takes a long time to become young. —Pablo Picasso

Democracy is a system of government where you can say what you think, even if you don’t think. —Unknown

If you can tell the difference between good advice and bad advice, you don’t need advice.—Van Roy

Traditionalists are pessimists about the future and optimists about the past.—Lewis Mumford

Not faith, but doubt, is what gets you an education.—William Mizner

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.—Albert Schweitzer

Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go.—Oscar Wilde

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of cheap price is forgotten.—John Forsyth

The man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.—Thoreau

The first half of our life is ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children.—Clarence Darrow

Life would be infinitely happier if we could be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.—Mark Twain

A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.—William James

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“It’s a tricky point, when to use simple present and when to use the progressive, especially as simple present rarely refers to present time.

While the simple present refers to general truths that include the present moment, the present continuous emphasizes action in the present moment.

Here’s how you form it:

I am running.
You/We/They are running.
He/She/It is running.

I am not running.
You/We/They are not running.
He/She/It is not running.

Am I running?
Are you/we/they running?
Is he/she/it running?

While the simple present uses temporal references such as always, frequently, usually, often, or every month, the present continuous is more specific. It uses temporal references such as at the moment, now, today, this week, this month, tomorrow, next week (for future arrangements ), or currently.

The present continuous has three main uses:

1.  Speaking of something happening at the moment of speaking

What are you doing now?

I am calling in response to an brochure I received last week.

I am looking forward to taking on the lead role for the administration of the IOF system. (also I look forward to…)

Mrs Lo is not suffering from a psychiatric impairment arising from the motor vehicle accident.

Whose account are you working on?

2. Expressing actions happening in a period around the present moment especially when you want to emphasize the present moment

He’s spending the summer in Newfoundland.

I can return Lou’s call as soon as I’m finished writing this email. (or …as soon as I finish writing this email.)

I am including revised shipping instructions.

“Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on. “ Samuel Butler

“No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.” W. H. Auden

“Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it… Success is shy – it won’t come out while you’re watching.” Tennessee Williams

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” George S. Patton

3. Describing future plans and arrangements

We’re having leftovers this evening.

What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?

She isn’t coming on Friday.

Conventional ways to use the present continuous in business writing include

describing current situations and ongoing projects

The Canadian economy is recovering.

We are updating our servers this quarter.

Ted Passmore and Charone Powell are transferring the files to a 30 gig drive, which we will ship to Mantor.

We are presently trying to determine how payroll burden should be applied to overtime hours.

I am writing in reply to your August 6 letter, in which you requested information about Policy 12965. (Extremely formal.)

To serve you better in the future, we are currently upgrading our system.

referring to temporary situations

We are offering a 20% discount this summer.

Able Airplanes is hiring engineers to help them build the six new jets ordered by the Ministry of Defense.

describing trends, developing situations, progress

The number of email users is growing every day.

These buyers are looking for a wide range of products that only a variety merchandise show such as the Canada’s Merchandise and Clearance Expo can provide.

I am in the process of completing the first document for the Windows 7 Menu/Policy project.

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In a series of upcoming articles, I’ll be delving deeper (that was future progressive!) into each of the twelve tenses.

What exactly is a verb tense? When you make a statement, you usually have to indicate if you are referring to a situation that exists now, existed in the past or will exist in the future. You will often need to indicate the duration of the action, event or situation. Is it momentary or enduring? You may also need to clearly show the temporal relationship of actions, events and conditions that comprise a situation you are explaining.

A verb expresses the time of an action, event or condition by changing its form. Verbs are helped in this function by temporal references, auxiliary verbs, and modals.

The following chart shows the subtle differences among the 12 English verb tenses.

The following chart of temporal references from the English Grammar Handbook at the Athabasca University site is helpful for seeing the subtle time differences between the verb tenses. It’s a good way to see at a glance which tense you need to express your idea. Notice that there is some overlap between the tenses.

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I received this feedback from a recent Email Essentials course. I wanted to share it because it raises an interesting question:

Hi Jody

I really liked your email training course that you put on for the HR & IT division.

There was just one thing that you mentioned during the training that concerned me.

You mentioned to cut back on sending “thank you” emails to people who are constantly working with user requests. I support users all day long and the thank you I get is the best part of my day. Also when I get a “thank you” it validates that they have read my email and they are satisfied with the results. If they don’t say thank you, I don’t know if they have even received my email and it is also quite ungrateful.

Cheers,

Silvia Giles

IT Business Analyst

I find people are quite divided on this issue. Personally, I like being thanked and I also like giving thanks. At the same time, I hear lots of people complain about the very same thing!

It’s often people providing service by email all day who resent having to open an email that just says thanks. For them, these messages are time wasters. I’ve heard a lot of venting on this subject—enough that I need to raise the issue in courses.

My suggestion is to know your reader—do they want to be thanked or not?  Maybe the best advice is assume you’ll be thanked or acknowledged UNLESS you add NRN (No Response Necessary) to your subject line. This means you need to explain—nicely—what NRN stands for.

What do you think? Does being thanked make you feel appreciated or annoyed? Do you think we are becoming less polite in general?

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I notice many people don’t know how to use verb tenses, so here is the first of a series on the subject. Let’s start with the present tenses. The present tenses refer to action taking place in the present, to a state of being, to an occurrence in the very near future, and to action that occurred in the past and continues into the present.

The simple present (or present simple) is the most basic, most common verb tense.

Here’s how you form the simple present:

I/You/We/They dance.
He/She/It dances.

I/You/We/They do not dance
He/She/It does not dance.

Do I/you/we/they dance?
Does he/she/it dance?

The simple present has three main functions.

1. Expresses facts and generalizations, including rules of nature. You can use the simple present to state a fact without a time reference.

In this case, you are describing or inquiring about a settled state of affairs which includes the present, but where the time reference is not important.

I process fund transfers.

Does your daughter go to school?

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

CCP populates and maintains the Business Authority Retention table.

“Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work. ” Robert Orben

“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” Pablo Picasso

2. Express habits and routines

I do not eat ice cream.

My team meets for lunch on Fridays.

2. Describes your feelings, thoughts and perceptions at the present moment.

I feel tired.

He looks like he had a long night.

I smell the coffee brewing. (Also: I can smell the coffee brewing.)

She hears the phone ringing. (Also: She can hear the phone ringing.)

Additional things to know about the simple present:

Use it to say how often you or others do things. Simple present is used with frequency adverbs such as always, never, often and sometimes. It can also express something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

We always wash the floor on Mondays.

IT backs up the servers daily.

Sometimes she smokes during the day.

My boss often comments on my work.

I often forget my purse.

The simple present has certain conventional uses in business writing. Use it to

Provide factual information about company activities

We teach people how to write clearly.

Gray Hills Region has a two-tier government structure with services provided by the Region and local area municipal governments.

Pencils and Pens Inc. supplies you with the tools you need to run your business.

Write mission statements

We provide quality HR services to attract, develop, motivate and retain a diverse workforce within a supportive work environment. We do this with an emphasis on customer service based on consultation and communication with the campus community.

ALHA represents over 320 nonprofit providers of long-term care and housing services for 65,000 elderly residents across Pennsylvania. The Association is committed to helping its members provide quality care efficiently and effectively for the individuals and families they serve. In an age of impersonal care, ALHA members put people before profits.

Talk about timetables and events scheduled in the past or the future.

The bus to Whistler leaves at 2:45 Monday to Friday.

The course starts at 8:30 am tomorrow.

The AODA regulations come into effect next month.

Provide a summary or abstract at the beginning of a report; define a document’s purpose.

I recommend we purchase the ABC copier.

The test results indicate that no additional hard drive memory is required to resolve the PC performance stability and performance issues.

This document outlines the on-call steps operations staff must take to resolve production problems quickly and effectively.

Do by saying. These verbs are also known as performative verbs.

I quit.

I apologize for being late.

Do you agree?

We guarantee you will be satisfied.

She promises to submit the proposal by Friday.

I enclose a return envelope for your convenience.

Performative verbs–a partial list

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Lynch asks “What is proper English?” and “Who gets to define it?” Turns out the earliest grammar guides coincide with the rise of the middle class in the early 18th century. They weren’t written by aristocrats, but by “middle class writers who wanted to sound like their social superiors….” And it’s not that upper class speech is better—then or now—but that the upper classes hold social and economic power—then and now. If you want to share or influence that power, you need to use the language properly.

His story describes the rise of standard English, and the push and pull between the prescriptivists and the descriptivists. Prescriptivists tout rules. They are the grammar police who pounce on grammar, spelling and pronunciation mistakes. But the thing is, as Lynch points out, these so-called rules are not carved in stone, but are more like “rules of etiquette, made by fallible people, useful only in certain situations, and subject to change.”

Descriptivists are more interested in how language is used and how it changes. And change it does. Consider the influences of technology and globalization on English. Descriptivists remind us that many of the standard rules are not rules at all, but matters of taste and indicators of class. Rules change with time, usage and fashion.

Two things are inevitable: first, that language is a living, breathing thing. Like it or not, it will change. Second, the world that controls social and economic power uses standard English and if you want to have influence in that world, learn to use the rules, whether you agree with them or not.

The best position to be in is to know the rules of standard English and decide whether or not to use them, to be able to fit the language to the purpose and audience. I wouldn’t break a rule, even if I know it’s bunk, when my reader believes it to be true. For example, if I work for Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and I’m writing a letter to a retired teacher, I’m not going to risk splitting any infinitives or beginning sentences with and or but, even though I KNOW these aren’t valid rules. I’d only risk alienating my reader and I’d come out the loser. Similarly, it would be goofy to use perfect spelling and standard usage in an IM conversation or spell every word out in an SMS message.

This book made me think about how stuck people can get about the rules. Often, when people learn what I do, they bemoan the state of the language—Kids today don’t know how to spell any more—all they do is text message. Isn’t it terrible? Nobody knows how to write! And everyone seems to have grammatical pet peeves. People are always confessing their intolerances. I just smile and nod. I know most of the time these pet peeves are matters of taste—we object to what seems tasteless to us.

I confess that I like change in language—I’m a descriptivist by nature. I’m fascinated by ingenuity, and by how technology and globalization refresh and enrich English. I’m always amazed by how flexible language is. Still, I have an inner prescriptivist, and I have my pet peeves:

Should You Have Any Questions
Why I Hate the Semicolon
What’s Wrong With Comic Sans?

What about you? What are the things that drive you crazy about language?

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