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Writing tips newsletter Previous issues Subscribe Email:

Writing Tips for Accountants View issues

Writing Tips for Accountants : May 2011

Use short bulleted text for slides

Write short bulleted items for PowerPoint slides instead of long sentences that the audience is forced to read, taking the attention away from you as the speaker.

Wordy sentences

1. The next step is to distribute e-newsletters to real estate firms.
2. We need to hire 10 audit managers no later than Aug. 1
3. We create solutions to facilitate compliance to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Short, bulleted text

1. E-newsletters to real estate firms
2. 10 audit managers by Aug. 1
3. Sarbanes-Oxley compliance

Make words flow: don't separate ideas

Idea interrupted
In her presentation, Carla Lopez explained that the managers needed to better understand the various services of the consulting practice, remarks that were well-received by the partners. These included corporate financing, risk management and real estate.

Paragraph flows
In her presentation, Carla Lopez explained that the managers needed to better understand the various services of the consulting practice, including corporate financing, risk management and real estate. Her remarks were well-received by the partners.

Get nouns and pronouns to agree

Incorrect
For wealth management, I recommend the XYZ Group. Their team of highly trained professionals is second to none.

Correct
For wealth management, I recommend the XYZ Group. Its team of highly trained professionals is second to none. (XYZ Group is singular, so use Its.)

Find the grammar/usage error!

Correct the error in the paragraph below and email Jack with "grammar" in the subject line. See the answer in our next issue.

This audit report will be much easier to complete than the one in March, because there are far less documents to review. Last time we had to sort through a 55-page report and dozens of other reports ranging from 10 to 20 pages.

Answer from April issue

By May 15, you need to review the six-month forecasts drafted by the financial analysts. These include Paul's just-completed forecast as well as Rashid's, Ming's and Sue's.(All are possessive, for each of their forecasts.)