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Writing tips newsletter Previous issues Subscribe Email:

Writing Tips for Accountants View issues

Business Writing Tips e-newsletter : May 2011

Use bulleted text for slides

Write short bulleted items for PowerPoint slides instead of long sentences that the audience has to read, which can shift attention away from you as the speaker.

Wordy sentences

1. The next step is to distribute e-newsletters to regional banks.
2. We need to hire 10 sales managers no later than Aug. 1.
3. We create solutions to facilitate compliance with the FDA.

Short, bulleted text

1. E-newsletters to regional banks
2. 10 sales managers by Aug. 1
3. FDA compliance

Make words flow: don't separate ideas

Idea interrupted
In her presentation, Monica Lipton explained that the sales managers needed to better understand the latest skin-care products, remarks that were well-received by the CEO and CFO. These included anti-wrinkle creams, sun-block lotions and hand softeners.

Paragraph flows
In her presentation, Monica Lipton explained that the sales managers needed to better understand the latest skin-care products, including anti-wrinkle creams, sun-block lotions and hand softeners. Her remarks were well-received by the CEO and CFO.

Get nouns and pronouns to agree

Incorrect
For management consulting in this region, I recommend the ZY Group. Their team of highly trained professionals is second to none.

Correct
For management consulting in this region, I recommend the ZY Group. Its team of highly trained professionals is second to none. (ZY 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 report will be much easier to complete than the one last month, because there are less documents to review. For the April report, we had to sort through a 40-page analysis and dozens of other documents ranging from 10 to 15 pages each.

Answer from April issue

The director contends that our inability to offer comprehensive orientation sessions, clear job descriptions and experienced mentors to our new hires contributes (agrees with inability, which is singular) to our high attrition rate.