1. As long as you use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your business writing, you will be able to communicate your meaning.
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2. Style consists of the way your message is expressed, including the effectiveness of the words, sentences, paragraphs, and tone.
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3. Elements of written communication such as spelling, abbreviations, and punctuation are known as mechanics.
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4. Slang is an informal expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specific group of people.
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5. A writer using the phrase "thinking outside of the box" would be admired for fresh, original thinking.
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6. Completeness is the most important attribute of a business message, as it is the basis of the writer's credibility.
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7. Your written message will be clearer if it is accurate, makes use of familiar words, and avoids the use of dangling expressions.
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8. Any message that omits key information is not accurate.
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9. A misplaced modifier is one common type of dangling expression.
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10. To be sure your message is understood, use as much specific jargon as possible when communicating with people outside your organization.
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11. Effective business writers select words to impress their readers by evoking a reaction such as excitement, anger, or amusement.
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12. Instead of using a vague word such as "substantial," it is better to use a more specific description, such as "140 miles."
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13. Concrete language is effective only if it is sufficiently emotionally charged to stimulate a response.
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14. Rather than eliminating long words from your business communication, use them in moderation when appropriate.
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15. You can best help readers grasp your meaning by using old, familiar clichés rather than fresh, original language.
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16. A cliché is a phrase that has been used for so long that it is not considered original.
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17. Effective communicators avoid slang in business writing because it does not represent standard word usage.
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18. Because slang words are in use for long periods, people who read business documents that are several years old should have no problem understanding them.
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19. Using buzzwords in business writing is a good way to show your familiarity with issues and trends in contemporary media.
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20. Readers will see your writing as falsely trying to impress if you add the ending "-ize" to transform nouns into verbs (such as "agenda" into "agendize")
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21. Redundancy is an ineffective method of repeating and reinforcing an idea that you expressed earlier in your message.
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22. Businesspeople value redundancy in messages because they need more data on which to base their decisions.
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23. By substituting a single word for a phrase, you can improve the pace of communication.
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24. Hidden verbs weaken sentences because they do not emphasize the main action.
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25. The phrase "made a payment" contains an expletive.
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26. An expletive at the beginning of a sentence can make the subject of the sentence unclear.
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27. In some messages, you can save space by stating information and substituting clauses for adjectives or adverbs.
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28. A sentence that consists of one independent clause that cannot stand alone as a complete thought is a simple sentence.
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29. The three basic sentence types are compound-complex, complex, and simple.
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30. When you want to give equal weight to two closely related ideas in a single sentence, use a compound sentence.
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31. The first clause in a compound sentence receives more emphasis than the second, independent clause.
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32. The independent clause of a complex sentence should contain the supplemental information.
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33. You can keep your business writing interesting and express relationships between ideas by varying the pattern and length of your sentences.
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34. An effective business message includes sentences that range from 22 to 32 words in length.
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35. The passive voice focuses attention on the entity receiving the action rather than performing the action.
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36. When you use the active voice, you are emphasizing the doer rather than the receiver of the action in that sentence.
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37. You should use active-voice verbs to convey negative news tactfully or to reduce emphasis on the doer of the action.
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38. Repeating a particular word in several sentences within a paragraph highlights separate ideas and demonstrates parallelism.
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39. A sentence lacks parallelism if similar ideas are expressed using different grammatical structures.
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40. The purpose of parallel structure is to link ideas and add a pleasing rhythm to sentences and paragraphs, which enhances coherence.
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41. By matching nouns with nouns and adjectives with adjectives, you can achieve parallel structure.
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42. "Our school is buying both pens and pencils for students' use" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.
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43. To summarize a paragraph's content, you should position your topic sentence at the end.
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44. The purpose of a paragraph is to group topic sentences in logical order for the reader's convenience.
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45. Including examples or more analysis in a paragraph helps you develop the main idea.
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46. Effective writing avoids both redundancy and repetition.
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47. A paragraph lacks unity when it contains sentences or details that are not directly related to the topic.
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48. When each sentence flows smoothly from the sentence before it and connects smoothly to the sentence after it, the resulting paragraph has coherence.
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49. You can signal a change in direction within a paragraph by starting a new sentence to introduce an additional topic.
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50. The transitional word "nevertheless" shows a contrasting relationship.
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51. The transitional word "finally" indicates a summary or conclusion.
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52. Pronouns can bind sentences and ideas together to create a more coherent paragraph.
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53. To achieve coherence, effective writers use different terms for the same idea, such as "manager" and "supervisor."
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54. The appropriate length of a paragraph depends on the organization's requirements, not on the reader's comprehension level.
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55. Paragraphs provide readers with a physical break, keeping your message from looking either boring and too simplistic or intimidatingly complex.
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56. One reason to control paragraph length is to avoid obscuring a key idea that appears in one of the middle paragraphs.
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57. A series of short paragraphs can weaken coherence by obscuring underlying relationships.
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58. Business writers aim for paragraphs that are 60 to 80 words long, with three or four sentences supporting a single topic sentence.
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59. To sound confident, effective writers often use the phrase "I know that" in front of key assertions.
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60. Effective business communicators use a confident, competent tone in their messages but avoid sounding arrogant.
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61. Readers may think you are unsure of yourself if you use self-conscious phrases such as "I hope" in your messages.
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62. Believing that your decision is based on sound reasoning increases your risk of writing with less confidence.
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63. Writing "I am certain that you will agree" in a business letter conveys an appropriate level of confidence.
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64. Using platitudes will give readers the sense that you have a condescending attitude.
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65. Adapting your language to the reader's needs helps you convey an appropriately condescending attitude.
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66. Obvious flattery detracts from the sincerity of your message.
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67. One way to avoid exaggeration and sound more sincere is to use only an appropriate number of modifiers.
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68. The statement "I am amazed that you filled in the form correctly" has a courteous tone.
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69. Effective communicators do not signal which of the ideas in a message are the most important because readers should be encouraged to draw their own conclusions.
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70. Putting an idea in a short, simple sentence emphasizes its importance.
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71. You can emphasize an idea by putting it into the first or last paragraph.
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72. To avoid influencing readers' attitudes toward an idea, you should imply but not actually say that it is of "primary importance."
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73. You are acting ethically if you imply but do not state that an idea is much more important than it is.
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74. Using words such as "deny" and "cannot" helps you make a positive impression on your audience.
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75. Using positive expressions helps you build goodwill among audience members.
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76. To build goodwill in a business letter, use neutral expressions such as "cannot" and "will not."
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77. When writing a letter to a customer, emphasize what your organization can do rather than what it cannot do.
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78. When your message emphasizes how you, as the writer, will benefit, you are applying the "you" attitude.
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79. You look selfish if your message focuses only on what the reader will get from doing what you request in your message.
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80. Because emails are short and informal, writers using this channel may begin most sentences with "I."
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81. Using the passive voice when discussing a reader's mistake is often appropriate.
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82. A competent communicator frequently uses the word you, regardless of whether positive or negative news is conveyed.
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83. Parallel structure is essential in report headings, but less important on bulleted lists on presentation slides.
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84. All else being equal, an idea with more space devoted to it will be judged as more important than an idea covered more briefly.
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85. Writers should ask themselves "What's in it for me?" and then write so that the answer is obvious.
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86. Techniques for creating paragraph coherence include using transitional words, using pronouns, and repeating key words.
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87. Identify the sentence that contains specific, concrete language.
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88. Style consists of:
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89. Mechanics include which of the following?
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90. Which of the following is a good guideline for writing clearly?
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91. Your message is inaccurate if you:
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92. Which sentence effectively uses words that are familiar to businesspeople?
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93. Short and simple words help business writers:
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94. Long words are appropriate when:
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95. By using short, simple words, you:
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96. Which of the following is true of short and simple words?
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97. Which statement contains a dangling expression?
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98. If you use clichés in your business writing, you:
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99. Which statement about jargon is correct?
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100. Which of the following is a "buzzword"?
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101. The phrase "came to an agreement" is an example of:
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102. The phrase "there is" is an example of:
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103. What does an expletive do?
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104. What type of sentence is often used to emphasize a single idea?
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105. Which of these is a compound sentence?
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106. To provide additional, but subordinate, information, place it in:
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107. The point of sentence variety is to:
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108. Which sentence illustrates appropriate use of the active voice?
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109. Which of the following is true of a sentence written in the active voice?
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110. Which of the following is true of a sentence written in the passive voice?
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111. Which sentence lacks parallelism?
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112. When you use parallelism, you match:
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113. Which of the following sentences is a good example of parallel structure?
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114. When all your sentences work together to develop a single idea, the result is:
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115. A paragraph has coherence when each sentence:
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116. Which of the following is true of a unified paragraph?
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117. Three ways to achieve coherence are to use:
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118. Which of the following sentence pairs contains a transitional phrase that detracts from coherence?
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119. Which transition reflects a cause-and-effect relationship?
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120. If your paragraphs are excessively long, you may:
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121. If your paragraphs are extremely short, you may:
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122. Logically, a paragraph should:
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123. A paragraph is a visual unit because it:
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124. Your message will have a confident tone if you:
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125. Which sentence displays a confident writing style?
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126. Which guideline about confident writing is correct?
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127. What is a platitude?
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128. Which of the following is a good example of courteous, sincere writing?
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129. To give the statement "Our company is obsessed with ensuring the complete and total satisfaction of every customer" a more sincere and courteous tone, which of the following would you choose?
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130. If you use too many modifiers or too strong modifiers in your writing, you:
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131. To emphasize an idea in a document, you can:
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132. Active voice is a good way to emphasize:
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133. Assume you have five sentences in a paragraph. Which sentence receives the most emphasis?
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134. Which strategy best emphasizes an idea?
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135. You can subordinate an idea by:
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136. Which sentence includes only positive language?
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137. Two expressions that carry negative connotations are:
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138. Identify the sentence that best reflects the "you" attitude.
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139. You should avoid focusing attention on the reader when you:
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140. Which of the following sentences should be rewritten so it does not focus on the reader?
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141. Which of the following is the least likely to be considered an unethical message?
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142. Using longer, more complex words in the place of shorter words that mean the same thing:
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143. Using a similar grammatical structure for similar ideas is called:
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144. The aspect of a verb that shows whether the subject of the sentence acts or is acted upon is known as what?
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145. Which of the following sentences contains a hidden verb that weakens the action?
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146. Explain what is meant by style and briefly describe some elements of style.
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147. Revise the following sentences to conform to standard business communication principles. Add appropriate details as needed to complete the ideas and explain the error that you corrected.
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148. In addition to accuracy, name four other guidelines for writing clearly. Provide an example of each.
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149. Explain how omission of information and choice of words can affect the accuracy of a message.
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150. Substitute a shorter word for each of the following: (a) enumerate, (b) recapitulate, (c) utilization, and (d) modification. Use each substitute word correctly in a sentence.
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151. Revise the following sentences to conform to standard business communication principles. Add appropriate details as needed to complete the ideas.
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152. Define (a) clichés, (b) slang, and (c) buzzwords. Why should they typically be avoided in business communication?
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153. What is the difference between redundancy and repetition? Provide an example of each.
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154. Identify the wordy expressions and redundancies in the following sentence: "Each and every manager is of the opinion that we must reduce expenses in order to increase revenue." Rewrite the sentence to eliminate them.
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155. What is a hidden verb? Why should you avoid hidden verbs? Give an example of a hidden verb and an appropriate revision.
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156. What is an expletive? Why should you avoid expletives in business writing?
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157. Revise the following sentences to conform to standard business communication principles. Add appropriate details as needed to complete the ideas, and explain why you made the changes you did.
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158. What are the three main types of sentences? Explain the level of emphasis achieved in each type.
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159. Write a compound sentence from this sentence: "Halvor analyzed the data that Victoria gathered."
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160. Combine the following two sentences into one sentence that subordinates the cost of the computer: "The computer system costs $3,850. Its efficiency will improve data entry productivity."
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161. Explain when the active voice is preferred and when the passive voice is preferred in business communication. Provide one effective example of each voice.
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162. Rewrite the following sentence using the active voice: "The manuscript was proofread by an English major."
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163. Rewrite the following sentence using the active voice: "A new product line will be introduced by the Fireball team next week."
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164. Rewrite the following sentence using the passive voice: "Your failure to submit the report on time delayed the project."
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165. Rewrite the following sentences using parallel structure:
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166. Rearrange the sentences in the following paragraph to achieve paragraph unity.
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167. Insert transitional words and phrases in the following paragraph to achieve coherence.
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168. Why are paragraphs that are too long or too short ineffective in business writing?
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169. How can you achieve a confident writing style?
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170. Discuss the following communication principle: "Use a courteous and sincere tone." Explain how to achieve this tone and what to avoid. Include examples to illustrate your discussion.
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171. Describe the levels of emphasis conveyed by (a) a simple sentence, (b) a compound sentence, and (c) a complex sentence.
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172. List five of the strategies for emphasizing ideas.
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173. Discuss the following principle: "Prefer positive language." Specifically, what are the general assumptions and guidelines? What words should you avoid?
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174. Revise the following sentences to conform to standard business communication principles. Add appropriate details as needed to complete the ideas.
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175. What is the "you" attitude? What are the major principles of the "you" attitude?
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176. In what situations should you not focus attention on the reader?
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177. Revise these sentences to conform to standard business communication principles. Add details as needed.
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178. Assume you are comparing the following features of two computer systems. Write a sentence that emphasizes the best feature of each system. Then write a sentence that compares the two systems in terms of memory. Finally, write a sentence comparing them in terms of capacity and stating that the lower hard-drive space is sufficient for your needs.
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179. Words like "mistake," "failure," "damage," "refuse," and "deny" carry negative connotations and should be avoided when possible.
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