http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Right_Words A listing of works published by Right Words in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Right_Words http://tc.eserver.org/20465.html http://tc.eserver.org/20465.html Commas, semi-colons and colons are the sentence tidiers. Used correctly, they'll give your written language the 'punctuation' that pauses, voice modulations and gestures provide when you speak. http://tc.eserver.org/20469.html http://tc.eserver.org/20469.html 'Agreement' refers to elements in a sentence having the same number, gender, case or person. In English, it's probably an issue only for number (that is, singular vs plural) and case (that is, 'I' vs 'me', 'he' vs 'him' and so on). http://tc.eserver.org/20466.html http://tc.eserver.org/20466.html Many documents suffer from over-capitalisation. The writer sprinkles capitals everywhere in an attempt to make words stand out - with the result that nothing stands out. Here are some simple rules to help you avoid this capital offence. http://tc.eserver.org/20471.html http://tc.eserver.org/20471.html Have you been told, perhaps by your computerised grammar checker, that too many of your sentences are passive? Have you heard the rule of thumb that at least 80 percent of the sentences in any passage should be active? If you've had the problem or heard the rule, and wonder what the terms active and passive mean, and why one is good and the other frowned on, this article is for you. http://tc.eserver.org/20464.html http://tc.eserver.org/20464.html Like teenagers and salespeople, apostrophes are frequently there when they're not wanted, and not to be seen when they're needed. http://tc.eserver.org/20472.html http://tc.eserver.org/20472.html One of the most significant changes taking place in English is the rejection of the way that 'man' was assumed to include 'woman'. Most of us want our writing to be friendly and inclusive. How can we avoid using 'man', 'he', and 'his'? http://tc.eserver.org/20476.html http://tc.eserver.org/20476.html The ultimate determinant of a good form is whether it enables you to get the information you want. To achieve this purpose, you must look at the form from the point of view of the person completing it. http://tc.eserver.org/20468.html http://tc.eserver.org/20468.html When we are trying to communicate complicated ideas, it is important to be specific. One way to ensure that you will not be misunderstood is to look at your use of 'scope'. 'Scope' refers to which words go with which to form a 'sense unit' in a sentence; for example, which nouns are covered by a particular verb or preposition. Often, poor punctuation or poor sentence construction messes the scope up. Scope isn't easy to explain, but you can get a handle on it once you have seen a few examples of how it works. http://tc.eserver.org/20470.html http://tc.eserver.org/20470.html Misplaced modifiers are usually obvious and easily fixed. http://tc.eserver.org/20475.html http://tc.eserver.org/20475.html Does your business put out a regular publication, such as a newsletter, journal or annual report? If so, the reason for it is to communicate a particular message to a particular audience, and it will be vital to your business to do this effectively. The following are some questions to ask yourself when assessing your publications. http://tc.eserver.org/20474.html http://tc.eserver.org/20474.html The tense of the verb in a statement is, as a general rule, shifted back in time in reported speech. http://tc.eserver.org/20467.html http://tc.eserver.org/20467.html A simple definition of a sentence is: a set of words that expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and a predicate. Let's look at this. http://tc.eserver.org/20473.html http://tc.eserver.org/20473.html 'That' clauses form a sense unit with the word they're attached to, and that's why they aren't preceded by a comma.