Business Writing Skills Flashcards
A business document that presents verifiable facts to assist in decision-making and is sales-oriented best describes a
A. Newsletter
B. Report
C. Proposal
D. Press Release
C. Proposal
The ability to speak well is more important than the ability to write well in the travel business. True or False
False
Letters and email messages should
A. be visually appealing to the reader
B. get the reader’s attention in the closing
C. be planned while being written
D. be proofread only if spell check is not available
A. be visually appealing to the reader
Which grammatical rule applies for writing in the travel business?
A. Write in the active voice
B. Use the past tense whenever possible
C. Use semicolons instead of periods
D. Write in sentence fragments
A. Write in the active voice
Before you write any type of business correspondence, you should determine your desired result. True or False
True
Most of the basic principles of effective business writing don’t apply to email. True or False
False
An effective email should have many short paragraphs instead of one long one. True or False
True
Which of the following techniques is recommended for effective business writing?
A. Keep your reader’s attention by placing the most important information at the end of your document.
B. Present several main purposes throughout the document, indicated by sub headings.
C. Visualize your reader during the planning stages and while you are writing.
D. Use colloquial expressions and cliches to personalize your documents.
C. Visualize your reader during the planning stages and while you are writing.
Writing concisely means
A. limiting documents to no more than one page
B. limiting the number of excess words and redundancies
C. choosing complex instead of simple words
D. using jargon to simplify your message
B. limiting the number of excess words and redundancies
Proofreading is required only for itineraries and confirmation letters. True or False
False
______ includes any type of fact gathering short of a formal, controlled survey.
Informal research
_______ means writing the message in as few words as possible.
Conciseness
What is the concise alternative to:
Due to the fact
Because
What is the concise alternative to:
In lieu of
Instead of
What is the concise alternative to:
On or before April 12
By April 12
What is the concise alternative to:
Ay you may or may not know
As you may know
What is the concise alternative to:
At this point in time
Now
What is the concise alternative to:
In the event that
If
What is the concise alternative to:
Consensus of opinion
Consensus or Opinion
What is the concise alternative to:
The month of June
June
What is the concise alternative to:
Free of charge
Free
What is the simpler word to:
Aggregate
Total
What is the simpler word to:
Optimum
Best
What is the simpler word to:
Utilize
Use
What is the simpler word to:
Make a suggestion that
Suggest
What is the simpler word to:
Have a consultation with
Consult
What is the simpler word to:
Make a determination
Determine
____, the ability to write clearly, is one of the most noticeable characteristics of a good writer.
Clarity
What would you substitute for the following commonly used cliches?
Back to square one
Starting over
What would you substitute for the following commonly used cliches?
Play it by ear
wait and see
What would you substitute for the following commonly used cliches?
ballpark figure
estimate
Name 5 tips for improving the clarity and appeal of your documents.
- Present one main purpose
- Break your writing into short sections
- Use headings and subheadings
- Organize your thoughts in a list
- Use white space
_____ involves presenting all the facts your reader will need to understand and respond to your message.
Completeness
Writing with ______ means showing consideration of your reader’s interests and feelings using a professional demeanor.
courtesy
What are three tips for achieving courteous business writing?
- Focus your attention on the reader
- Anticipate your reader’s questions and answer them in advance
- Use positive language whenever it is practical to do so
Replace the word with a more positive version:
cheap
cost-efficient
Replace the word with a more positive version:
housewife
stay at home parent
Replace the word with a more positive version:
calculating
clever
Replace the word with a more positive version:
aggressive
assertive
Replace the word with a more positive version:
crazy
eccentric
Replace the phase with clearer language:
Bottom line
final result
Replace the phase with clearer language:
It goes without saying
it is understood
Replace the phase with clearer language:
Put our heads together
work together
Replace the phase with clearer language:
Twist your arm
persuade you
Replace the phase with clearer language:
Drag this out
unnecessarily delay
____ means ensuring that what you’ve written is accurate. In other words, you should proofread for grammar, language, and content accuracy.
Correctness
Change this to an active voice:
The reservation was made by me
I made the reservation
Change this to present tense:
I had been made aware of your canceled reservation
I am aware of your canceled reservation
Fix the tense shift:
I was aware of your canceled reservation, and the tour operator is trying to correct the error.
I am aware of your canceled reservation, and the tour operator is trying to correct the error.
or
I was aware of your canceled reservation, and the tour operator tried to correct the error.
Fix the disagreement:
Each client are important to our agency.
Each client is important to our agency
or
Clients are important to our agency
Fix the disagreement:
Neither client, Christina or Maribel, wishes to give up their right to a refund.
Neither client, Christina or Maribel, wishes to give up her right to a refund.
(I’m not exactly in agreement with this one)
Correct the sentence:
She passed the map to Bob and I.
She passed the map to Bob and me.
Correct the sentence:
Having learned the hotel was directly on the ocean, the reservation was quickly made.
Having learned the hotel was directly on the ocean, I quickly made the reservation.
When to use an apostrophe
Add an apostrophe and an s to form the possessive case of a singular noun. To form the possessive of a plural noun, add just an apostrophe.
I have a question about a client’s reservation.
I am submitting several passengers’ requests.
Do not use an apostrophe when writing the plural of an abbreviation, unless it has a final period.
There are many CTAs in this agency.
Of all the Ph.D.’s in the group, she is the most knowledgeable about this destination.
When to use a semi-colon
Use a semicolon to separate two closely related sentences not joined by a conjunction.
Your documents will arrive on Friday, June 8; they will be sent to your business address.
Also, use a semicolon to separate items in a series that have commas in them.
This year’s regional conferences will be in Dallas, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
When to use an ellipsis
Use an ellipsis to show hesitation or omission. Insert a space before and after the ellipsis.
I want to attend the trade show … but I’m not sure I can leave my office in time.
The brochure states, “You must cancel within 60 days or a full refund. … No exceptions are allowed.”
When to use an exclamation point
Use an exclamation point to show surprise or strong emotions. Use sparingly in business writing because it can be distracting or appear exaggerated.
Singapore has so many things to offer that you easily could live there years and not do everything!
When to use a colon
Use a colon to introduce or announce something: a term, a list, or a quotation that follows.
The agency announced its employee of the month: Lee Jones.
When in London, you should visit the following famous sites: the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, and the London Eye.
But compare:
When in London, you should visit the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, and the London Eye.
When to use quotation marks
Use quotation marks only for direct quotations.
She said, “I’ll never forget that cruise.”
Do not use for indirect quotations.
She said she would never forget that cruise.
Also do not use quotation marks for emphasizing, drawing attention to familiar slang, disowning trite expressions, or justifying an attempt at humor.
We should try to market our services to snowbirds and golf widows.
When should you spell out numbers?
Spell out numbers zero through nine. Use numerals for numbers 10 and up and when referring to money and units of measurement.
Exception: Spell out numbers that start a sentence.
Two hundred people were on board.
Exception to the exception: Never begin a sentence with a year because grammar rules dictate that you would have to spell it out. Rephrase the sentence instead:
The year 1776 was a pivotal one in American history.
Which of the following words are misspelled?
seperate embarass licensed questionaire liason occasion feasible accommodation priviledge
seperate embarass questionaire liason priviledge
_____ means “to receive willingly, to agree with.”
______ means “excluding.”
Accept
Except
_____ means a recommendation on what to do.
______ means to suggest or guide.
Advice
Advise
______ is a verb meaning to change or influence.
_____ as a verb means to bring about, and as a noun it means result or outcome.
Affect
Effect
_____means to assess value.
_____ means to inform.
Appraise
Apprise
___ means to guarantee. It is used in reference only to persons.
____ means to make certain.
____ is to guard against risk or loss.
Assure
Ensure
Insure
____ means to complete.
_____means to flatter or praise.
Complement
Compliment
_____ means uninterrupted.
______ means reoccurring more than once.
Continuously
Continually
______ both mean to move a person to believe your argument or agree with you. It’s what comes after the word that makes the difference.
A person may be _____ of something.
But the person must be _____ to do something.
Convince and persuade
Convinced
Persuaded
____ means impartial.
____ means not interested.
Disinterested
Uninterested
Use ___ to mean for example.
Use ___ to mean that is to say. (in other words)
e. g. (exempli gratia)
i. e. (id est))
____ describes distance.
____ means to a greater extent.
Farther
Further
____, as an adjective, means praiseworthy, useful, or beneficial.
As an adjective, ____ means in good health; as an adverb, it means in a proper manner, with skill.
____ should not be used for ____ in response to the greeting, “How are you?”
Good
Well
Good, well
_____ means to suggest indirectly.
_____ means to draw a conclusion.
Imply
Infer
_____ is an improper version of regardless.
_____ means despite everything.
Irregardless
Regardless
____ is a contraction for it is or it has.
____ is a possessive pronoun meaning of it or belonging to it.
It’s
Its
____ means to place or put down.
____ means to recline or to tell an untruth.
Lay
Lie
____ means a lower number things that can’t be counted individually.
____ means a lower number things that can be counted.
Less
Fewer
____ refers to something that is taken for granted or reasonably assumed to be true.
_____ refers to something that is believed or imagined, sometimes mistakenly, to be true.
Presumably
Supposedly
____ refers to time. (I haven’t seen her ___ my last trip to Guam.)
____ shows a causal relationship. ( ____ the flight was delayed, he missed his dinner reservation.)
Since
Because
____ means belonging to them.
___ means a location.
___ means they are.
Their
There
They’re
Then versus than
___ is used with comparisons.
___ means next.
Than
Then
When to use that versus which:
Use ____ with essential clauses. Don’t put a comma before it.
Use ___ with nonessential clauses. You must use a comma before it.
That
Which
When to use that versus who:
Use ____ when referring to inanimate objects and unnamed animals.
Use ___ when referring to people and named animals or pets.
That
Who
____ means a person or thing having a title.
_____ means deserving.
Titled
Entitled
Use ____ when the pronouns substitute as a subject, such as he, she, or they.
Use the object pronoun ____ when the pronoun functions as a direct or indirect object or as an object of a preposition and can substitute for him, her, or them.
who
whom
An easy way to test your use is to temporarily rearrange the question as a statement and try he and him in place of who and whom. For example, none of these makes sense: Him will be the tour guide. (Use who.) I shall send the bill to he? (Use whom.) The agency sent he on the fam trip. (Use whom.)
____ means belonging to you.
____ means you are.
Your
You’re
A concise, well-organized business document usually has undergone some _____, or cutting and rearranging of the text, for final presentation.
editing
____ is the process of checking what you’ve written for changes or corrections that need to be made.
Proofreading
______ refers to etiquette rules concerning the proper, professional, and polite way to communicate with people online.
Netiquette
______, or electronic mail, has become the most common mode of professional communication.
A ______, regardless of its purpose, is an orderly, objective message to assist in decision-making or problem-solving.
report
