Chapter 3

Question 1

Examples of informal research.

Answer 1

(a) looking in the company’s digital and other files,
b) talking with the boss,
c) interviewing the target audience, and
(d) conducting an informal survey.
e) Ideas can also be generated through brainstorming.

Question 2

Before drafting a message, what questions should writers ask as they collect information?

Answer 2

(a) What does the receiver need to know about this topic? (
b) What is the receiver to do? (
c) How is the receiver to do it? (
d) When must the receiver do it? (
e) What will happen if the receiver doesn’t do it?

Question 3

What business messages are better organized directly, and which are better organized indirectly?

Answer 3

Routine requests and responses, orders and acknowledgments, nonsensitive memos, emails, informational reports, and informational oral presentations benefit from direct organization. Bad news, ideas that require persuasion, and sensitive news are usually better organized indirectly.

Question 4

What are the four sentence types? Provide an original example of each.

Answer 4

1. A simple sentence has one complete thought with a subject and a verb.
2. A compound sentence contains two complete but related thoughts. The two thoughts may be joined by a conjunction (and, but, or), a semicolon, or a conjunctive adverb (however, consequently, etc.).
3. A complex sentence contains an independent clause (a complete thought) plus a dependent clause (a thought that cannot stand by itself). Dependent clauses are often introduced by words such as although, since, because, when, and if.
4. A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause

Question 5

What is the relationship between sentence length and comprehension?

Answer 5

Shorter sentences are more easily comprehended than longer sentences. But not all sentences should be short. Business writers should use a combination of short and longer sentences, with an ideal average of 20 words per sentence.

Question 6

How are topic sentences different from support sentences?

Answer 6

Topic sentences explain the main idea of a paragraph. They tell the reader what to expect. Support sentences illustrate, explain, or strengthen the topic sentence.

Question 7

Name three techniques for building paragraph coherence.

Answer 7

1. Repeat a key idea by using the same expression or a similar one.
2. Use pronouns to refer to previous nouns.
3. Show connections with transitional expressions (first, second, as a result, meanwhile, etc.).

Question 8

Compound sentence

Answer 8

A sentence type containing two independent clauses, which are joined together by a conjunction, a semi colon, a conjunctive adverb

Question 9

An independent clause

Answer 9

A clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand on its own.

Question 10

Complex sentence

Answer 10

A sentence type containing an independent clause and a dependent clause

Question 11

Dependent clause

Answer 11

A clause that has a subject and a verb but that cannot stand by itself and is usually introduced by words, such as, although, since, because, when, and if.;

Question 12

Compound complex sentence

Answer 12

A compound complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause

Question 13

Run-on sentence

Answer 13

The an error where two independent clauses are run together without correct punctuation or a conjunction. This is also called a fused sentence.

Question 14

Comma splice

Answer 14

A sentence error that results when a writer joins together two independent clauses with a comma.

Question 15

Examples of Formal research

Answer 15

(a) accessing information electronically,
b) searching manually,
C)investigating primary sources, and (d) conducting scientific experiments.