Deck 6: Neutral and Positive Messages

Question 1

Effective communicators avoid slang in business writing because it does not represent standard word usage.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Concrete language is effective only if it is sufficiently emotionally charged to stimulate a response.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A misplaced modifier is one common type of dangling expression.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Your written message will be clearer if it is accurate, makes use of familiar words, and avoids the use of dangling expressions.

Question 5

You may use long words in your business writing if the language is familiar to you and to your reader.

Question 6

Instead of using a vague word such as substantial, it is better to use a more specific description, such as 140 miles.

Question 7

Completeness is the most important attribute of a business message.

Question 8

You can best help readers grasp your meaning by using old, familiar clichés rather than fresh, original language.

Question 9

Elements of written communication such as spelling, abbreviations, and punctuation are known as mechanics.

Question 10

Any message that omits key information is not accurate.

Question 11

To be sure your message is understood, use as much specific jargon as possible when communicating with people outside your organization.

Question 12

Slang is an informal expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specific group of people.

Question 13

As long as you use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your business writing, you will be able to communicate your meaning.

Question 14

A cliché is a phrase that has been used for so long that it is not considered original.

Question 15

Rather than eliminating long words from your business communication, use them in moderation when appropriate.

Question 16

A writer using the phrase "thinking outside of the box" would be admired for fresh, original thinking.

Question 17

Using buzzwords in business writing is a good way to show your familiarity with issues and trends in contemporary media.

Question 18

Style consists of the way your message is expressed, including the effectiveness of the words, sentences, paragraphs, and tone.

Question 19

Effective business writers select words to impress their readers by evoking a reaction such as excitement, anger, or amusement.

Question 20

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.

Question 21

An effective business message includes sentences that range from 22 to 32 words in length.

Question 22

In some messages, you can save space by stating information and substituting clauses for adjectives or adverbs.

Question 23

Hidden verbs weaken sentences because they do not emphasize the main action.

Question 24

The passive voice focuses attention on the entity receiving the action rather than performing the action.

Question 25

The first clause in a compound sentence receives more emphasis than the second, independent clause.

Question 26

An expletive at the beginning of a sentence can make the subject of the sentence unclear.

Question 27

Redundancy is an ineffective method of repeating and reinforcing an idea that you expressed earlier in your message.

Question 28

Businesspeople value redundancy in messages because they need more data on which to base their decisions.

Question 29

When you use the active voice, you are emphasizing the doer rather than the receiver of the action in that sentence.

Question 30

You should use active-voice verbs to convey negative news tactfully or to reduce emphasis on the doer of the action.

Question 31

By substituting a single word for a phrase, you are "getting rid of the lard" in a sentence.

Question 32

A sentence that consists of one independent clause that cannot stand alone as a complete thought is a simple sentence.

Question 33

The independent clause of a complex sentence should contain the supplemental information.

Question 34

You can keep your business writing interesting and express relationships between ideas by varying the pattern and length of your sentences.

Question 35

The phrase made a payment contains an expletive.

Question 36

Repeating a particular word in several sentences within a paragraph highlights separate ideas and demonstrates parallelism.

Question 37

A sentence lacks parallelism if similar ideas are expressed using different grammatical structures.

Question 38

The three basic sentence types are compound-complex, complex, and simple.

Question 39

Readers will see your writing as unoriginal and even monotonous if you add the ending -ize to transform nouns into verbs (such as agenda into agendize).

Question 40

When you want to give equal weight to two closely related ideas in a single sentence, use a compound sentence.

Question 41

To summarize a paragraph's content, you should position your topic sentence at the end.

Question 42

A series of short paragraphs can weaken coherence by obscuring underlying relationships.

Question 43

A paragraph lacks unity when it contains sentences or details that are not directly related to the topic.

Question 44

When each sentence flows smoothly from the sentence before it and connects smoothly to the sentence after it, the resulting paragraph has coherence.

Question 45

Effective writing avoids both redundancy and repetition.

Question 46

To achieve coherence, effective writers use different terms for the same idea, such as manager and supervisor.

Question 47

The transitional word nevertheless shows a contrasting relationship.

Question 48

By matching nouns with nouns and adjectives with adjectives, you can achieve parallel structure.

Question 49

The purpose of a paragraph is to group topic sentences in logical order for the reader's convenience.

Question 50

The transitional word finally indicates a summary or conclusion.

Question 51

The purpose of parallel structure is to link ideas and add a pleasing rhythm to sentences and paragraphs, which enhances coherence.

Question 52

To sound confident, effective writers often use the phrase "I know that" in front of key assertions.

Question 53

Including examples or more analysis in a paragraph helps you develop the main idea.

Question 54

Business writers aim for paragraphs that are 60 to 80 words long, with three or four sentences supporting a single topic sentence.

Question 55

One reason to control paragraph length is to avoid obscuring a key idea that appears in one of the middle paragraphs.

Question 56

Paragraphs provide readers with a physical break, keeping your message from looking either boring and too simplistic or intimidatingly complex.

Question 57

You can signal a change in direction within a paragraph by starting a new sentence to introduce an additional topic.

Question 58

The length of a paragraph depends on the organization's requirements, not on the reader's comprehension level.

Question 59

"Our school is buying both pens and pencils for students' use" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.

Question 60

Pronouns can bind sentences and ideas together to create a more coherent paragraph.

Question 61

When your message emphasizes how you, as the writer, will benefit, you are applying the "you" attitude.

Question 62

Readers may think you are unsure of yourself if you use self-conscious phrases such as I hope in your messages.

Question 63

To build goodwill in a business letter, use neutral expressions such as cannot and will not.

Question 64

Effective business communicators use a confident, competent tone in their messages but avoid sounding arrogant.

Question 65

Putting an idea in a short, simple sentence emphasizes its importance.

Question 66

You look selfish if your message focuses only on what the reader will get from doing what you request in your message.

Question 67

Using words such as deny and cannot helps you make a positive impression on your audience.

Question 68

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.

Question 69

Using positive expressions helps you build goodwill among audience members.

Question 70

Writing "I am sure that you will agree" in a business letter conveys an appropriate level of confidence.

Question 71

Using platitudes will give readers the sense that you have a condescending attitude.

Question 72

Obvious flattery detracts from the sincerity of your message.

Question 73

The statement "I am amazed that you filled in the form correctly" has a courteous tone.

Question 74

One way to avoid exaggeration and sound more sincere is to use only an appropriate number of modifiers.

Question 75

You are acting ethically if you imply but do not state that an idea is much more important than it is.

Question 76

When writing a letter to a customer, emphasize what your organization can do rather than what it can't do.

Question 77

Believing that your decision is based on sound reasoning increases your risk of writing with less confidence.

Question 78

Adapting your language to the reader's needs helps you convey an appropriately condescending attitude.

Question 79

To avoid influencing readers' attitudes toward an idea, you should imply but not actually say that it is of "primary importance."

Question 80

You can emphasize an idea by putting it into the first or last paragraph.