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Results 21 to 30 of 321 (page 3 of 33)
according to our records
To write concisely, avoid the wordy expression according to our records. Instead, reword the sentence and make records the subject. Wordy: According to our records, the bill went out on March 25. Concise: Our records show the bill went out on March 25.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 4,539
kickoff, kick off, kick out
The kickoff which starts a football game or other event is usually spelled as one unhyphenated word. The Nguyens watched every Grey Cup game, from the kickoff to the trophy presentation. The phrasal verb kick off does not take a hyphen. It can be used as an informal synonym for “begin.” Fireworks normally kick off Ottawa’s Winterlude celebrations. Kick off is also a synonym for “remove forcibly or officially.” Kick out (which is also unhyphenated) can be used in this sense as well. Zack was kicked off his hockey team because of his violent temper. Jenny and Jody were kicked out of the fast-food restaurant for starting a food fight.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 4,458
owing to the fact that
Choose because or since instead of the wordy expression owing to the fact that. I missed the bus because (not owing to the fact that) I got up late. Since (not Owing to the fact that) her parents were very wealthy, Deirdre had far too many toys.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 4,305
Plainly said: Keeping it simple
A quiz on replacing government jargon with plainer languageTechnical terms, specialized language and in-house jargon can make your writing difficult to understand. By using everyday words, you will help readers understand your message. For example, choose pay over remuneration, or change instead of fluctuate. In the sentences below, replace the word in square brackets with the correct plain language equivalent.1. The Government of Canada [allocated] more than $2.5 million to expand the energy-efficient centre.set asidesavedinvested2. The government agency was [vested] with certain powers.refusedstripped ofgiven3. The CEO's responsibilities have [evolved] over time.changedmultiplieddecreased4. The Board wants to help the public understand its members' [expenditures].rolesspendingskills5. The Agency is warning people with peanut allergies not to [ingest] ABC Saltwater Taffy.buyselleat6. Do you [attest] that you have understood the conditions on this form?confirmagreethink7. The Internet [facilitates] registration for licences.increasescomplicatessimplifies8. The committee reached a [consensus].an agreementa decisionan impasseSource: Quizzes on the Language Portal of Canada
Number of views: 3,381
virtue, by virtue of, in virtue of
The idiom by virtue of means “because of” or “on account of. ” The synonymous expression in virtue of is antiquated and found mostly in legal writing. To write plainly, replace these expressions with because of, on account of or on the basis of. Because of (not by virtue of) their experience and knowledge of the issues, three research scientists were appointed to the committee. Corona was invited to join the yacht club on the basis of (not by virtue of) her mother’s standing as a founding member.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 3,198
clear communication: overview of the writing process and techniques
(A similar topic is discussed in French in the article Communication claire : survol du processus et des techniques.) This overview provides an introduction to the techniques that will help you create clear, effective and reader-focused texts. For more information and examples, see other documents labelled “clear communication.” This overview looks at the following points: On this page Step 1: Analyze Audience Purpose Type of document Step 2: PlanStep 3: Write Organization and Structure Content Style and language Layout, design and format Step 4: Reread, edit, revise, evaluate Step 5: Always improve your communications Step 1: Analyze The starting point of any writing project should be to identify the intended readers, the purpose of the material and the desired impact. Before you start writing, ask yourself the following questions. Audience Who are the intended readers? Are you writing for specialists, young people, all taxpayers, or a group whose first language is not English? What do the readers need to know? Do they need the details or just an overview; the historical context and the reasons behind the decision, or merely an explanation of the decision’s impact on them? What needs to be emphasized? How will the readers use the information? Will they use it to make a decision, to determine whether they are eligible for something, to carry out a procedure? Will they need to read the entire document or concentrate on one or two sections? Tailor your message to the audience: your document will be easy to read if it matches the readers’ ability, interest, motivation and background knowledge. You may have different types of users: write so they all understand. Purpose Think of your own objective: Are you trying to inform your readers, convince them or raise their awareness of a particular issue? Are you explaining a concept to them or asking them to do something? What do you want to happen as a result of this document? Also consider the readers’ objectives: Why are they reading your document? What are they trying to do or learn? Type of document Are you writing a memo, a letter, a pamphlet or a report? The type of document influences your decisions and how you will need to organize your ideas. Step 2: Plan Start by getting all your ideas on paper. Then you can pick and choose which ones you want to include in your text. Try to be brief: it’s best to cover only the most important and relevant points. Once you’ve decided what to include, separate the essentials from the secondary information and then figure out how to bring it all together in an organized way. Step 3: Write To save the reader time and effort and ensure that your message will be clearly understood, choose straightforward vocabulary and sentence structures, and organize and present your material clearly. Organization and Structure Decide on a structure. Is a brief summary of background information required? What are to be the main divisions of your document? How much detail is required? Is a question-and-answer approach appropriate? Divide your text into main points and secondary points. Put the most important ideas first—both in the document and in each paragraph. At the outset, tell your reader what your document is about and how it is organized. Guide readers through the document: use a table of contents for long documents; use markers, such as meaningful titles, headings and subheadings, to map out your document. Use point form, lists or question-and-answer format whenever possible. Content Clearly state the purpose, context and logic of the information. Get to the point: give only the essential, relevant, complete and accurate parts of the message; aim for quality information, not quantity. Give the big picture: start a document of 4 or more pages with a summary. Style and language Use short, familiar words: explain technical terms that cannot be simplified; use concrete and explicit words with common meanings, and avoid abstract nouns; create image-evoking information for the reader. Express your message in a friendly and positive tone: talk to your readers in a conversational style. Use action verbs instead of nouns, and use adverbs and adjectives sparingly (modifiers and qualifiers do not necessarily make meaning clearer). Personalize your message and write directly to readers by using I, you and we. Write in the active voice so that readers know who does what, when. Be concise: write sentences averaging 15-20 words to a maximum of 30 words (it is better to have only one subordinate or conditional clause per sentence). Keep paragraphs short, with only one main topic. Divide information into manageable chunks: break complex parts into simple steps, and list instructions or actions step by step. Give examples to explain complex concepts. Emphasize what you want readers to do—repeat your message. Describe mathematical operations clearly: set up numbers in rows and columns instead of paragraphs. Display numbers clearly and explain operations using explicit math symbols or familiar terms (add, subtract, etc.). Layout, design and format Choose the best format and medium for your message on the basis of readers’ needs. Make your document scannable: visually appealing and easy to read. Use readable typefaces and sizes (at least 12-point or 14-point for seniors or people with visual impairments). Leave plenty of white space (at least 50% of the total page area). Emphasize important information by strategically using boldface, boxes, illustrations, images, tables, graphics and colours (have a high contrast between the colour of your text and its background). Be careful with italics, underlining and shading. Don’t type words entirely in capitals. Step 4: Reread, edit, revise, evaluate The first draft serves as a starting point. You then need to rewrite, edit and polish the text, always keeping in mind who will read it, and why. Edit and proofread several times, focusing each time on a different aspect of the text. Make sure that you’re providing readers with all the information they need, that the structure is clear, that sentences and words will make sense to readers, that the layout helps make the text easy to read. Delete any unnecessary ideas or words. Rewrite complex sentences; check for administrative jargon and technical language; watch for acronyms. Have someone else read your text. A trial run with a potential reader or colleague who has knowledge of the target readership could be a useful test. Surveys, focus groups or field tests would provide an even more thorough indication as to whether your document will get the message across simply and clearly to the intended readers. Step 5: Always improve your communications Set up a procedure to handle client feedback so you can continue to improve your communications.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,945
Putting it plainly
Few English words tumble from the tongue as musically as bafflegab. A satisfying mouthful of consonants, the term was invented in 1952 by Milton A. Smith, assistant general counsel for the United States Chamber of Commerce, to describe the impenetrable language of an order issued by the Office of Price Stabilization. Smith, later awarded a plaque for his nifty new word, felt that only a new term would do to convey the pricing document’s special blend of "incomprehensibility, ambiguity, verbosity and complexity." Today, though bafflegab is still with us, it is slowly but surely being wrestled to the sidelines by its nemesis, plain language. Over the past couple of decades, plain language—language that speaks to its audience clearly, concisely and directly—has gained a toehold in workplace writing, especially in the legal, financial and government sectors. The reason is simple: where bafflegab obfuscates, plain language communicates. What plain language isn’t First, let’s dispel some myths about plain language. Here are the top three held to by writers who barricade themselves behind bureaucratese. Myth 1: Plain language equals dull writing. Not so. The plain in plain language doesn’t mean boring or ordinary, as in a plain doughnut or plain Jane. It means clear and direct, as in the plain truth. The fact is, plain language is more concrete, lively and readable than wordier styles. Myth 2: Plain language dilutes content. Many fear that simple words and short sentences will dumb down a complex message. Nothing could be further from the truth. Plain language is the best and sometimes the only way to communicate complex ideas to a general audience, hence its growing popularity in fields like law, health care and securities. Myth 3: Writers who use plain language risk insulting educated, literate readers. This is an empty worry. Can you imagine any reader of a government brochure, user manual or company prospectus throwing the document aside and exclaiming, "I refuse to read this! It’s far too clear"? No one, regardless of reading level, likes to work unnecessarily to extract meaning from a document. What plain language is Plain language is all about the reader. Documents written in plain language are planned, drafted, edited and laid out to meet the reader’s needs, not the writer’s. All too often writers are self-centred; they adopt a style that satisfies something in themselves. They may want to impress. They may think verbose, inflated writing is somehow more "official." They may even be unsure of their message and hope that big words and sprawling sentences will camouflage their vagueness. The point is, writers who focus on their own needs leave their readers wanting. If we could reduce plain language to a motto, it would be "Know your readers." Why are they reading the document? What is their reading level? How well do they know the subject? Answering those questions, then choosing structure, vocabulary and style accordingly, is the only way to tailor a document to its audience. Plain language pointers Be concise Exercise what Thomas Jefferson called "the most valuable of all talent, that of never using two words where one will do." Shrink connectors: for the purpose of becomes for on account of the fact that becomes because Use adjectives and adverbs: of a scientific nature becomes scientific in a professional manner becomes professionally Avoid redundancies: repeat again becomes repeat large in size becomes large Use simple words Winston Churchill once said, "Short words are best, and the old words when short are best of all." (Politicians weren’t always the masters of bafflegab we have come to expect today.) When writing in plain language, resist the allure of flowery, multisyllabic words. And avoid jargon, which carries the clogging power of trans fat. significant becomes big, large disseminate becomes send out interface with becomes talk, contact, meet achieve cost savings becomes save money Avoid negatives Negative structures, those built around not, are longer and harder to understand than positive structures. Be especially ruthless with two or three negatives in a row. not often becomes rarely does not have becomes lacks not until becomes only when Use concrete words Words that create pictures are easier to understand than abstractions. written analysis becomes report nourishment becomes apple, sushi instrument of correspondence becomes letter, email Avoid weak verbs Verbs that express clear, precise actions are easier to understand than vague, actionless verbs. Transform weak verbs like be, have, do and make whenever you can. have the ability to becomes can do an analysis of becomes analyse make a recommendation about becomes recommend Word choice, which we’ve looked at here, is a key ingredient in the recipe for plain language. But there are others. Techniques like keeping sentences and paragraphs short, providing familiar examples, organizing content to meet readers’ needs and using illustrations and graphic aids are just as important in making documents clear and readable. Paradoxically, there is nothing simple about writing in plain language. That’s why bafflegab still permeates many workplaces: for many, it’s a familiar and easy lingo. But it’s a lingo that fails to deliver. George Orwell said it best in his famous 1946 essay, "Politics and the English Language": ". . . ready-made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you—even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent—and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself . . . ." Do we need a more convincing reason for putting it plainly?Source: Peck’s English Pointers (articles and exercises on the English language)
Number of views: 2,942
period of time, time period
Period of time and time period are idiomatic expressions. The auditor examined the company’s receipts and expenditures over a lengthy period of time. This introductory course examines European history by time period. However, where possible, write concisely by replacing these phrases with period or time. The geologist studied the period between the last two ice ages. The change of seasons divides the year into four periods (not time periods). The Depression was a very difficult time (or period) for many people.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,869
about, approximately, approximately about, around, roughly, roughly about
About and around often replace the more formal approximately. If there is a difference, it is that approximately suggests a more careful calculation. Avoid redundant wording such as roughly about or approximately about; instead use about, approximately, around or roughly. We waited about 30 minutes for the bus. Teresa won approximately $500 last week with Lotto 6/49. Redundant wording: Alessandro’s father is roughly about 40 years old. Standard usage: Alessandro’s father is roughly (or around or about) 40 years old.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,771
4 tips for simplifying your PowerPoint presentations
An English blog post about how to simplify PowerPoint presentations and make them more effective.You’ve probably had this happen to you before. You’re attending a class, conference or meeting. When you get there, you take your seat, the speaker puts their PowerPoint up on the screen, and AARGH! The text is so small and dense that you can’t even read it. What’s more, you realize that you’re trying so hard to make out the words on the screen that you’re paying no attention to what the speaker is saying. We tend to forget that a PowerPoint presentation is supposed to be a visual aid. It’s the equivalent of a blackboard, projector or poster. There’s no need to write everything you’re going to say on a PowerPoint. Its purpose is to draw the audience’s attention; it shouldn’t become a source of distraction. So how do we create effective presentations? In this post, I summarize the major tips I’ve been able to glean from the Internet and provide a few references for those of you who want to find out more. One slide, one idea One way to cut back the clutter is to treat every slide in a presentation like a paragraph in a text. Each slide should present only one main idea, and this main idea can be broken down into three to five points at most. It’s a good way to zero in on what’s important. The “5 × 6 = 30” rule As I mentioned in the introduction, one of the problems in PowerPoint is the font size. The more text you have on a slide, the smaller the characters will be. If the text is too small, then there’s too much of it. So if you’re wondering whether you need to do some more pruning, the font size can be a good indicator. For those of you who like math, here’s a rule I came across in my reading and that I’ve adapted for you below: 5 points per slide 6 words per point 30-point font size Five and six are your ideal maximum allowable limits. But you can consider 30 a good average to shoot for. For example, you could have a title in a size 32 font and a bulleted list in size 28. Also, there’s nothing to stop you from going higher than 30, but ideally, you shouldn’t fall too far below that threshold. Bear in mind, too, that sans serif fonts, such as Calibri and Arial, are easier to read on a screen than are other fonts. As little distraction as possible Another way to make your PowerPoint presentation more effective is to simplify the content. Depending on the type of presentation, certain elements may cause some people to tune out. For instance, it’s easy to forget about that new employee or that colleague who is colour blind. You have to adapt the presentation to your target audience and make sure it’s easy to read and understand. Here are some issues that can make a presentation cumbersome: lack of uniformity complex statistics acronyms (if not defined) technical terms (if not defined) dizzying transitions and animations colours that clash or are hard to distinguish A supporting document Is some essential information just impossible to sum up in few words? Then why not use a supporting document? A separate document can be a good way to communicate all the important information without cluttering up your PowerPoint presentation. It can be a particularly good idea if you’re presenting a budget, detailing recommendations or developing course notes. If the context allows, you’ll want to wait until the end of the presentation before sending out a supporting document, though. Otherwise your audience will read it instead of listening to you. Your turn! With such a pared-down PowerPoint, you may feel a little exposed. Your audience will have eyes—and especially ears—for you only! While all this attention can make some people more confident, it may leave others feeling more nervous. No matter how you respond, it’s always a good idea to practise beforehand, if possible in front of someone who’ll be able to give you feedback. Have you tried some of these tips or used a few of your own? Did they make a difference to your audience? Please leave me a comment and tell me about it! Sources View sources Canada School of Public Service. Building Your Presentation (TRN104) (online course for public servants only). “10 conseils pour votre présentation PowerPoint” (in French only). (2020, February 28). Le Parisien. Schmaltz, Rodney M., and Richard Enström. (2014, October 8). “Death to weak PowerPoint: Strategies to create effective visual presentations.” Frontiers in Psychology. Translated by Nicholas Vaughan, Language Portal of CanadaSource: Our Languages blog (posts from our contributors)
Number of views: 2,758