Business Communication Skills
Session 5: Brushing up English Grammar
and Punctuation
by Rama Arya
Session 4: Summary
1. Mindful listening is listening without judgment,
criticism or interruption.
2. To listen mindfully, one needs to be present,
cultivate empathy, and listen to ones own cues.
3. Listening and questioning go hand-in-hand.
4. There are 6 different types of questions: Open,
Closed, Funnel, Probing, Leading, Rhetorical.
5. Each type receives a related type of answer. It is
important to know when to use which question.
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Session 5 outline
How to cut out the fluff and write concisely
The correct usage of articles and punctuation
Paragraphs and paragraphing
What is inclusive language
Exercise 1
When you see a document or e-mail full of typos, poor
grammar, or incomplete sentences, how do you feel?
Does it affect your opinion of the sender? Why or why
not?
Answer in the question box [5 minutes]
The abcd of writing
Audience: Who are you writing to?
Format: Visual layout of contentAlignment, Font
Style
Composition: Elements that comprise content
Structuring: Arrangement or order of contentWhat
comes first, second, etc.
Style: Manner of writingFormal, Informal, First and
Second Person, Third Person
Common grammatical and spelling errors
Proofing
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Part 1: Writing concisely
What is conciseness?
Using the most effective words. Concise writing does
not always have the least number of words, but it
always uses the strongest ones.
How to achieve Conciseness?
Replace several vague words with more powerful
and specific wordsUse Thesaurus intelligently.
Interrogate every word in a sentenceEach word
should add value to the sentence.
Example 1
The report has made available many of the things
government can use for making a decision on budget
allocations.
The report presents has made available criteria many
of the things government can use for determining for
making a decision on government budget allocations.
(20 reduced to 9 words)
Example 2
The trainer demonstrated some of the various ways
and methods for cutting words from my report that I
had written at work.
The trainer demonstrated methods for cutting words
from my report.
(22 reduced to 10 words)
Example 3
Ludwig's castles are an astounding marriage of beauty
and madness. By his death, he had commissioned three
castles.
Ludwig's three castles are an astounding marriage of
beauty and madness.
(18 reduced to 11 words)
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Writing concisely guidelines
Remove:
Words that explain the obvious or give excessive
detail
Unnecessary determiners
Repetitive wording
Redundant pairs
Redundant categories
Circumlocution
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Exercise 2: Excessive detail
It goes without saying that the corporate sector is
acquainted with the government policy on filing tax
returns, and it has every intention of complying with
the regulations that have been mentioned.
32. Reduce to less than 15 words.
Answer in the question box [3 minutes]
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Answer 2
It goes without saying that the corporate sector is
acquainted with the government policy on filing tax
returns, and it The corporate sector has every
intention of complying with the regulations that have
been mentioned.
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Unnecessary
determiners
that can be
removed
kind of
sort of
type of
really
basically
for all intents and
purposes
definitely
actually
generally
individual
specific
particular
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Exercise 3:
Unnecessary determiners
For all intents and purposes, Indian industrial
productivity generally depends on certain factors that
are really more psychological in kind than of any given
technological aspect.
26. Reduce to less than 15 words.
Answer in the question box [3 minutes]
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Answer 3
For all intents and purposes, Indian industrial
productivity generally depends more on psychological
than on technological factors on certain factors that
are really more psychological in kind than of any given
technological aspect.
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Redundant
categories
that can be
removed
large in size
often times
of a bright colour
heavy in weight
period in time
round in shape
at an early time
economics field
of cheap quality
honest in character
of an uncertain condition
in a confused state
unusual in nature
extreme in degree
of a strange type
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Exercise 4:
Redundant categories
The microscope revealed a group of organisms that
were round in shape and peculiar in nature.
Answer in the question box [3 minutes]
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Answer 4
The microscope revealed a group of organisms that
were round, in shape and peculiar in nature organisms.
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Redundant
pairs that
can be
removed
completely finish
past memories
various differences
each individual
basic fundamentals
true facts
important essentials
future plans
terrible tragedy
end result
final outcome
free gift
past history
unexpected surprise
sudden crisis
very unique
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Avoid circumlocutions
What is Circumlocution?
Circumlocutions are commonly used roundabout
expressions that take several words to say what could
be said more concisely.
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must, should =
it is crucial that
it is necessary that
there is a need/necessity for
it is important that
cannot be avoided
Example: It is necessary that we take a stand on this
pressing issue.
We must take a stand on this pressing issue.
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because, since, why =
the reason for
for the reason that
owing/due to the fact that
in light of the fact that
considering the fact that
on the grounds that
this is why
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when =
on the occasion of
in a situation in which
under circumstances in which
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about =
as regards
in reference to
with regard to
concerning the matter of
where ________ is concerned
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can =
is able to
has the opportunity to
has the capacity for
has the ability to
Example:
She has the ability to influence the outcome.
She can influence the outcome.
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may, might, could =
it is possible that
there is a chance that
it could happen that
the possibility exists for
Example:
It is possible that nothing will come of these
preparations.
Nothing may come of these preparations.
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Part 2: Articles & punctuation
Spelling
British or American spellingsStay consistent in all
your writingindividual and organizational.
Programme/ program.
Labour, centre, favour, colour/ Labor, center, favor,
color.
Use s for words such as organisation, realisation,
utilisation/ Use z for words such as organization,
realization, utilization.
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A, An, The
A and AnIndefinite articles, depends on following
sound.
TheDefinite article except for names of most
countries, streets, lakes, mountains (except ranges of
mountains), continents, islands (except island chains).
Use the with rivers, oceans, seas, points on the
globe, geographical areas, deserts, forests, gulfs,
peninsulas.
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Exercise 5: Articles
1. I want ____ apple from that basket.
2. ____ church on the corner is progressive.
3. Miss Lin speaks ____ Chinese.
4. I borrowed ____ pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.
5. One of the students said, "____ professor is late today."
6. Eli likes to play ____ volleyball.
7. I bought ____ umbrella to go out in the rain.
8. My daughter is learning to play ____ violin at her school.
9. Please give me ____ cake that is on the counter.
10. I lived on ____ Main Street when I first came to town.
Answer in the question box [5 minutes]
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Answer 5
1. I want an apple from that basket.
2. The church on the corner is progressive.
3. Miss Lin speaks Chinese.
4. I borrowed a pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.
5. One of the students said, The professor is late today.
6. Eli likes to play volleyball.
7. I bought an umbrella to go out in the rain.
8. My daughter is learning to play the violin at her school.
9. Please give me the cake that is on the counter.
10. I lived on Main Street when I first came to town.
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Exercise 6: Articles
Most people have fewer hours to give to time-consuming
activities of clubs than they used to have, but most people in
small town belong to club or two. One of clubs is likely to be
social and benevolent organization, such as Rotary or Elks.
Business people are likely to belong, also to either Kiwanis Club
or Lions. Such business people's organizations may meet as
often as once a week in one of private dining rooms of town's
leading hotel for lunch. They have good lunch, hear good
program, and continue their fundraising program for worthy
organization, such as local hospital.
Answer in the question box [5 minutes]
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Answer 6
Most working people have fewer hours to give to timeconsuming activities of clubs than they used to have, but most
people in a small town belong to a club or two. One of the clubs
is likely to be a social and benevolent organization, such
as the Rotary or Elks. Business people are likely to belong, also to
either the Kiwanis Club or the Lions. Such business people's
organizations may meet as often as once a week in one
of the private dining rooms of the towns leading hotel for lunch.
They have a good lunch, hear a good program, and continue
their fundraising program for a worthy organization, such
as a local hospital.
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
Avoid alphabet soupunnecessary use of
acronyms or abbreviations.
Spell out the first reference followed by the
authorized acronym or abbreviation in parentheses;
the acronym or abbreviation is used for subsequent
references.
Use all caps and no periods in abbreviations.
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Exercise 7
Do you use jargon and acronyms at work? If yes, do you
think it helps or obstructs communication? Why or why
not?
Answer in the question box [3 minutes]
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Bullets
Use a colon (:) to introduce a list. Bulleted items should
be capped and end with a period.
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Dates
13 May, 2016
Friday, 13 May, 2016
May 2016
2011-12
1999-2000
the 21st Century
the 1960s
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Names
Use first name, middle initial and last name on first
reference.
Thereafter by last name.
Do not use courtesy titles (Mr., Miss, Ms., Mrs.).
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Numbers
Spell out numbers one through nine and general
numbers. When a sentence starts with a number, spell
it out.
Express all percentages as figures. Do not use the %
sign except in charts or graphs.
For money use figures preceded with currency sign
followed by space; Spell out crore and lakh.
Place a comma after digits signifying thousands.
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Exercise 8: Numbers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
351 people attended the performance.
There were one hundred and thirty-five pieces in the puzzle.
Class started at eight-thirty A.M. in Room Twenty.
In the sixties there were sit-ins at 100's of colleges.
Every afternoon at two o'clock the chimes rang.
The stock deal, which involved $4.5 billion, paid a twelve and
a half percent dividend.
7. The Lafayette television station is Channel Eighteen.
8. They needed eight ten-foot poles for the construction.
9. The vote was 126 in favor and only sixteen opposed.
10. The assignment was to read chapter 6, pages 31-39.
Answer in the question box [5 minutes]
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Answer 8
1. Three hundred and fifty one people attended the
performance.
2. There were 135 pieces in the puzzle.
3. Class started at 8:30 A.M. in Room 20.
4. In the sixties there were sit-ins at hundreds of colleges.
5. Every afternoon at 2 o'clock the chimes rang.
6. The stock deal, which involved Rs. 4.5 billion, paid a 12.5
percent dividend.
7. The Lafayette television station is Channel 18.
8. They needed eight 10-foot poles for the construction.
9. The vote was 126 in favor and only 16 opposed.
10. The assignment was to read chapter 6, pages 31-39.
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Possessives ending in s
For most possessives, add apostrophe and s
Example: Sapnas book
For singular proper names ending in s use only
apostrophe
Example: Charles book
For singular common nouns ending in s add
apostrophe and s unless next word begins with s
Example: buss tyre; bus seat
For plural common nouns ending in s add only
apostrophe,
Example: buses tyres
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Exercise 9: Apostrophe
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?
The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.
Its such a beautiful day that Ive decided to take a sun bath.
In three weeks time well have to begin school again.
Didnt you hear that theyre leaving tomorrow?
We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children
looked so disappointed that we found another spot.
7. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.
8. She did not hear her childrens cries.
9. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.
10. Didnt he say when he would arrive at Rajs house?
Answer in the question box [5 minutes]
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Answer 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?
The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.
Its such a beautiful day that Ive decided to take a sun bath.
In three weeks time well have to begin school again.
Didn't you hear that they're leaving tomorrow?
We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children
looked so disappointed that we found another spot.
7. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.
8. She did not hear her children's cries.
9. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.
10. Didn't he say when he would arrive at Raj's house?
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Punctuation: Comma
Three or more items in a simple list.
Three or more items in a complex list.
A series of adjectives equal in importance.
Sentences combined with a conjunction.
An introductory phrase from rest of a sentence.
Direct quotes.
Cities from names of countries.
Yes and no, and names/ titles in a direct address.
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Exercise 10: Comma
1. We went to Gateway of India but did not take the ferry to
Elephanta Caves.
2. The ginkgo tree whose leaves turn bright yellow in the fall
came to this country from Asia.
3. The address for the directors house is 391 Marine Drive
Mumbai Maharashtra.
4. The villagers enjoyed fairs festivals and good conversation.
5. When the intermission was over the members of the
audience moved back to their seats.
6. Suresh took the elevator to the third floor rushed into the
office and asked to see his father.
Answer in the question box [5 minutes]
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Answer 10
1. We went to Gateway of India, but did not take the ferry to
Elephanta Caves.
2. The ginkgo tree, whose leaves turn bright yellow in the fall,
came to this country from Asia.
3. The address for the directors house is 391 Marine Drive,
Mumbai, Maharashtra.
4. The villagers enjoyed fairs, festivals, and good conversation.
5. When the intermission was over, the members of the
audience moved back to their seats.
6. Suresh took the elevator to the third floor, rushed into the
office, and asked to see his father.
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Punctuation: Dash
Em dash: Use an em dash to relay a break in
thought.
andand (double dash, no space before or after)
En dash: An en dash is used to connect values in a
range or that are related. A good rule is to use it when
youre expressing a to relationship.
and and (single dash, space before and after)
Hyphen: A hyphen is used to join words in a
compound construction, or separate syllables of a
word, like during a line break.
and-and (single dash)
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Punctuation: Others
Ellipses: Add a space before and after a three-dot
ellipsis.
Periods: Use a single space after a period at the end
of a sentence.
Quotation Marks:
Single British; Double North American
If quote within quote, single within double
End quote after coma/ period
Opening and closing quote should match
Semicolons: Use the semicolon to set off a series
that includes commas.
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Confusing Words
Words that sound the same but mean worlds apart.
The difference between:
Youre, Your, You are
Theyre, They are, There, Their
Its, Its
Advice, Advise; Lose, Loose
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Part 3: Writing cohesively
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing
with a single topic.
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Keep One Idea to One Paragraph
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Elements of a Paragraph
A topic sentence: To indicate generally what idea
the paragraph is going to deal with A form of
summary.
Adequate development: The topic, introduced by
the topic sentence, should be discussed fully and
adequately.
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Transitions and Signposts
Transitions: One or several sentences that
transition from one idea to the next. They can be
used at the end of a paragraph to help the paragraph
flow into the next.
Signposts: Internal aids to help readers; consist of
several sentences/paragraph outlining what the article
has covered so far and where the article will be going.
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Part 4: Inclusive language
Use of non-sexist language.
Dont say he when referring to an unspecified
person. Instead, reword into the plural, or use their
as a neutral possessive, or avoid the use of pronouns
altogether.
Use he or she and not he/she.
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Examples
Instead of
chairman
businessman
cameraman
founding fathers
to man
mankind
manpower
Use
chair
business executive, manager
camera operator
founders
to staff, to run, to operate
people, humanity
workforce, employees
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Summary
To write concisely avoid Excessive detail, Repetition,
Unnecessary determiners, Redundant pairs, Redundant
categories, and Circumlocution.
Punctuation and grammar ensure clarity, and follow
international guidelines.
To write cohesively keep one idea to one paragraph,
and use transitions and signposts to link paragraphs.
Inclusive language is non-sexist language.
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Communication habits 5
#1. Write concisely and cohesively by removing the
fluff and linking paragraphs.
#2. Get into the habit of proof reading everything
you write, checking punctuation and grammar.
#3. Use inclusive language.
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