As a writer, it is necessary not just to considercarefully what you say, but how it is said by you. To communicate effectively, it isn’t enough to have well organized ideas expressed in complete and coherent sentences and paragraphs. One must also look at the style, tone and clarity of his/her writing, and adapt these elements into the audience that is reading. Again, analyzing a person’s audience and purpose is the key to writing effectiveness. The writer must consider the objective of the document, the context in which it is being written, and who will be reading it in order to choose the most effective language.
Characteristics of Effective Language
Concrete language includes descriptions which create tangible images with details your reader can visualize. Abstract language is vague and obscure, and does not bring to mind specific images that are visual. Consider the two sets of statements below. The statement at the very top is abstract, however the statements become increasingly concrete and specific toward the base.
He is a roommate that is bad is lazy and discourteous
He is untidy and unclean
He does not tidy up their own messes
He leaves his dirty dishes regarding the kitchen counter
Your relationship with John is unacceptable
you may not go along well with John
You and John have lots of arguments
both you and John insult each other too much
You and John call one another derogatory names
Notice simply how much more beneficial the statements become since the language gets to be more concrete and specific. The statements at the top, which are more abstract, can be interpreted in lots of ways that are possible and leave many questions answered. The statements at the bottom, that are more concrete, are less open to multiple interpretations.
A hallmark of effective writers could be the power to express the required message in as few words that you can. Good writers, to put it differently, use language which will be straightforward and to-the-point. Consider the following examples.
(1) it really is widely discussed by employees that many of those should be forced to change jobs and take on responsibilities that are new the merger takes place between your two companies.
(2) before carefully deciding about if the person on trial is guilty or innocent in cases like this, the people in the jury should really be certain to carefully think of, ponder and think on all the important and testimony that is relevant the situation.
Notice how long-winded these sentences are, and exactly how easily they could be simplified and shortened. An important part of revising and editing involves re-phrasing sentences to eliminate wordiness that is excessive. One good way to reduce wordiness would be to eliminate words that are redundant phrases. Consider example one above. The phrases “to improve jobs” and “take on new responsibilities” are redundant, and may be combined into one phrase that is short be expressed more concisely.
Consider example two above. The phrase “. should be sure to carefully think of, ponder and think on. ” contains three straight ways of saying the same thing. This sentence might be improved making use of only one of the phrases that are key “. to reflect on. “
A second option to reduce wordiness is to eliminate “filler” words which serve no purpose into the sentence. Consider example one above. Replace the phrase “. as soon as the merger takes place involving the two companies” with “. when the 2 companies merge.” Consider example two above. Spot the excessive wordiness in listed here phrase: “Before making a choice about perhaps the person on trial is guilty or innocent in this situation . ” This sentence could simply read: “Before determining the defendant’s guilt or innocence. “
Familiar language is that which the readers easily recognize and understand simply because they put it to use on a normal basis. Probably one of the most important functions of language is to build “homophily” or a sense of commonality with one’s readers. Language that will be foreign and unfamiliar to your reader tends to emphasize the differences between reader and writer, and makes the message tough to understand. Making use of language that is familiar into the reader, the message probably will have more impact.
Consider the following examples.
An assignment given to a course of business students by their philosophy professor:
“The presently assigned paper necessitates an eloquently articulated analysis associated with the Existentialist perspective when it comes to contemporary living. You ought to adumbrate the true points which represent the sine qua non of the analysis.”
A letter delivered to twelfth grade students warning them associated with the risks of an unhealthy diet:
“Individuals who maintain a meal plan of high fat content are confronted with an elevated danger of developing atherosclerosis, which can be a buildup of fat deposits from the inner walls for the arteries. This condition can reduce or cut the flow off of blood within the arteries serving the major organs associated with body. This may result in poor health.”
Both in examples above, the language which is used is unfamiliar to the readers. Because of this, the message loses its impact.
Precise and Clear Language
Making use of appropriate language is a matter that is tricky this is of words is relative and situational. Put differently, words can be interpreted in different ways by different people in different situations. For this reason, it is essential to choose language that is as precise and clear as you possibly can. The greater amount of precise and one that is clear usage of language becomes, the fewer the number of possible interpretations for an email. Think about the following words. What numerical value would you assign to every of them? If something is “probable what percentage of the time does it occur? P>
(1) probable
(2) doubtful
(3) certainly
(4) unlikely
(5) perhaps
Would other people assign the same value to these words as you did? In most cases, the product range of values varies greatly mainly because terms are relative: they can mean things that are different different people in numerous situations. How could one be much more precise in his/her use of these terms?
Look at the examples below. Notice that these write my paper terms can vary widely in the meaning to each person. The easiest way to utilize such relative terms, then, is to compare them to something concrete and “known” into the reader. For instance: “Is that Acura an expensive car?” is better answered with a comparison: “Compared to that Honda, the Acura is expensive. Compared to that Lexus, it really is inexpensive.”
expensive
hot
intelligent
good
spicy
Look at the examples that are following. Note the potential confusion or ambiguity during these phrases.
(1) Why the student body should continue in this state of apathy is not understandable.
(2) Our student body is dull and slack-minded.
(3) The practice and theory of politics are studied into the classroom but habits that are political campus do not appear to reap the benefits of such labor.
(4) he is an individual that is interesting.
(5) it is hard to estimate the amount of people impacted by AIDS.
Each one of the following are actual headlines printed in newspapers. Notice their double meaning.
(1) Include your young ones when Baking Cookies
(2) Safety Experts Say School Buss Passengers must be Belted
(3) Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board
(4) Killer Sentenced to Die for Second amount of time in 10 years
(5) Eye Drops Off Shelf
In a nutshell, it is advisable to think carefully regarding the selection of words and their potential interpretations. To communicate effectively, precise and clear language is essential.