1. After reading Chapter 4 (BCE), review the "Check Your Progress" section in the Chapter Review and Activities. Focus further on the review of LO-3 below. LO-3: Explain how to achieve a tone that is conversational but businesslike, explain the value of using plain language, and define active and passive voice. Tips to achieve a tone that is conversational but still businesslike: Avoid obsolete and pompous language. Avoid preaching and bragging. Be careful with intimacy. Be careful with humor. Plain language is the preferred approach for all business communication: It is a way of presenting information in a simple, unadorned style so that your audience can easily grasp your meaing. It demonstrates the "you" attitude and shows respect for your audience. Active voice usually makes your writing more concise and more direct: In the active voice, the subject performs the action and the object receives the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action.

2. Complete the following writing activity supporting Learning Objective 3 (LO-3). Writing Activity Read the following email message, then (1) analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each sentence and (2) revise the message so that it follows this chapter's guidelines. This message was written by the marketing manager of an online retailer of baby-related products in the hope of becoming a retail outlet for Inglesina strollers and high chairs. As a manufacturer of stylish, top-quality products, Inglesina (based in Italy) is extremely selective about the retail outlets through which it allows its products to be sold. <>

3. In your responses to other student contributions, discuss two ways your classmate leveraged the three components and tips of LO-3 (tone, plain language, active voice) to improve the paragraph and what the impact of those could be on the Inglesina company's reaction to the email.

4. Respond only to classmates who have zero or one response so far. The goal is for every student to have two responses to their writing.