You can improve your message by using mechanical emphasis , parallelism, voice , and well-placed descriptions . One way to achieve emphasis is through mechanical devices.

4. Developing Business Writing Techniques You can improve your message by using mechanical emphasis, parallelism, volce, and well-placed descriptions. One way to achieve emphasis is through mechanical devices. Complete the following sentence. Printing words in is the written equivalent of shouting for emphasis You can also improve your messages through stylistic emphasis in sentence structure and word choice. Which of the following stylistic devices can be used to achieve emphasis? Check all that apply. Position important Ideas first or lost in a sentence. Label descriptive modifiers Use complex sentence patterns Use general terms. Use vivid words. In some cases it is necessary to de-emphasize an idea, such as bad news. Does the following selection emphasize or de-emphasize the bad news? We are unable to renew your contract for the upcoming year due to company-wide budget cuts. Emphasize De emphasize When you compose messages, you may use the active or passive voice to convey meaning. Most business messages use the active voice. Which of the following are instances when you would use the passive voice in a business message? Check ow that apply. To de emphasize negative news To conceal the doer of an action To emphasize an action instead of the recipient of an action To emphasize the sender not the reader Does the following sentence use the active or passive voice? The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Christina Balian. Active Passive Parallel sentences are balanced and easy for readers to understand. Choose which sentence has the better parallel structure Although the presentation was extremely long, it outlined the research, analyzed the data, and provided clear recommendations that will be useful in the future. Although the presentation is extremely long, it outlines the research, analyzes the data, and provides clear recommendations that are useful in the future. Choose the best revision to the following sentence. Choose the best revision to the following sentence. While listening to the WebEx presentation, my computer speakers malfunctioned. While I was listening to the WebEx presentation, my computer speakers malfunctioned. My computer speakers malfunctioned while listening to the WebEx presentation Effective business writers use various techniques to improve their messages. How could the following selection be improved? The last time the board met, members discussed sending Ful to Tokyo for training on HumanPoint software, but she isn't working with HumanPoint any longer because we decided to use Point I software rather than Human Point, and she will no longer need to attend this training The problem in this ineffective selection is A dangling/misplaced modifier Sentence length/comprehension rate Passive voice Effective business writers use various techniques to improve their messages. How could the following selection be improved? The last time the board met, members discussed sending Ful to Tokyo for training on HumanPoint software, but she isn't working with HumanPoint any longer because we decided to use Point I software rather than HumanPoint, and she will no longer need to attend this training The problem in this ineffective selection is: A dangling/misplaced modifier Sentence length/comprehension rate Passive volce Writers should use words carefully and construct sentences skillfully to emphasize main ideas and de-emphasize minor Ideas Choose the best response Which of the following labels the main idea for the reader? First, please make the changes to the second section of the proposal changes, and then have Jane proofread the entire proposal. Janes needs to proofread the proposal and changes need to be made