Common problems
Connectors
What's wrong?
Please correct the following sentences:
1. Despite sales were down, the company chairman was optimistic.
2. The tax rates, they all were changed two years ago, are now lower.
What are connectors?
Connectors are linking words or phrases that connect two ideas, facts, events, etc. They join the ideas but also signal what is coming next, eg a contrasting fact or a purpose. These signals help the listener or reader to understand the connection between ideas.
Examples
1. Contrast:
a. Last year's profits amounted to ten million whereas the previous year's profit was eight million.
b. We have not yet received our order in spite of the fact that we contacted you a month ago.
2. Consequence:
The company needs to expand its international business. We therefore recommend the opening up of new markets in Asia.
3. Adding information:
The refunds are substantial. They are, in addition, easy to claim.
4. Explaining:
We'll need to make personnel cuts. In other words there will be some redundancies.
They sometimes offer reductions.
Test it out!
Look at these connectors and choose an appropriate one to fill each gap in the sentences below:
alternatively whereas as a result despite
on the other hand in other words in addition although
1. The rate in the UK is 16%, the rate in France is 17%.
2. difficult trading conditions, the company made a considerable profit.
3. The company made a loss last year and did not pay a dividend.
4. On the one hand, reorganization will reduce salary costs but , it will increase administrative costs.
5. their competitors became bankrupt, the company did not increase its market share.
6. The tax rates are progressive. the percentage withheld increases as the income rises.
7. We recommend that you relocate to Amsterdam. , you could consider a base in the Hague.
8. We should try to maintain the current level of manufacturing costs and, intensify our marketing efforts.
Word families
A word family is a group of words with the same root. It is helpful to learn all these words at the same time.
Look at these two word families and then choose the correct words from the boxes to put into the sentences below:
NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB
economy
economics economic economically
economize
economist economical
.
profit
profitability profit profitable profitably
profiteer
1. They will try to sell the product at an price.
2. The company hopes to return to high next year.
3. Is the company viable?
4. We spent a day talking about next year's budget.
5. The car is very . It doesn't use much petrol.
6. The company made a pre-tax of six million last year.
Word partnerships
Some words are frequently used with a key business word.
Look at the words below which can be use with the word "investment" to make word partnerships, for example "capital investment".
capital equity real
tax-free INVESTMENT net
speculative fixed-interest gross
"Capital investment" is investment in capital goods, such as machinery or buildings needed for the production process.
Which of the other "investment" word partnerships have the following meanings?
1. Investment in goods and services needed for the benefit of the community, not for financial gain.
investment
2. The use of money to buy a security or commodity with the intention of selling it at a profit.
investment
3. An investment which earns interest at an agreed fixed rate.
investment
4. The gross investment reduced by the amount of capital consumption.
investment
5. An investment which gives the holder a right to receive a share in the profits, usually in the form of a dividend.
investment
Word play
Do you know these common idiomatic uses of the word "air"? If you are not sure, click the "Meaning" button.
The politician's speech was full of hot air.
His personal assistant entered the room with an air of apology.
The prime minister spoke on the radio recently, airing his views on the situation of the economy.
The president went on the air to make a public broadcast.
There had been several small disagreements among the staff. Finally, their boss called them together to clear the air.
Crossword
Most of the words in this crossword are to do with finance.
Print this page and complete the crossword offline.
1 . 2 . . 3 ///// 4 5 . . . 6
. ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// ///// .
7 . . . . . ///// 8 . . 9 . .
. ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// . ///// .
. ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// .
///// ///// ///// 10 . . 11 . . 12 . . /////
13 ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// 14
15 . . 16 ///// ///// . ///// ///// 17 . . .
. ///// ///// . ///// 18 . . . . ///// ///// .
. ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// . ///// ///// .
19 . . . . . . ///// ///// . ///// ///// .
. ///// ///// . ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// . ///// ///// .
20 . . . . . ///// 21 . . . . .
Across
1. A person who owes money to another.
4. ..... investment gives the holder a right to receive a share of the profits.
7. Of, or related to, public money.
8. Add, subtract, multiply, ..... .
10. A continuing rise in prices.
15. The price paid for something.
17. You can rent or ..... a car.
18. To give out, or provide officially, eg to ..... shares.
19. Not known.
20. People can invest money in unit ..... .
21. ..... are all the things with monetary value owned by a person or company.
Down
1. To ..... is to postpone.
2. The lowest part, or foundation.
3 Tax ..... is a tax-free amount.
5. ..... is a colloquial word meaning an English pound.
6. ..... is the rate of income received by an investor from a security.
9. People can put their money ..... property, equity or securities.
11. You can practise your English by having an English ..... .
12. If someone is left money by a relative who has died, he has ..... the money.
13. What kind of bank ..... have you got?
14. People who have paid too much tax, usually get ..... .
16. General tendencies or directions
Prepositions
Prepositions play an important part in written business communication. The following verbs and prepositions are often found in business letters:
apologise for something / doing something
apply for a job
draw attention to something
have pleasure in sending / enclosing something
look forward to hearing from / meeting someone
refer to a letter / telephone call / meeting
reply to a letter / fax
Use some of the above verbs and prepositions to fill the gaps in the following letter. (Put the verbs into the correct form).
Dear Mr Jackson
We your letter of 20 January, in which you expressed interest in the vacant post of sales representative. We the delay in your letter. We sending further details of the post. We should like to your the fact that the post will be based in the North of England.
We hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing
Stating an opinion • In my opinion...
• The way I see it...
• If you want my honest opinion....
• According to Lisa...
• As far as I'm concerned...
• If you ask me...
Asking for an opinion • What's your idea?
• What are your thoughts on all of this?
• How do you feel about that?
• Do you have anything to say about this?
• What do you think?
• Do you agree?
• Wouldn't you say?
Expressing agreement • I agree with you 100 percent.
• I couldn't agree with you more.
• That's so true.
• That's for sure.
• (slang) Tell me about it!
• You're absolutely right.
• Absolutely.
• That's exactly how I feel.
• Exactly.
• I'm afraid I agree with James.
• I have to side with Dad on this one.
• No doubt about it.
• (agree with negative statement) Me neither.
• (weak) I suppose so./I guess so.
• You have a point there.
• I was just going to say that.
Expressing disagreement • I don't think so.
• (strong) No way.
• I'm afraid I disagree.
• (strong) I totally disagree.
• I beg to differ.
• (strong) I'd say the exact opposite.
• Not necessarily.
• That's not always true.
• That's not always the case.
• No, I'm not so sure about that.
Interruptions • Can I add something here?
• Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
• If I might add something...
• Can I throw my two cents in?
• Sorry to interrupt, but...
• (after accidentally interrupting someone) Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry, you were saying...
• (after being interrupted) You didn't let me finish.
Settling an argument • Let's just move on, shall we?
• Let's drop it.
• I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
• (sarcastic) Whatever you say./If you say so.
Topics for Debate
Here are 20 topics to discuss with a friend or group. Practise agreeing and disagreeing even if you have to argue against something you actually believe in. One way to have fun with this is to make up a bunch of cards that say agree or disagree. Each person has to pick up a card and then the topic is read out. It is more fun to have a debate this way because you don't have to play your true self. Try to continue each discussion for at least five minutes. Use the expressions that you learned, including agreeing, disagreeing, asking for opinions, interrupting, etc.
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
• Swimming in the ocean is better than swimming in a public pool.
• Alcohol should be illegal.
• Children should provide room and board for their aging parts.
• Studying grammar is more important than practicing conversation skills.
• Television is the leading cause of violence in today's society.
• Dogs make better companions than cats.
• Smoking should be permitted in public places.
• Females are better students than males.
• A parent shouldn't pierce a baby's ears.
• Women should be allowed to go topless in public.
• Lawyers should make a higher salary than nurses.
• Everyone should plan their own funeral.
• Reading English is more difficult than writing English.
• Summer is the best season of the year.
• Children under 13 should not be allowed to baby-sit.
• High school students should wear uniforms.
• 21 should be the legal driving age around the world.
• Rock and Roll is the best kind of music.
• The government should pay for post secondary education.
Episode 120: The bank manager
Manager: So, why should the bank lend you this money?
Tim: Well, I've been saving here for almost five years.
Manager: But haven't you been unemployed recently?
Tim: Yes but I've been living on my savings, not using an overdraft. I'm a reliable customer and I think my new business is an excellent investment. A business loan would be good for me and good for the bank.
Manager: Well your current account does look healthy, that's true. What about credit cards? Do you rely on plastic much?
Tim: I've got one but I always pay off my balance every month.
Manager: Well let me look at your proposal in more detail and I'll get back to you soon.
Episode 106: Asking for help
Prof Lewis: Come in Helen. How are you?
Helen: There's no point saying 'I'm fine' is there?
Prof Lewis: Not unless it's true. But I don't think you'd have made an appointment with me if everything was OK. Am I right?
Helen: As ever, Professor Lewis, as ever.
Prof Lewis: So what's on you mind?
Helen: I've been neglecting my studies and I want to get back on the right track.
Prof Lewis: Well that IS good news. What's brought on this change of heart?
Helen: Heart's the right word. Mine is broken and I need to get over it.
Prof Lewis: So you want my help not because you're interested in your studies but simply as a way to distract you from a failed romance?
Helen: No!
We use 'need' to talk about things we think are necessary to do. We can use two different structures – need / needs to and need / needs -ing
Need to
We use this form when we want to talk about something that's necessary for someone to do. We usually mention who is going to do it. For example: "I need to go to the dentist" means "It's necessary for me to visit the dentist".
We form this structure with:
subject need or needs to verb
Ellie needs to practise
Alice needs to wear a uniform
They need to go shopping
We need to post the letters
We form the negative with:
subject don't or doesn't need to verb
Paul doesn't need to take Ellie riding
She doesn't need to drive
We don't need to pay to go to the park
They don't need to buy a present
Need -ing
We can use this form when we want to talk about something that is necessary for someone to do. We don't have to say who is going to do it. For example, when the instructor said "Dusty needs untacking" she meant "The horse needs to be untacked by you, Ellie".
This is a passive structure where the usual subject + verb + object form changes to object + need + verb+ing.
We form this structure with:
object need or needs verb+ing
The horse needs untacking.
The house needs tidying
The stables need mucking out
These letters need posting
We form the negative with:
object don't or doesn't need verb + ing
The car doesn't need washing
The plant doesn't need watering
The stables don't need painting
The horses don't need feeding
Dynamoo's Email Etiquette
Although most business and organisations? have adopted email relatively recently, for many people it is now the standard way of communicating within organisations, and also with customers, external contacts and business partners.
In business, the formality of email messages tends to vary, between the semi-formal approach that was previously the domain of the inter-office memo, down to chatty exchanges that you might have with someone over the telephone or while standing next to the coffee machine.
However, email messages are surprisingly permanent. Have a really good look through the contents of your mailbox and you might be surprised to see just how old some of those messages are. Would you have kept a paper inter-office memo for that length of time? Probably not. And the worrying thing is that most people give very little thought to the contents of an email message, even though it might linger around an organisation for several years.
Most corporate mail systems are backed up onto tape regularly, and those tape archives can stretch back for several years and allow access to mail that you had previously thought was gone forever. There have been several high-profile cases where archived emails have been recovered and used in legal cases.
However, it can be normal day-to-day email messages that can cause the most problems, with their offhand remarks and unguarded comments, thoughtless turns of phrase and careless wording. Care must be taken both when sending an email message, and, perhaps more importantly, when reading it. Try not to be too harsh if there's a chance that you might have misinterpreted the sender's meaning.
One problem with less formal email is missed signals - the written message doesn't come with facial expressions or gestures that you would get in a face-to-face meeting, and there's no tone of voice to interpret as you could over the telephone. A great deal of human communication comes from these non-verbal signals and traditionally they help to make the message more clear..
..for example, irony and humour? can be difficult to express in a mail message - many people get round this by using smileys such as :) to indicate humor - but not everyone knows what these mean, so they are not foolproof.
The following tips should help you avoid some of the pitfalls.
Good Email Etiquette
• Do check to see what your organisation's email policy is. Many organisations have rules about the types of message that can be sent and also if your email is monitored or screened.
• Do try to think about the message content before you send it out.
• Do make sure that the content is relevant to the recipients. Nobody likes to receive junk email.
• Do be polite. Terseness can be misinterpreted.
• Do trim any quoted message down as much as possible.
• Do try to use humour and irony sparingly. You can use smileys such as :) or :( to indicate facial expressions, but make sure that the recipient understands what they mean.
• Do ensure that you have a relevant "Subject" line.
• Do try to quote from the original message where relevant. You can break the quoted message down into paragraphs and comment on them individually to make it clearer.
• Do be patient, especially with inexperienced email users. Give people the benefit of the doubt - just because you are familiar with email etiquette, it doesn't mean that they are.
• Do include a brief signature on your email messages to help the recipient understand who it is from, especially if you are dealing with someone you do not know very well.
• Do be careful when replying to mailing list messages, or to messages sent to many recipients. Are you sure you want to reply to the whole list?
• Do remember to delete anything that isn't needed or is trivial.
• Do remember to tell people the format of any attachments you send if they're anything other than basic Microsoft Office file types.
• Do tell your correspondent if you forward a message to somebody else to deal with, so they know who to expect a reply from.
• Do use emphasis where its useful to do so. If your email system doesn't allow bold or italics then a common convention is to use a *star* either side of the word you want to stress.
• Do understand that languages such as English differ in spelling between different countries. "Organisation" and "humour" are the correct spelling in British English, but in American English it would be "organization" and "humor". Non-native speakers of English may use a variety of national spellings.
Bad Email Etiquette
• Don't reply to an email message when angry , as you may regret it later. Once the message has been sent, you will not be able to recover it.
• Don't keep mail on your server longer than necessary, especially large attachments.
• Don't copy out an entire, long message just to add a line or two of text such as "I agree".
• Don't type in CAPITALS as this is considered to be SHOUTING. This is one of the rudest things you can do.
• Don't over-use punctuation such as exclamation marks ("!") as these are meant to be for emphasis. In particular avoid more than one exclamation mark ("!!"), especially if your email is quite formal. Also, over-use of the full-stop (e.g. "....") can make a message difficult to read.
• Don't send irrelevant messages, especially to mailing lists or newsgroups.
• Don't send large attachments without checking with the recipient first.
• Don't send excessive multiple postings to people who have no interest. This is known as "spamming" and is considered to be ignorant, and may lead to serious trouble with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or IT department.
• Don't send chain letters or "make money fast" messages. There are several hoaxes about to do with viruses - never pass these on without checking with your IT department first.
• Don't criticize people's spelling, it is considered petty. Many people have no way of running a spell check on their messages and will make typos. Not all nationalities spell words in the same way.
• Don't conduct arguments in public, for example on a mailing list.
• Don't "flame" people by sending them abusive email messages.
• Don't make personal remarks about third parties. Email messages can come back to haunt you.
• Don't send unsuitable email or attachments, especially anything of an obscene nature as they may well be found by a third party later.
• Don't use an over-elaborate signature on your email message. Never, ever, use scanned images in a signature as these tend to be very large.
• Don't mark things as urgent if they aren't, because then when you really do have an urgent message it may not be treated in the way it deserves.
• Don't post your email address on web sites and other parts of the Internet unless you want to be deluged with spam.
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
This handout gives you several guidelines to help your subjects and verbs agree.
1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.
She and her friends are at the fair.
2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
The book or the pen is in the drawer.
3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.
The boy or his friends run every day.
His friends or the boy runs every day.
4. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used.
He doesn't like it.
They don't like it.
5. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.
One of the boxes is open
The people who listen to that music are few.
The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.
6. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.
Each of these hot dogs is juicy.
Everybody knows Mr. Jones.
Either is correct.
7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs.
The news is on at six.
Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.
Five dollars is a lot of money.
Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.
8. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)
These scissors are dull.
Those trousers are made of wool.
9. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.
There are many questions.
There is a question.
10. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.
The team runs during practice.
The committee decides how to proceed.
The family has a long history.
My family has never been able to agree.
11. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.
The President, accompanied by his wife, is travelling to India.
All of the books, including yours, are in that box.
Polite speech –Ways of saying ‘No’
When native speakers of English give a negative answer they do not usually just say "no". They prefer to make the response more polite by adding words or using different phrases to show they are saying no.
Match the the questions on the left with an appropriate response on the right:
1.
Do you mind if I smoke? a. No, thank you.
2.
Do you like the new plan? b. It might not be very convenient for the others.
3.
Would you like to come to dinner? c. I'd rather you didn't.
4.
How about postponing the meeting? d. I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm busy.
5.
Would you like some coffee? e. Well, not really I'm afraid.
Polite speech
Requests
At work we often have to ask people to do things for us. We may need their help urgently or it may be a minor matter. The language we use to make such requests will be different, depending on the importance of the thing requested. We are more formal and less definite if we are asking another person to make big efforts for us.
Our language also, of course, reflects the relationship we have with another person. If we are asking a stranger or our boss to do something for us, we choose language which is much more formal and less definite (weaker) than when speaking to a colleague in our office or a friend.
Exercise 1
Look at the situations below. In each case you need to ask someone to do something for you. What do you say?
The first one is already done for you.
Press the "Suggestion" button to see one possible answer. There are, of course, several possibilities for each situation.
1. You've lost your calculator. Ask a colleague to lend you his.
Could you lend me your calculator, please? I've lost mine.
2. You want your secretary to type a letter for you.
3. You want somebody in your department to finish writing a report for you by Friday.
4. You can't meet Pat Hoskins tomorrow because you've suddenly got to go to Paris on business. Ask a colleague to meet Pat Hoskins instead.
5. You want your friend to get you a coffee.
6. You can't attend the meeting tomorrow because you have a doctor's appointment. Ask your boss to postpone the meeting.
Exercise 2
Look at the response phrases below. Is it possible to use all of them with the requests above?
Yeah, OK. No, not at all. Certainly. Yes, of course. Yes, all right.
Is it any wonder that prepositions create such troubles for students for whom English is a second language? We say we are at the hospital to visit a friend who is in the hospital. We lie in bed but on the couch. We watch a film at the theater but on television. For native speakers, these little words present little difficulty, but try to learn another language, any other language, and you will quickly discover that prepositions are troublesome wherever you live and learn. This page contains some interesting (sometimes troublesome) prepositions with brief usage notes. To address all the potential difficulties with prepositions in idiomatic usage would require volumes, and the only way English language learners can begin to master the intricacies of preposition usage is through practice and paying close attention to speech and the written word. Keeping a good dictionary close at hand (to hand?) is an important first step.
Prepositions of Time: at, on, and in
We use at to designate specific times.
The train is due at 12:15 p.m.
We use on to designate days and dates.
My brother is coming on Monday.
We're having a party on the Fourth of July.
We use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year.
She likes to jog in the morning.
It's too cold in winter to run outside.
He started the job in 1971.
He's going to quit in August.
Prepositions of Place: at, on, and in
We use at for specific addresses.
Grammar English lives at 55 Boretz Road in Durham.
We use on to designate names of streets, avenues, etc.
Her house is on Boretz Road.
And we use in for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).
She lives in Durham.
Durham is in Windham County.
Windham County is in Connecticut.
Prepositions of Location: in, at, and on
and No Preposition
IN
(the) bed*
the bedroom
the car
(the) class*
the library*
school* AT
class*
home
the library*
the office
school*
work ON
the bed*
the ceiling
the floor
the horse
the plane
the train NO PREPOSITION
downstairs
downtown
inside
outside
upstairs
uptown
* You may sometimes use different prepositions for these locations.
Prepositions of Movement: to
and No Preposition
We use to in order to express movement toward a place.
They were driving to work together.
She's going to the dentist's office this morning.
Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement. These are simply variant spellings of the same word; use whichever sounds better to you.
We're moving toward the light.
This is a big step towards the project's completion.
With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition.
Grandma went upstairs
Grandpa went home.
They both went outside.
Prepositions of Time: for and since
We use for when we measure time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years).
He held his breath for seven minutes.
She's lived there for seven years.
The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries.
We use since with a specific date or time.
He's worked here since 1970.
She's been sitting in the waiting room since two-thirty.
Prepositions with Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs.
Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to other words that they have practically become one word. (In fact, in other languages, such as German, they would have become one word.) This occurs in three categories: nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
NOUNS and PREPOSITIONS
approval of
awareness of
belief in
concern for
confusion about
desire for fondness for
grasp of
hatred of
hope for
interest in
love of need for
participation in
reason for
respect for
success in
understanding of
ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS
afraid of
angry at
aware of
capable of
careless about
familiar with fond of
happy about
interested in
jealous of
made of
married to proud of
similar to
sorry for
sure of
tired of
worried about
VERBS and PREPOSITIONS
apologize for
ask about
ask for
belong to
bring up
care for
find out give up
grow up
look for
look forward to
look up
make up
pay for prepare for
study for
talk about
think about
trust in
work for
worry about
ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS
afraid of
angry at
aware of
capable of
careless about
familiar with fond of
happy about
interested in
jealous of
made of
married to proud of
similar to
sorry for
sure of
tired of
worried about
VERBS and PREPOSITIONS
apologize for
ask about
ask for
belong to
bring up
care for
find out give up
grow up
look for
look forward to
look up
make up
pay for prepare for
study for
talk about
think about
trust in
work for
worry about
A combination of verb and preposition is called a phrasal verb. The word that is joined to the verb is then called a particle. Please refer to the brief section we have prepared on phrasal verbs for an explanation.
Idiomatic Expressions with Prepositions
• agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle
• argue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition
• compare to to show likenesses, with to show differences (sometimes similarities)
• correspond to a thing, with a person
• differ from an unlike thing, with a person
• live at an address, in a house or city, on a street, with other people
Unnecessary Prepositions
In everyday speech, we fall into some bad habits, using prepositions where they are not necessary. It would be a good idea to eliminate these words altogether, but we must be especially careful not to use them in formal, academic prose.
• She met up with the new coach in the hallway.
• The book fell off of the desk.
• He threw the book out of the window.
• She wouldn't let the cat inside of the house. [or use "in"]
• Where did they go to?
• Put the lamp in back of the couch. [use "behind" instead]
• Where is your college at?
Simple Present or Present Continuous ?
1. Look! It ___ (raining). Bugger, I don't have an umbrella!
2. They ___ (usually/travel) to the Tatra Mountains, but this summer
they ___ (travel) to the west of England.
3. Simon ___ (listen) BBC World Service radio every day.
4. I have to go now. It ___ (get) dark.
5. Distance-learning degrees ___ (require) self-discipline.
6. They ___ (have) a big car.
7. Who _____ (he/wait for?) I guess for his girlfriend.
8. How often _____ (you/eat out)? Not very often. Once a month.
9. You ___ (look) sad. What's the matter?
10. Would you like some coffee? No, thanks. I ___ (hate) coffee.
11. Don't go. The Manager l ___ (want) to talk to you.
12. Who ___ (do) the washing-up every day in your house?
My wife, of course !.
13. Why ___ (you/believe/not) her? She ___ (tell) you the truth.
14. Joanna ___ (live) with some friends until she ___ (find) her own flat.
WRITING CONCISE
SENTENCES
Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
Whether it's a two-word quip or a 200-word bear, a sentence must be a lean, thinking machine. Here are some notes toward efficiency and conciseness in writing.
PRUNING THE REDUNDANT
Avoid saying the same thing twice.
• Many uneducated citizens who have never attended school continue to vote for better schools.
A phrase that repeats itself—like "true fact," "twelve noon," "I saw it with my own eyes”called a pleonasm.
Redundant phrases are bad habits just waiting to take control of your writing. Beware of the following.
Redundancy The Lean Version
12 midnight midnight
12 noon noon
3 am in the morning 3 am
absolutely spectacular/phenomenal spectacular/phenomenal
a person who is honest an honest person
a total of 14 birds 14 birds
biography of her life biography
circle around circle
close proximity proximity
completely unanimous unanimous
consensus of opinion consensus
cooperate together cooperate
each and every each
enclosed herewith enclosed
end result result
exactly the same the same
final completion completion
frank and honest exchange frank exchange or honest exchange
free gift Gift
he/she is a person who . . . he/she
important/basic essentials Essentials
in spite of the fact that Although
in the field of economics/law enforcement in economics/law enforcement
in the event that If
job functions job or functions
new innovations Innovations
one and the same the same
particular interest Interest
period of four days four days
personally, I think/feel I think/feel
personal opinion Opinion
puzzling in nature Puzzling
refer back Refer
repeat again Repeat
return again Return
revert back Revert
shorter/longer in length shorter/longer
small/large in size small/large
square/round/rectangular in shape square/round/rectangular
summarize briefly Summarize
surrounded on all sides Surrounded
surrounding circumstances Circumstances
the future to come the future
there is no doubt but that no doubt
usual/habitual custom Custom
we are in receipt of we have received
Phrases You Can Omit
Be on the lookout for important sounding phrases that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. Such phrases quickly put a reader on guard that the writer is trading in puffery; worse, they put a reader to sleep.
all things considered All things considered, Connecticut's woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.
All things considered, Connecticut's woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.
as a matter of fact As a matter of fact, there are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there were in 1898.
as a matter of fact, There are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there were in 1898.
as far as I'm concerned As far as I'm concerned, there is no need for further protection of woodlands.
As far as I'm concerned, there Further protection of woodlands is not needed.
at the present time This is because there are fewer farmers at the present time.
This is because there are fewer farmers now.
because of the fact that Woodlands have grown in area because of the fact that farmers have abandoned their fields.
Woodlands have grown in area because farmers have abandoned their fields.
by means of Major forest areas are coming back by means of natural processes.
Major forest areas are coming back through natural processes. (or naturally)
by virtue of the fact that Our woodlands are coming back by virtue of the fact that our economy has shifted its emphasis.
Our woodlands are coming back by virtue of the fact that because our economy has shifted its emphasis.
due to the fact that Due to the fact that their habitats are being restored, forest creatures are also re-establishing their population bases.
Due to the fact that Because their habitats are being restored, forest creatures are also re-establishing their population bases.
exists The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.
The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.
for all intents and purposes The era in which we must aggressively defend our woodlands has, for all intents and purposes, passed.
The era in which we must aggressively defend our woodlands has, for all intents and purposes, passed.
for the most part For the most part, people's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.
For the most part, pPeople's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.
for the purpose of Many woodlands, in fact, have been purchased for the purpose of creating public parks.
Many woodlands, in fact, have been purchased for the purpose of creating as public parks.
have a tendency to This policy has a tendency to isolate some communities.
This policy has a tendency tends to isolate some communities.
in a manner of speaking The policy has, in a manner of speaking, begun to Balkanize the more rural parts of our state.
The policy has, in a manner of speaking, begun to Balkanize the more rural parts of our state.
in a very real sense In a very real sense, this policy works to the detriment of those it is supposed to help.
In a very real sense, this This policy works to the detriment of those it is supposed to help.
in my opinion In my opinion, this wasteful policy ought to be revoked.
In my opinion, thisThis wasteful policy ought to be revoked.
in the case of In the case of this particular policy, citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset.
Citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset about his policy.
in the final analysis In the final analysis, the state would have been better off without such a policy.
In the final analysis, the The state would have been better off without such a policy.
in the event that In the event that enough people protest, it will probably be revoked.
If enough people protest, it will probably be revoked.
in the nature of Something in the nature of a repeal may soon take place.
Something in the nature of like a repeal may soon take place.
in the process of Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.
Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.
it seems that It seems that they can't wait to get rid of this one.
It seems that they They can't wait to get rid of this one.
manner They have monitored the activities of conservationists in a cautious manner.
They have cautiously monitored the activities of conservationists.
the point I am trying to make The point I am trying to make is that sometimes public policy doesn't accomplish what it set out to achieve.
The point I am trying to make is that some Sometimes public policy doesn't accomplish what it set out to achieve.
type of Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they propose.
Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they propose.
what I mean to say is What I mean to say is that well intentioned lawmakers sometimes make fools of themselves.
What I mean to say is that well Well intentioned lawmakers sometimes make fools of themselves.
Quiz
Rewrite the following sentences in the text-areas provided:
1. At this point in time we can't ascertain the reason as to why the screen door was left open.
2. My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Michigan, recommends the daily intake of mega doses of Vitamin C.
4. It is to be hoped that we discover a means to create an absolutely proper and fitting tribute to Professor Espinoza.
5. There is a desire on the part of many of us to maintain a spring recess for the purpose of getting away from the demands of our studies.
6.Joe was an honest and hard working man. Basically, he never gave much consideration to sitting idly about, doing nothing constructive. (Rewrite as one sentence.)
7. What is your basic understanding of predestination?
8. At what point in time will a downturn in the stock market have a really serious effect on the social life of people as a whole?
9. I would call your attention to the fact that our President, who was formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is basically a Southerner.
10. There are millions of fans who desperately want the Hartford Whalers to enter politics.
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