Оглавление
Elizabeth Manning Murphy. Effective Writing
Effective writing
Contents
Preface
Detailed table of contents
1 Introduction
1.1 How to use this book
1.2 What is effective writing?
1.3 What to avoid
1.4 Writing is communication – how does it work?
1.5 Plain English
1.6 Grammar and expression
1.7 Style
1.8 Beyond the writing
1.9 Correct writing
2 Grammar self-assessment
2.1 Activities. 2.1.1 Parts of speech
2.1.2 Sentences or fragments
2.1.3 Check of some areas of spelling and grammar
2.2 Solutions. 2.2.1 Parts of speech
2.2.2 Sentences or fragments
2.2.3 Check of some areas of spelling and grammar
3 Spelling
3.1 Use your dictionary
3.2 Read carefully
3.3 Memorise groups of words
3.4 Analyse unknown words
3.5 Make lists of troublesome words
3.6 Follow the rules of spelling
3.7 Plurals of nouns
3.8 Plurals of compounds
3.9 Possession in nouns
Examples
Examples
3.10 Spell checks
3.11 Proofreading
3.12 Hyphenation
4 Parts of speech
4.1 Noun
4.1.1 Articles
4.2 Pronoun
4.3 Verb
4.4 Adjective
4.5 Adverb
4.6 Preposition
4.7 Conjunction
4.8 Interjection
4.9 Summary
5 Groups: sentences contain words, phrases, clauses
5.1 Sentence
5.2 Phrase
5.3 Clause
5.4 Sentence functions
6 Paragraphs
6.1 Paragraph construction
6.2 Linking words
6.3 Paragraph length
6.4 Number of paragraphs
7 Punctuation
7.1 Capitals
Examples
7.2 End punctuation
7.2.1 Full stop
7.2.2 Question mark
7.2.3 Exclamation mark
7.3 Comma
7.4 Semicolon
7.5 Colon
7.6 Dash
7.7 Hyphen
7.8 Quotation marks
7.9 Parentheses
7.10 Apostrophe
7.10.1 Possession
7.10.2 Contraction
8 Clear writing
8.1 Parallel structure
8.1.1 Connecting pairs
8.2 Controlling time
8.3 Controlling person
8.4 Avoiding ambiguity
8.4.1 Lexical ambiguity
8.4.2 Surface structure ambiguity
8.4.3 Deep structure ambiguity
8.4.4 Reference ambiguity
Which
It
That
8.4.5 Inadequate punctuation ambiguity
8.5 Fragments
8.6 Modifiers
8.6.1 Dangling modifiers
8.6.2 Misplaced modifiers
8.7 Subject–verb agreement
8.8 Pronoun–antecedent agreement
8.9 Correcting comma fault and run-on sentences
8.10 Introducing noun clauses
8.11 Omitting or repeating a verb
9 Grammar reassessment
9.1 Activities. 9.1.1 Parts of speech
9.1.2 Sentences or fragments
9.1.3 Spelling, grammar, sentence structure and basic punctuation
9.1.4 Sentence structure
9.2 Solutions. 9.2.1 Parts of speech
9.2.2 Sentences or fragments
9.2.3 Spelling, grammar, sentence structure and basic punctuation
9.2.4 Sentence structure
10 Plain English expression and style. 10.1 Correct grammar is not enough
10.2 Conveying a clear message
10.3 Long sentences
10.3.1 Added-on sentence
10.3.2 Qualified sentence
10.3.3 Adapting long sentences
10.4 Short sentences
10.5 Sentence length and readability
10.6 Arrangement within and between sentences
10.7 Active and passive verbs
10.8 Verbs or verbal nouns?
11 Choosing your words
11.1 Pompous words
11.2 Too many words. 11.2.1 Redundancy
11.2.2 Fillers
11.2.3 Wordy phrases
11.3 Too many nouns
11.4 Overworked expressions – clichés
11.5 Overuse of ‘you’
11.6 Writing positively
11.7 Foreign words
11.8 Idioms
11.9 Technical terms
11.9.1 Make a glossary
11.9.2 Give a definition
11.9.3 Tell a story
11.10 Personal pronouns
11.11 Contractions
11.12 Variation for variation’s sake
12 Grammar and plain English revision. 12.1 Activities
12.2 Explanations and suggested solutions
13 Principles of effective writing and document design
13.1 Effective writing
13.1.1 Topic
13.1.2 Purpose
13.1.3 Context
13.1.4 Audience
13.1.5 Language
13.2 Design
13.2.1 White space
13.2.2 Typefaces, sizes and styles
13.2.3 Capitals
13.2.4 Signposts
13.2.5 Tables, diagrams, graphics
13.2.6 Forms
14 Writing documents
14.1 Writing correspondence
14.1.1 Notes and messages
14.1.2 Writing emails
14.1.3 Letters
14.2 Writing for special purposes
14.2.1 Minutes of a meeting
14.2.2 Submissions
14.2.3 Presentations
14.2.4 Speeches
14.3 Writing for the public. 14.3.1 Webpages
14.3.2 Media releases and articles for newspapers
14.3.3 Public information pamphlets or leaflets
14.4 Writing job applications
15 Report writing
15.1 Short reports
15.2 Structuring a report
15.3 Long reports
15.3.1 Layout of formal reports
15.3.2 Transmittal document for formal reports
16 Writing plans
Tailpiece
Index
About the authors
Publishing information
