46) It is inappropriate to use lists in formal business writing.
47) To create a list, you can use numbers, letters, or bullets (graphic elements) to separate the
items.
48) Items in a list do not need to have parallel construction.
49) Headings have only one function, which is to break up long blocks of type.
50) An example of an informative heading would be “Redesigning to Cut Material Costs.”
51) Readers can get a more out of a document just by reading its descriptive headings than by
reading its informative headings.
52) One way to make your messages clearer is to break up overly long sentences into shorter
sentences.
53) To avoid legal problems in your business messages, you should use as many hedging words
(such as may or seems) as possible.
54) A dangling modifier is a modifier that has no connection to the subject of the sentence.
55) “The qualification of the runner in the race took one hour” is an example of a sentence with a
camouflaged verb.
56) The subject and predicate of a sentence should be kept as close together as possible.
57) To increase the sophistication of your message, make liberal use of references such as “the
latter,” “the former,” “the aforementioned,” and “as mentioned above.”
58) If you regularly edit for conciseness and clarity, you’ll likely find that audiences are more
likely to read your documents.
59) Words that do not affect the meaning of a sentence are usually unnecessary and contribute to
sentence clutter.
60) Short words are generally more vivid and easier to read than long words.
61) “Three AM in the morning” is an example of a redundancy.
62) The sentence, “We see reasons to expand” is a more effective sentence than “There are
reasons to expand.”
63) Using a spell checker guarantees that your documents will be free of spelling errors.
64) Today’s powerful grammar checkers can easily determine whether your document states your
message correctly and communicates it clearly.
65) Because the first thing that readers will notice about your message is its appearance, you
should pay special attention to design and page layout.
66) To make your message more interesting and accessible, you should use as many design
elements and decorative touches as possible.
67) One advantage of justified type is that it makes a message look more personalized and less
like a form letter.
68) Using many different fonts in the same document will make it more appealing to your
audience.
69) To draw attention to important points or terms italic type is more effective than boldface.
70) If you find graphics, photos, videos, and other elements online, you can use them in your
71) Using a ________ formula will give you a rough idea of how educated your audience must
be to read and comprehend your message.
72) An effective alternative to using conventional sentences is to set off important ideas in a(n)
________—a series of words, names, or other items.
73) ________ headings identify a topic but do little more; ________ headings guide readers to
think in certain ways about a topic.
74) A(n) ________ sentence uses words such as may and seems to avoid stating a judgment or
fact directly.
75) With ________ construction, two or more similar ideas are expressed with the same
grammatical pattern.
76) A modifier is said to be ________ when it has no real connection to the subject of the
sentence.
77) ________ verbs are those that have been changed into nouns or adjectives.
78) Word combinations that are needlessly repetitive are called ________.
79) A(n) ________ ________ compares your document with an electronic dictionary, highlights
unrecognized words, and suggests correct spelling.
80) An electronic ________ gives you alternative words and helps you find synonyms.
81) ________ ________ provides visual contrast for your readers and gives them a resting point.
82) Typeface or ________ refers to the physical design of letters, numbers, and other text
characters.
83) ________ typefaces have small crosslines at the ends of each letter stroke and are best for
text.
84) A(n) ________ document can contain any combination of text, graphics, photographs, audio,
animation, video, and interactivity.
85) Every document requires ________ to ensure that it contains no errors in grammar, usage,
and punctuation.
86) Briefly explain what the opening of a document should accomplish.
87) Conclusions should accomplish what two tasks?
88) Briefly describe at least three advantages of using lists in business documents.
89) What three functions do effective headings serve in business documents? Explain each one.
90) Briefly explain the difference between descriptive headings and informative headings.
91) Rewrite the following sentence to improve clarity and avoid the long noun sequence: “The
financial estimates and accounting consulting firm will be closed next week.”
92) Rewrite the following sentence to avoid camouflaged verbs: “The customer will ultimately
make a determination about whether or not a purchase will occur.”
93) Briefly describe two strategies for clarifying sentence structure.
94) Rewrite the following sentence to eliminate the unnecessary phrases: “In view of the fact that
the customer service department is closed, we do not have the capability of offering refunds until
such a time as they reopen.”
95) Rewrite the following sentence to eliminate redundancies: “The engineers collaborated
together in order to produce the uniquely original final outcomes of their research.”
96) Explain at least three of the steps involved in editing documents for clarity.
97) Explain why editing for conciseness is important, then list the four steps it involves.
98) Describe at least three software tools that can help you revise and polish a document.
99) Explain the importance and process of proofreading. Why does it matter and what should
you look for?
100) Describe four important issues to consider when distributing business messages.