English for personal assistants - part 3 pdf

Appendix C Proofreader’s marks · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 161
Appendix D The use of the articles a/an/the/ zero (no) article · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 164
Appendix E Conditional forms in the English language · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 167
1 Communicating with clarity KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 169
2 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams KEY · · · · · · · · · · · 172
3 Building business relationships KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 175
4 Delegating KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 178
5 Complaints KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 181
6 Proposals and reports KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 184
7 Meetings KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 188
8 Writing promotional copy KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 191
9 Apologising KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 194
10 Giving presentations with impact KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 197
11 Team building and giving/receiving feedback KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 200
12 Deadlines and reminders KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 203
13 Saying “no” KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 206
14 Writing CVs with impact, covering letters, and letters of reference KEY · · · 209
15 Conference invitations and requests for abstracts,
cards for various occasions KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 211
16 Influencing strategies and tactics KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 215
17 Dealing with difficult people KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 219
10 Contents
1 Communicating with clarity
It is vital when communicating, whether speaking or writing, that the message is clear
and unambiguous and that your audience easily understands what you want to say.
The best-practice guidelines that follow will help you to write effectively, to leave
concise voicemails, and to make telephone calls with impact.
Writing clearly
Good writing comes from clear thinking. Both result from a clear message that a
reader can immediately understand.
General Approach

᭤ match the style to the reader
᭤ use everyday English
᭤ explain new ideas clearly
Phrasing and sentences
᭤ avoid jargon e.g., Boolean logic (Internet usage)
᭤
avoid clichés e.g., “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”
᭤
keep sentences and paragraphs short
Words
᭤
use short words
᭤
avoid pomposity e.g., not “I will endeavour to find out” but “I’ll try to find out”
᭤
avoid tautology (repetition using two or more words with the same meaning) e.g.,
not “the round glass globes” but “the glass globes”
᭤
deal with the concrete rather than the abstract e.g., not “what means of
transportation conveys you to work” but “how do you get to work – by car or by
train?”
᭤
use active rather than passive verbs
Use short sentences
Long sentences are usually complex sentences. They are difficult for the reader to
digest. Try to keep your sentences as short as you can without making them
disjointed.
A useful guide is to keep to one idea per sentence. If your average sentence length is
below 25 words, you are probably writing concisely.
One definition of a sentence is that it must make C

OMPLETE sense.
Sentence and meaning
᭿
Task 1
Read the following sentences. If a sentence makes sense, tick ✓ the Sense column, if it
does not make sense, tick ✓ the NonSense column. A sentence may not make sense
because of its grammar. The first one has been done as an example.
Sentences Sense NonSense
1. He cooked the tomatoes in lubrication oil.
✓
2. All the tomatoes burst.
3. The tomatoes, although he had cooked them with great
care and had pricked them with a fork before putting them
under the grill.
4. Hissed and spluttered merrily in the bubbling oil.
5. The tomatoes were fresh.
6. Were the tomatoes fresh enough?
7. What amazing tomatoes they were!
8. With reference to the tomatoes received on July 2 20XX.
9. The full details of our T
OMATO SPECIAL including
discounts for cash sales.
10. Look forward to receiving your order for tomatoes in the
very near future.
᭿
Task 2
This sentence is over-long, over-complex, and incomprehensible. Rewrite it so that it
makes sense.
Although no one seems to recall who coined the phrase Publish or Perish to describe
the assertion that a university or even college teacher will not be promoted within the

system of American higher education unless he conducts original research and proves
his capabilities by publishing, the words have provided scholars and their publishers
with an unparalleled opportunity to defend the faith.
12 Communicating with clarity
Writing a good paragraph
Good paragraphs usually contain a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a closing
sentence. A topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph which
introduces the main idea. Supporting sentences come after the topic sentence and
develop the main idea. A closing sentence restates the main idea of the paragraph
using different words.
᭿
Task 3
Construct a paragraph containing a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a closing
sentence from this information.
Exercise is good for you – everyone should exercise – it keeps you fit and healthy and
reduces stress – it can help you keep your weight down, relieve depression, and is good
for your heart
Effective paragraphing and linking
Paragraphs enable readers to see divisions within a document, making a smooth
transition between topics. If a topic is lengthy or you have to, for example, present
advantages and disadvantages or alternatives etc., you may need to subdivide the
topic into more than one paragraph. The important thing is to limit paragraphs to a
single topic or idea.
The length of the paragraphs should not, in general, exceed 175 words and will mostly
consist of three to six sentences.
Most readers, unless they are academics, have difficulty reading continuous text,
therefore using shorter paragraphs will make your message easier to understand.
The factual paragraph is often shorter than the explanatory paragraph as the latter
may contain examples. A paragraph may consist of only a single sentence to
emphasize important material. However, they should be used with care as too many

single-sentence paragraphs can make your communication as hard to understand as if
you’d used several very long paragraphs.
Writing clearly 13
Example
There are three reasons why New Zealand is one of the best countries to live in.
First, New Zealand has an excellent healthcare system and all New Zealanders have
access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, New Zealand has a high
standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are
encouraged to go on to higher education. Finally, New Zealand’s cities are clean and
efficiently managed with many parks and open spaces. New Zealanders generally
are very environmentally aware. As a result, New Zealand is a desirable place to live.
The structure of ideas within the paragraph should be logical. This could be:
᭤
chronological
᭤
problem to solution
᭤
cause to effect
᭤
general to specific
᭤
important to less important etc.
Linking words/expressions
This memo is coherent because the ideas have been linked together with a series of
linking words. If you eliminate these, you will find that the flow of ideas is lost.
᭿
Task 4
Look at the following sentences and link them, as in the example above, to develop a
more coherent text.
Please refer to Appendix A on page 157 for a comprehensive overview of linking

words and expressions.
Memo from: HR Manager To: Managing Director
Date: 5
th
March 20XX Ref: GHL/13/PO
(1) we have agreed in principle to try and cut down on staff, there are two
serious problems in R&D.
(2) , the person in charge of ordering from the stores is also responsible for
updating the database. (3) , at the end of the month, when most people want
replacements from the stores, and (4) require information from the database,
he is unable to perform both tasks quickly enough. (5) , he is practically
unoccupied during the first week of every month, when he could be helping someone
else, (6) I suggest we try to reorganise his job to improve efficiency.
14 Communicating with clarity
Example memo
When the XYZ system was first introduced, it was found to be both flexible and
advanced. Moreover, its speed of operation was greater than comparable hardware
then available. However, in recent months major faults have developed in the
equipment, and the local agent appears incapable of providing a reliable repair
service. Consequently, the system is regularly out of order for several days at a time.
Although the manufacturers have agreed to replace the system free of charge, the
new equipment will not be installed for at least six months. Such a delay is clearly
unacceptable to us. We should, therefore, insist that XYZ send their own engineer to
upgrade the equipment. Alternatively, the equipment should be transported to the
XYZ plant for inspection and repair there.