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Unit 14: Writing and Planning Effective Business Letters

(the belief that one’s own cultural group is superior). Our guidelines are not to use only short and Notes
simple words but to prefer short and simple words.

Did u know? As Mark Twain, who was paid by the word for his writing, noted, “I never
write metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same money for cop”.

When you speak and write, no law says you have to use big words. Short are as good as long
ones, and short, old words like sun and grass and home are best of all. A lot of small words, more
than you might think, can meet your with a strength, grace, and charm that large words lack.
Big words can make the way dark for those who hear what you say and read what you write.
They add fat to your prose. Small words are the ones we seem to have known from birth. They
are like the hearth fire that warms the home and they cast a clear light on big things: night and
day, love and hate, war and peace, life and death.
Short words are bright, like sparks that glow in the night; sharp, like the blade of a knife; hot, like
salt tears that scald the cheek; quick, like moths that flit from flame to flame; and terse, like the
dart and sting of a bee.
If a long word says just what you want, do not fear to use it. But know that our tongue is rich in
crisp, brisk, swift, short words. Make them the spine and the heart of what you speak and write.
Like fast friends, they will not let you down.
Leader practices what he preaches.

Did u know? All 223 words in these four paragraphs are one-syllable words! Similarly, 71%
of the words in Lincoln’s Gettysburg addresses (190 out of 267) are only one syllable long.
You have probably heard the advice “Write as you speak.” Although not universally true,
such advice is pretty close to the mark. Of course, if your conversation were peppered with
redundancies, jargon, and clinches, you would not want to put such weakness on paper. But
typical conversation uses mostly short, simple words—the kind you do want to put on paper.
Don’t assume that the bigger the word, greater the level of intellect. In fact, you need a large
vocabulary and a well developed word sense to select the best word. And more often than not,
that word is short and simple. Write to express – not to impress.

14.1.3 Write with Vigour

Vigorous language is specific and concrete. Limp language is filled with clinches, slang, and
buzzwords. Vigorous writing holds your reader’s interest. But if your reader isn’t even interested
enough to read your message, your writing can’t possibly achieve its objective. A second reason
for writing with vigor has to do with language itself. Vigorous writing tends to lend vigour to the
ideas presented. A good idea looks even better dressed in vigorous language, and a weak idea
looks even weaker dressed in limp language.
1. Use specific, concrete language: As discussed, communication barriers caused by over
abstraction and ambiguity when possible, choose specific words—words that have a
definite, unambiguous meaning. Likewise, choose concrete words—words that bring a
definite picture to your reader’s mind.
Don’ts: The vehicle broke down several times recently.

Do: The delivery van broke down three times last week.
In the first version, what does the reader imagine when he or she reads the word vehicle—a
golf cart? Automobile? Boat? Space shuttle? Likewise, how many times is several—two?
Three? Fifteen? The revised version tells precisely what happened.

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