----------------------------------------------------------------- THE BETTER WRITING SKILLS NEWSLETTER, March 2010 By Tim North of Scribe Consulting www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Better Writing Skills newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE 1. Question marks and polite requests 2. When is "and also" acceptable? 3. Is starting a letter with "Dear John" old fashioned? 4. Just for fun Your comments and questions are always welcome. Just send e-mail to: info@scribe.com.au Cheers, Tim North (Perth, Western Australia) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Question marks and polite requests ----------------------------------------------------------------- In the November issue Rhonda wondered if we need to end a polite request with a question mark. For example: Jim, could you bring the report to me please. I responded that my preferred style manual said that you don't need to use a question mark after "polite requests that seek no verbal response". In other words, the example above would need a question mark only if you were waiting for a "yes" or "no" answer. As a quick aside, you can find recent back issues of the Better Writing Skills newsletter here: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html Ash has written in with his insight into this: I have been told that any sentence starting with "can", "could", "will" or similar questioning words should end with a question mark as, regardless of the anticipated response or lack thereof, they remain questions. [For example:] Jim, could you bring the report to me please? Mary, can you courier the books over to our downtown office? Ash's position is a popular one. Many people prefer to end such requests with question marks. What are we to do then? Usage seems to be mixed. Well, one answer would be for me to say "pick whichever style you prefer, and use it consistently". It's not a bad answer, but it seems a little vague. Ash has suggested an alternative answer -- one that you may prefer. He has suggested changing the polite request into a polite instruction like so: Jim, please bring the report to me. Mary, please courier the books over to our downtown office. As these are not questions, there is no confusion about whether or not to use question marks. Ash concedes that they may sound more abrupt, though. What are your thoughts? Which method do you prefer? -- (c) 2010 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. When is "and also" acceptable? ----------------------------------------------------------------- My next correspondent this month, Ron, writes: There is a current trend for people to say "and also" when "and" alone would suffice. I haven't noticed it so much in writing, but I pose the question, when is "and also" the correct or preferred usage? Let's look at an example: I'm going to Melbourne and also Sydney. It's clear that "and also" could be replaced with "and" in this sentence, and it would still be grammatically correct. Doing this would make the sentence shorter and simpler. On the other hand, it's worth noting that "and also" can add a meaningful element of contrast: I'm going to Melbourne and Sydney. I'm going to Melbourne and also Sydney. The second sentence draws greater attention to Sydney than the first. It may suggest that you're pleased or surprised to discover that you're also going to Sydney. Ron is correct to note that "and" is often sufficient. Indeed, it may be the preferred usage in most cases. "And also" has its place, though, as it can be used to draw attention to the word that follows it. Hope this helps. -- (c) 2010 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Is starting a letter with "Dear John" old fashioned? ----------------------------------------------------------------- In last month's newsletter we discussed the punctuation of typical greetings. For example: 1. Dear John, [Ends with a comma] 2. Hi, John. [Ends with a full stop] Shelley wrote in with these observations: Just to get even more nit-picky, I was taught that Dear anybody in a business letter has been out of standard practice for about 10 years now. I was told it's only correct to address someone as "dear" in a business setting if you would call them dear in person. Like Shelley, I don't feel comfortable starting a letter with "Dear". Indeed, I use it only in the most formal of situations. As Shelley pointed out, though, "Dear" can also be used to indicate intimacy. Isn't it strange that the same word can be used to create a formal, business-like tone and also a sense of intimacy? And did you spot the use of "and also" in that last sentence? :-) What then are some of the alternatives? In a July 2008 posting to the WordReference.com forum, "nzfauna" gave this insightful list of alternatives: For example: A formal letter: "To whom it may concern" A letter to ones parents: Hi Mum and Dad A letter to a loved one: Dearest ... A letter to a loved one: To my loving husband A letter to a friend: Hey bro! The options are practically endless. http://tinyurl.com/yz2fj6x Clearly the opening you choose should be dependent upon the relationship you have with the recipient. What are your thoughts on this? When are you comfortable starting a letter with "Dear ..."? -- (c) 2010 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you know someone who'd like this newsletter? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a friend or colleague who'd find the Better Writing Skills newsletter interesting? If so, please feel free to send a copy of this issue to them. Alternatively, please tell them they can browse back issues here: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html Thanks for helping to make this newsletter so successful! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Just for fun ----------------------------------------------------------------- This month you might enjoy Wordoid. The site describes itself like so: "Wordoids are made-up words. They look nice and feel great. They are good for naming things". http://wordoid.com To give you a taste of what it does, I entered the word "writing" and the site suggested these made-up words: writingly writingers writingdom I entered "blog" and it suggested "bloggerals", which I find surprisingly clever. If you're looking to start a web site or develop a product then Wordoid is a good place to get ideas for a name. Cheers, Tim. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like more help with your writing? ----------------------------------------------------------------- On my web site, you'll find my range of jargon-free, downloadable e-books that will help you to become a better writer. These e-books will help you with business proposals, report writing, term papers, technical writing, grant writing, creative writing and more: http://www.scribe.com.au/ebooks.html ---------------------------------------------------------------- REPRODUCING THIS MATERIAL You're welcome to reproduce the articles from this newsletter that are copyrighted by Tim North, but please don't modify or sell them. Also, please provide a clickable link back to: http://www.scribe.com.au FUTURE MAILINGS You can prevent (or receive) future mailings by visiting this page: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html This is a GENUINE service, and you will not receive any unsolicited e-mail as a result. You have my word on it. -----------------------------------------------------------------