The Elements of Business Writing:
A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, ........

Introduction.

1.Principles of Communication.
Rule 1: Use the Active Voice.
Rule 2: Avoid Long Sentences.
Rule 3. Use Simple Language.
Rule 4: Delete Words, Sentences, and Phrases That Do Not Add to Your Meaning.
Rule 5: Break Your Writing into Short Sections.
Rule 6: Use Specific and Concrete Terms. Rule 7: Write in a Natural, Conversational Style.
Rule 8: Keep Ideas Parallel.

2.Principles of Organization.
Rule 9: Organize Your Material According to the Way Your Reader Thinks about the Subject.
Rule 10: Organize Your Material Logically.
Rule 11: Delete the Warm-Up Paragraph.
Rule 12: Use an Executive Summary.
Rule 13: Separate Fact from Opinion.
Rule 14: Delete Unnecessary Closings.
Rule 15: Use Headings and Subheadings.

3.Principles of Wording and Phrasing.
Rule 16: Avoid Wordy and Redundant Phrases.
Rule 17: Use Small Words.
Rule 18: Avoid Sexist Language.
Rule 19: Know the Proper Use of the Most Commonly Misused Words and Phrases.
Rule 20: Substitute Modern Business Language for Antiquated Phrases.
Rule 21: Substitute Original Language for Cliches.
Rule 22: Avoid Jargon.

4.Principles of Tone.
Rule 23: Write to Express, Not to Impress.
Rule 24: Prefer Informal to Formal Language.
Rule 25: Prefer Positive Words to Negative Words.
Rule 26: In a Sentence Containing Both Good and Bad News, Give the Bad News First.
Rule 27: Write toChange Behavior, Not to Express Anger.
Rule 28: Be Your Most Pleasant Self.
Rule 29: Use Contractions to Warm Up Your Message.
Rule 30: Avoid Unnecessary Hedging.
Rule 31: Avoid Sarcasm.

5.Principles of Persuasion.
Rule 32: Gain Your Reader's Attention in an Appropriate Manner.
Rule 33: Awaken a Need for an Idea before Presenting the Idea.
Rule 34: Stress Benefits, Not Features.
Rule 35: Use Facts, Opinions, and Statistics to Prove Your Case.
Rule 36: Don't Get Bogged Down in Unnecessary Details or Arguments.
Rule 37: Tell the Reader What to Do Next.
Rule 38: Before Making a Request, Give the Reader a Reason to Respond.
Rule 39: Do Not Assume the Readers Has Been Persuaded by Your Argument.

6.Principles of Punctuation, Grammar, Abbreviation, Capitalization, and Spelling.

Punctuation.
Rule 40: Use Commas to Indicate a Brief Pause.
Rule 41: Use a Semicolon to Separate Independent Clauses Not Joined by a Conjunction.
Rule 42: Use a Colon to Introduce a List or Explanation.
Rule 43: Add an Apostrophe and an s to Form the Possessive Case of a Singular Noun.
Rule 44: Hyphenate Two Words Compounded to Form an Adjective Modifier if They Precede a Noun.
Rule 45: Use an Ellipsis to Show Hesitation or Omission.
Rule 46: Use Parentheses to Add Explanatory Material That's Not Part of the Main Thought.
Rule 47: Use a Dash to Interrupt — or Highlight — a Thought.
Rule 48: Avoid Slash Construction.
Rule 49: Put Commas Inside Quotation Marks.

Grammar.
Rule 50: Avoid Subject and Verb Disagreement.
Rule 51: Avoid Improper Use of Reflexive Pronouns.
Rule 52: Avoid Sentence Fragments and Run-On Sentences.
Rule 53: Avoid Dangling Modifiers.
Rule 54: Avoid Misplaced Modifiers.

Abbreviations.
Rule 55: Use Too Few Abbreviations Rather Than Too Many.
Rule 56: Do Not Use an Apostrophe When Writing the Plural of an Abbreviation.

Capitalization.
Rule 57: Do Not Capitalize Words to Emphasize Their Importance.
Rule 58: Capitalize the Full Names of Corporation, Government Agencies, Divisions, Departments, and Organizations.
Rule 59: Capitalize Trade Names.

Spelling.
Rule 60: Know the Basic Rules of Spelling, Rule 61: If there are Variant Spellings, Use the Preferred Spelling.
Rule 62: Keep a List of the Words You Repeatedly Misspell.

7.Principles of Format.
Rule 63: Use Wide Margins to Aid Readability.
Rule 64: Use Subject and Re Lines in Memos.
Rule 65: Use Modern Salutations and Closings in Letters.
Rule 66: Use Numbered Lists or Bullets to Present a Series of Points or Ideas.
Rule 67: Put Names in "cc" and "bc" lists in Alphabetical Order.

Index.