Ppwriting by Numbers-Reading and Writing

8/3/2019 Ppwriting by Numbers-Reading and Writing

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WRITING BYNUMBERS

Toolkit For Managers and Staff

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A guide to writing, editing and reading

Accurate Brief clear English

WRITING BY NUMBERSThis guide will help you edit and write documents so we can all understand them.

First you will learn how to check and correct someone elses written work. When you

get good at using the 5 simple rules to correct work, you will find writing becomes

easier.

Your writing will become more accurate, brief and clear.

After each rule or guideline there are examples and illustrations you can use to help

you get better or to train others.

There are also exercises for each rule in the guide. These will help you understand

the rules as well as giving you a head start when training others.

Follow the rules and learn how to:

Write simply and clearly

Punctuate

Proof-read.

Anything can be written in clear English without it seeming too simple to the reader.


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The 1 , 2 and 3 of good writing.

Good writers do 3 things really well. They must:

1. PLANWhat they are going to write and who they are writing for.

2. WRITEFollow the golden rules of good writing

3. CHECK and EDITHow to check for mistakes and make sure the document is write for the reader


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PLANNINGYou need to know what you are going to write and who you are writing for.Remember to do the following:

6 PsPrior- Planning- Prevents- Potentially- Poor- Performance

Think about who you are writing for and try to imagine what the ideal document

would look like-before you start writing!

Decide what you need to say before you start. Professional writers often write notes

on a piece of paper, before they start. These cover all the points they need to get

across. As they write they cross off each point.

3 TsTell them what you are going to tell them

Tell them what your telling them

Tell them what youve told them.

Good written documents follow simple guidelines. Even if the document is short like

a letter it should:

-Tell then what it is about- a heading

-Tell them what they need to know or do

-Tell them briefly again!

6 HONEST SERVING MENI have six honest serving men they taught me all I know, their names are what

and why and when and how and where and who. (Rudyard Kipling)

What- do I want this document to do?

Why-am I writing, would a phone call be quicker or better?

When-do I have to get in touch?

How-can I make sure all the facts are there?

Where-will these documents end up?

Who-is going to be reading this and whats best for them?


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.

SUMMARY


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WRITINGThe golden rules of good writing are based on work done over the last 50 years.

These rules are not often taught in a school. This is a great pity as many people

struggle with writing and are afraid to tackle writing projects.

When given writing to do in school we are often told I want you to do 3 or 4 sides or

500 words , The guidelines are about quantity not quality. Very rarely are we told

be as accurate, brief and clear as possible!

We are also encouraged to use the longest and most complicated words. This is

wrong!The 500 most common words in our language can be used 15,000 different ways.

So, as soon as we stray from common words the chance of misunderstanding gets

bigger and bigger.

Follow the 7 simple rules below and your writing will be clear and easy to

understand.

The 7 golden rules of ABCwriting1st Do it now! Just write and dont worry 8 letters or less - use short simple words15 words or less - short sentences (14-18words)1 idea- in each sentence 5 sentences or less - in short paragraphs2 commas maximum - punctuation improves


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meaning2nd-write actively!WRITING - by numbers1st Do it now! Just write and dont worryGood writers just write. They they go over what they have done and using the

Golden rules to tidy the work up.

After you do this a number of times they find they apply the rules as they write. By

learning to edit following the rules you will learn how to write at the same time.

8 letters or less - use short simple wordsTry to never have more than 8 letters in a word. Using simple words is one of the

secrets ofAccurate Brief and Clear writing.

Dont use jargon, Latin and Greek words if you can. Appendix X gives examples of

simple words we can use rather than long ones.

If you are training others or yourself try the practical tests- What do these words

mean?

(The answers and explanation are included at the back of this booklet)

Appendix 6 is a useful A-Z of long words and phrases with shorter, better

alternatives.Appendix 7 is a copy of a memo by Winston Churchill. He wanted writing done

accurate, brief and clear.


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EXERCISE 1What do these words mean?Here are some words that you will often see (or use!) in Housing Associations. After

each word, five possible meanings are listed. Tick the one you think is the closest to

the original word.

INFER (a) make a statement

(b) assume

(c) imply a fact

(d) decide

(e) be led to believe

DEFINITIVE (a) certain

(b) precise

(c) conclusive

(d) final

(e) unchangeable

PROPOUND (a) suggest

(b) add weight to

(c) mix together


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(d) argue about

(e) formulate

VIABLE (a) competitive

(b) practicable

(c) economic

(d) able to compete

(e) capable of living

OPTIMISE (a) hope for the best

(b) maximise

(c) use in the best way

(d) make cheaply

(e) compromise

15 words or less - short sentences (14-18words)


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Using short sentences and simple words is the secret ofAccurate Brief and Clearwriting.

Journalists often use short sentences of 15-20 words. The ideal sentence length for

residents is between 14-18 words. (See Appendix X. The Fog index explains whythis is vital!)

Only 4 people out of a 100 can understand a 27 word sentence at the first reading.

80 out of a 100 can understand an 18 word sentence. If we want residents to

understand what we have written we must keep it short! Remember also that 8 out of

100 struggle to read anything!

If your documents average 14 or 15 words a sentence most people will be able to

understand it. Do not worry if you think writing like this will be too simple. This guideis written following the 5 rules. Did you think it was too simple for you?

Or We could not get into the roof space because a board was nailed acrossthe hatchEXERCISE 2


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Here, are some sentences taken from HA letters. See if you can shorten the

sentences and make the words simpler without losing the meaning. Your target

should be half the number of words. Examples of suggested answers are included

for the first 3.

It is often easy to find real documents from the HA to carry out this exercise

Authorisation is contained in the letter for the disposal by yourself of surplus

housing stock. (15)..

Rectification of the above mentioned kitchen goods is essential in the

interests of the preservation of good customer relationships with this

customer.(22)...

Stationery supplies are provided by many office suppliers to us. (10)..

It should be assumed that the question as to the desirability of A over B

should be answered on the basis of customer preference. (24)

Difficulties are being experienced with the fence-coating machine. (9)

In the event that a rail strike should occur goods should be despatched by

road transport. (16)

It is generally believed in the department than an improvement in production

can be effected by the abolition of restrictive practices. (21)

Our planning department has been advised of your decision and an

investigation is now being made to see if our planning programme can be

adjusted to meet your revised requirements. (30)

The cost may be upwards of a figure rather below 10m. (11)


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Alternative procedures for the realisation of these objectives will have to be

found. (13)

Maintenance of good order and discipline should be achieved as a matter of

prime importance. (15)

Did you manage to cut the number of words in half?

Answers to first 3 produced by residents.

- You may dispose of surplus stock. (6)

- We must fix the goods to keep the client happy. (10)

- We have many suppliers (4)


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1 idea- in each sentenceTry to keep to one main idea in each sentence. Most long sentences can be broken

down into simple parts. This makes it easier to read.Keep it clear and positive, and dont waste words.

The modern way of breaking up sentences is to use bullets. These allow us to take

long sentences and break them down into simple short ones.

Make a list

If you have a lot of information to get over, split it into lists, with bullet points to draw the

attention to each point.

Make points like this:

If each tenant brings:

a hammer

some nails

a bit of string.

We can do the job!

With this kind of list, put nothing after each point. A full stop should be put at the end of the

list.

Bullet points are better than numbers or letters as they catch your eye while leaving the

message clear.

Using short sentences also helps people read better.When reading most people read 4/5

words as a block. That is why newspapers have columns with 4/8 words in each column.

Think about this when writing leaflets or newsletters.


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EXERCISE 3This exercise involves you applying the earlier rules as well as thinking about how to presentthe information in a much simpler way.

Rewrite the 2 examples below. Then check your answers against the answers given in

Appendix 6

CONFUSION

THISISANEXTRACTTAKENFROMA GOVERNMENTPUBLICATION.

National Insurance Act - Delayed claim unemployment benefit

For the purposes of this section, a person shall be deemed not to have failed

to do anything required to be done within a limited time if he did it within such

further time if any of the Commissioners may have allowed and where a

person had a reasonable excuse for not doing anything required to be done

he shall be deemed not to have failed to do it if he did it without unreasonable

delay after the excuse had ceased.

COMPLEXITY

THISISANEXTRACTTAKENFROMA REPORTPRODUCEDBYCONSULTANTSWHOHADTORECOMMEND

HOWTOIMPROVEPRODUCTIVITY.

The large development programme which is still continuing, the likely

demands for progressive improvement of facilities, coupled with the very high

interest rates now ruling, and the comprehensive reconstruction of manning

structures, wages and terms of employment, confront the ports with a

situation in which, giving all due weight to the benefits to be expected from

increased management and operating efficiency, disposal of out-of-date

assets and other measures within the control of management, it appears clear

to the Council that it will be difficult to achieve a satisfactory and continuing

financial net surplus.


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5 sentences or less - in each paragraph


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If a document looks heavy, (lots of words and very little white space) it puts off

readers. Make sure each paragraph covers only one topics. Then make sure there

are no more than 5 sentences in each paragraph.

EXERCISEDivide the following text into paragraphs.

D-Line will be launched in May. Our development engineers have done full justice to

the objectives that we set them on this timescale. D-Line will be the most advanced

desktop publishing package on the market. We are competing with some

outstanding business software. However our research shows that customers are

hazy about the differences between the various offerings. It is vital that our launch

sets D-Line apart from its rivals. As a starting point, please do some investigation of

our competitors recent promotional activities. Talk to distributors and users. Send

me a note of your findings by Friday February 20th.

EXERCISE

D-Line will be launched in May. Our development engineers have done full justice to

the objectives that we set them on this timescale. D-Line will be the most advanceddesktop publishing package on the market.

We are competing with some outstanding business software. However our research

shows that customers are hazy about the differences between the various offerings.

It is vital that our launch sets D-Line apart from its rivals.

As a starting point, please do some investigation of our competitors recentpromotional activities. Talk to distributors and users. Send me a note of your

findings by Friday February 20th.


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2 commas maximum - punctuation improvesmeaningThe 2 secrets to understanding punctuation are:

What is punctuation?

How much can you fit into a 14 word sentence?

Punctuation is timepeople often describe it as a pause the reader takes, when

they come to the punctuation mark.

However each pause is not of the same length.

- A comma is the shortest pause- A full stop the longest

- Colons and Semi-colons are in between.

As well as this remember that a sentence can only relate to one idea. New idea,

new sentence!

When we use bullets we are writing one sentence but breaking it up into small easy

to read chunks.

So, how much punctuation can you fit into a 14 word sentence? The answer is notmuch! Most people who have trouble with punctuation write with sentences which

are far too long.

Write shorter sentences and punctuation problems disappear.

PUNCTUATION IS MEASURES OF TIME,

;

:

.

Shortest

Longest

I

D

E

A


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2nd -write actively!This is not a guide to good grammar. However,one or two simple pieces of sentence

construction can help.

When we write in an inactive way sentences are longer, What also happens is that

the subject of the sentence gets pushed to the end. The reader has to go back over

the sentence to make sense of it.

Many people write this way because thats how they learnt to write at school.

Writing using passive verbs deadens a sentence and makes it longer. Like this:

The computer was switched on by Tony....7 words

Tony switched on the computer..................5 words

The subject comes first, then the verb the doing word and then the object, so

the reader can take in the meaning of the sentence as they go along.

When you write, make your verbs active.

Subject firstTony

Then the verb.switched

Then the object..computer

Thats all the grammar in this booklet!


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Exercise 4

Can you change these examples of passive

verbs into active ones?

This matter will be considered by us shortly

The tenants car was stopped by the police

The Civic Centre had to be closed by the manager

Sometimes you should use a passive verb: this bill has not been paid is less

accusing than you have not paid this bill. If you want to avoid taking the blame

and Im sure weve all seen this phrase in official letters and newspaper reports

you could say a mistake was made instead of we made a mistake.

Try it and apply itLegal documents are often littered with extra words that fog the meaning and dont

need to be there - try this extract from the EXtraLet brochures:

If the works to the property are substantial or structural the Council may

require a building surveyor, architect, structural engineer or other specialist to

be employed to specify and supervise the works.

It could be shortened and clarified to:


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If substantial or structural work is needed, the Council may ask for a building

surveyor, architect, structural engineer or other specialist to supervise the

works.

Here is a piece that caught the eye of Harold Evans, who was the editor of the Sunday

Times: can you shorten it and make the meaning clearer?

The Town Clerk said: The committee reluctantly decided to defer consideration of

this request and to ask the owners to meet them to discuss the reasons for, and the

implications of, the owners proposal.

Harold rewrote it like this:

The Town Clerk said: The committee reluctantly decided to ask the owners to

meet them to discuss the proposal.

To hammer home the point, Evans commented that Nelsons signal, England expects that

every man will do his duty lives on.

Neither the sentence nor the English fleet would have survived, he says, if Nelson had

signalled It is the national expectation that all serving personnel will complete their tasks to

satisfaction.

Here are some long phrases: how would you shorten them?

You should just think of it as a complete statement

Writers should try to be concise

They should be divided where suitable


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CHECKINGProof read 3 times and get someone else to check

We all know a well-written paragraph from a bad one, but its not always easy to

work out whats wrong.

When you are writing something, read what you have written to yourself, as if you

had never seen it before: if you need to go over a sentence a second time to get the

sense of it, it needs rewriting. A well-placed comma or turning round a couple of

words can make all the difference.

Newsletter proofreading

Theyre known miss steaks in the newsletter cause we used special soft wear witch

cheques your spelling.

It is mower or lass a weigh too verify. How ever is can knot correct arrows in

punctuation ore usage: and it will not fined words witch are miss used butt spelled

rite. Four example; a paragraph could have mini flows but wood bee past by the spell

checker. And it wont catch the sentence fragment which you. Their fore the massage

is that proofreading is knot eliminated, it is still berry much reek wired.


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Appendix 1

ANSWERSEXERCISE 1None of the answers are wrong! Dictionaries do not contain what words mean. They

contain how words are being used in the year the dictionary is printed. Each answer

in the exercise is a top 5 way the words were being used in 1991.

1. INFER = (e) be led to believe

2. DEFINITIVE = (e) unchangeable

3. PROPOUND = (a) suggest

4. VIABLE = (e) capable of living

5. OPTIMISE = (c) use in the best way


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Appendix 2

EXERCISE 3

1) If the claim is late and you have a reasonable excuse, we will think about it.

2) The Council will have difficulty in achieving a profit because of:

o Continued development

o On-going need to improve facilities

o High interest rates

o Reorganisation of staffing arrangements.

These are unlikely to be offset by improved efficiency and selling assets.


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AppendixFOG INDEX

The readability of a report can be checked in many ways. One popular

yardstick is that devised by, Robert Gunning. He describes any writing that is

heavy to read as foggy. The Fog Index is calculated in the following way:

1. Take a passage of 100 words (approximately)

2. Count the number of words in the passage.

3. Count the number of sentences in the passage.

4. Divide the number of words by the number of sentences to find the average:

i. WORDSii. ------------ = AVERAGE WORDS PER SENTENCE

iii. SENTENCES

5. Count the number of Polysyllabic (with 3 or more syllables) words in thepassage. E.g. Fundamental, Computerisation, Disentangle.

Also any Latin/Greek/jargon!

DO NOT count

- Capitalised words

- Combined/ hyphenated short words, e.g. Stock-keeping

- Short words made into 3 syllables by adding -ed, -es or -ing, e.g

Debated, Appraises, Trumpeting.


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6) Divide the number of polysyllabic words by the number of words in the

passage and multiply by 100. This will give you the percentage of

difficult words in the passage.

POLYSYLLABIC WORDS

---------------------------------- x 100 = % POLYSYLLABIC WORDS

TOTAL WORDS

7) Add the average words per sentence to the percentage of polysyllabic

words and multiply by 0.4.

AVERAGE WORDS/SENTENCES + PERCENTAGE POLYSYLLABIC WORDS X

0.4

= FOG INDEX

Fog Index = The number of years of education required to understand the

passage.

Exercise 2

A good exercise is to buy copies of the daily papers on the day you run a

training session.

Have the trainees carry out the fog exercise and compare the scores.

More people read the Sun than the Financial Times, because they can

understand it.

Documents for Residents work best if pitched between the Sun and Daily

mail.


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Appendix

'From' Sir Winston Churchill, 9 August 1940

Memo to the War Cabinet

'To do our work, we all have to read a mass of papers. Nearly all

of them are far too long. This wastes time, while energy has to be

spent in looking for the essential points.

I ask my colleagues and their staff to see to it that their reports

are shorter.

The aim should be reports which set out the main points in aseries of short, crisp paragraphs.

If a report relies on detailed analysis of some complicated

factors, or on statistics, these should be set out in an appendix.

Often the occasion is best met by submitting not a full-dress

report, but an aide-memoire consisting of headings only, which

can be expanded orally if needed.

Let us have an end of such phrases as these:

'It is also of importance to bear in mind the following

considerations', or 'Consideration should be given to the

possibility of carrying into effect'. Most of these woolly phrases

are mere padding, which can be left out altogether, or replaced

by a single word. Let us not shrink from using the short

expressive phrase, even if it is conversational.

Reports drawn up on the lines I propose may first seem rough as

compared with the flat surface of officialese jargon. But the

saving in time will be great, while the discipline of setting out the

real points concisely will prove an aid to clearer thinking.'

WinstonC

Sir Winston Churchill


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EXERCISE REWRITE

This is a difficult exercise. When we have to explain

financial matters things get difficult. The letter below was a

real one sent to the client.

Can you re-write this following the 5 golden rules?

Dear Wing Commander

Caution - Cheque valid for one calendar month only

Further to my recent letter, I have made enquiries regarding

the above and would comment as follows:

If a cheque is guaranteed by a U.K. cheque guarantee

card, with the card number written on the reverse of the

cheque by the payee we are only able to return such a

cheque if it is not signed or the signature does not agreewith that of the Guarantee Card. Therefore, should a

cheque be presented after one calender month of issue,

drawn against a cheque card, correctly signed, we will be

obliged to pay it.

It is standard banking practice to honour a cheque for a

period of six months from the date of issue. It would

therefore not be possible to return a cheque within that time

marked out of date. We would be prepared to return such

cheques marked Payment countermanded by order of

drawer, to clearly indicate to the payee that we are acting

under your instructions and that the cheque is not being

returned for any other reason. We must point out, however,

that such action would not, in our opinion, avoid your

ultimate liability to the terms, provided it is placed in a

prominent position on the face of the cheque. However,

whilst we will take all reasonable steps to comply with your

wishes, we are not prepared to accept liability for any

cheque paid by us, which might be presented more thanone calendar month after the date of issue.


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Would you please let me know if you are happy to proceed

on the above basis.

Yours sincerely

EXERCISE REWRITE- ANSWER

Dear Wing Commander

I have made further enquiries since my last letter.

We are only able to return a cheque guaranteed by a U.K

cheque guarantee card with the card numbers written on

the reverse by the payee when:

it is not signed

the signature does not agree

with that of the guarantee card.

We are obliged to pay cheques presented:

after one calendar month

drawn against a cheque card

correctly signed.

Banking practice is to honour a cheque for six months from

the date of issue. Cheques cannot be returned marked out

of date, within six months. However, cheques could be

returned stamped, Payment countermanded by order of

drawer.

The payee will then know we are acting under your

instructions but you would still ultimately be liable to the

payee.

We have no objection to using the stamp. Provided:

it is prominent on the cheque

front


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you realise we cannot accept

liability for any cheque paid by

us presented more than one

calendar month after the date of

issue.

I hope this clarifies the situation. Please let me know if you

are happy to go ahead.

Yours sincerely

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