Chapter 6: Crafting Effective Sentences and Paragraphs
What is the result of putting the topic sentence in the middle of the paragraph?
The main point is not emphasized.
Which of the following are demonstrative pronouns? (Choose every correct answer.)
This That Those
Which of the following are the kinds of things that concrete words stand for? (Choose every correct answer.)
- things that can be smelled - things that can be counted - things that can be seen
Which of following occur when you paragraph strategically?
-Certain ideas will stand out. -You are more likely to achieve the desired response to your message. -Readers can better organize the information.
Which of the following are functions that paragraphs serve? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Continuing an earlier point -Concluding a message -Introducing an idea
Which of the following are potential benefits of repeating words? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Creation of writing style -Added emphasis
Nikki has written a paragraph explaining two job procedures, and the paragraph contains seven sentences. What would be the recommended way to proceed?
Discuss each procedure in a separate paragraph
True or false: To be an efficient writer, you should always use as few sentences as possible.
False
Which of the following are examples of concrete words? (Choose every correct answer.)
House Car Larry Bird
What allows the reader to immediately see how all the sentences in a paragraph will be related?
Putting the topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph
Which method can be used to smoothly transition through related ideas?
Repeating key words and ideas
What is a ready-made phrase that you would use without careful thought?
Stock phrase
What is the result of writing sentences in active voice?
The verbs become more lively.
Sentences are more lively when they are written in ______.
active voice
To subordinate ideas in a sentence, you ______.
add modifying clauses or phrases
When you use a dummy subject, the verb comes ______.
before the subject
By leaving out supporting information, short sentences ______.
call attention to their content
In terms of the detail you include, your primary goal when constructing a paragraph should be ______.
efficiency
Nouns that are abstract have ______ meaning.
general
Which of the following statements are true about writing a paragraph?
-Everything in the paragraph should develop a single idea. -The paragraph should have unity. -All the points in the paragraph belong together.
According to U.S. government guidelines, a message written in plain language is one that ______.
can be immediately understood by an audience
Which of the following undermine a sentence's unity? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Excessive detail -Unrelated ideas
The use of long words in communication tends to do which of the following? (Choose each correct answer.)
-Hinder communication -Create an impression of difficulty
Which of the following must be considered when deciding how to compose the sentences of a successful message? (Choose every correct answer.)
-How to order the information -The form of information -The amount of information
Which of the following are potentially positive outcomes of using business clichés? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Increased credibility -The ability to rapidly convey an idea -Added color to your language
Which of the following are common functions of transitional devices between paragraphs? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Keeping a message focused -Moving the reader smoothly between points -Tying thoughts together
Which of the following strategies can help deal with surplus words? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Leaving them out -Recasting the sentence that contains them
In good business communicators, words should convey which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)
-The correct emotional tone -Sharp and clear meaning -Concrete messages
Where would you put a topic sentence if you wanted to begin with supporting details and lead readers to the conclusion?
At the end of a paragraph
What is an incomplete construction?
Failing to provide what the reader expects based on the opening of a sentence
True or false: The best paragraphs are typically at least seven sentences long.
False
True or false: When communicating within your field of business, you should avoid using specialized terms and acronyms.
False
Which of the following are commonly used transitional words? (Choose every correct answer.)
However Likewise For example
Which of the following terms is appropriate to use when referring to a quantity of something that cannot be counted?
Less than
In a well-made paragraph, the elements are linked by which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)
Logic Purpose
Della combined part of a sentence in third person perspective with part of a sentence in first person perspective and created an illogical statement. What did Della's actions exemplify?
Mixed construction
Which of the following are considered to be especially important elements of a message? (Choose every correct answer.)
The purpose Key facts
When business clichés are overused, they ______.
carry the risk of replacing thought
When a reader is able to move easily and directly through your message, it is considered ______.
coherent
When a sentence contains too much detail, you risk ______.
concealing the central thought
When your message is reader focused, it signifies that you are ______.
considerate
Longer sentences are useful for ______.
conveying complex ideas
When you treat ideas equally in a sentence, you ______ them.
coordinate
The concept that every part of a paragraph should concern every other part of the paragraph is called _____.
unity
Which of the following are true of the ideas in a sentence? (Choose every correct answer.)
-They must convey one overall point. -They have a reason to be together.
Which of the following are good applications for short sentences? (Choose every correct answer.)
-To open a message -To get to a point quickly -To end a message
Which of the following are forms of verbs that tend to undercut the energy of your writing? (Choose every correct answer.)
-Weak verbs -Forms of "to be" -Passive voice
The kind of words used in everyday conversation are _______ words.
familiar
When you have reached the fourth sentence of a paragraph but have not exhausted a topic, you should ______.
find a logical way to divide the information and start a new paragraph
When a modifier confuses the logic of a sentence, it is considered a ______.
misplaced modifier
Mixed construction occurs when you ______.
mix two different kinds of sentences together
Compared to long sentences, short sentences contain ______.
more emphasis
A document made up of long paragraphs is more likely to be ______.
overlooked
When planning to compose a message, your first task will likely be to ______.
plan the message's organization
The main appeal of starting a paragraph with a topic sentence is that it allows the reader to ______.
see how the following sentences are related
Continual
the property of a process that is repeated frequently and regularly
continuous
the property of a process that is repeated without interruption
The information in a paragraph is tied together with ______.
transitional devices
The most important part of speech for making lively and engaging writing is the ______.
verb
Which of the following are circumstances that call for the use of passive voice? (Choose every correct answer.)
-When you want to avoid an accusation -When the doer of the action is unimportant for the message -When the performer of an action is unknown
When you eliminate a camouflaged verb from a sentence, the sentence typically becomes which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)
Clearer Shorter
Mr. Tran wrote, "Because they are so overweight, the dock workers could not lift the crates." His sentence made it sound as if the dock workers were overweight, when he really meant to say that the crates loaded by the dock workers were overweight. What did Mr. Tran use in this sentence?
Misplaced modifier
Where does a topic sentence belong?
Wherever it best serves the writer's purpose
When you fail to follow through on the expectations for content that you set up early in a sentence, you create ______.
an incomplete construction
The second most common location of a topic sentence is ______.
at a paragraph's end
Passive voice can be useful when you want to deemphasize ______.
the doer of the action
When you include a modifier that doesn't modify anything in the sentence, you have created a(n) ______.
dangling modifier
A dangling modifier exists when the modifier ______.
doesn't modify anything
Avoiding ______ will help reduce the use of "to be" verbs.
dummy subjects
Typically, short words are ______ words.
familiar
The least common location for a topic sentence is ______.
in the middle of a paragraph
Repeating key ideas and words from one sentence to the next ______.
is a way to connect successive ideas
When a paragraph is arranged in an order appropriate for the situation, it is considered ______.
logical
The ______ clause of a sentence expresses the main point of the sentence.
main
Ideas that are repeated using different words that mean the same thing are called ______.
redundancies
To ensure that you are furthering your purpose throughout a document, you should compare what a paragraph ______ and what it does. (Remember to write only one word in the blank.)
says
If the ideas in a sentence don't clearly belong together, you should ______.
separate them
When a detail is important but a sentence contains too many details, you should ______.
split the sentence into multiple sentences
Words that add nothing to a sentence's meaning are considered ______.
surplus
The main idea of a paragraph is contained in the ______ sentence.
topic
To ensure that a paragraph fulfills a strategic function, ask yourself ______.
what it is saying and doing
Which of the following occur as a result of frequent paragraph breaks? (Choose every correct answer.)
-The structure of your ideas become clearer. -The text becomes easier to comprehend. -The text becomes more inviting.
Which of the following are true statements about stock phrases? (Choose every correct answer.)
-They are ready-made. -They can be replaced with shorter words without losing meaning.
Which of the following are typical characteristics of paragraphs written with a strategic purpose in mind? (Choose every correct answer.)
-They are unified. -They are efficient. -They are part of an effective document.
Why would you use a short sentence at the beginning or ending of messages? (Choose every correct answer.)
-To give the reader a strong final idea -To rapidly make a point
Before writing a message, you should do which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)
-consider how to organize your message so that it appeals to your readers -consider previous correspondence with your readers -learn as much as possible about your readers
Which of the following are benefits of using specialized language? (Choose every correct answer.)
-efficiency, -signaling your qualifications
What does faulty parallelism fail to do?
Express similar content in a sentence in the same way
True or false: Transitional devices can be used not only within paragraphs but also between paragraphs.
True
When you alter the main clause, you necessarily alter a sentence's ______.
emphasis
When phrases in a list are not constructed in the same way, a sentence suffers from ______.
faulty parallelism
Transitional words indicate the nature of the connection between what ______.
has been said and will be said
If most of the sentences in a paragraph provide a kind of news story, the topic sentence can be considered that story's ______.
headline
Camouflaged verbs are ______.
hidden within a noun
Pronouns help make smooth transitions because they ______.
refer to previously used words
Compared to body paragraphs, opening paragraphs are typically ______.
short
You can convey the importance of the various elements of a sentence by altering its ______.
structure
The criterion you should use for choosing to include any detailed information in a paragraph is if ______.
the information helps achieve your purpose
Paragraphs help readers mentally organize information by indicating ______.
where each topic begins and ends
When a sentence has unity, its components ______.
work together to make one clear point