FBLA NLC Study Guide

Step 1 to preparing a presentation

determine purpose

recommended word count for business and technical documents

don't exceed 17 words

Reports include

facts based on research

an outgoing message should be as brief as possible

false

Unsure about pronounciation in dictionary

first one is preferred

When you have a lot of inquiries it is best to use a

form letter

Knowing the audience:

identify ages, occupation, gender, and income

Readability formulas:

include the Gunning-Fog, Flesch-Kincaid, and Dale-Chall

Four Kinds of Sentences

Declarative: Says something (period) Interrogative: Questioning something (?) Imperative: Commands (!) or(.) Exclamatory: Exclaims something (!)

Special Marks Continued

Ellipses: three dots with omission of material Hyphen 1) Hyphenate multiple words acting as a single adjective before a noun: state-of-the-art design 2)Hyphenate compound numbers: twenty-eight 3)Hyphenate certain prefixes and suffixes: all-school assembly self-esteem great-aunt half-finished president-elect 4) Hyphenate to avoid ambiguity Since Sylvia auctioned all my records, I'll have to re-collect them. 5) Compound words to avoid double or triple letters anti-inflammatory cross-stitch Parantheses:Use parentheses to enclose information that is helpful or informative but not essential: When you get to that big farmhouse (three miles from I-270), turn left. -However, capitalize or include periods only if the parenthetical sentence is not enclosed within another complete sentence: I told my partner (we had been married only five days) that I missed her desperately. I told my partner that I missed her desperately. (We had been married only five days.)

What is used to summarize a long report, proposal, or business plan?

Executive summary

On a business letter which of the following should be typed on the second line below the inside address

Salutation

Uses of Semi-colon

Semicolons connect two independent clauses that are closely related: The book is informative; it has helpful charts and graphs. My brother is going to Spain for the summer; he will be studying Spanish. Semicolons separate three or more items in a series that already have commas in them: I like big, purple shirts; red, high-heeled shoes; and fluffy, yellow pillows. I live with Larry, a student; Moe, an executive; and Curly, a cop. Semicolons separate two independent clauses that are joined by a transition word or phrase: It is important to get enough sleep; however, too much sleep can be bad for your health. Jack did not eat the leftovers in the fridge; instead, he ordered a pizza. Semicolons go outside quotation marks: He had heard about "oleo"; he didn't know what it was.

Which is the correct form to use in a business letter?

September 11, 2009

Sentence Types

Simple Sentences: A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause. It expresses a complete thought and typically contains a subject and a verb. Simple sentences can stand alone and convey a clear meaning. Examples: "She ran." or "He is reading a book." Compound Sentences: Compound sentences are formed by combining two or more independent clauses using coordinating conjunctions (such as "and," "but," or "or") or punctuation marks like semicolons. Each independent clause in a compound sentence can function on its own as a separate sentence. Examples: "I went to the store, and she stayed at home." or "He likes to play basketball; she prefers soccer." Complex Sentences: Complex sentences contain one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A dependent clause relies on the independent clause to form a complete sentence. They are often connected by subordinating conjunctions (such as "because," "although," or "while"). Examples: "She studied hard because she wanted to pass the exam." or "He couldn't sleep well although he was tired." Compound-Complex Sentences: Compound-complex sentences combine elements of both compound and complex sentences. They have two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. These sentences offer a higher level of complexity by including multiple thoughts and relationships. Examples: "I went to the party, but she stayed home because she was not feeling well." or "He started cooking dinner, and she set the table while listening to music."

Loaded Language:

Used to create a strong emotional purpose

Sensitivity to Audience Need and Desires

W- Wishes H-Hopes I-Interests P-Preferences

result, outcome, or consequence

affect

Yellow pages of telephone directory are arranged in:

alphabetically by the type of business

Attention-getting techniques

anectode, statistics (everything except summaries)

I did not expect to win __ and did not fear losing. a. comma b. semicolon

answer: no punctuation needed

Audience no opinion

apathy

Which is the correct sequence of items contained in a footnote for a book title?

author, book title, publisher, place of publication

A business letter that has all parts beginning at the left margin is called

block style

Fuselage of plane

body

Words to know

breathe vs breath (breath=action) affect vs. effect (affect= action, effect=outcome) principle vs principal (principal= main, principle= truth) conscience vs. conscious vs. con·sci·en·tious (inner thought vs. being awake, doing the right thing) annuity,

Document for company lettehead

business letter

cemetery

cemetery

Specific words are

clear and precise

Good C's of communication

clear, correct, concise

A proper punctuation mark to use after a salutation in a business letter is the

colon

In a reference and volumes page numbers are separated by:

commas

Hostile Environment:

comments or jokes

Not common element of emails

complimentary closing

Spelling Words To Know

conceive, cemetery, grammar, absence, accommodate, conscience, conscious, embarrassment, personnel,beginning, committee, achievement, recommend, transferred, inflammable, tomorrow, accessible, receive, February, occurrence, occasion, occasionally, questionnaire, exaggerate, accidentally, referred, liaison, mischievous, grief, Mississippi, sacrilegious, itinerary, professor, separate,

Which one of the following visual elements is not recommended for business documents?

jargon

knowledgable

knowledgable

Using a colon after the salutation and a comma after a closing is known as

open punctuation

During exchange stage of conversation

parties conduct business

Types of meetings

persuade, collaborate, make assignments (not type: improve decision making)

Speaking to small group:

politics is an consideration

feasability study

present decision immeadeatly

oral presentations are enhanced by

presentation software

principle is a rule, a law, a guideline, or a fact. A principal is the headmaster of a school or a person who's in charge of certain things in a company.

principle is a rule, a law, a guideline, or a fact. A principal is the headmaster of a school or a person who's in charge of certain things in a company.

HR refers to the criteria about discrimination and groups as

protected groups

Words that are similar in sound but different in meaning or spelling are:

pseudohomynyms

Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs

ransitive Verbs: Transitive verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning. A direct object is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb. Examples: She ate an apple. (The verb "ate" is transitive, and "an apple" is the direct object.) They built a house. (The verb "built" is transitive, and "a house" is the direct object.) He wrote a letter. (The verb "wrote" is transitive, and "a letter" is the direct object.) Intransitive Verbs: Intransitive verbs do not require a direct object to complete their meaning. They can stand alone in a sentence without a direct object. Examples: She slept peacefully. (The verb "slept" is intransitive.) They laughed at the joke. (The verb "laughed" is intransitive.) He ran in the park. (The verb "ran" is intransitive.)

Mangerial POV Advice:

read all documents before carefully signing them

Organization techniques recommended by speech experts:

repeat main points in intro, body, and conclusion

Misspelled Words

sacrilegious,condolences, conceive

visual aids should be acknowledged like other sources

same

Reciever will always believe

sender's non-verbal message

Most important when speaking on telephone

speaking clearly

Numbers exception:

spell numbers in time when looking at am. Or pm.

Semantics:

study or meaning of words

The receiver is less likely to attach the correct meaning to a word ____.

the more familiar the word is

Tone of voice

they way the message sounds

Trite

unoriginal

when the word starts with a vowel

use an before it

Nonessential parts without interruption

use dash

That part of the mind that stores all the words a person has ever read or heard is called the ____.

word bank

When speaking, stating lots of slang is a poor example of:

word usage

The basic tools of writing are

words

Proof-reader Marks

¶ the RNA. We found new paragraph ^= insert something here = : align top or bottom @= meanest at #= insert space See Google Drive

Short 20 min. Presentation should focus on

2-4 main points

Describe and Identify The Eight Parts of Speech

Noun: person,place, thing, or idea Pronoun: Word used in place of noun Verb: expressess action or being Adverb: describes a verb Adjective: describes a noun or pronoun Preposition: word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence. Conjunction: Joins words, phrases, and clauses Interjection: Word used to expressed emotion

When writing a report and using numbers:

Numbers for plural nouns that can be counted, and singular for things that can't be counted

When used as an adjective, principal means "main" or "primary," such as the principal finding in a study.

On the other hand, principle is a noun that means a rule, tenet, or basic truth, such as the principle of gravity.

According to recent estimates, the number of unneeded words in the typical letter is

4 out of 5

Capitalization

-Website needs to be capitalized

communication flow

-can flow vertically, horizontally, or diagonally

Mis-spelled Question

1 High School Road is the address of our school. a. 1 error b. 2 errors c. 3 errors answer (1 error)

Most complex form of communication

1 on 1

Slang, Jargon, and Cliches (Business Jargon Phrases)

1) "Impact" refers to the act of affecting something through your skills or actions. 2)Business people use the term "boil the ocean" to describe an action or project that wastes a lot of time. 3)"Robust" is a term that describes a company's product or service that has a lot of functionality and beneficial uses for its consumers. 4)"Punting" something in the world of business is to abandon an idea or project that is no longer important, or at the very least, make it less of a priority. 5)"Leverage" most often refers to the manipulation or control of a situation or project. It's often used as both a verb and a noun. 6)Throwing something "over the wall" refers to sending important information to a client or customer. 7)Modified from the term "cutting edge," "bleeding edge" is used to define an innovative product or service. 8)"Low-hanging fruit" refers to a simple project or new idea that could produce immediate and beneficial results. 9)"Jumping the shark" refers to when a company or product struggles to stay relevant to the public or its consumers and clients. 10)"Blue sky thinking" is a phrase used to describe extremely creative problem-solving and innovative new ideas. 11)A "thought shower "is a group discussion or meeting to try to generate new ideas or clever solutions to company challenges. -See link for more

Quotation Mark Rules

1) Quoting a source directly -Stephen Hawking warned that the Higgs boson could potentially lead to "catastrophic vacuum decay" in the universe, caused by "a bubble of the true vacuum expanding at the speed of light." 2)Showing dialogue or transcribing speech -n fiction, they're used for writing dialogue or whenever a character says something out loud. "Where is the emergency room?" he asked the nurse urgently. However, if you're paraphrasing what someone said, you don't need quotation marks. He urgently asked the nurse where the emergency room was. 3)Short works- poems, short-stories, and songs 4) Set apart to show irony, sarcasm, or skepticism 5) Discuss words as words -The "p" in "pterodactyl" is actually silent. 6) Differentiate a nickname from a given name - "The Rock" Jhonson

Rules With Numbers

1) Spell Out Numbers That begin a sentence 2) Below ten: words, greater than ten (numbers) 3) Exceptions: addresses, ages for people and objects, credit hours, dates, dimensions, highways, millions, money, percent, temperatures, and time. 4) Hyphenate fractions 5) if there are multiple numbers, if one is 10 or greater use all numbers (for that category) 6) Superscripts 7) room numbers (numerical) 8)1990s/nineties, (not 1990's) 9) Money: numbers (if exact), rounded/approximate (use words) 10) Check/Deposit: Six Hundred Fifty-five Dollars ($655) 11)

Not good questions to ask during initial interview

1)How much does this job pay? 2)What is the retirement package like?c 3)What are the opportunities for advancement?

Memo Questions

Parts: The heading and body 4 Parts: memo, date, subject, time

Normal comprehesnion level:

200-220 words per minute, 75% accuracy

Numbered street names ten or lower are written

Answer: entirely in words

Suffix Rule

A suffix is added at the end of words. When one syllable words end in y preceded by a vowel:

Types of Verbs

Action Verbs: These verbs express physical or mental actions. Examples include: run, eat, think, write. Linking Verbs: Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence with a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes or identifies it. Examples include: be, appear, seem, become. Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs): Auxiliary verbs are used together with main verbs to express tense, mood, voice, or emphasis. Examples include: be, have, do, can, will. Modal Verbs: Modal verbs express ability, possibility, necessity, or permission. Examples include: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would.

Adverb vs Adjective

Adverbs modify a verb or action. An example is gently, extremely, carefully, and well. Adjectives modify a noun or pronoun. An example is pretty or red.

Abbreviated words are usually followed by....

Answer: period

Special Punctuation Marks (Dash, Parantheses, Hyphen)

Brackets: Use brackets to add an explanation or comment to a direct quote EX:Berta wondered aloud, "Why did it [Joker] end that way?" -Use brackets to enclose text that is already in parentheses: According to this chart (Temperature Extremes [Fig. 4]), we've had a record-setting winter. Dash: Less formal than either parentheses or commas, a dash—highlighting whatever is set apart—also creates a dramatic pause. Use a dash (instead of parentheses) when a parenthetic expression is lengthy, contains commas, or deserves special emphasis: My grandmother's house—the apartment in the city, not the clapboard cottage on the beach—has been sold. -Also for emphasis se a dash to emphasize or to set off a single word, an appositive, or a summary: There's one way in which to succeed—hard work. I cannot believe what she puts on her hamburger—sauerkraut. They graduated, married, and divorced—all this change in just six months. -To show abrupt change in thought You are NOT dragging me to that movie—oh, what the heck, start the car. -Use it to mark and interruption/pause in dialogue Would—would you mind terribly?"

Colon

Colons come after independent clauses and may be followed by lists, words, phrases, clauses, or independent clauses: Then I came to a shocking realization: He did not remember me. She traveled to the following countries: England, Italy, and Japan.He was cooking her favorite dinner: cheese fajitas with corn. Colons go outside quotation marks: He explained "oleo": It's a non-dairy butter substitute. Adapted from: The Harbrace College Handbook (12th ed.) by Horner/Webb/Miller and A Writer's Reference (4th ed.) by Diana Hacker.

Use of Commas

Commas come before coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when they link two independent clauses*: It was raining, and I was hurrying to get home. She felt terrible, but she went to class anyway. Commas separate items in a series, including coordinate adjectives: He bought bananas, apples, oranges, and cheese. She had long, dark, straight, thick hair. Commas set off parenthetical elements such as an appositive, which is a noun phrase or clause that renames or describes the noun directly beside it, and nonrestrictive relative clauses: The Washington monument, a massive obelisk, was completed in 1884.My parents, who met each other in 1962, have been married for 50 years. Commas set off transitional phrases: On the other hand, many diets decrease stamina and strength.As a matter of fact, American football was derived from rugby.Many people, however, are allergic to cats. Commas follow introductory clauses and phrases: On the way home, I stopped to buy groceries. Because it was raining, I took a taxi home. To our surprise, they were brothers. Use commas for direct address, tag questions, mild interjections, and yes/no: I hate to say this, John, but this relationship just isn't working out.You like chocolate, don't you?Well, I might have time for lunch with you next week.Yes, you must do the homework. Commas indicate direct quoted speech: He said, "Let's go," and we did. He said we should go, and we did. Commas go inside quotation marks: He had heard about "oleo," but he didn't know what it was. Correct Answer: C She finished her work and then took a long lunch. Explanation: a comma is unnecessary because the subject does not appear in front of the second verb.

Types of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions: Connect two indep. Clauses ( FANBOYS) Correlative Conjunctions: Achieve parallelism in sentence structure, (as...as both...and not only...but also either...or neither...nor whether...or Subordinatng Conjunctions: A subordinating conjunction indicates that the dependent clause is not complete without an attached independent clause. If you finish your homework, you will be prepared for the test. (If you finish your homework by itself is an incomplete thought.) I lose myself in the music whenever I practice the piano. (Whenever I practice the piano by itself is an incomplete thought.) Conjunctive Adverbs: Conjunctive adverbs (sometimes called adverbial conjunctions) are used to indicate a relationship between sentences and independent clauses. Common conjunctive adverbs include the following: however therefore moreover nevertheless When a conjunctive adverb appears at the beginning or in the middle of an independent clause, it is usually set off by commas. When a conjunctive adverb introduces a second clause within a sentence, a semicolon precedes it and a comma follows it.

Using Bias-Free Language

Gender -Instead of man or woman (use person) EX: Fireman, use firegighter Race or Ethnicity -Just use whatever term is preferred by others Disability -Avoid using collective nouns such as "the disabled" -Use emotionally neutral expressions

Sexual Harrassment can be present in

Hostile environment or quid pro quo section

italics/underlining

Italics: Italics are typically used for the following purposes: Emphasis: Italics can be used to emphasize a particular word or phrase within a sentence. For example: "I absolutely love that dress." Titles of Works: Italics are used to indicate titles of larger works, such as books, movies, plays, albums, and artworks. For example: "I recently read To Kill a Mockingbird." Foreign Words or Phrases: Italics are used to distinguish foreign words or phrases within an English sentence. For example: "She said, 'Je t'aime,' which means 'I love you' in French." Scientific Names: Italics are used for scientific names of species or genus in biology. For example: "Canis lupus is the scientific name for the gray wolf." Underlining: Underlining is less commonly used in modern writing due to its association with typewritten text. However, there are still some cases where underlining can be used: Handwritten Emphasis: Underlining can be used to emphasize words or phrases when writing by hand, especially if italics are not available. Manuscript Formatting: In some specific contexts, such as formatting guidelines for academic papers or manuscript submissions, underlining may be used instead of italics to indicate titles of works. It's important to note that in most digital or typeset writing, italics are preferred over underlining because they provide a clearer and more aesthetically pleasing emphasis.

Categories of Pronouns and Reflexive

Personal Pronouns: Personal pronouns are used to refer to specific people or things. They include: Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs Demonstrative Pronouns: Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out or indicate specific people or things. They include: this, that, these, those. Interrogative Pronouns: Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They include: who, whom, whose, which, what. Relative Pronouns: Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses in a sentence. They include: who, whom, whose, which, that. Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific people or things. They include: someone, anybody, everyone, nothing, anything, all, each, some, any, none. Reflexive Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns are a type of pronoun that is used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same. They are formed by adding "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural) to certain personal pronouns. The main uses of reflexive pronouns are: Reflexive actions: The pronoun reflects the action back to the subject. Example: "He cut himself while shaving." Emphasizing the subject: The reflexive pronoun is used to emphasize the subject. Example: "I made the cake myself." Reciprocal actions: Reflexive pronouns are used to indicate reciprocal actions between two or more subjects. Example: "They helped each other with their homework." It's important to note that reflexive pronouns can only be used when there is a clear relationship between the subject and the object of the sentence. Indefinite -Make sure if singular/plural (they agree in gender and number) Singular: another, anyone/anybody, anything,each, either, enough, everybody/everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no-one, nothing, one, other, someone, somebody, something, you (unidentified) Plural: both, few, fewer, many, others, several, they Singular/Plural: all, any, more, most, none, some, such -None have come (incorrect) vs. None has come So it isn't always easy to figure out if you should use who or whom. Is it "Who did you visit last summer?" or "Whom did you visit last summer?" To decide, follow these steps: C

Ph.D.

Ph.D.

Features of Prepositions +Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases usually tell where or when. Or, as most instructors are fond of saying, they show relationship, for example, of location (in Duffy's Tavern) or of time (in February). The formula, with variations To describe a prepositional phrase we can borrow some math shorthand (although our description does not really function like an equation--the preposition must always come first!): preposition + noun or pronoun = prepositional phrase

Six Tenses

Present Tense: The present tense describes actions happening at the current time or general truths. Examples: "I eat an apple" (simple present), "He is running" (present continuous). Past Tense: The past tense describes actions that have already occurred or were completed in the past. Examples: "She ate dinner" (simple past), "We were playing football" (past continuous). Future Tense: The future tense describes actions that will happen in the future. Examples: "I will go to the movies" (simple future), "They will be arriving tomorrow" (future continuous). Present Perfect Tense: The present perfect tense describes actions that started in the past but have a connection to the present. Examples: "I have finished my homework," "She has lived here for five years." Past Perfect Tense: The past perfect tense describes actions that happened before another action or a specific time in the past. Examples: "He had already left when I arrived," "They had finished dinner before the movie started." Future Perfect Tense: The future perfect tense describes actions that will be completed before a specific time or future action. Examples: "By next week, I will have completed the project," "They will have finished the race by the evening." Conjugation for Past Perfect had + spoken (he had spoken) Conjugation for Present Perfect "has or have" + past participle has= singular have= plural Conjugation for Future Perfect "will have" + past participle

Pronounciation vs. Enunciation

Pronounciation: Saying and speaking the word correctly Enunciation: Speaking clearly and loudly; projecting

Problems with sentances (fragments, run-ons, double-negatives)

Run-on: two independent clauses joined incorrectly with just a comma - also can be used with a transitional expression/conjunctive adverb like therefore Fix: semi-colon before the expression and comma after it 1) Period: seperate the two 2)Semicolon 3)comma and coordinatiing conjunction (comma before the conjunction) 4) use a subordinating conjunction Sentance Fragments: missing subject or predicate (sentance can be long but not have these things) Double-Negatives: two negative terms in one sentance: logically make a positive (I didn't shout at nobody) Correction: I didn't shout at anybody

Reading Methods

Skimming: Skimming is used when you want to quickly get an overview or a general idea of the content. It involves quickly glancing through the text, focusing on headings, subheadings, bolded or italicized words, and the first and last sentences of paragraphs. Skimming is useful for previewing a text to determine its relevance or to refresh your memory about a topic before diving into a more detailed reading. Scanning: Scanning is used when you are searching for specific information within a text. Instead of reading every word, you rapidly move your eyes across the text, looking for keywords, phrases, or specific information you need. Scanning is helpful when you want to locate a particular piece of information, such as finding a specific date, name, or statistic in a long document. Speed-Reading: Speed-reading is a technique used to increase reading speed while maintaining comprehension. It involves using techniques like rapid eye movement, minimizing subvocalization (pronouncing words in your mind), and eliminating unnecessary pauses. Speed-reading can be useful when you have a large volume of material to cover within a limited time. However, it may not be suitable for texts that require in-depth comprehension or critical analysis. In-Depth Reading: In-depth reading is used when you need a comprehensive understanding of the text or when you want to engage with the content on a deeper level. It involves reading the text carefully, word by word, and paying attention to details, nuances, and the author's arguments or ideas. In-depth reading is necessary for studying complex subjects, conducting research, or analyzing literary works.

Block Style Business Letter Questions

Thing Not Included: open punctuation is not always used

STET:

let it stand

Hong's memo for new steps for merchandise

numbered list