Beware of Three Syntax Sins when Writing Business Proposals

Beware of Three Syntax Sins when Writing Business Proposals Sometimes the writing voice that speaks with confidence in your mind can trick you. Internally, you sound powerful, in control, and impressive. On paper, however, it can be a very different story. Poor syntax takes the confident writing voices in our heads and garbles it into an ineffective, hesitant sounding mush. We might not realize it because, frankly, we are used to seeing poor syntax in business writing. So the weak, timid-voiced writing passes through our proofreading radar unnoticed. Beware of the following three deadly sins of poor syntax when writing business proposals. If you eliminate these problems, your proposal will shine with confidence. 1. Refine Your Clarity Don't write with passivity. The passive voice likes to place the center of your sentence's action the subject that's doing the verb at the end of the sentence: i.e. "The sales numbers were calculated by John," which should be "John calculated the sales numbers." Here's a quick fix: if you scan your proposal for any use of the word "by," you will catch many of your passive sentences. The passive voice does have its uses, however. Its mild, cool-headed rhythm can be useful for conveying a business-like tone. But do not use it in excess. Strip your sentences of adverbs those little words we like to sprinkle into sentences to amplify our verbs and adjectives. It's amazing how clean, crisp, and powerful a sentence becomes when you strip the adverbs from it. Good novelists discovered this trick ages ago. However, you don't need a long list of adverbs to do this syntax cleanse. Just scan your manuscript for the most common offenders: the word "very" and any word that ends with "-ly" and remove it from the proposal. Your sentences will drop their excess weight and fly. Example: Before adverbs removed: Our CEO very happily confirmed that the incredibly effective new product line has attracted amazingly quick responses from very influential investors in a highly competitive market. After adverbs removed: Our CEO confirmed that the effective new product line has attracted immediate responses from influential investors in a competitive market. Of course, adverbs do have their purpose. Sometimes they help with tone and the rhythm of a sentence. But use them judiciously. 2. Drop the Jargon Using jargon creates a sense of insecurity. It's also annoying and distracting. What is jargon, exactly? It's the language of the business cultures we inhabit. Have you ever been asked what the primarytakeaway was from the meeting, instead of, "What did you take away from that meeting?" That's a classic example of jargon turning verbs into nouns. But jargon also turns nouns into verbs called "verbing." About Educationpublishing an article about verbing, and it used a dialogue from a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon to make its point: Calvin: I like to verb words. Hobbes: What? Calvin: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when "access" was a thing? Now it's something you do. It got verbed. . . . Verbing weirds language. Hobbes: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. That's exactly what jargon does; it turns language into a barrier for understanding. The solution is simple: look for unconventional language or insider's terms specific to your work culture and replace them with plain, clear language. Jargon steals some of the professional sheen from your proposal. And, your proposal will be misunderstood if the client doesn't speak the same jargon. 3. Use Correct Terms: Avoid Lazy Proofreading Triple-proof your text to ensure you used the correct terms specific to your client's work. Incorrect terms, even if from human error, make you appear ignorant. Your reader will not trust you if you're misusing technical language and terminology. Do the extra work of checking your sources and brushing up on the proper terminology for the subject. Sometimes simple writing fatigue causes these errors. Try to avoid rush jobs that depend on late night proofreading. If you know the job will require an all night work session, try to schedule time the next day to do more proofreading when you have fresh eyes. When you are very familiar with a document, it's always best to let a day lapse before you proofread. Your eye becomes so accustomed to the document that it becomes very easy to miss an error. Our onlinebusiness proposal writing course will help you avoid these three deadly sins of bad syntax and fill your proposals with a powerful, effective, and confident voice.

Free Essays on The Present Reslations Of Science And Religion

The Present Relations of Science and Religion C. D. Broad Published Philosophy 14 (1939): 131-54. Reprinted in Religion, Philosophy and Psychic Research (London: Routledge, 1953). Fifty or sixty years ago anyone fluttering the pages of one of the the many magazines which then catered for the cultivated and intelligent English reader would have been fairly certain to come upon an article bearing somewhat the same title as that of the present paper. The author would probably be an eminent scientist, such as Huxley or Clifford; a distinguished scholar, such as Frederic Harrison or Edmund Gurney; or a politician of cabinet rank, such as Gladstone or Morley. Whichever side he might take, he would write with the moral fervour of which Englishmen at that time had an inexhaustible supply. Nowadays the so-called 'conflict between Religion and Science', which was then appetizingly hot from the oven, has acquired something of the repulsiveness of half-cold mutton in half-congealed gravy. There seems to be a widespread opinion that Sir Arthur Eddington and Sir James Jeans, with some highly technical and not readily intelligible assistance from Professor Whitehead, have enabled the lion to lie down with the lamb. Well, I have no wish to pipe a discordant note in this scene of Messianic harmony. But I cannot help reflecting that psychology, anthropology, and psychical research have made considerable advances as well as mathematical physics; and that they seem prima facie much more likely to be relevant to religion. Even the ordinary common sense of the lawyer and the historian may still have something useful to say on such topics. So, at the risk of being thought a profane disturber of the peace, I propose to raise once more the old questions, a... Free Essays on The Present Reslations Of Science And Religion Free Essays on The Present Reslations Of Science And Religion The Present Relations of Science and Religion C. D. Broad Published Philosophy 14 (1939): 131-54. Reprinted in Religion, Philosophy and Psychic Research (London: Routledge, 1953). Fifty or sixty years ago anyone fluttering the pages of one of the the many magazines which then catered for the cultivated and intelligent English reader would have been fairly certain to come upon an article bearing somewhat the same title as that of the present paper. The author would probably be an eminent scientist, such as Huxley or Clifford; a distinguished scholar, such as Frederic Harrison or Edmund Gurney; or a politician of cabinet rank, such as Gladstone or Morley. Whichever side he might take, he would write with the moral fervour of which Englishmen at that time had an inexhaustible supply. Nowadays the so-called 'conflict between Religion and Science', which was then appetizingly hot from the oven, has acquired something of the repulsiveness of half-cold mutton in half-congealed gravy. There seems to be a widespread opinion that Sir Arthur Eddington and Sir James Jeans, with some highly technical and not readily intelligible assistance from Professor Whitehead, have enabled the lion to lie down with the lamb. Well, I have no wish to pipe a discordant note in this scene of Messianic harmony. But I cannot help reflecting that psychology, anthropology, and psychical research have made considerable advances as well as mathematical physics; and that they seem prima facie much more likely to be relevant to religion. Even the ordinary common sense of the lawyer and the historian may still have something useful to say on such topics. So, at the risk of being thought a profane disturber of the peace, I propose to raise once more the old questions, a...

Law of Tort Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law of Tort - Term Paper Example According to Hodgson and Lewthwaite, negligence can be defined as an act of being careless. There are three main elements of negligence in tort. First, a legal duty must exist, secondly, there must be breach of the legal duty and thirdly, damaged must have been suffered because of breach of legal duty. The plaintiff (claimant) must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant owed him or her legal duty of care. Negligence is recognizable in the court of law only where the relationship between the defendant and claimant give rise to the legal duty of care. For example, a doctor who operates on a patient and leaves surgical equipment in the patient’s body is liable for negligence. Statutory torts are civil wrongdoings that have legislative backing. The statutes impose duties to private and public entities that cause the tort to compensate or remedy the injured as defined by law. To be valid, the statute must impose a specified duty on the defendant. For example, if legislati on (statute) imposes a duty on the employer to take care of the employees’ welfare, then the courts always construe the statute as giving rise to a statutory tort. If the employer fails to take care of the employees’ welfare and the employees sustain injuries or suffer losses as a result, the employer (defendant) is guilty of statutory tort and shall compensate the employees as per the requirements of the guiding legislation. Intentional wrongdoing is consciously harming someone to achieve a predetermined objective.

Organisms & Diseases Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organisms & Diseases - Assignment Example This applies to both humans and animals. The first case of Ebola occurred in 1976. It happened through two simultaneous outbreaks, in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nzara, Sudan. In DRC, it occurred in a village near Ebola River. This became the name of the disease. There are five known species of the Ebola virus: Reston, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Ivory Coast and Zaire (W.H.O 12). Ebola spreads among human population through close contact with secretions, blood, bodily fluids from infected animals and organs (W.H.O 12). Burial ceremonies that involve direct contact with the dead person play an important role in the spread of the disease. Infected semen can also transmit the disease for up to seven weeks after recovery. In Africa, infection spreads through handling of fruit bats, chimpanzees, monkeys and porcupines. The prevalence rate of Ebola is only monitored in a few countries: Uganda, Gabon, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Last year there was 1 case in Uganda having led to one death. In 2008, there were 44% fatalities out of 32 reported cases in DRC and in 2007 there were 25% fatalities out of the 149 reported cases in Uganda (W.H.O 12). The population increase and poverty have significantly contributed to the spread of this disease. This spread frequently occurs through retrogressive traditions like contact with deceased persons, irresponsible sexual behavior and poor sanitation. Most of the human-animal’s transmissions reflect the human wildlife conflict arising from population surge and detrimental policies of settlement and population control (W.H.O (a) 12). Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoa of Leishmania genus. This is a parasitic protozoon. It happens when humans are bitten by phlebotomine sand flies. These flies breed in caves, forests, and brick houses. It is in these places that they infect human beings. The disease occurs

Leadership characteristics of a successful entrepreneur Essay Example for Free

Leadership characteristics of a successful entrepreneur Essay Successful entrepreneurs are specialized types of leaders that have a definite set of leadership characteristics that make them good at what they domotivate people. Successful entrepreneurs are usually very focused in their vision and are immersed in making their venture successful. A good entrepreneur uses a dynamic and charismatic approach to motivate their employees to feel the same sort of feelings of success that he or she feels towards the ultimate success of the business. Howard Shultz, the founder of Starbucks Corporation, uses a dynamic leadership style, charismatic personality and vision to propel Starbucks as the premiere specialty coffee house in America, and is well on the way to becoming the global name for specialty coffee houses. Entrepreneurs, by the very nature of the definition, are self-starters that are highly motivated to make their business successful. Most people that start their own business do so because they have the personal drive to put their own ideas into a business venture. It takes a very motivated individual with personal convictions to make a business become a profitable and successful business. Obviously, if a person has enough gumption to take the steps to start their own business, then they are, by nature, very motivated individuals that want to make their project succeed. People who are not highly motivated will not become entrepreneurs or will more than likely fail if they try to make a half-hearted attempt to start their own business. To make a business succeed requires a vision of where the company should be after a specific time period. All entrepreneurs know in their mind what they would like their business to be in one year or five years or ten years. Successful entrepreneurs have a focused vision of what steps need to be taken to make their business succeed. The very best entrepreneurs are not only motivated themselves, but are able to spread their motivation to others through a charismatic leadership approach. People that become successful entrepreneurs have the ability to make those around them get excited about the business, just like they are. If the people that work in a company are motivated to work towards making the company a success, then the company has a much better chance of becoming successful. All entrepreneurs are excited about their own business, but not  all of them can get the people that work for them just as excited. A dynamic entrepreneur is able to motivate others to want to produce a better product or service because they provide the employees with motivation and direction. Motivation is probably the single most important factor that an entrepreneur can provide to their employees, but creating a shared vision for all to work for is almost equally important. People will work harder for a company that has ideals and principles that they also believe in and share. Successful entrepreneurs are able to create a vision for the company; they provide a goal or ideal that employees and the public in general can relate to. By having a vision or ideal that the company is striving for, each employee feels that they are performing a vital function that eventually leads to the final goal. Employees will work hard to achieve a goal if they feel that a goal is worthwhile or somehow makes the world a better place. Companies usually state these in mission statements, with variations for whatever the company holds as an ideal, such as environmentalism or community service. Howard Shultz, founder of Starbucks, is a very motivated individual that has a vision of what he would like Starbucks to become. The fact that Shultz coordinated 150 new Starbucks openings between 1987 and 1992 shows that he was very motivated to make Starbucks a national and eventually international success. Shultzs vision for Starbucks has facilitated the opening of over 3,300 stores worldwide and Starbucks continues to grow at an extremely rapid pace. Along with charisma and motivation, Howard Shultz possesses many leadership attributes, which make him a very successful leader and motivator. Shultz knows how to make people feel like they are doing something important. Selling coffee is not a vital function that is needed for life, but Shultz has made selling coffee seem important to those that work for Starbucks. Shultz created a policy that Starbucks will only purchase organically grown coffee beans. This one policy makes Starbucks seem like they are performing a service to the world by creating a market for coffee beans that arent responsible for damaging the environment. Environmentalists and even non-environmentalists agree that this is a good thingeven noble. The  people that sell the Starbucks product feel a sense of pride for doing something for the environment. Starbucks also does other things that have the same effect, but on different populations. Starbucks has a program that builds schools, community centers, etc, in the communities that Starbucks buys its coffee beans from. This type of activity appeals especially to socially conscious people that get reward from knowing that Starbucks is giving something back to the community from which the coffee beans are taken. Another program, called the Urban Coffee Opportunities, offers inner city entrepreneurs an opportunity to bring a Starbucks to an inner city neighborhood in the hopes that a Starbucks business can spark financial growth and future business opportunities for inner city areas. This program also appeals to the socially conscious and creates a sense that Starbucks really cares about people and their communities. These programs are definitely good ideas and greatly enrich the lives of the people that they touch, but also serve as a basis to motivate employees as well as customers of Starbucks, which creates a better product and more sales for Starbucks. References http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/customer_stories/starbucks.html; Accessed 10 Feb. 2004 http://www.starbucks.com/; Accessed 10 Feb. 2004

Return Of The Native Essay -- essays research papers

In Thomas Hardy’s poem “Her Dilemma,'; it relates to book one of the novel Return of the Native in the concept of marriage and distrust of feelings. In both the poem and the novel, the woman’s feelings and emotions cause conflict in her marriage. It is interesting that both these literary works has a marriage transpire with one person doubtful, especially during a time when divorce was unconceivable. The question arises, should a lifetime decision be made solely upon the basis of one’s personal desires?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In “Her Dilemma'; the title gives the reader a clue that a choice must be made between equally undesirable alternatives. Hardy uses iambic pentameter as the rhyme scheme to make the poem flow smoothly. The first stanza uses detail to describe an ancient church where the couple is soon to be married. Once this stanza ends Hardy’s attitude changes to one of sorrow. “For he was soon to die, --he softly said, ‘Tell me you love me!’—Holding hard her hand.'; It is pathetic that this is the last wish of a dying man. Hardy’s use of consonance allows the reader to understand the man’s feelings. Next stanza the tone changes again, to one of pity for the woman who sells her soul “to be a moment kind.'; Regardless of whether the woman decides to marry, the man will die. Eventually, her sympathy for the man overwhelms her consciou...

Pierrot Le Fou, Art, and You

Pierrot Le Fou, Art, and You Jean-Luc Godard's film Pierrot Le Fou is in itself a challenging piece of cinematic art. The film, which experiments with elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing in an unconventional, intricate, and artistic manner, represents a milestone in the film genre known as the French New Wave, and continues to be important to the history of cinema today. With Pierrot Le Fou, director Godard expresses commentary on such things as mass culture, politics, America, literature, music, art, and cinema itself.These opinions are communicated to us throughout the film not only through the filmic techniques employed, but by the actors themselves; through their dialogue and their acknowledgment of the spectators presence. It is Godard's choices to employ a garish color scheme, references to mass culture, narrative intransivity, and the destruction of the â€Å"fourth wall† that allow for Pierrot Le Fou to highlight the dominant pop art movement occurri ng at the time as well as to confront viewers, express commentary concerning literature and cinema, and break the audience's willing suspension of disbelief.Bright, vivid, and often primary shades of color, in addition to subject matter concerning references and depictions of elements present in mass culture describe the collective term of the artistic phenomena occurring in the 1950's and 60's known as â€Å"Pop Art. † In Pierrot Le Fou, we are made highly aware of such a movement as much of the film is styled according to such. This can be seen as early as in the opening credits, which slowly piece together in shades of bright red and blue (depicting at first a bunch of A's, B's, and C's) a title and credit screen.With such a flashy opening, characteristics of pop art are instantly alluded to; and continue to remain present throughout the remainder of the film. One of the most significant scenes in which this is conceptualized is the sequence in which the main character, Fe rdinand, attends a cocktail party. The party sequence, which is shot entirely on a 2D plain in which the actors are arranged facing each other against the wall, is also filmed through bright, primary colored filters. Throughout this sequence, every cut is marked by a change in color scheme.Beginning in a garish shade of red, the sequence then alternates between shades of bright white, yellow, blue, and finally – in the last shot, a combination of yellow, orange, pink, and purple hues. This sequence, through Godard's choice of color filtering, represents not only colors characteristic in much of the â€Å"Pop Art† produced during this period; but makes reference to advertising and consumer products. This is evident in a shot during the sequence in which we are shown a man and a woman sitting together against a wall within a blue colored frame.During this shot, the woman speaks about her â€Å"hairdo†, which is, â€Å"able to keep it's shape all day thanks to a c loud of Aquanet. † After uttering this, she continues to enthusiastically talk about the Aquanet product to the man as if she were advertising it to the general public. Not only are references to consumer culture made here through such dialogue, but the depiction of her hair after having been sprayed with Aquanet allude to the Pop Art movement of the time in its reflection of consumer culture.Besides making us aware of such a dominant artistic phenomena, Godard's use of episodic structure to separate scenes in Pierrot Le Fou constantly challenges us to re-concentrate and re-focus our attention, as well as explores the notion of cinema as a topic in the narrative. The film, which is divided into different chapters; thus enables for the introduction of interruptions into the narrative. It can be said that such a technique is borrowed from literature – which is a theme that is present not only in this way throughout the film, but implied in numerous other scenes.While chal lenging the viewer with such narrative intransivity – a term used to describe Godard's constant interruptions via his introduction of new scenes as â€Å"chapters† – Pierrot Le Fou also challenges the notion of the power of the cinema to â€Å"capture† it's audience without apparently having done so (in terms of making it think or changing it). i In terms of the narrative and cinema, Godard also introduces to us in Pierrot Le Fou the idea of film as a process of writing in images – and by doing so, raises the topic of cinema itself within the narrative.Throughout Pierrot Le Fou, there are numerous instances in which elements of cinema are dissected, and are representational of what they construct. In one such instance, Marianne is shown looking at the audience in a close-up shot with a scissors literally â€Å"cutting† across the screen to mark the cut that follows. In another occurrence, Ferdinand is shown in a close-up pointing a gun at th e audience – to signify a shot. Representationally, both of these instances convey elements of cinema directly to the audience through the objects that the characters present.Thus, these shots, while raising topics concerning the cinema; also break the narrative surface by allowing for the characters direct engagement with the audience. This intentional destruction of the â€Å"fourth wall†, brought to us in the film by shots featuring a confrontation between the spectator and the characters (where we can observe them observing us), not only breaks that spectator's willing suspension of disbelief, but poses questions about the level of truth in the diegesis but also in terms of cinema itself.Such notions of the misleading and deceiving nature of appearances are constantly touched upon throughout the film, always in a way that is confrontational; and at times, representational. In the scene in which Marianne is asked by Ferdinand about whether or not she will ever leave him, instead of a shot of Ferdinand asking the question, a fox is shown walking around. After the question is asked, a close-up of the fox looking at the audience is presented as Marianne answers, â€Å"Of course I won't. † Immediately after answering, this shot is cut to another close-up shot of Marianne looking out at the audience.These two shots are representational not only of each other, but of such notions of deceit. First of all, it is obvious in the presentation of these two shots that we are to draw a parallel between the creature and Marianne – as they look very similar and both are framed and looking out to us in the same way, one immediately right after the other. The deceptive and cunning nature known to be associated with a fox is also representational of Marianne's expression in the shot, as she appears to look so – and such qualities are further highlighted by the close-up framing of her face.By these two shots alone, notions associated with cin ema and fiction are raised as well. It is as if, by being directly engaged with the fox and Marianne, the audience is asked to actively participate in the formulation of questions concerning such things. By allowing for characters to directly engage themselves with the audience, Pierrot Le Fou, through such shot compositions, challenges the audience directly to engage itself in the film not simply as a spectator, but rather, as active participants questioning and creating meanings.By implementing such elements, with Pierrot Le Fou, Godard has created a film stylized to not only highlight, but to comment upon and furthermore challenge notions of Pop Art, cinema, and literature/fiction. It is through such unconventional means of expressing his ideas in his use of mise-en-scene present in the lighting of the garish color scheme, the cinematography choices he made in terms of framing the characters, and how editing was employed to draw parallels and create meaning, that the film conveys its intentions in a diegesis that is complex, artistic, and confrontational.While the entirety of the diegesis's motives may not be initially apparent, due to the complexity of the narrative and the amount of themes and questions Godard raises with the film; we as an audience can recognize how such filmic techniques employed by the director have come together to create such meanings. After all, the movie, like an intricate artwork, takes some studying to truly figure out. Nichols, Bill. Movies and Methods. Vol. II. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California, 1985. Print.