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We've selected
these writing resources because
we find them useful and trustworthy.
Business Writing
Business Writing Resources
The site isn't pretty, but the links on the left nav bar take you to
practical advice about how to write clear and persuasive
business documents.
Business Writer's Free Library
This free online management
library is maintained by Authenticity Consulting.
Grammar
and Style
Grammar Bytes
Grammar drills with attitude target the most common
errors with quick, amusing practice exercises.
Guide
to Grammar and Writing
Charles Darling's comprehensive site
has explanations and practice drills—a great, one-stop
writing resource.
Sentence
Sense
This tutorial starts with
the basics of how sentences are put together
and advances to techniques like parallel
structure. Users can choose just the
parts they need.
Professional Writing Style
If you want to take your writing to the next level, you'll
find solid advice on everything from
reducing jargon to using ethical and
inoffensive language.
Plain
Talk Resources
Plain
Language Guidelines and Manuals
This collection of resources from the federal government
includes everything from general guidelines to advice
on letter-writing and spoken communication.
Checklist for Plain Language
This concise summary of plain-language standards includes
brief tips and explanations for each
standard. A version for web
documents is also available.
An Introduction to Plain Language
Cheryl Stephens presents an overview of how to develop
plain-language documents and test their
effectiveness.
Before-and-After Comparisons
Examples of bloated documents rewritten in plain language,
include regulations, health information, and
letters.
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Steps to Writing Plain English
William D. Lutz, author of Doublespeak Defined,
explains how to write plainly.
Writing
for Dollars, Writing to Please
Joseph Kimble's explanation of the bottom-line
benefits of Plain Language is a classic article
on the subject.
Wise
Words on Writing
Favorite quotations on simple
writing are collected by members
of the Plain
Language Network.
Readability
Flesch
on "How to Write Plain English"
"If you want to learn how to write plain
English, you must learn how to use a readability formula,"
says this pioneer of readability research. Flesch also
explains how to lower readability scores.
Fry's
Readability Graph
Documents with reading levels higher than grade 12 can
be measured with Fry's formula.
Online
Readability Checker
Paste text into this free online software
tool and get suggestions
on how to lower high reading
levels.
The Principles
of Readabilty
William H. DuBay reviews the research behind
the readability formulas.
Pros and Cons
of Readabiity Formulas
Readability formulas can help you
gauge whether your audience can easily
understand your documents, but they're
not infallible.
Readability
Analyzer (English, Italian, French)
This tool from Translation Labs identifies potentially hard words in English,
Italian, or French text.
Spanish Readability Formulas
Impact Information provides links to readability
formats for Spanish documents.
SMOG Readability Calculator
The formula's inventor, G. Harry McLaughlin,
developed an automated "Simple
Measure of Gobbledygook."
Which Readability Formula
Should I Use?
Brian Scott explains
which formulas are recommended for particular audiences
and types of writing.
Writing
and Productivity
Manage
Your Writing
Kenneth W. Davis blogs about how to manage writing as a value-producing
business process.
Advice from Daphne Gray-Grant
Power
writing tips are available in free
articles or a free newsletter,
devoted to "helping corporate writers work better, faster."
Humor
Grammar
Rules
These "fumble rules" illustrate common
errors by breaking the rules about them;
for example, "Verbs HAS to agree with
their subjects."
Jargon-o-matic
business proposal generator
Clarity's jargon generator provides examples
of what not to write.
"A
Little Bit of Comma Sense"
Richard Lederer uses funny examples to help those "addled by apostrophes
and queasy about quotation marks."
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