Editing for a Professional Style and Tone

1. Editing for a Professional Style and Tone By: AnamersyArce ENC 3213 FALL 2011

2. OBJECTIVES • Appreciate the role of style in any document. • Write clear, concise, and fluent sentences. • Use precise language • Achieve a tone that connects with your audiences.

3. The Role of Style in any Document

4. Editing for Clarity • Clear writing enables people to read each sentence only once in order to fully grasp its meaning. The following suggestions will help you edit for clarity: • Avoid ambiguous pronoun references, Ex. (he, she, it, and so on). • Avoid ambiguous modifiers (usually an adjective or an adverb) or a group of words (usually a phrase or a clause).

5. Using the Correct Tone • Use passive voice selectively. Use the passive voice when your audience has no need to know the agent. • Prefer the passive when you want to be indirect or inoffensive ( as in requesting the customer’s payment). • Use active voice whenever possible. • In general, readers grasp the meaning more quickly and clearly when the writer uses the active voice (“I did it”) rather than the passive voice (“It was done by me”).

6. Avoid Wordy Phrases

7. Adjusting Your Tone • Your tone is your personal trademark—the personality that takes shape between the lines. The tone you create depends on: • The distance you impose between yourself and the reader. • The attitude you show toward the subject.

8. Avoid Offensive Usage of all Types • Guidelines for inoffensive usage: • Be as specific as possible when referring to a person’s cultural/national identity. • Avoid potentially judgmental expressions. • Use person-first language • Avoid expressions that demean • Use age-appropriate designations

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