How To Sharpen Your Business Writing Skills, Second Edition

5The Right Word: Appropriate Language

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Explain the elements of a dictionary entry.

• Describe the difference between the denotation and the connotation of a word.

• Cite two strategies for avoiding sexist and racially offensive language.

• Define what is meant by agreement of subject and verb.

• Cite four rules for choosing the correct pronoun.

Using the wrong word, or the right word in the wrong place, can have unintended results. Consider the following:

• From a newspaper headline: Department requests swell town budget.

• From the opening sentence of a news article: The ...