Developing a Style Of Writing

In order to develop a good style, one must constantly check one’s writing from several aspects. Also, style alters with the kind of document one writes. A memo will be different from an email, which will be different from a report or manual. One of the most important aspects of a good style is to write in what is called ‘Plain English’. When you use plain language you naturally achieve a simple, easy to follow yet coherent style. There is a strong movement in recent years towards using plain language in business writing. Plain language writing achieves a style that is reader friendly. Such a style puts the purpose of the document and the reader before the author. This is the reason it is so popular today. It is not just a few rules on grammar and sentence structure. It is an attitude towards writing. A passive sentence is one in which the agent that is doing the action is described is the object of the sentence instead of the subject. Typically, the person or thing doing the action should be the subject and at the front of the sentence. This will make it much more straightforward. The active or passive quality of a sentence is called Voice. Typically the active sentence will be shorter than the passive version and it is one more reason that you should use active sentences whenever possible. When you use too many words to convey ideas, the reader is confused or bored. The useless words are like deadwood or weeds in a garden: it disguises the useful plants and chokes the life out of them. Remember that reading words, interpreting their meanings, and combining the words to form a whole message take time and energy.