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Writing Mechanics

OUR CAR is made to run a certain way. When your car

stops working, you take it to a mechanic. The

mechanic fixes the problem. With writing, you are the

mechanic. You must follow certain mechanical writing

rules. You must find and fix problems. This lesson will

present examples of mechanics you must know when

writing a paper.

Objective:

þ Explain examples of writing mechanics.

Key Terms:

The Mechanics of Writing

Writing involves more than putting words on paper. Rules exist that help writers succeed in

achieving their purpose.

COMPARING STYLE WITH MECHANICS

Five goals of business writing are to waste no words, to achieve absolute clarity, to leave no

need for guessing at the meaning, to leave no chance for misinterpretation, and to read as sim

ply and quickly as possible. Style and mechanics both shoot for these goals. Style gives more

freedom of choice to the writer, and mechanics leaves less freedom of choice to the writer.

Writing Style

Writing style is a technique that allows writers to make choices that reflect personal com

munication preferences. For instance, writing style permits writers a greater choice in how to

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abbreviation rules

capitalization rules

diction

hyphen rules

italic rules

metaphors

number rules

writing mechanics

writing style

use metaphors, diction, and sentence structure. Even with this freedom, business writers must

remember to use a style that meets business writing goals.

Metaphors

Metaphors are symbols or figures of speech used to represent something. Some writers

incorporate metaphors as part of their personal style. In business writing, writers rarely use

metaphors because metaphors cause readers to guess the meaning, leave room for misinterpre

tation, and make the reading more complicated. A metaphor example is Company Z’s coffers

are like the Great Basin Desert. A better option would be Company Z has no money in check

ing or savings accounts.

Diction

Diction is word choice. The choice of words relates to writing style. Business writing

requires using the simplest words possible for the desired outcome. The following is unneces

sarily complicated diction: Company Z has no reservoir of funds in checking or savings

accounts. A better choice would be: Company Z has no money in checking or savings

accounts.

Simple and Complex Sentence Structure

Sentence structure refers to the use of simple or complex sentences. Writers choose how

often to use simple sentences, complex sentences, or a combination.

Simple Sentences

Company Z has no money in checking or savings accounts. Company Z needs to market a

new product to make money. Company Z must borrow money to pay for marketing the new

product. Some of the profits from the new product will repay the loan. Some of the profits

from the new product will be stored in Company Z’s checking and savings accounts.

Complex Sentences

Company Z has no money in checking or savings to pay for marketing a new product;

therefore, Company Z must borrow money to pay for marketing the new product. With the

profits, Company Z will repay loans and will store money in checking and savings accounts.

Combination

Company Z has no money in checking or savings. As a result, Company Z must borrow

money to market a new product. Some of the sales profits will repay the loan, and some of the

profits will go to Company Z’s checking and savings accounts.

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Writing Mechanics

Writing mechanics are rules a writer must follow to demonstrate mastery of writing and

to create credibility with the reader. Some overlap exists between the areas of grammar and

mechanics. Depending on the resources used, a topic such as punctuation falls under the head

ing of grammar or mechanics. This lesson will focus on a few writing mechanics that usually

appear in business writing: capitalization, abbreviations, symbols, numbers, italics, and

hyphens.

Capitalization rules are standards pertaining to the use of capital versus lower case let

ters.

Abbreviation rules are standards that explain how to shorten words appropriately.

Number rules are standards that explain how to express numbers.

Italics rules are standards that explain when and how to use italics while writing.

Hyphen rules are standards that explain when and how to use hyphens while writing.

CAPITALIZATION, ABBREVIATIONS, SYMBOLS, AND NUMBERS

Mastering the basic rules for capitalization, abbreviations, symbols, and expressing numbers

will help you gain credibility with readers.

Capitalization

Capitalization rules establish when to use capital letters.

The first word of a sentence, such as: “The new product is ready to market. It is a product

customers have been wanting.”

Proper nouns (and adjectives connected to proper nouns)

People (e.g., Barak Obama and George W. Bush)

Nations, ethnic groups, and languages (e.g., the United States of America, African-Ameri

cans, and Spanish)

Places (e.g., Chicago and Elm Street)

Structures and monuments (e.g., the Statue of Liberty and Washington Monument)

Ships, trains, aircraft, and spacecraft (e.g., the Titanic, Amtrak, Boeing 747, and Space

Shuttle Atlantis)

Organizations, businesses, and government institutions (e.g., The Animal Protection

League, Hewlett-Packard, and the Illinois House of Representatives)

Academic institutions and courses (e.g., University of Illinois and Creative Writing 101)

Historical events and eras (e.g., The Revolutionary War and The Great Depression).

Religions and religious terms (e.g., Christianity, Hinduism, and the Qur’an)

Trade names (e.g., Kodak and McDonald’s)

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Titles of books, articles, and other works (e.g., The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Green

Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, and Assessing Organization Development and Change Interventions

by Richard Woodman)

Abbreviations

Abbreviations permit writers to simplify information into a shorter version, which aligns

with business writing goals. The following are rules for abbreviation.

Abbreviate titles (e.g., Mister, Misses, Professor become Mr., Mrs., and Prof.).

Abbreviate academic degrees (e.g., Master’s in Business Administration = MBA).

Abbreviate years and hours (e.g., 300 “before common era” = 300 BCE. 9 post meridian

= 9 p.m.).

Acronyms and initials of organizations can be used for abbreviation purposes. Acronyms are

abbreviations that form words, such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization = NATO. Mean

while, organizations can be abbrevi

ated by their initials (e.g., General

Electric = GE). Abbreviate legal des-

ignations of company names, such as

Corp. for Corporation (i.e., Bank of

America Corp.) and Co. for Com-

pany (i.e., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.).

The following are examples of

abbreviations to avoid using in the

body of professional business writing.

However, these abbreviations are

acceptable in citations and on the bib-

liography page. Latin abbreviations,

such as “and so forth” (etc.), “for

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FIGURE 1. Abbreviations, such as Inc., permit the writer to be succinct.

FURTHER EXPLORATION…

ONLINE CONNECTION: Writing Blogs

Writing mechanics covers a broad range of rules and topics. You can use the Internet creatively as part

of your personal education experience. Many writers and universities create short and easily understand

able tutorials on writing mechanics. Also, writing blogs can become important personal writing resources.

For example, check out “How to Improve your Writing Style and Grammatical Sentence Openers” at

http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism/cite.html. This resource gives you tips on using prepositional

phrases, adjectives, adverbs, adverbial clauses, and much more to open sentences. Having a collection of

these types of resources and using the tips in your writing will make a positive impact on the quality of

your papers.

example” (e.g.), and “that is” (i.e.) should be avoided in text. Commonly abbreviated other

terms are chapter (ch.), edition (ed.), page (p.), and pages (pp.). Places and months are abbrevi

ated, such as Los Angeles (L.A.) and September (Sept.). Yet this is not appropriate in business

text.

Symbols

Symbols commonly appear in business com

munications, but there are rules for when and

how to use them. Business charts and graphs can

express information in its symbolic form: dollars

($), percent (%), inches (in.), and feet (ft.). Spell

out symbols in the body of business writing text:

“We sold one hundred dollars of product. We

sold ten percent of inventory. We jumped three

feet off the ground.”

Numbers

Following are rules for writing numbers in a

business text. Note: There are different conven-

tions and opinions about writing numbers. You

may find information on this topic that is contradictory. Numbers that can be written in one

or two words should be written out. For numbers three words or longer, numerals should be

used. Examples are one hundred, thirteen, and 13,125 (thirteen thousand, one hundred, and

twenty-five is too long to write out).

Write out all numbers (no matter how many words) that begin sentences. “Ten employees

worked today. Thirteen thousand, one hundred, and twenty-five employees worked today.”

Yet some conventions allow for writing in number format, such as addresses (26 Fair Field

Lane, Springfield, IL 62707), dates (January 1, 2015), and statistics (Average score was 79).

MECHANICS OF ITALICS AND HYPHENS

Other commonly used mechanics in business writing are italics and hyphens. This section

presents the rules for writing with italics and hyphens.

Titles

Books: The Lion and the Mouse by Aesop’s Fables and Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

Films: Waiting for Superman and Star Wars

Long musical works: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture

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FIGURE 2. Percentage or %?

Journals and Magazines

Magazines and journals: People and Harvard Business Review

Newspapers: The Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune

Radio series: All Things Considered

Non-English Words and Phrases

Italicize non-English words and phrases. Per se, for instance, means “in and of itself.” Raison

d’etre means “reason for existence.” Latin terms, such as homo sapiens (human beings) and quid

pro bono (something given in exchange for something else) should be italicized.

Emphasis

Italics can be used to emphasize a certain word or a certain point. “Company Z donated ten

percent of the inventory to a non-profit organization. Company Z sold ninety percent of the

inventory.”

Hyphens

Hyphens are used to separate compound words, prefixes, and suffixes. Hyphenate com-

pound words, including adjectives, unexpected combinations of adjectives, fractions, and com-

pound numbers. The following are examples: “Sally was a well-respected coworker. The

employee threw the not-so-well-received transfer letter into the trash. Four-fifths of the

employees were not happy with the planned transfers. There were fifty-five employees sched-

uled for transfer. The eighteen-year-old employee was wise.”

Hyphenate prefixes and suffixes. For instance, hyphenate before capitalized base-words

(e.g., un-American and ex-Chief Executive Officer). Also, hyphenate with numbers (e.g.,

pre-2000 and post-911). In addition, hyphenate with compound based words (e.g., pre-com-

pany merger and post-high school).

Summary:

Five goals of business writing are to waste no words, to achieve absolute clarity, to

leave no need for guessing at the meaning, to leave no chance for misinterpretation,

and to read as simply and quickly as possible. Style and mechanics both shoot for

these goals.

Writing style includes metaphors, diction, and sentence structure. There is more

freedom in writing style. Writing mechanics, however, includes the rules for capi

talization, abbreviation, writing symbols and numbers, italics, and hyphens. There is

less freedom for the author to change these rules. The author must know and use

the rules of mechanics when writing to gain credibility with the reader.

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Checking Your Knowledge:

´ 1. What are the five goals of business writing?

2. What are three areas to consider related to writing style?

3. What are four examples of rule areas to consider related to writing mechanics?

4. What are the rules for using abbreviations of Latin terms in the body of the

text versus the bibliography?

5. What are the rules for using symbols in the body of the text versus charts?

Expanding Your Knowledge:

Education usually follows MLA or APA citation styles. MLA and APA styles have

mechanics related to them that may be a little different. Find two resources that

explain MLA versus APA styles. Explore issues in writing mechanics in the different

styles. Bookmark websites to return to in the future when writing assignments that

follow MLA or APA.

Web Links:

: Citations

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Trademarks

http://www.invention-protection.com/ip/publications/docs/Legal_Name_

Trade_Name_Trademark.html

Writing Mechanics

http://www.ohio.edu/linguistics/esl/writing/mechanics.html

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