Writing Treasure (Ways to improve your writing)

AVOIDING ***UAL BIAS
Avoiding ***ual bias does not mean banishing from your vocabulary all words that refer to the male gender. It means recognizing that employees of both ***es are found at all levels in organizations today, and reflecting that same equality between the ***es in your writing.
Avoid implying in your writing that a particular profession is exclusively male or exclusively female. Never assume that a manager, engineer, dentist or scientist is male. Similarly, never assume that a nurse or secretary is female.
Be consistent in the way you refer to males and females. If you refer to men by their last names, refer to women by their last names too. If you put Mrs. or Ms. Before a womanâ?Ts name, put Mr. before a manâ?Ts name. Do not provide personal information about a woman if you would not do so for the man.
Donâ?Tt write:
Howard Jones, a dentist, and Mrs. Jeanne Willen, an accountant and mother of two, announced their intention to run for office next term.
Write:
Howard Jones, a dentist, and Jeanne Willen, an accountant, announced their intention to run for office next term.
Donâ?Tt make patronizing references to women. For example, donâ?Tt refer to Anna Grayson, lady doctor. By the same token, donâ?Tt refer to male secretaries or male nurses.
Use neutral titles and expressions wherever possible. For example:
Avoid: --------> Use:
best man for the job --> most qualified candidate
businessman --> executive, manager
fellow employee --> colleague
fireman --> fire fighter
foreman --> supervisor, team leader
girls --> women
mailman --> postal worker, mail carrier
to man (verb) --> to staff, to operate
manageress --> manager
manhour --> workhour
manmade --> synthetic, artificial
manpower --> staffing, labour, personnel
policeman or policewoman --> police officer
salesman --> sales person
spokesman --> spokesperson, leader
steward and stewardess --> flight attendant
workman --> worker, labourer
Although you should be careful to avoid ***ism in language, you should also avoid distracting or irritating readers by going to the other extreme, such as by writing he/she, s/he or he/sh, or by changing manpower plan to personpower plan when a perfectly acceptable term like staffing plan already exists.
Awkward references to he and she and him and her can usually be avoided by using plurals. For example:
If the employee does not have the required safety clothing, he or she must borrow some from the Safety Advisor.
An employee who wishes to take vacation in June must obtain authorization from his or her supervisor.
The architect should take his blueprints with him to the site.
becomes
Employees who do not have the required safety clothing must borrow some from the Safety Advisor.
Employees who wish to take vacation in June must obtain authorization from their supervisors.
Architects should take their blueprints with them to the site.

Dear all;
I would like introduce myself- My name Le Ngo - is a new comer.
I want to make friend with everybody.
English is very important for communicate and life, so I not well.
PLs help me. Thanks
Best regard

Chào bạn lengo,
Trang đã chuyển bài của bạn vào đây. Bạn vào check nhé:
SEC ONLINE MEMBER- Set title here (Warmly Welcome New Friends: minhzo, Jolly214, rubychand, thedotnetman, Jolly214, rubychand and vinhvn227) hoặc vào đây: http://www1.ttvnol.com/forum/sec/60989/trang-36.ttvn
Welcome you to SEC. Mong bạn sẽ có những giây phút vui vẻ trong SEC .
Được TrnHo sửa chữa / chuyển vào 12:29 ngày 18/10/2006

Misused and Confusing Words
PURPOSE
Business and technical writing must be accurate. To achieve accuracy, writers must choose their words carefully.
Sometimes, words are used incorrectly because they sound similar or are spelled in a similar way. The following list provides examples of some of these words. It also lists words that are commonly misused because of confusion about their correct meaning.
ability, capacity:
- Ability means having the skill or power to do something. For example: He has the ability to write source code quickly and accurately, even when working under tight deadlines.
- Capacity is a measure of content or the ability to receive, hold or store. For example: He has a great capacity for learning. The storage tank has a capacity of 1,000 gallons.
accept, except:
- Accept means to agree with or receive willingly. For example: I accept your recommendations.
- Except means excluding. For example: The sales tax is applied to everything except food and clothing.
affect, effect:
- Affect (verb) means to influence or change. For example: I hope the staff cuts wonâ?Tt affect you.
- Effect (verb) means to bring about. For example: The new supervisor effected several changes in the department.
- Effect (noun) also means result. For example: The new procedure should have the desired effect.
aggravate, annoy:
- Aggravate means to make worse. It is not a synonym for irritate or annoy.
- Annoy means to irritate or pester. Irritate means to cause impatience, anger or displeasure.
alternate, alternative:
- Alternate means one after the other in series. For example: John and his partner work alternate weekends.
- An alternative is a choice between two or more possibilities. For example: The team evaluated the three alternative plant sites and selected the one closest to the airport.
Among, between:
- Among is usually used to express relationships between three or more things or people. For example: The money raised was distributed among several local charities. The lawyer recognized several of his friends among the throng outside the courthouse.
- Between is usually used to express the relationship between one thing and another. For example: The budget was divided between equipment and staff costs. The staff found it difficult to choose between the two database programs.
- Between is also used to express the relationship between one thing and many others if they are individually and collectively united, or if a comparison is involved. For example: A treaty between the four countries was signed last week. Between the six of us, we raised $1,200 for charity last year. She had to choose between IBM, Compaq, Packard Bell or Dell PCs.
and/or:
- This is an awkward, confusing, ambiguous and often wrong shortcut. Donâ?Tt use it. In most cases, or alone can be substituted. If not, reword the sentence to get rid of the and/or construction.
anxious, eager:
- Anxious means worried or troubled about something. For example: the accountant was anxious about the effect the new tax regulations might have on the projectâ?Ts capital expen***ures.
- Eager means to look forward to something. For example: The manager was eager for the new office furniture to arrive.

compliment, complement:
- Compliment indicates flattery. For example: He complimented her on her command of the language.
- Complement refers to the completing of something. For example: His drafting skills complemented the design team perfectly.
continual, continuous:
- Continual means a repetitive, frequent action. For example: The secretary was continually interrupted by the phone.
- Continuous means uninterrupted from the beginning to the end. For example: During the power cut, the emergency generator ran continuously for 18 hours.
data:
- Data is the plural form of datum. However, datum is almost never used nowadays. Data is also a noun which is synonymous with information. In this case, data takes a singular verb and singular modifiers and is referred to by a singular pronoun (it).
- Data are is grammatically correct when referring to several distinct sets of facts. For example: The data collected in the eight regional surveys are now being correlated and analyzed.
- Data is is grammatically correct when data is means information. For example: The data in this manual is out of date.
diarize:
- There is no such word as diarize, despite its popularity in some professions. The use of diarize is unacceptable in business or technical writing. People who diarize probably also priorize, not realizing that this horrifies.
different from, different than:
- Different from is used with a noun or a pronoun. For example: My office chair is different from Paulâ?Ts
- Different than introduces a clause. For example: The career opportunities for computer programmers are different now than they used to be.
disinterested, uninterested:
- Disinterested means impartial. For example: The judge listened to the evidence disinterestedly.
- Uninterested means having no interest or concern. For example: Susan is uninterested in the new computer system.
due to:
- Due to means attributable to. It is not a synonym for because of. For example: Walter?Ts promotion was due to his dedication and hard work.
- Due to also means required, expected or scheduled. For example: The rent is due on the first of the month. The bus is due to arrive.

each other, one another:
- Each other refers to two. For example: Bob and Bill treat each other to lunch occasionally.
- One another refers to three or more. Susan, Maggie and Jane seemed to hit it off with one another last night.
e.g., i.e.:
- The abbreviation e.g. stands for for example or for instance. For example: He ordered office supplies, e.g., paper, pens and rubber bands. Avoid using e.g. Use the full term for example instead.
- The abbreviation i.e. stands for that is not namely and introduces an explanation or definition of whatâ?Ts been said. For example: The manager discussed the compensation program with them, i.e., he provided details of the salary and benefit changes. Avoid using i.e. Use the full term that is instead. Better still, rewrite the text preceding it, to avoid having to say the same thing again in different words.
- When they are used to introduce examples, both e.g. and i.e. are preceded and followed by commas.
enquiry, inquiry:
- Enquiry means to ask for information. For example: The manager made an enquiry about the new schedule.
- Inquiry refers to an investigation. For example: The official inquiry revealed that the lack of safety equipment was a contributing factor in the accident.
ensure, insure, assure:
- Ensure means to make sure or certain. For example: Check the contracts carefully to ensure that they are complete and accurate.
- Insure means to take out an insurance policy. For example: David decided to insure his PC and printer after some computer equipment was stolen from the house next door.
- Assure means to remove worry or uncertainty. For example: He assured his boss that the design specifications would be ready by Friday.

thank you very much. I do not know the others but for me it is useful!
Thanks

farther, further:
- Farther refers to physical distance. For example: The new factory is farther away from the airport than the old ones.
- Further refers to degree or extent. For example: Further research is needed to pinpoint the problem.

former, latter:
- Avoid using these words. They almost invariably cause readers extra work and create confusion.
- Former refers to the first of two things previously mentioned.
- Latter refers to the last of two things mentioned.
- Repeat words or rewrite the sentence, if necessary, to avoid using former or latter. Readers usually have to re-read the material to see what is being referred to.

hopefully:
- Hopefully means full of hope or with hope. It does not mean I hope or you hope, although it is often used that way in conversation. For example, writing, â?oHopefully, Bill will sign the contract.â? tells the reader that Bill will be full of hope when he signs the contract. If you mean â?oI hope that Bill will sign the contract,â? write it that way.
imply, infer:
- One way to avoid confusion about imply and infer is to keep in mind that a speaker or writer implies and a listener or reader infers.
- Imply means *****ggest or hint at something. For example: His remarks implied that he was dissatisfied with the contractorâ?Ts work.
- Infer means to draw a conclusion about something on the basis of a suggestion or hint. For example: I inferred from his remarks that he wouldnâ?Tt hire the same contractor again.
irregardless:
- This is a nonstandard word that is unacceptable in business or technical writing. Use regardless or irrespective instead. For example: Regardless of what he thinks, he will have to implement the environmental policy. Irrespective of your concerns, the safety policy must be implemented now.
its, itâ?Ts:
- Its is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to it. For example: He looked at the dragline for a long time, studying its design intently.
- Itâ?Ts is the contraction for it is. For example: Itâ?Ts too hot in here with the windows closed.
like, as if:
- Like means similar to and should be followed by a noun or a noun phrase. For example: Conrad looks like his brother John.
- Donâ?Tt use like as a conjunction introducing a clause. In such cases, use as or as if. For example: It doesnâ?Tt look as if Gary will finish the drafting today.