Improve Your Communication Skills, 2nd Edition

155 Putting it in Writing
Sentence construction 
Sentences express ideas. They will express your ideas more 
strongly if they are constructed sturdily. Sentences are weaker 
when they are too long or poorly built. Aim always in your 
sentences to say what you mean 
and no more
. 
Follow the ‘15–25’ rule. Message sentences, topic sentences 
and other sentences expressing big ideas should never exceed
15 words. All other sentences should remain within 25 words 
long. 
Strengthen sentences by: 
• cutting long sentences into separate sentences; 
• separating multiple sentences; 
• rebuilding complicated sentences; 
• making non-sentences grammatically correct; 
• finding strong subjects and verbs. 
We are now examining the business case for buying a back-up 
server. This could: 
• minimise potential down-time; 
• minimise operational risk; 
• also be used for system testing. 
A decision is needed by the end of March to avoid extra hire 
costs or the loss of the rented machine. 
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

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156 Improve your Communication Skills
Editing words 
English has a huge vocabulary. One of the main reasons is that 
the language is a hybrid; many ideas can be expressed with two or 
three words. Maybe for this reason more than any other, plain 
English has grown up as a way of helping us to choose the best 
words for our needs. 
Editing a long sentence 
It was originally planned that data conversion and 
implementation across the remaining business areas would 
follow at the end of September 2008, but following a variety of 
problems, considerable scope drift, changes of personnel on the 
project team and several amendments to the timetable, 
conversion did not take place until 1 April 2009 and some users 
were still using parts of the old system until it was finally 
disconnected in July 2009. 
This is easily improved by cutting the sentence at the 
conjunctions – but, and – and using a vertical list: 
The project team originally planned to convert data and 
implement the system in remaining business areas at the end 
of September 2008. However, conversion was delayed by 
changes in: 
• the scope of the project; 
• personnel on the project team; 
• the timetable. 
The system was finally converted on 1 April 2009. Some users 
continued to use parts of the old system until it was 
disconnected in July 2009.
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

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