4 C’s of Writing
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The primary goal of all communication is receiver
– reader understanding.
To achieve this goal, writers apply the
writing:
– clarity,
– conciseness,
– completeness, and
– correctness.
4 C’s of
Conciseness – Limit repetition
ORIGINAL:
Johan Erickson was office manager for Ador and Smith
from June 11, 1995, until February 27, 1998. Johan
Erickson was efficient and effective. Johan Erickson
worked well with the employees he supervised and
scheduled the work of the employees he supervised to
assure prompt, correct completion of the tasks assigned
to the employees.
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Clarity is achieved when
– the reader understands a message
– as the writer intended.
REVISION:
Johan Erickson was office manager for Ador and
Smith from June 11, 1995, until February 27,
1998. Johan was efficient and effective. He
worked well with the employees he supervised and
scheduled their work to assure prompt, correct
completion of the tasks assigned to them.
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Word choice and coherence affect clarity
Conciseness – Eliminate excess words
Clarity
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Clarity – Word Choice
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Choose short, familiar words your reader will
understand.
Clear words are often called “talk” words
– Used in day-to-day speaking.
Clarity - Coherence
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Clear messages need to be coherent.
– Flow naturally
– Related to each other.
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Transitional words and phrases help make
messages coherent.
– Use transitional words and phrases as
bridges to join ideas.
WORDY:
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There are three people who can
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at the time we were meeting
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move up to Canada
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combine together
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in the vicinity of
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send back
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at the present time
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due to the fact that
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the meeting on May 10
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Concise messages
– Present the necessary information.
– Express in the fewest words possible.
The key to being brief, concise, effective
– Make every word count.
– Limit repetition
– Eliminate excess words
– Use active verbs.
Conciseness – Limit repetition
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You can reduce repetition by:
Using a shortened form of a noun.
Using a pronoun in place of a noun.
CONCISE:
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Three people can
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while we met
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move to Canada
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combine
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near
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return
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now
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because
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the May 10
meeting
Conciseness – Use active verbs
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Active verbs create messages that are concise,
direct, and forceful.
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Active verbs perform an action (i.e., think, choose,
planted, indicated).
Conciseness
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A word is excess if it is not needed for correct
grammar or clear meaning.
Examples: Active –Inactive Verbs
EXAMPLES
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Active verb: The members elected Carlos
Esteban.
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Passive verb: Carlos Esteban was elected by the
members.
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Avoid passive or inactive verbs, such as is, was,
were, has, have, be, been.
Completeness
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A message is complete
– when all information necessary for a reader
to understand it is included.
What information is “necessary”
– depends on the writing situation.
Be sure you have asked and answered–
– who? what? when? where? why? and how?
questions.
Correctness
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Writing is correct when content and mechanics are
accurate.
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Grammar and punctuation errors can affect
meaning and create a poor impression of writers.
Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
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Seek someone’s help to make sure your writing is
correct.
Correctness
Three steps to do after you complete a draft of your
writing:
1. Revise the draft by checking the content for
completeness.
2. Edit the draft to correct grammar, punctuation,
or spelling problems.
3. Proofread the draft aloud to yourself to catch
errors such as missing words or unclear
sentences.
What you write says A LOT!
What you write and how you write are very
important.
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Revise, edit, and proofread your writing.
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You MUST take the time to revise, edit, and
proofread your writing at least three times!