http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/2007/04/strengthening-writing.html Management, especially good management, is hard to do. This blog is for people who want to think about how they manage people, projects, and risk. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:56:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/2007/04/strengthening-writing.html/comment-page-1#comment-567 lb Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:01:56 +0000 http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/?p=7980#comment-567 nice article. i love how you struck out the weak and indirect words. my favourite words to kill are any that end with "-ly". nice article. i love how you struck out the weak and indirect words.
my favourite words to kill are any that end with “-ly”.

]]> http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/2007/04/strengthening-writing.html/comment-page-1#comment-566 Chuck Anastasia Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:02:28 +0000 http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/?p=7980#comment-566 I just completed a 16 session intensive course on "Mastering English Grammer and Punctuation." I'm a native English speaker and thought I was a good writer. The course was hard work; it reminded me how much I had forgotten, and my writing improved significantly. I recommend grammar girl at http://grammar.qdnow.com/ . Regards, I just completed a 16 session intensive course on “Mastering English Grammer and Punctuation.” I’m a native English speaker and thought I was a good writer. The course was hard work; it reminded me how much I had forgotten, and my writing improved significantly.
I recommend grammar girl at http://grammar.qdnow.com/ .
Regards,

]]> http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/2007/04/strengthening-writing.html/comment-page-1#comment-565 Frank Schophuizen Fri, 13 Apr 2007 11:02:18 +0000 http://jrothman.com/blog/mpd/?p=7980#comment-565 I have struggled with the same. My words are "And", "But", "So","Now", "Therefore" and many more. (But) I am not an native English speaker, or writer. My fear is to break the flow of reading, making text "square", not fluid. Your examples illustrate the opposite. Instead of disrupting the flow, those extra words seem like someone is talking without taking a breath between the sentences. As a listener you get out of breath listening. Removing those words is like adding bars to music: it structures the blur of sound. (But) Reviewing ones own writing may be a natural thing for bookwriters (and article writers), but engineers are more interested in the information content than the information format. How can we teach technical people to be/become more considerate about the reader of their writing? I have struggled with the same. My words are “And”, “But”, “So”,”Now”, “Therefore” and many more.
(But) I am not an native English speaker, or writer. My fear is to break the flow of reading, making text “square”, not fluid.
Your examples illustrate the opposite. Instead of disrupting the flow, those extra words seem like someone is talking without taking a breath between the sentences. As a listener you get out of breath listening. Removing those words is like adding bars to music: it structures the blur of sound.
(But) Reviewing ones own writing may be a natural thing for bookwriters (and article writers), but engineers are more interested in the information content than the information format. How can we teach technical people to be/become more considerate about the reader of their writing?

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