Chapter 06 - Aplia Assignment
1. Routine Messages: E-mails, Memos, and Letters
Written communications fall into two categories: paper-based and electronic. Which of the following
are paper-based messages? Check all that apply.
E-mails
Instant messages
Interoffice memos
Business letters
Points:
1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
Paper-based communication channels include business letters and interoffice memos. Electronic
communication channels include e-mail, instant messages, text messages, podcasts, blogs, and wikis.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
A(n)business letter is usually the best channel to use when you need to communicate outside
your organization, to keep a permanent record, and to maintain confidentiality.
Points:
1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
A business letter is the best channel to choose for messages sent outside the organization when a
permanent record is necessary, confidentiality is important, sensitivity and formality are essential, and
when you need to make a persuasive, professional presentation.
Business letters are a primary channel of communication for delivering messages to recipients outside
of an organization. They are powerful tools that can project a positive image of your company,
encourage product feedback, and promote future business.
When are business letters necessary? Check all that apply.
What the Heck Is Parallel Structure?
Poor little parallel structure. This important grammatical feature is essential for creating clarity in your messaging. Yet, rarely does anyone actually learn to how to use it — or know that parallel structure even exists!
Parallel structure is especially helpful when sharing lists of items by — yep, you guessed it — creating parallelism in your syntax.
Why does this matter?
Our brain inherently looks for patterns. In managing the gobs of information humans take in every day, our brain seeks patterns to provide quicker understanding and clarity. So, when you create parallelism, you are pleasing our brain’s desire for easier information processing.
To illustrate what I mean, below is a list of items not using parallel structure.
Today, my to-do list includes:
- Buying dog food
- Office supply store – printer ink for work
- Next, call the dry cleaner to check on the status of my clothes.
- 5:00 pm civic association meeting to request signatures, need to attend
- Gym membership renewal
How was reading that list? While I’m sure you were able to take-away all the “to dos,” I bet reading them wasn’t a breeze. More than likely, you were incredibly aware that you were reading and had to go more slowly through the bullets.
Now, let’s rewrite that list. This time, we’ll use parallel structure.
Today, my to-do list includes:
- Buying dog food
- Ordering printer ink
- Calling dry cleaner
- Attending civic association meeting
- Renewing gym membership
How was reading that list? Definitely more of a fluid experience.
The reason the first list is clunky and the second one fluid is due to the patterns I created within each bulleted item. You’ll notice that with parallelism, each bullet starts with a present-progressive verb, or a verb ending in –ing. From there, each noun we list is singular (rather than saying dry cleaners, civic associations, gym memberships). Also, no article — such as a, an, the — proceeds the nouns.
By repeating this same structure in each bullet, I’ve created parallelism and helped our brains predict and prepare for the information we’re receiving.
You can create parallel structure even if you’re not using bullets.
Here’s a list embedded in a sentence, not using parallelism:
After work, he enjoys working out at the gym, happy hour, and is a political research junkie.
And here’s the same statement, using parallelism:
After work, he enjoys working out at the gym, meeting for happy hour, and reading political research.
Boom! By starting each listed item with the same type of verb, we’ve created patterns and supported readability within even the body of a sentence.
So, as you write lists in your content, whether bulleted or embedded (though we encourage you to avoid embedding lengthy or complex lists), always remember to check your parallel structure. Not only will your writing be grammatically correct, you’ll write more clearly and encourage readers to process, understand, and act.
Author: Zuula
//www.zuulaconsulting.com
Verbal Branding . Plain Language . Content Strategy . Writing Coaching . WordCraft® Team Building Create clear, compelling content.