Week 4, Chapter 4: Revising and Proofreading

As you go about your usual business this week, keep your eyes open for errors in spelling, grammar and/or punctuation. What did you find, what is the error, what would be correct, and where did you see it? For example, last winter I was at a professional development seminar. The speaker had a slide with two incorrect apostrophes in the same phrase. The phrase as written on the slide was “plaintiffs attorney’s.” Because the plaintiffs possess the attorneys and both nouns are plural, the phrase should have been written, “plaintiffs’ attorneys.”

Week 3, Chapter 3: Improving Writing Techniques

Many people now believe that writing skills have declined in America. 1. Explain why you agree or why you disagree with that statement. 2. Give examples to support your view. 3. Provide suggestions for what can be done to improve writing (if you agree with the statement) or suggestions for what can be done to continue the situation (if you believe writing skills are satisfactory in America).

Week 2, Chapter 2: Planning Business Messages

Your textbook author identifies the first phase in the writing process as the prewriting phase. This phase has three tasks: analyzing your audience, anticipating their reaction, and adapting to their needs.

Think of a message in your personal or professional life that you may write in the next few weeks. Explain how you will analyze your audience and anticipate your audience’s needs. Discuss how you will adapt your message based on the results. If you do not anticipate writing a message in the near future, then create an imaginary situation to use in this blog assignment.

Week 1: Virtual Introductions

Between now and 5 p.m. Friday, April 10, enter a comment on this post. In your comment, briefly introduce yourself: your full name, your job (currently or the one you’d like in the future), your program in school, and anything else you would like your instructor and classmates to know about you. See the instructions on the right side of the screen if you are new to blogging.

For this week only, you will receive five points for participation. The goal is to be sure you are registered and able to participate on this blog before the formal blogging assignments begin in Week 2 (April 13 through 17). Once the formal assignments begin, you will be able to earn up to 10 points depending on the quality of your response. Feel free to scroll down and click on "archives" to see what other students in previous classes have written.