Unit 4
Language and Writing Skills
Account = A record of a business transaction. A contract arrangement, written or unwritten, to purchase and take delivery with payment to be made later as arranged.
Advertising – The practice of bringing to the public’s notice the good qualities of something in order to induce the public to buy or invest in it.
Agent – A person who is authorized to act for or represent another person in dealing with a third party.
Annual Report – The yearly report made by a company at the close of the fiscal year,
Appraisal – Evaluation of a specific piece of personal or real property. The value placed on the property evaluated.
Assets – Anything of worth that is owned. Accounts receivable are an asset.
Audit – An examination of accounting documents and of supporting evidence for the purpose of reaching an informed opinion concerning their propriety.
Back Office – The administrative staff of a company who do not have face-to-face contact
Bad Debts – Money owed to you that cannot be collected.
Balance Sheet – An itemized statement that lists the total assets and total liabilities of a given business to portray its net worth at a given moment in time.
Bankruptcy – The condition of being unable to pay debts, with liabilities greater than assets.
Banner Advertising – The use of rectangular advertisements or logos across the width of a page on a Web site.
Banner Exchange – It is an advertising program in which one merchant induces others to place his or her banners and buttons on their Web sites in return for similarly displaying theirs.
Bar Coding – The process of attaching a machine-readable code to a product, package, container, or sub-assembly, and using a scanner to relate its location to the product characteristics.
Barren Money – Money that is unproductive because it is not invested.
Benchmarking – Rating your company’s products, services and practices against those of the front-runners in the industry.
Bearish – Relating to unfavourable business conditions or selling activity in anticipation of falling prices.
Bear Market – A market in which prices are falling and in which a dealer is more likely to sell securities than to buy them.
Bill of Entry – A statement of the nature and value of goods to be imported or exported prepared by the shipper and presented to a customhouse.
Bill of Lading – A statement of the nature and value of goods being transported, especially by ship, along with the conditions applying to their transportation. Drawn up by the carrier, this document serves as a contract between the owner of the goods and the carrier.
Bill of Sale – Formal legal document that conveys title to or interest in specific property from the seller to the buyer.
Black market – An illegal market, usually for goods that are in short supply Black market trading breaks government regulations or legislation and is particularly prevalent during times of shortage, such as rationing, or in industries that are very highly regulated, such as pharmaceuticals or armaments.
Bookkeeping – The process of recording business transactions into the accounting records. The “books” are the documents in which the records of transactions are kept.
Break-even – The point of business activity when total revenue equals total expenses. Above the break-even point, the business is making a profit. Below the break-even point, the business is incurring a loss.
Budget – An estimate of the income and expenditures for a future period of time, usually one
Business Venture – Taking financial risks in a commercial enterprise.
Capital (Finance, Banking and Accounting) – Money available to invest or the total of accumulated assets available for production.
Cash Discount – A deduction that is given for prompt payment of a bill.
Cash Flow – The actual movement of cash within a business; the analysis of how much cash is needed and when that money is required by a business within a period of time
Collateral – Property or goods used as security against a loan and forfeited to the lender if the borrower defaults.
Commission – A percentage of the principal or of the income that an agent receives as
Contract – An agreement regarding mutual responsibilities between two or more parties.
Credit – Another word for debt. Credit is given to customers when they are allowed to make a purchase with the promise to pay later. A bank gives credit when it lends money.
Current Assets – Valuable resources or property owned by a company that will be turned into cash within one year or used up in the operations of the company within one year. Generally includes cash, accounts receivable, inventory and prepaid expenses.
Current Liabilities – Amounts owned that will ordinarily be paid by a company within one year. Generally includes accounts payable, current portion of long-term debt, interest and dividends payable.
Debt – That which is owed. Debt refers to borrowed funds and is generally secured by collateral or a co-signer.
Deficit – The excess of liabilities over assets; a negative net worth.
Deflation – A reduction in the general level of prices sustained over several months, usually accompanied by declining employment and output.
Depreciation – A decrease in value through age, wear or deterioration. Depreciation is a normal expense of doing business that must be taken into account. There are laws and regulations governing the manner and time periods that may be used for depreciation.
Desktop Publishing: Commonly used term for computer-generated printed materials such as newsletters and brochures.
Discount – A deduction from the stated or list price of a product or service in relation to the standard price. A discount is a selling technique to encourage customers to buy and is offered for a variety of reasons: for buying in quantity or for repeat buying; as a special offer to move a slow-moving line or for paying by cash, etc.
Distribution Channel – All of the individuals and organizations involved in the process of moving products from producer to consumer. The route a product follows as it moves from the original grower, producer or importer to the ultimate consumer.
Distributor – Middleman, wholesaler, agent or company distributing goods to dealers or
Downsize – Term currently used to indicate employee reassignment, layoffs and restructuring in order to make a business more competitive, efficient, and/or cost-effective.
E-business – It is the conduct of business on the Internet, including the electronic purchasing and selling of goods and services, servicing customers, and communications with business partners.
E-Commerce – ecommerce comes from the phrase “Electronic Commerce”, which basically means selling things over the Internet. It refers to the exchange of goods, information products, or services via an electronic medium such as the Internet.
Enterprise – A venture characterized by innovation, creativity, dynamism, and risk. An enterprise can consist of one project, or may refer to an entire organization.
Entrepreneur = An innovator of business enterprise who recognizes opportunities to introduce a new product, a new process or an improved organization, and who raises the necessary money, assembles the factors for production and organizes an operation to exploit the opportunity.
Equity – A financial investment in a business. An equity investment carries with it a share of ownership of the business, a stake in the profits and a say in how it is managed. Equity is calculated by subtracting the liabilities of the business from the assets of the business.
Excise Duty – A tax on goods such as alcohol or tobacco produced and sold within a particular country.
Feasibility Study – An investigation into a proposed plan or project to determine whether and how it can be successfully and profitably carried out
Feedback – The communication of responses and reactions to proposals and changes or to the findings of performance appraisals with the aim of enabling improvements to be made.
Fiscal – Relating to financial matters, especially in respect to government collection, use. And regulation of money through taxation
Fixed Asset – A long term asset of a business such as a machine or building that will not usually be traded
Floating Rate – An interest rate that is not fixed and which changes according to fluctuations
Forward Pricing – The establishment of the price of a share in a mutual fund based on the next asset valuation.
Forward Rate – An estimate of what an interest rate will be at a specified future time.
Franchise – An agreement enabling a third party to sell or provide products or services owned by a manufacturer or supplier. The franchise is regulated by a franchise contract, or franchise agreement, that specifies the terms and conditions of the franchise.
Franchise Chain – A number of retail outlets operating the same franchise a franchise chain may vary in size from a few to many thousands of outlets and in coverage from a small local area to worldwide.
Fraud – The use of dishonesty, deception. Or false representation in order to gain a material advantage or to injure the interest of others.
Freebie – A product or service that is given away, often as a business promotion.
Free Enterprise – The trade carried on in a free-market economy, where resources are allocated on the basis of supply and demand.
Free Market – A market in which supply and demand are unregulated except by the country’s competition policy, and rights in physical and intellectual property are upheld.
Gap Analysis (Marketing) – A marketing technique used to identify gaps in market or product coverage. In gap analysis, consumer information or requirements are tabulated and matched to product categories in order to identify product or service opportunities or gaps in product planning.
Gateway (Internet and ecommerce) = A point where two or more computer networks meet and can exchange data.
GDP – Gross domestic product, the total flow of services and goods produced by an economy over a quarter or a year, measured by the aggregate value of services and goods at market prices.
GNP – Gross National Product, GDP plus domestic resident’s income from investment abroad less income earned in the domestic market accruing to non-citizens abroad.
Guerrilla Marketing (Marketing) – A marketing technique, the aim of which is to damage the market share of competitors.
Hedge Fund (Finance, Banking and Accounting) – A mutual fund that takes considerable risks, including heavy investment in unconventional instruments, in the hope of generating great profits
High End – Relating to the most expensive, most advanced, or most powerful in a range of things, for example, computers.
Holding Company – A parent organization that owns and controls other companies.
Income Tax – A tax levied directly on the income of a person or a company and paid to the local, state, or federal government.
Inflation – A sustained increase in a country’s general level of prices that devalues its currency, often caused by excess demand in the economy.
Insolvency – The inability to pay debts when they become due. Insolvency will apply even if total assets exceed total liabilities, if those assets cannot be readily converted into cash to meet debts as they mature. Even then, insolvency may not necessarily mean business failure. Bankruptcy may be avoided through debt rescheduling or turnaround management.
Income Statement – A financial document that shows how much money (revenue) came in and how much money (expense) was paid out.
Insurance – An arrangement in which individuals or companies pay another company to guarantee them compensation if they suffer loss resulting from risks such as fire, theft, or accidental damage.
Intellectual Property – The ownership of rights to ideas, designs, and inventions, including copyrights, patents, and trademarks Intellectual property is protected by law in most countries, and the World Intellectual Property Organization is responsible for harmonizing the law across different countries and promoting protection of intellectual property rights.
Inventory – A list of assets being held for sale, the stock of finished goods, raw materials, and work in progress held by a company.
Investment – The spending money on stocks, shares, and other securities, or on assets such as plant and machinery.
Invoice – A document that a supplier sends to a customer detailing the cost of products or services supplied and requesting payment
Joint Account – An account, for example, one held at a bank or by a broker, that two or more people own in common and have access to.
Joint Ownership – Ownership by more than one party, each with equal rights in the item owned. Joint ownership is often applied to property or other assets.
Lapse = the termination of an option without trade in the underlying security or commodity.
Liability – A debt that has no claim on a debtor’s assets or less claim than another debt.
License = A contractual arrangement, or a document representing this, in which one organization gives another the rights to produce, sell, or use something in return for payment.
Liquid Assets – Financial assets that can be quickly converted to cash
Macroeconomics – The branch of economics that studies national income and the economic systems of national economies.
Market Analysis – The study of a market to identify and quantify business opportunities.
Market Development – Marketing activities designed to increase the overall size of a market through education and awareness.
Market Demand – Total volume purchased in a specific geographic area by a specific customer group in a specified time period under a specified marketing program.
Market Forecast – An anticipated demand that results from a planned marketing expenditure.
Marketing – One of the main management disciplines, encompassing all the strategic planning, operations, activities, and processes involved in achieving organizational objectives by delivering value to customers. Marketing management focuses on satisfying customer requirements by identifying needs and wants.
Merchandise – Goods bought and sold in a business. “Merchandise” or stock is a part of inventory.
Micro business – An owner-operated business with few employees and less than $250,000 in annual sales.
Micromarketing – Marketing to individuals or very small groups.
Middleman – A person or company that performs functions or renders services involved in the purchase and/or sale of goods in their flow from producer to consumer
Negotiation – A discussion with the aim of resolving a difference of opinion, or dispute, or to settle the terms of an agreement or transaction.
Net assets – The amount by which the value of a company’s assets exceeds its liabilities
Net capital – The amount by which assets exceed the value of assets not easily converted to cash.
Order – A contract made between a customer and a supplier for the supply of a range of goods or services in a determined quantity and quality, at an agreed price, and for delivery at or by a specified time.
Overdraft – The amount by which the money withdrawn from a bank account exceeds the balance of the account.
Overhead – A general term for costs of materials and services not directly adding to or readily identifiable with the product or service being sold.
Partnership – A legal business relationship of two or more people who share responsibilities, resources, profits and liabilities.
Payable – Ready to be paid. One of the standard accounts kept by a bookkeeper is “accounts payable.” This is a list of those bills that are current and due to be paid.
Payment Gateway – A company or organization that provides an interface between merchant’s point-of-sale system, acquirer payment systems, and issuer payment systems.
Payment-in-kind – It is an alternative form of pay given to employees in place of monetary reward but considered to be of equivalent value. A payment in kind takes the form of a car, purchase of goods at cost price, or other nonfinancial exchange that benefits an employee.
Performance Appraisal – A face-to-face discussion in which one employee’s work is discussed, reviewed, and appraised by another, using an agreed and understood framework.
Poaching – The practice of recruiting people from other companies by offering inducements.
Point of Purchase – The place at which a product is purchased by the customer The point of sale can be a retail outlet, a display case, or even a legal business relationship of two or more people who share responsibilities, resources, profits and liabilities.
Postdate – To put a later date on a document or check than the date when it is signed, with the effect that it is not valid until the later date.
Prepayment Penalty – A charge that may be levied against somebody who makes a payment before its due date the penalty compensates the lender or seller for potential lost interest.
Price – The exchange value of a product or service from the perspective of both the buyer and the seller.
Price Ceiling – The highest amount a customer will pay for a product or a service based upon perceived value.
Price Control – Government regulations that set maximum prices for commodities or control price levels by credit controls.
Principal – The amount of money borrowed in a debt agreement and the amount upon which interest is calculated.
Probability – The quantitative measure of the likelihood that a given event will occur.
Probation – A trial period in the first months of employment when the employer checks the
Profit and Loss Statement – A list of the total amount of sales (revenues) and total costs (expenses) the difference between revenues and expenses is your profit or loss.
Pro-forma –It is a projection or estimate of what may result in the future from actions in the present. A pro forma financial statement is one that shows how the actual operations of the business will turn out if certain assumptions are achieved.; a document issued before all relevant details are known, usually followed by a final version.
Pro-forma Invoice – An invoice that does not include all the details of a transaction, often sent before goods are supplied and followed by a final detailed invoice.
Promotional Pricing – Temporarily pricing a product or service below list price or below cost in order to attract customers.
Publicity – Any non-paid, news-oriented presentation of a product, service or business entity in a mass media format.
Rate of Interest – A percentage charged on a loan or paid on an investment for the use of the money.
Rate of Return – An accounting ratio of the income from investment to the amount of investment, used to measure financial performance.
Ratio – The relationship of one thing to another. A “ratio” is a short-cut way of comparing things, which can be expressed as numbers or degrees.
Rebating – A sales promotion technique in which the customer is offered a rebate for reaching volume targets.
Recession – A stage of the business cycle in which economic activity is in slow decline. Recession usually follows a boom, and precedes a depression. It is characterized by rising unemployment and falling levels of output and investment.
Redemption – The purchase by a company of its own shares from shareholders.
Retailing – Businesses and individuals engaged in the activity of selling products to final consumers.
Revenue – Total sales during a stated period.
Salary – A form of pay given to employees at regular intervals in exchange of the work they have done.
Sales – The activity of selling a company’s products or services, the income generated by this, or the department that deals with selling.
Sales Channel – A means of distributing products to the marketplace, either directly to the end costumer, or indirectly through intermediaries such as retailers or dealers.
Sales Force – A group of sales people or sales representatives responsible for the sales of either a single product or the entire range of an organization’s products.
Sales Outlet – A company’s office that deals with customers in a particular region or country
Sales Promotion – Activities, usually short-term, designed to attract attention to a particular product and to increase its sales using advertising and publicity.
Sales Quota – A target set for the sales force stating the number and range of products or services that should be sold.
Sample – A limited portion of the whole of a group.
Security – Collateral that is promised to a lender as protection in case the borrower defaults on a loan.
Service Charge – A gratuity usually paid in restaurants and hotels; a fee for any service provided, or additional fee for any enhancements to an existing service.
Share – One of the equal parts into which the ownership of a corporation is divided. A “share” represents part ownership in a corporation.
Stock – An ownership share in a corporation; another name for a share. Another definition would be accumulated merchandise.
Suppliers – Individuals or businesses that provide resources needed by a company in order to produce goods and services.
Take-home Pay – The amount of pay an employee receives after all the deductions, such as income tax, social security, or pension, contributions.
Takeover – The acquisition of one company by another.
Target market – The specific individuals distinguished by socio-economic, demographic and interest characteristics, who are the most likely potential customers for the goods and services of a business.
Tariff – A government duty imposed on imports or exports to stimulate or dampen economic activity.
Tax – A governmental charge that is not a price for a good or service
Taxable – Subject to tax.
Tax Incentive – A tax reduction afforded to people for particular purposes, for example, sending their children to college
Tax Refund – An amount that a government gives back to a taxpayer who has paid more taxes than were due
Tax Return – An official form on which a company or individual enters details of income and expenses, used to assess tax liability.
Tax subsidy – A tax reduction that a government gives a business for a particular purpose, usually to create jobs
Telemarketing – Marketing goods or services directly to the consumer via the telephone.
Telephone Survey – A research technique in which members of the public are asked a series of questions on the telephone
Tender – To make or submit a bid to undertake work or supply goods at a stated price A tender is usually submitted in response to an invitation to bid for a work contract in competition with other suppliers.
Value added – Originally, the difference between the cost of bought-in materials and the eventual selling price of the finished product
Value-added tax – A tax added at each stage in the manufacture of a product. It acts as a replacement for a sales tax in almost every industrialized country outside North America.
Venture capital – Money used to finance new companies or projects, especially those with high earning potential and high risk.
Vertical Market – A market that is oriented to one particular specialty, for example, plastics manufacturing or transportation engineering
Viral Marketing – The rapid spread of a message about a new product or service in a similar way to the spread of a virus
Virtual Organization – A temporary network of companies, suppliers, customers, or employees, linked by information and communications technologies, with the purpose of delivering a service or product.
Voting rights – The rights that shareholders have to vote on matters affecting a corporation
Wages – A form of pay given to employees in exchange for the work they have done
Web Marketing – The process of creating, developing, and enhancing a Web site in order to increase the number of visits by potential customers
(Source – www.powerhomebiz.com)
A series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all associated with one topic is named Paragraph. Breaking the large sentence essay or topic into smaller pieces in a well-structured form is known as Paragraph. The lines that should include in a paragraph is a minimum of three to five, not more. It includes topic sentences, supporting sentences also as concluding sentences that ask an overall structure, which is a group of sentences that specialize in one topic.
Paragraph writing isn't just expressing your views about the subject in a group of sentences. It's all about structuring ideas in a clear format to make the reader fall in love with the subject and continue their studying till to an end of the subject . While writing paragraphs about any topic, it’s more important to maintain the standard and flow of the paragraph than word count. Paragraphs are often thought of as a ‘unit’ of thought.
Basic Paragraph Format to write down Effective Paragraphs
A paragraph explains one idea intimately and supports the expansion of an overall topic for the essay. Paragraph length will vary based on the aim of the paragraph.
The basic paragraph consists of three parts: a subject sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. This basic paragraph format will assist you to write down and organize one paragraph and transition to subsequent.
Topic Sentence:
Often, the subject/topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph. Also, we will call an introduction sentence of a paragraph. It states the most idea of every paragraph and displays how the thought connects to the thesis or overall focus of the paper. All consequent points presented in the paragraphs must support the subject sentence.
Supporting Details
The supporting sentences explain more about the subject sentence by showing some facts, stats, or examples regarding the subject. It also includes the writer’s experience & own analysis and want to develop the subject sentence. The subsequent are common origins of supporting details:
• Expert Opinion
• Facts and Statistics
• Personal Experiences
• Others’ Experiences
• Brief Stories
• Research Studies
• Your Own Analysis
• Interviews
Concluding Sentence
It is the end of the paragraph which is additionally referred to as final statement about the subject. It ties all ideas given in the paragraph and emphasizes the main idea one last time. In the concluding sentence, the author usually restates their topic sentence or summarizes the main points of the paragraph.
Having knowledge about what are the sort of paragraphs is one among the most essential aspects while writing a paragraph. So, we thought of explaining a bit about paragraph writing types is a must. Okay, let’s start about it.
There are four sorts of paragraphs that you need to know about: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive. If you have a quick search on the web then you'll found other types too but to form your paragraph simple and succinct, it’s a good idea to check just these four.
1. Descriptive kind of Paragraph: This paragraph type describes the topic and displays the reader what’s the subject included in it. The terms selected within the description type usually appeal to the five senses of touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste. This sort of paragraph are often more artistic and should vary from grammatical standards.
2. Narrative kind of Paragraph: In simple words, this sort of paragraph narrates a story that has a sequence of topic sentences sort of a clear start, middle of the subject , an end to the paragraph.
3. Expository kind of Paragraph: It defines something or gives instruction. It's going to also explain a process and influence the reader step by step via a sort of the method. This Expository Para usually needs research, but also it’s possible to believe the writer’s own knowledge and experience.
4. Persuasive kind of Paragraph: this type of paragraph seeks to form the audience to admit a writer’s point of view or know his/her position. Persuasive paragraphs are often employed by the teachers because it's beneficial when building an argument. Also, it makes a writer to research and collects some facts on the subject.
Determining the way to write a good paragraph are often challenging because it demands knowing the way to write a great topic sentence, using supporting details and transitional words, including finding a powerful concluding sentence. In a novel or story, writing a paragraph implies knowing which ideas work mutually and where a new paragraph should start.
Prior knowledge on the way to write a paragraph helps students to place their thoughts collectively in a better way and attract readers’ attention towards the subject . Hence, improve your skills in paragraph writing by practicing various topics using the below mentioned important elements of a paragraph.
1. Topic sentence
• What is the topic sentence? The subject sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.
• What does it do? It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
• How do I write one? Summarize the main idea of your paragraph. Explain what your Paragraph are going to be about.
2. Supporting Details
• What are the supporting sentences? They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph.
• What do they do? They provide details to develop and support the most idea of the paragraph.
• How do I write them? You should give supporting facts, details, and examples
3. Closing Sentence
• What is that the closing sentence? The closing sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph.
• What does it do? It restates the main idea of your paragraph.
• How do I write one? Restate the main idea of the paragraph using different words.
If you follow these three elements properly while writing any paragraphs then your paragraph will be more attractive, interesting to readers So, to practice your paragraph writing skills we have compiled a list of paragraph writing topics on various categories like special events, technology, science, famous & inspiring legends, etc. you'll even directly took our example to frame your own paragraph on the chosen topic. Once, have a glance at the below list of Paragraph writing topics and become an expert in writing new paragraphs on the subject.
Some Useful Transition Words to write a good Paragraph
• To show addition: again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, additionally, within the first place, moreover, next, too
• To give examples: as an example, for instance, in fact, specifically, that is, for instance
• To compare: also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly
• To contrast: although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the opposite hand, still, though, yet
• To summarize or conclude: all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up
• To show time: after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while
• To show place or direction: above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north, etc.)
• To indicate a logical relationship: accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so, then, therefore, thus
Business documents -- like letters, emails, memorandums and reports -- use paragraphs to separate differing types of data, arguments and ideas. Paragraphs written in business format are structured in a formal, professional and well-organized manner. When you're writing a business document, consider how the paragraph will appear on paper, the organization of the paragraph and its placement within the entire document. Be consistent in the way you format your paragraphs. Use concise language and a simple style therefore the reader stays focused on your message.
Block Format
The most common visual format for paragraphs in a business document is that the block format in which the beginning of a paragraph isn't indented. Instead, the whole paragraph is single spaced and left justified, which suggests it's aligned with the paper's left margin. A blank line is inserted after each paragraph to separate it from the next paragraph or element of the document. The semi-block, in which the beginning of every paragraph is indented, is used less often.
Font
Paragraphs in a business document are typed in a traditional font like 12-point Times New Roman. Avoid using unusual fonts that distract from the content of your writing. Use the same font throughout the entire document, apart from headings, which may use a larger font size or be set in a bold typeface.
Paragraph Content
Each paragraph should address one main idea. Introduce the main idea in a general statement in the paragraph's first sentence. Follow this subject sentence with a couple of sentences that support the most idea. These might contain informative details or an argument to defend your idea. Conclude the paragraph with a summary sentence. If a paragraph runs too long, you risk losing the reader’s attention. Instead, organize a long paragraph into two or more smaller paragraphs.
Paragraph Order
A business document, such as a report or letter, begins with a paragraph that introduces the subject of the document. This is often followed by one or more paragraphs that develop the subject. A concluding paragraph summarizes the knowledge you've provided or asks the reader to require a specific action. Forinstance, a letter presenting reasons for an ad campaign might begin with an introductory paragraph proposing the campaign, followed by three paragraphs each detailing a separate reason for the campaign and a concluding paragraph asking the reader to approve the campaign. If the document is lengthy, use headings to separate major sections.
Style
While the tone may be friendly, business documents are written in a formal style. Your writing could be read by individuals other the original recipient and be kept by a company for several years, so avoid personal comments. Keep your writing at a professional level by using gender-neutral language, also as proper grammar and spelling. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Avoid clichés, contractions and slang.
Paragraph Types with Examples
There are four types that are ideally fitted to this genre. Each has different characteristics that’ll work best in several areas of your book, as explained below:
Expository Paragraph Type:
This type is used to inform and educate the reader (however, it’s not meant for you to precise your opinion).
Descriptive Paragraph Type:
This type is employed to paint a picture within the reader’s mind.
Narrative Paragraph Type:
This type is employed to bring the reader along your character’s emotional journey.
Persuasive Paragraph Type:
This type is employed to convince the reader to side with you and your beliefs.
Each one of the four paragraph types fulfils a different purpose:
• The expository paragraph type is used to convey well-researched findings to copy your solution in a way that establishes you as an expert within the reader’s eyes.
• The descriptive paragraph type is used to paint vivid pictures in your reader’s mind of somebody like them, both before and after they apply your solution.
• The narrative paragraph type is employed to take your reader through an emotional journey from problem to solution, as lived by the characters in your case studies.
• The persuasive paragraph type is employed to convince your reader why your solution will be different than the other than they could have tried in the past.
Let’s now check each paragraph type in detail:
Characteristics of the Expository Paragraph Type
The expository paragraph type is used to create your credibility as an expert. You’ll achieve this goal by presenting facts, statistics and other data required to back up your solution.
What is This Paragraph Type not used For?
This paragraph type isn't wont to express your opinion or to influence your reader. Attempt to stay away from “loaded words” that carry a high emotional charge, since they’ll create a conflict with the factual nature of the sort.
Expository Paragraph Example
“The fundamental question of work and leisure raised by Weiss is especially relevant as a generation called Millennial moves firmly into the workforce. i know many Millennial and generally they’re hard-working, passionate young men and women who are wanting to work, but they need to enjoy and draw meaning from their jobs.
Most are sensible enough to possess a day-job to pay the bills, but many have a “side hustle” – a hobby or a business idea into which they pour their passion and hope to one day monetize.
Weiss recognizes this trend in workers, but a stimulating disconnect between Weiss’ article and today is that the discussion of self-employment. Weiss notes that self-employed workers are generally most satisfied even if they earn less, but also makes the observation that self-employment has significantly declined.
In this example the author is using expository paragraphs to present and analyze research findings by a recognized expert within the field.
Characteristics of the Descriptive Paragraph Type
As the old adage says, a picture is worth thousand words, and this is often where the descriptive paragraph type comes in handy. One among the simplest devices to engage your reader’s senses is to paint a clear picture of how your solution will work in their life.
The descriptive paragraph type isn't only wont to engage your audience’s five senses but also their feelings. Your goal is to interact your reader so closely that they feel they’re actually “there.” this is often a strong literary device wont to great effect within the fiction genre and you’ll be borrowing from it for your nonfiction book.
What is This Paragraph Type not used For?
This paragraph type isn't used to narrate. In other words, the descriptive type is never used to tell a story or to provide insights into the thoughts or the emotional state of characters in your book.
Descriptive Paragraph Example
“Coming down to Bridge Park had been a good idea, he decided. Leaving the crowded mass of the town behind he’d ridden the train south, through the razed land and out onto the delta.
Rice paddies stretched to every horizon, blurring the line between land, river and sea. And then, within the shadow of the ruined supports of the bridge, the park rose sort of a garden oasis above the lowlands.
He obviously wasn’t the sole person with the same idea today, and therefore the park was lifted by the shrieks of children playing on the bridge replica fun zone behind him.”
In the above passage, the author is using the descriptive paragraph type to paint a picture in the mind of the reader by using specific adjectives and adverbs that appeal to the reader’s senses.
Characteristics of the Narrative Paragraph Type
Narrative writing can be used very effectively in problem-solving nonfiction through the power of story-telling. Nonfiction books without any story-telling aren't as engaging as they might be.
Use stories to make an emotional connection with your readers by making them become invested in characters that they will relate to – characters that also “feel their pain.” they could be about yourself, past clients, or fictional characters that combine the experiences of multiple clients.
What is This Paragraph Type Not Used For?
The narrative paragraph type isn't used to introduce facts and figures and it’s not used to influence or persuade your audience.
Narrative Paragraph Example
“Christopher Reeve was one courageous person who fully accepted an unexpected change in direction in his life. The icon of superhuman strength within the 80’s, he was the quintessential Superman. An actor of great appeal and talent, he represented the ideal combination of manliness, strength, seeker of justice, and saviour of humankind.
In May 1995, he was riding his horse and had a serious fall. The accident damaged his spinal cord such he was left a quadriplegic and had to use a machine to assist him breathe. The accident sent shock waves round the world. How could Superman be rendered a quadriplegic? it had been unfathomable.
After many months of gruelling physical therapy, he learned the way to function in this new altered state. The emotional toll was great as he and his family struggled with the changes this accident brought into their lives.
Within a year, however, he had founded a charitable organization called the Christopher Reeve Foundation so as to raise money for research on spinal cord injuries and made it his mission to seek out a way for all victims of those devastating injuries to walk again.”
Here the author is using the narrative paragraph type to portray the dramatic fall within the fortunes of a celebrity after a traumatic life event, and the way he resolved the conflict in his life to become a real-life superhero within the eyes of his followers.
Characteristics of the Persuasive Paragraph Type
The persuasive paragraph type is used to great effect in problem-solving nonfiction books. Your goal isn't just to speak and teach new skills, but also to persuade your reader to take action and implement your solution in their lives.
You want to influence readers by appealing to them on an emotional level and using your connection and your credibility as an expert to convince them to side with you. The aim of persuasive writing is to align your reader’s goals with your own.
What is This Paragraph Type Not Used For?
Doing anything that takes your reader out of the plane of reality – like by going into an in depth description of places, circumstances or events or into a deep narrative.
Persuasive Paragraph Example
“‘I’m too old’ or ‘it’s too late to change’ are nothing but limiting beliefs. Like all other beliefs, they’re fully under your control and are totally replaceable. In the end, you’re the one who truly runs the show, as much as you’re taught to believe the other . When it comes to making changes in your life, you have the final word say. If you end up doing what others think you should, it’s only because on some level you’ve made the choice to believe that their ideas are more worthy than your own.
If you want to alter, you have to start believing in what you want to do, regardless of what other people’s ‘opinions’ are. And you have to believe that the changes you want to make are worth it, despite your age or your circumstances.
Life consists of a collection of ‘moments.’ This very moment and every moment after it are what your life is formed of. If you live your life worrying about the future, regretting the past or perhaps living how others tell you to live, then you aren’t living ‘your’ moments.
All it really takes to become in charge of your own life is to simply attempt to do so. Your process of reinvention is 100% yours. Don’t be afraid to use it fully to our advantage. Don’t be afraid to think big thoughts. Remember, you can make a difference: you are the difference!”
In this example, the author is using persuasive writing to influence readers to take action by changing their belief system through replacing limiting beliefs with empowering ones.
Step1 — write an overview
When writing a paragraph, first write an overview of the paragraph and include:
• The topic
• Supporting information.
Step 2 — write the subject sentence
Write a Topic/subject sentence.
Step 3 — write supporting sentences
Next write a supporting sentence for every point. Use facts or examples to support your points.
Step 4 — concluding sentence
Then write a concluding sentence to sum up.
Step 5 — final paragraph
Write the ultimate paragraph.
Steps for paragraph writing
Pre writing
• Think carefully
• Collect facts
• Find main idea
• Organize facts and concepts
Writing
• Write topic sentence, supporting sentence and closing sentence
• Focus on main idea
• Use dictionary to seek out additional words
Self-editing
• Check spelling and grammar
• Organize
Coherence is defined as the quality of being logical, consistent and ready to be understood. Imagine coherence as a building (It’s an analogy, accompany it).
Cohesion on the other hand refers to the act of forming an entire unit. It’s effectively a subset of coherence. Picture cohesion because the bricks and cement which make up the building.
Bricks and cement can be put together to make any kind of structure. However, it's only they are laid together properly that they form a building. Similarly, a text is cohesive if cohesive ties are used however it'll only be coherent if the cohesive ties are used appropriately to form meaning.
You can have cohesion without coherence but you can't have coherence without cohesion. The picture doesn't make sense unless the right pieces are placed in the correct order, even if certain pieces could also be the same size and shape.
“I bought some hummus to eat with celery. Green vegetables can boost your metabolism. The Australian Greens is a political party. I couldn’t decide what to wear to the New Year’s party.”
In the example above, there are lexical links from one sentence to the next; cohesive ties are used to join the sentences. There’s evidence of lexical repetition, ‘green’ ‘party’ and collocations, ‘new years’.
However, these strings of sentences don’t make any sense; there's no binding semantic link. This is often an example of cohesion without coherence.
Cohesive devices effectively help the discourse flow. They include collocations, lexical repetition, linking adverbials, substitution, ellipsis, conjunctions, synonymy/antonym, and hyponyms/hyponyms and referencing (anaphoric, cataphoric, deictic). These devices create physical links between the words in a discourse.
Coherence which we previously defined as understanding are often achieved through devices like cohesive ties, formatting techniques, inference, logical ordering of data , semantic patterning and consistency.
These all enhance the power of a text to be successfully interpreted and understood. Recipes, terms and condition documents, informative brochures all make use of formatting in the sort of headings, bolding, underlines etc. to emphasis certain aspects of the text and draw audience attention to the foremost important elements.
The focus of coherence factors is decided by the social purpose of the text. Is that the text made to entertain? Inform? Persuade? Celebrate? If so why? What’s the overarching intention of the text? Answering such questions can help explain the aim of coherence factors and cohesive devices within a discourse.
This is effectively what you're planning to do in your analytical commentaries and short answer questions in the exam. Identify the social purposes of the text and use them to clarify the role of coherence and cohesion within the discourse.
The other major factor of consideration is that the intended audience of the text. Is the text aimed at teenagers? The australian public? Or specifically to “began” Australians? The language choices and concepts implied within the text will reflect the intended audience. If a text is aimed at Victorian’s it's going to include lexemes like “Mornington Peninsula” or “Shepparton” which Victorian’s can infer as locations within Victoria, however these terms would wish to be further explained to those that reside outside this state. Lexical choices which require outside inference would be included if it are often reasonably interpreted that the intended audience would remember of their meaning. Finding examples of inference in texts is useful in identifying the social purpose of the text.
The main thing to be mindful of is that finding cohesive devices and evidence of coherence in texts alone isn't enough. You’ll gain your marks in your exam for linking these fragments of evidence to the broader social purposes of the text.
Checking your paragraph mistakes and correcting them. These mistakes could also be in area of grammar and spelling or in style and organization of paragraph.
Follow guidelines to beat grey areas.
• Check grammar and spellings
• Check style and organization
• Check punctuations
• Check usage of proper symbols
• Check the supporting sentence
• Check the subject/topic sentence
• Check the closing sentence
Data Interpretation is the process of creating sense out of a set of data that has been processed. This collection could also be present in various forms like bar graphs, line charts and tabular forms and other similar forms and hence needs an interpretation of some kind. Here we'll study data interpretation with the assistance of many important techniques and examples.
The following diagram shows the percentage share of manufacturing sector in total employment in small, medium and enormous establishments individually. The definitions of small, large and medium establishments are shown below in the diagram
Note: Small establishments are defined as those with fewer than 100 employees. Medium-sized establishments are defined as those with between 100 and 1500 employees. Large establishments are defined as those with quite 1500 employees. Study the diagram carefully and answer the questions given below:
Ex.4 In 1981 and 1987 about 50 million and 60 million people were employed in small establishments. What was the difference between the no. Of employees employed in manufacturing sector small establishments in 1981 and 1987?
1. 4.6 million
2. 13.5 million
3. 5 million
4. 6.3 million
Answer & Explanation
Sol: Data interpretation formulas:
Required Number of employees in 1981 = 50 x 27/100 = 13.5,
Required Number of employees in 1987 = 60x30/100 =18.
Required difference = 18 - 13.5 = 4.5
Ex.5 In 1981 about 30 million employees were there within the large establishment. Then how many employees were there within the medium-sized establishments? (Approximately)
1. 25 m
2. 40 m
3. 35 m
4. Can’t be determined
Answer & Explanation
Sol: No relationship is defined between large establishments and medium-sized establishments thus can't be determined.
Ex.6 In 1987, about 40 million employees were there in the large establishments. The population of employees from 1987 to 2000 grew by 60% in large establishments. What percentage employees were there in the manufacturing sector in large establishments in 2000?
1. 33.2 m
2. 69.3 m
3. 19.2 m
4. 47.2 m
Answer & Explanation
Sol: 40 x 1.6 = 64m.
In 2000, there have been 64 m x 30/100 = 19.2 m
Ex.7 Suppose that in 1996, there have been 100,000 employees in manufacturing sector. There have been 750 small establishments. What was the typical number of employed persons per small establishment manufacturing unit?
1. 36
2. 41
3. 56
4. Cannot be determined
Answer & Explanation
Sol: Option 4
Cannot be determined as total manufacturing employees are given and what's required is that the no. Of employees in small establishment manufacturing units.
Out of the manufacturing, how many belong to the small manufacturing establishments.
The table given below provides the number of households in a country during the period 1970 to 1990. The pie-chart gives the distribution of households based on the number of children for the years 1970 and 1990.
Year No. Of households (millions)
1970 120
1972 123
1974 126
1976 129
1978 132
1980 135
1982 140
1984 145
1986 150
1988 155
1990 160
Ex.12 what percentage households were with none a child in 1990 if it’s given that the average number of children per household in 1990 was 3?
1. 24 million
2. 64 million
3. 14 million
4. Can’t be determined
Answer & Explanation
Sol: No. Of household in 1990 = 160 million.
Household with none children in 1990 = 40%, therefore household without any children
= (40/100) x 160 = 64 million. Hence the solution is Option (2).
Ex.13 according to the above pie graphs, In 1970 the average number of children per household in 1970 was
1. 1.18
2. 1.35
3. 2.0
4. Cannot be determined
Answer & Explanation
Sol: As there's a category, which provides the no. Of children to be 3 or more than three, hence the average number of children per household can't be calculated, thus Option (4)
