What does concreteness in writing mean?

Answer 1

Concreteness in Writing:

Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and general. Often it means using denotative rather than connotative words.

The benefits to business professionals of using concrete facts and figures are obvious: your receivers know exactly what is required or desired. Using concrete language has some additional, less obvious advantages. When you supply specifics for the reader or listener, you increase the likelihood that your message will be interpreted the way you intended. Moreover, concrete messages are more richly textured than general or vague messages; thus, they tend to be more vivid, dynamic, and interesting. The following guidelines should help you com­pose concrete, convincing messages.

• Use specific facts and figures.

• Put action in your verbs.

• Choose vivid, image-building words.

Use Specific Facts and Figures

Whenever possible, use an exact, precise statement or a figure in place of a gen­eral word to make your message more concrete.

Vague, General, Indefinite Concrete, Precise

Student GMAT scores are in 1996 the GMAT scores

higher. averaged 600; by 1117

they had risen to 610.

Eastern Europe is making progress

In obtaining investment. in 1990 investments in Eastern Europe were about US 30 millions today that figure has increased by 12%

She's a brain Her grade-point average

In 1996 was 3.1 on a four -point scale-

In the above examples the difference between Vague (higher) and Clear (increase in 30 million to 12 %) is clear.

Note: - Of course it is permissible - even desirable - to use general expressions. But note some exceptions to the "facts and figures" rule:

1. When it is not possible to be specific: "You may not have the precise figures or facts."

2. When you wish to be diplomatic (considerate): "You have missed three invitations to my office" is harsh; you may be more tactful by saying "I've sent you several reminders to see me in my office."

3. When exact figures are unimportant, as in "more than half the commit­tee was present."

Put Action in Your Verbs: - Verbs can activate other words and help make your sentences aliv of" vigor­ous. That is, to have dynamic sentences (1) use active rather than passive verbs and (2) put action in your verbs rather than in nouns and infinitives.

Use active voice

When the subject performs the action described by the verb, the verb is said to be in the active voice. Usually the active voice puts the verb up front. "The finan­cial officer reported to the Board." Here the subject {the financial officer) re­ported; the verb "reported" is active, is up front in the sentence.

Conversely, when the subject receives the action of the verb, the verb is in the passive voice: ("The report by the financial officer was heard by the Board.") A passive verb has three characteristics:

• The subject does not do the acting in a sentence.

• The verb consists of two or more words, one of which is in some form of "to be" (is, is being, am, are, was, were, will be, has, or have been, had been, or will have been).

• The word "by" is expressed or implied (by whom or what).

Passive (Subject Receives the Action Active (Subject Performs the action)

The tests were administered by the professors. Professors administered the tests.

Grades of students will be sent to you by the school.

Active verbs help make your sentences more:

1. Specific. "The dean decided" is more explicit than "A decision has been made."

2. Personal. "You will note" is both personal and specific; "It will be noted" is impersonal."

3. Concise. The passive requires more words and thus slows both writing and reading. Compare "Figures show" with "It is shown by figures."

4. Emphatic. Passive verbs dull action. Compare "The students held a contest" with "A contest was held by the students."

Sometimes, however, you may prefer the passive voice instead of the active, as in the following situations:

1. When you want to avoid personal, blunt accusations or comments. "The October check was not included" is more tactful than "You failed to include the October check. Attendance at the meeting is required" is less harsh than "You must attend...."

2. When you want to stress the object of the action. In "Your savings account is insured up to $100,000," you have intentionally stressed "your account"-not the firm that does the insuring. also, "You are invited" is better than "We invite you."

3. When the doer isn't important in the sentence. In "Three announce­ments were made before the meeting started," the emphasis is on the announcements, not on who gave them.

Put Action in Verbs, Not in Nouns

Seven verbs-be, give, have, hold, make, put, and take-(in any tense) might he designated as "deadly" when the action they introduce is hidden in a "quiet noun." The examples below show how each deadly verb with the noun and preposition (all underlined) can be changed to an action verb that shortens the sentence.

Action Hiding in a "Quiet" Noun

Ø The function of this office is the collection of payments and the compilation of statements

Ø Professor H. will give consideration to the report.

Ø Students met in the office.

Action in the Verb

Ø This office collects payments and compiles statements.

Ø Professor H- will consider the report-

Ø Student's held the meeting in the office

Put Action in Verbs, Not in Infinitives

Action Hiding in Infinitive

The duty of a secretary is to check all incoming mails and to record it. In addition, it is his or her responsibility to keep the assignment book up to date.

Action in the Verb

A secretary checks and records all -incoming mails and keeps the assignment book up to date-

Choose vivid, image-Building Words

Among the devices you can use to make your messages forceful, vivid, and spe­cific are Sensory appeals, comparisons, figurative language, concrete nouns, and well-chosen adjectives and adverbs. But use these devices with caution: business writing uses fewer descriptors than does a magazine article or fictional writing.

Sensory Appeal

Concrete language often evokes a sensory response in people; it appeals to one or more of the five senses, such language tends to be more descriptive than con­ventional business language. For example, instead of saying "It was hot in the factory," you might appeal to both sight and touch by saying "Sweat trickled down the arms of the line workers"; or "The secretary's face was wrinkled after squinting into the computer the entire day." Although sensory appeals are used primarily in marketing products, they also have a limited place in providing color and specificity in other forms of business communication.

Comparisons

Analogies (either figurative or literal) or comparisons can make an unclear idea clear or make an idea more vivid.Compare the bland images in the left column with those in the right column:

Bland Image

More Vivid Image

Proposals submitted Too many simple sentences-

this quarter were too many simplistic ideas

Uninteresting. gave the impression of

the writing of a first-year student.

This is a long letter. This letter is three times

as long as you said it would be.

Figurative Language

(Use figures of speech with caution. When used sparingly they do make an idea more vivid. Consider the following three examples.

Literal (and Dull) More Vivid, Figurative

Her work in groups was she could be called "the

exemplary spark plug of the group."