Collins Letter Writing

ADVERBS

Adverbs describe verbs and adjectives and the majority of adverbs are formed by adding ‘ly’ to the end of the corresponding adjective.

EXAMPLE

He ran quickly.

Adverbs are, in general, the first signs of over-written prose. If you need to shorten your letter, try cutting out any extraneous adverbs.

PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS

Prepositions are the little words which are used with nouns to show the relation in which these nouns stand to some other word in the sentence.

EXAMPLE

The horse is in the stable.

It is usually better not to end a sentence with a preposition. This is called a hanging preposition and tends to look rather inelegant. In casual prose, however, it is perfectly acceptable.

EXAMPLE

wrong: This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

right: This is the moment for which I’ve been waiting.

Occasionally it is difficult to choose the correct preposition since several are acceptable in spoken language. Here is a guide to the most commonly mistaken prepositions:

Conjunctions are the little words that join a word with another part of the sentence: and, but, or.

It is unusual, though not impossible, to start a sentence with ‘and’, but this should only be the case when you want to emphasise the fact that you are doing so.

PUNCTUATION (#ulink_9e4dd289-6070-5a9f-9ad1-1799ecc6a635)

The rules for punctuation are conventions that have been developed through the centuries by printers and publishers and are simply devices for making written text easier to read and understand. Punctuation helps the reader to make sense of a large piece of written communication by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable, sections. It also helps to make the appearance of the written page clearer and more attractive. In speech, we can use gestures, give emphasis to a word, or raise and lower our voices to help illustrate our meaning. In written work, much of this stress and clarification must be accomplished by punctuation.

Some conventions of punctuation are obligatory and some are optional, but they should all be used with discretion and good common sense. Sentences may be rendered meaningless by lack of punctuation, or they may take on an entirely different meaning, and you should always attempt to use the correct punctuation.

THE FULL STOP

This is probably the most straightforward aspect of punctuation. The full stop is used to separate one sentence from another. When you come to the end of a sentence, you use a full stop. If no full stops were used, a piece of text would be almost impossible to read or would mean something else entirely.

EXAMPLE

The king walked around the castle an hour after his head was chopped off.

The king walked around the castle. An hour after, his head was chopped off.

The full stop may also be used after abbreviations such as B.A., H.M. and Co., but is omitted if the shortened word includes the last letter of the word, e.g. Dr, Mr and Ltd.

THE COMMA

The comma lies at the place in the sentence where you would normally take a breath, or where there is a natural pause. It is the most frequently used punctuation mark and has many functions. It is generally used:

1 To record a list of things:

At the party we had cake, jelly, ice-cream, biscuits and fizzy drinks.

2 To mark out direct speech:

‘So tell me,’ he said, ‘do you come here often?’

3 To mark off a sentence or clause where a pause is needed in reading:

Among the people who came to my party were the actor, John Brown, and his wife, Susie Smith, who wrote the film we had been to see earlier, and her friend Jim.

4 To mark off words like however, therefore and of course.

Generally speaking, and particularly in business prose, you do not need a comma before ‘and’ or ‘but’, although it is better to insert one if it will make the sentence more readily comprehensible.

THE SEMI-COLON

The semi-colon is used to join two grammatically complete sentences that are related in subject matter. If you wish to join these two, separate thoughts in one sentence, you will need to use a semi-colon. Another way to think of this principle is that you need a semi-colon when you require a slightly longer pause than you would have with a comma, but where you do not want to break the line of thought as you would do if you were to use a full stop.

It can also be used where you make a long list of items, all of which require further identification with a comma:

Among the people present at the theatre were the actress, Lizzie Brown, wife of the author; Jack Black, the author; Harry Grey, the producer and John Smith, a fan.

This would clearly be incomprehensible without the semi-colons.

THE COLON

The colon is generally used before a list or to introduce a quotation:

He offered me various things for my birthday: a CD, a book, a blue teapot and a pair of earrings.

THE EXCLAMATION MARK

The exclamation mark is used after an interjection, an exclamatory sentence or an expression of great feeling. It is therefore used to express a sudden moment of passionate feeling, whether this be surprise or joy. It is generally over-used in social letters and should be avoided when not strictly necessary. Do not use an exclamation mark without first asking yourself: ‘Does this sentence really deserve one?’

Too many exclamation marks in any piece of writing trivialise it by making it seem hysterical.

It can, however, be very useful if you are making a statement that might be considered a little forward when addressed to people you do not know very well. It can make written text seem more relaxed and informal.

I had a really marvellous time!

Thanks for the toy rocket!

THE QUESTION MARK