Study and computing skills

1. Study and computing skills Learning Outcome Three: Writing Skills Lesson one

2. Writing Skills • Punctuation/grammar • Spelling • Paragraphs • Paraphrasing • Business letters • Precis • Essays

3. Written communication • Must use correct: • Grammar/sentence construction • punctuation • spelling • paragraphing. • Errors reflect on the professionalism of the writer. • Errors can change the meaning. Wkbkpg 42

4. Grammar • This is the structure of sentences – bad structure can give an unintentional meaning. • Understanding grammar is being aware of the form and function of words. • Watch out for words that sound the same but have completely different meanings: • Too, to, two • Their, there, they’re • Sun, son • The structure of the sentence can often be fixed with the correct use of punctuation, but sometimes it will require rearranging or changing words.

5. examples • It takes many ingredients to make Burger King great but, the secret ingredient is our people. • Slow Children Crossing. • "Should Madonna be aloud to adopt again?“ • Automatic washing machines. Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out. • "Elephants Please Stay In Your Car." (Warning at a safari park).

6. More examples • Butcher's sign: Try our sausages. None like them. • A tailor's guarantee: If the smallest hole appears after six months' wear, we will make another absolutely free. • Lost: A small pony belonging to a young lady with a silver mane and tail. • Barber's sign: Hair cut while you wait. • Lost: Wallet belonging to a young man made of calf skin

7. Punctuation • When punctuation is used incorrectly, the meaning of the writing can change.

8. Activity • Complete the Punctuation Uses exercise hand-out to see how much you already know about punctuation.

9. Punctuation marks • Full stops – end sentences with a statement • Question marks – end sentences with a question • Exclamation marks – end sentences with excitement! • Commas – give a sentence a brief pause. • Inverted commas - indicates the words someone has spoken. • Apostrophe – indicates ownership, or a missing letter • Colons – used before a list of items: eggs, milk, cheese, bread, ice cream, marmite. • Hyphens – joins two words together egpower-point, self-directed • Underlining – gives emphasis to a specific word.

10. Exercise • Fix these sentences so they give the intended meaning. • Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. • Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. • For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs. • At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?'. Come early and listen to our choir practice. • Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

11. punctuation Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you let me be yours? Jane OR: Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Jane

12. Exercise • Punctuate the following sentence: • Woman without her man is nothing. • Fix this so the police are not drug dealers • Say ‘NO’ to Drugs from the NMB Police D.A.R.E Officers.

13. Two uses for apostrophes • Used to show ownership. • If it belongs to a specific person, then it comes before the plural eg my client’s files. • If it belongs to a group of people, it comes after the plural eg my clients’ files • Used for a missing letter (shortened words) • we’re instead of we are • Don’t instead of do not • Won’t instead of will not • Aren’t instead of are not • 10 o’clock instead of 10 of the clock

14. exercise • Do the punctuation exercise on page 47.

15. spelling • Speelingerrars make writter look unprofffesssinal, and can make it harde four the reeder to consentratte on the intindedmessagge. • Its sloppie • Gives imprresssionne that writtterdoesnnt care. • Bye using the wrong spelling, it can give the wrong meaning. • Always use the spleelling chequer on your work, AND get somewon else to check it as a safety precautionary.

16. Can you read this? Do you comprehend? Eye Halve a Spelling Chequer I have a spelling checker.It came with my pea sea.It plane lee marks four my revueMiss steaks aye can knot sea. Eye ran this poem threw it,Your sure reel glad two no.Its vary polished in it's weigh.My checker tolled me sew. A checker is a bless sing,It freeze yew lodes of thyme.It helps me right awl stiles two reed,And aides me when I rime. Each frays come posed up on my screeneye trussed too bee a joule.The checker pours o'er every wordTo cheque sum spelling rule.Bee fore a veiling checker's Hourspelling mite decline,And if we're lacks oar have a laps,We wood bee maid too wine. Butt now bee cause my spellingIs checked with such grate flair,Their are no fault's with in my cite,Of nun eye am a ware. Now spelling does knot phase me,It does knot bring a tier.My pay purrs awl due glad denWith wrapped word's fare as hear.To rite with care is quite a feetOf witch won should be proud,And wee mussed dew the best wee can,Sew flaw's are knot aloud.Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays,Such soft wear four pea seas,And why eye brake in two averseBuy righting too pleas. Sauce Unknown

17. Spelling saves lives

18. Summary • In written communication it is important to use correct spelling, punctuation, grammar and paragraphing. • Errors make the written work look bad and can give the wrong meaning. • Don’t rely solely on the spelling checkers on word-processing software. • Next session we will look at paragraphing.