A guide to writing clear, concise letters, memos, reports and other business documents
By Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly

If you are looking for a single desk reference to help with your business writing. The Elements of Business Writing should be on your short list. The list of contents that follows breaks business writing into 7 easy to understand principles and 67 rules.

Here is the list of Contents:

1. Principles of Communication
   Rule 1: Use the Active Voice.
   Rule 2: Avoid Long Sentences.
   Rule 3: Use Simple Language.
   Rule 4: Delete Words, Sentences, and Phrases That do not Add To Your Meaning.
   Rule 5: Break Your Writing into Small Sections.
   Rule 6: Use Specific and Concrete Terms.
   Rule 7: Write in a Natural, Conversational Style.
   Rule 8: Keep Ideas Parallel.
   
   
2. Principles of Organization
   Rule 9: Organize Your Material According to the Way Your Reader Thinks about the Subject.
   Rule 10: Organize Your Material Logically.
   Rule 11: Delete the Warm-Up Paragraph.
   Rule 12: Use an Executive Summary.
   Rule 13: Separate Fact from Opinion.
   Rule 14: Delete Unnecessary Closings.
   Rule 15: Use Headings and Subheadings.
   
   
3. Principles of Wording and Phrasing
   Rule 16: Avoid Wordy and Redundant Phrases
   Rule 17: Use Small Words.
   Rule 18: Avoid Sexist Language.
   Rule 19: Know the Proper Use of the Most Commonly Misused and Phrases
   Rule 20: Substitute Modern Business Language for Antiquated Phrases.
   Rule 21: Substitute Original Language for Clichés.
   Rule 22: Avoid Jargon.
   
   
4. Principles of Tone
   Rule 23: Write to Express, Not to Impress.
   Rule 24: Prefer Informal to Formal Language
   Rule 25: Prefer Positive Words to Negative Words.
   Rule 26: In a Sentence Containing Both Good and Bad news, Give the Bad News First.
   Rule 27: Write to Change Behavior, Not to Express Anger.
   Rule 28: Be Your Most Pleasant Self.
   Rule 29: Use Contractions to Warm Up Your Message.
   Rule 30: Avoid Unnecessary Hedging.
   Rule 31: Avoid Sarcasm.
   
   
5. Principles of Persuasion
   Rule 32: Gain Your Reader's Attention in an Appropriate Manner.
   Rule 33: Awaken a Need for an Idea Before Presenting the Idea.
   Rule 34: Stress Benefits, Not Features.
   Rule 35: Use facts, Opinions, and Statistics to Prove Your Case.
   Rule 36: Don't Get Bogged Down in Unnecessary Details or Arguments.
   Rule 37: Tell the Reader What to Do Next.
   Rule 38: Before Making a Request, Give the Reader a Reason to Respond.
   Rule 39: Do Not Assume the Readers Has Been Persuaded by Your Argument.
   
   
6. Principles of Punctuation, Grammar, Abbreviation, Capitalization, and Spelling
   
   Punctuation
   Rule 40: Use Commas to Indicate a Brief Pause.
   Rule 41: Use a Semicolon to Separate Independent Clauses Not Joined by a Conjunction.
   Rule 42: Use a Colon to Introduce a List or Explanation.
   Rule 43: Add an Apostrophe and an "s" to Form the Possessive Case of a Singular Noun.
   Rule 44: Hyphenate Two Words Compounded to Form an Adjective Modifier if They Precede a Noun.
   Rule 45: Use an Ellipsis to Show Hesitation or Omission.
   Rule 46: Use Parentheses to Add Explanatory Material That's Not Part of the Main Thought.
   Rule 47: Use a Dash to Interrupt or Highlight a Thought.
   Rule 48: Avoid Slash Construction.
   Rule 49: Put Commas Inside Quotation Marks.
   
   Grammar
   Rule 50: Avoid Subject and Verb Disagreement.
   Rule 51: Avoid Improper Use of Reflexive Pronouns.
   Rule 52: Avoid Sentence Fragments and Run-On Sentences.
   Rule 53: Avoid Damaging Modifiers.
   Rule 54: Avoid Misplaced Modifiers.
   
   Abbreviations
   Rule 55: Use Too Few Abbreviations Rather Than Too Many.
   Rule 56: Do not Use an Apostrophe When Writing the Plural of An Abbreviation.
   
   Capitalization
   Rule 57: Do not Capitalize Words to Emphasize their Importance.
   Rule 58: Capitalize the Full Names of Corporation, Government Agencies, Divisions, Departments, and Organizations
   Rule 59: Capitalize Trade Names.
   
   Spelling
   Rule 60: Know the Basic Rules of Spelling.
   Rule 61: If There are Variant Spellings, Use the Preferred Spelling.
   Rule 62: Keep a List of the Words You Repeatedly Misspell.
   
   Principles of Format
   Rule 63: Use Wide Margins to Aid Readability.
   Rule 64: Use Subject and Re Lines in Memos.
   Rule 65: Use Modern Salutations and Closings in Letters.
   Rule 66: Use Numbered Lists or Bullets to present a Series Of Points or Ideas.
   Rule 67: Put Names in "cc" and "bc" lists in Alphabetical Order.

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