THE AMA HANDBOOK OF BUSINESS WRITING phần 3

Section 2 The Business Writer’s Alphabetical Reference 95 Example: Wilson, Kevin. “Formatting a Bibliography.” Writing Toolkit. http://www.videologies.com/amahandbook. 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2011. Billion A billion is equal to a thousand millions (1,000,000,000). You can write the number in words or numbers: Example: five billion dollars, $5 billion Biweekly, Bimonthly, Semiweekly, Semimonthly To use these terms correctly, consider the following definitions: Biweekly means that something occurs every two weeks. Semiweekly means that something occurs twice in one week. Bimonthly means that something occurs every two months. Semimonthly means that something occurs twice in one month. Blind See Visually Impaired, Blind. Blog, Weblog Blog and Weblog are synonymous terms that describe Web-based journals. Blog can be both a noun and verb. Blog as a noun refers to the Web site where the content is published. Blog as a verb means to write articles for a blog. 96 The AMA Handbook of Business Writing Bold Fonts Bold fonts are often used to identify key terms or phrases when writing tech-nical documents or manuals. Consider the following tips for using bold fonts: Use bold fonts for emphasis to make certain words or phrases stand out. Use bold fonts for headlines and headings in your documents. In procedural documents, use bold fonts for warning or caution messages. Don’t add bold to an entire paragraph of text. Use the bold font version of the typeface rather than the bold style function (the bold button) of your software. Use the bold style function only as a last resort if there is no bold typeface for the font you are using. Bored, Boring Bored is an adjective that describes when someone is uninterested, unhappy, or unoccupied. Example: He was so bored that he started reading the phone book. Boring is an adjective that means something is not interesting or exciting. Example: The seminar was so boring that he fell asleep. Both, Alike Don’t use the combination both alike. Incorrect: The cars are both alike. Correct: The two cars are alike. They are both the latest model. Section 2 The Business Writer’s Alphabetical Reference 97 Both, Each Both is used to describe a condition that applies to two entities. Each is used to describe a single entity. Incorrect: There is a picture on both sides of the mantel. Correct: There is a picture on each side of the mantel. Brackets Brackets and parentheses are sometimes used interchangeably. Changes to Quoted Material If you are quoting someone, but make a change to the quote for clarity, you should put your change within brackets. Consider the following: Original quote: “Everyone knew it was about to break any day now.” Revised quote: “Everyone knew it [the dam] was about to break any day now.” Digressions Within Parentheses Sometimes you will find situations where you need an extra set of parenthe-ses nested within a previous pair. Example: The computer’s memory (random access memory [RAM] and read only memory [ROM]) is where software is loaded. Brake, Break A brake as a noun means a device that slows a vehicle. Example: I had to push hard on the brake to stop. 98 The AMA Handbook of Business Writing Break can be a noun or a verb. Break as a verb means to damage something. Example: He is going to break the chair. Break as a noun means time off. Example: I want to go outside on my break. Brand Names Capitalize the brand names of products. Some common brand names like Kleenex, Xerox, and Band-Aid are trademarked brand names and should be capitalized. You do not need to use the symbols ® or ™ when writing brand names. If the product is part of the brand name, then it is also capitalized. Example: Wonder Classic White Bread If the product is not part of the brand name, then the product is not capitalized. Example: Listerine mouthwash Breath, Breathe Breath is a noun that describes the air passing into and out of our lungs. Example: The yoga teacher asked us to focus on our breath. Breathe is a verb meaning to take a breath. Example: Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and relax. Section 2 The Business Writer’s Alphabetical Reference 99 Bring, Take Bring is used to denote movement toward someone or something. Take is used to denote movement away from someone or something. Example: Bring me the book. Example: Take the book to him. British English See American English, British English. Bulleted List Bulleted lists draw attention to important information. Consider these tips for the use of bulleted lists: Use a numbered list for a sequence of events or ranking items in a list. Use bullet symbols or checkmarks when the items in the list are not sequential or ranked. Make all the entries grammatically parallel. Do not mix clauses and sentences when creating bullet points. If the bullet points are not complete sentences, they do not need end punctuation. Indent subtext bullets that provide additional details about a main bullet point. Bushel Add an s when referring to more than one bushel. Incorrect: Eight bushel of oats. Correct: Eight bushels of oats. ... - tailieumienphi.vn