Business Writing: Beware of Unintended Meanings
The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.
— Mark Twain
When choosing the words to convey your ideas, consider these two questions:
- Does this word retain its intended meaning in this particular sentence?
- Will this word be meaningful to my particular reader?
1. Watch for Unintended Double Meanings
She ate the doughnuts with relish.
Fleeing leopards can be dangerous.
I saw her walking her dog and then I saw her duck.
The only other food in the house was some iced tea, Kool-Aid, a few staples and some frozen fish sticks that they would eat later for dinner.
(“What’s for dinner, Mom?” “Staples and Kool-Aid.”)
Your word might have a straightforward meaning when you look it up in the dictionary and still be a ridiculous choice in the context of your sentence.
As you revise, ask yourself not only whether this is the right word, but also whether the word retains your intended meaning in your sentence.
You can often spot unintended errors by following the key editing tool found in the Worktalk writing trainings: Read your work aloud before you send it out. Your eyes may fool you but your ears will save you from many errors. Read loud enough for you to hear your own voice.
2. Be Sure the Word is Meaningful to Your Reader.
Yup, it’s that pesky reader again. Your word may mesh perfectly with the dictionary definition. It may look and sound great in your sentence. But if your reader won’t understand it, you can’t use it.
Consider chartreuse. I know that chartreuse is a color. But I must confess that I have never been sure exactly what color it is. I gather that it’s the kind of color that interior designers use, but if you handed me a set of color swatches and asked me to select chartreuse, I could not do it. So if you were trying to describe a room to me, and if the sofa was the most perfect example of chartreuse ever to hit a design showroom, you still could not describe it to me (color ignoramus that I am), with the word chartreuse.
Similarly, you cannot describe a property’s shape as trapezoidal if your reader might think that a trapezoid is something that circus performers swing on. You cannot describe a wine as having a fine bouquet and long legs if your reader thinks that wine comes in only three varieties: red, white and bubbly.
When writing to clients and colleagues, use words in their standard meaning. Make sure that your words cannot be misunderstood or take on a different meaning in the context of your sentence. And narrow – yes, I mean dumb down — your vocabulary if that’s what you must do to reach your reader. Remember: Readers rule!
© 2010 Elizabeth Danziger All rights reserved
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About the Author
Elizabeth Brenner Danziger is the author of four books, including Get to the Point!, a comprehensive, easy-to-read business writing reference. She has over 28 years of experience as a writing trainer, coach, and editor. Her Worktalk writing trainings have helped businesspeople all over the United States to write more clearly and effectively. She can be reached through www.worktalk.com.
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