Tag Archive: principles

Aug 24

Writing requests clearly AND politely

Is it possible to write politely and clearly at the same time?  Can you write a polite letter that is nevertheless direct and to-the-point? When writing letters asking for a particular action to be taken, people commonly write somewhat obscurely – using extra words and phrases so as not to appear demanding; giving lengthy explanations …

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Permanent link to this article: https://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/08/24/writing-requests-clearly-and-politely/

May 09

You’re never above being proofread

It’s very tempting to think that you’ve been doing your job for a very long time and that you’ve earned enough seniority not to have anyone else look at your work. It’s also tempting to think that short emails and one-page letters don’t matter that much, and that you can send them out without much …

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Permanent link to this article: https://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/05/09/youre-never-above-being-proofread/

Jan 13

Structuring a contract

I’ve been a lawyer for more than ten years, and contracts have been the bread and butter of much of my working life.  I’ve written many, but as a specialist litigator I’ve argued and fought over even more.  Seeing contracts fall apart because the parties can’t understand them or use them effectively is one of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/01/13/structuring-a-contract/

Jan 05

Making a plain language version of an existing document

Faced with a long and convoluted document which needs improvement (for example, a financial agreement, a letter of advice, or a set of instructions), how do you go about creating a plain English version? One option is to re-write it from scratch – this is worthwhile when the whole structure needs changing, as it sometimes …

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Permanent link to this article: https://wordsmadeclear.com/2012/01/05/making-a-plain-language-version-of-an-existing-document/