By Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene
 

By Pam Robinson This book may be the handiest and clearest book of tips on basic business writing I've read in a long time.  I was prepared for a book that might have a tidbit or two of interest to me but wouldn't measure up to the many style and language books I use in my work. Instead, I was thoroughly and pleasantly surprised by the content, both the style and the amount of information.  The book's tips on writing clearly and for the reader of the office memo or e-mail are direct, short and to the point. The authors make a clear case for not wasting a reader's time by using excess words or taking on peripheral issues.  The authors don't waste words but it doesn't omit a lot of topics, either. Tips are presented in a short, straightforward manner. Its first 53 pages explain the purpose and origin of the book, starting with a survey the authors conducted at Fortune 500 companies.  Some of their findings:  Good writing matters. An individual who can write well can see professional career gains.  Most have guidelines but not for everybody. That means that some corporate departments sometimes don't follow writing and style guidelines.  Few guidelines for e-mail. Many corporate communications offices express regret over this problem, noting the amount of time and lack of clarity that results.  Most use a stylebook. Many offices rely on The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, which is designed for journalists but can easily be applied to other kinds of writing. After all, good writing is good writing, regardless of whether the writer wants to spell out or abbreviate Idaho.  The tips are useful to all, and sometimes mildly amusing. For example, a memo writer is reminded to "write as you speak--if you speak clearly." Thousands, no, millions, of words have been devoted to this topic. This one sentence sums it up nicely.  The book's users are advised not to waste people's time by writing poorly, useful advice no matter what the readership.    Some may quibble with minor points in the book. For example, it advises readers not to capitalize the "The" in newspaper names because some papers use a "the" and some don't. To my way of thinking (and training), that's a question easily resolved by finding out what the newspaper uses.  But this is a tiny point. I much prefer the authors' valuable and wide-ranging bits of information:  khan: lowercase this term, which is a title for a ruler, an official or an important person in India and some central Asian countries.  c.o.d.: Use c.o.d. with periods for all references. It stands for cash on delivery. Without periods, it could be confused with the word cod, as in fish.  saccharin/saccharine: Often misspelled. The first is a sugar substitute; the second means overly sweet. And so on, touching on topics from A to Z, as billed.