This assignment is divided into five sections, A - E.

SECTION A - Craft Powerful Sentences: Active and Passive Voice.

Convert the following passive-voice sentences to active voice:

Q1. Programs were created by our board so that employees could become volunteers.

Q2. Employees are encouraged [by us] to take up to five hours a month of paid time to volunteer.

Q3. Cafe-style restaurants are provided [by management] for employees in our corporate buildings.

Q4. When it was realized [by us] that transportation was a problem, interoffice shuttles were established.

Q5. Our company was named [ by Fortune Magazine] in Fortune magazine's "100 Best Places to Work."

Convert the following active-voice sentences to passive voice:

Q6. We cannot authorize repair of your device because you have allowed the warranty period to expire.

Q7. I cannot give you a cash refund for merchandise that you purchased 90 or more days ago.

Q8. You must submit your resume and cover letter by email.

Q9. Jennifer added two columns instead of subtracting them, thus producing the incorrect total.

SECTION B - Grab Audience Attention - Enumerated or Bulleted Lists

Enumerated or bulleted lists improve readability by displaying cluttered text, particularly items in a series, into chunks, or more easily digestible pieces. The added white space divides the information into blocks, makes the page look more organized, and increases retention by 50%.

Revise the below cluttered text by incorporating bullet points to improve the text's readability.

Q10. Medicaid: Apply if you are aged (65 years old or older), blind, or disabled and have low income and few resources. Apply if you are terminally ill and want to receive hospice services. Apply if you are aged, blind, or disabled; live in a nursing home; and have low income and limited resources. Apply if you are aged, blind, or disabled and need nursing home care, but can stay at home with special community care services. Apply if you are eligible for Medicare and have low income and limited resources.

SECTION C - Improve Readability - Use Simple, Informal Words

In business communications, substituting easier words for difficult words helps to increase the readability index.

DIFFICULT WORD	SIMPLE, INFORMAL REPLACEMENT
Omission	Error
Comprehend	Understand
Investment	Savings
Delegate	Assign
Commission	Fee
Additional	Extra
Gratuity	Perk
Responsibility	Task

Revise the following sentences to raise the readability index, using short, simple words to replace the difficult words.

Example: The new concentration of the agency reflects a ubiquitous necessity for clean energy.

Revision: The new focus of the agency demonstrates a clear necessity for clean energy.

Q11. After a meticulous search, the committee has concurred on an epitome location for the convention.

Q12. Assembling the proposal required perusing voluminous stacks of files for the pertinent information.

Q13. The salary we are offering is commensurate with other managers' remuneration.

Q14. To expedite ratification of this agreement, we urge you to vote in the affirmative.

Q15. Did the steering problem materialize subsequent to our recall effort?

SECTION D - Improve Readability - Communicate Concisely

Revise to make more concise and conversational by eliminating redundancies, cliches and wordiness.

Example: It is our considered opinion that you should not attempt to advance or proceed with this project from the department hear prior to beginning the project.

Revised: We suggest that you get the department head's approval before beginning the project.

Q16. As you recommend in your report, the managers of each department will initiate and conduct a thorough and c o mplete examination of our company's personnel policy to determine if it is possible and probable that it needs to be changed.

Q17. According to the staff's recent survey of applicants for the small number of private parking spaces, over 66 percent, or two-thirds, of the applicants do not believe that parking is a problem that should be investigated.

Q18. Until such time as we can locate all addresses that are duplicates, this is to notify you that mass mailings must be avoided.

Q19. In the case of Mattel and Fisher-Price, the two toy companies merged their lines.

Q20. Those who are functioning as vendors may not have a c o mplete and full understanding of our difficulty.

SECTION E - Improve Readability - Use Bias-Free Language

Revise the following sentences to eliminate gender, racial, age, and disability bias.

Example: Each project manager must c o mplete the appropriate performance evaluation forms before being awarded his raise.

Revision: Each project manager must c o mplete the appropriate performance evaluation forms before being awarded their raise.

Q21. Several patient satisfaction surveys have included negative comments about Jim McLaurin, a male ER nurse.

Q22. Our quadriplegic first-shift supervisor moves around the plant in a motorized wheelchair.

Q23. Obviously we had reached a Mexican standoff with the negotiations.

Q24. Some restaurants offer special discounts for old people.

Q25. CyberSystems hired Jamal Alexander, an African American, for the position of project manager.

Q26. A skilled assistant proofreads her boss's documents and catches any errors he makes.