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December 2004

Welcome to the December issue of Word Smiths' monthly e-zine - WORD POWER. It's a few days early this month: by the end of the week you'll probably be more interested in getting stuck into the office shindig or roasting chestnuts by an open fire.

More & more people seem to be enjoying Word Power - thanks for all the encouraging feedback. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any comments on what we're doing or suggestions for future issues. A special welcome to 10 new subscribers this month.

In this issue:

Send A Cow logoSeason's greetings

In line with many other businesses, we make a donation to charity instead of sending Christmas cards to clients and colleagues. This year the money goes to Send a Cow.

This charity donates livestock to some of the most vulnerable communities in Africa, including children orphaned by war, families affected by AIDS and disabled people. A cow is a valuable asset because it produces enough milk to sustain a family and what is left over can be sold. The manure fertilises kitchen gardens, increasing yields and producing vegetables for market.

So gifts to Send A Cow go on making a difference long after 25th December has been and gone. Have a great Christmas everyone!

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News from Word Smiths

We've just input all our targets for next month - and the good news is that we can have a holiday. The project planner tells that we can schedule a Christmas break between 10.45 and 11.20 on 25/12/04. New work includes:

We're also continuing with work on two open learning public sector projects with Walkgrove, Jane's weekly handbag.com column and preparing new titles for the Word Smiths imprint (details of the forthcoming Coaching & Mentoring book in the November edition of Word Power.

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The Home Front

In the last month, we have been involved in a project to display a rich archive of photographs and other material from the World War II Royal Ordnance Factory in Newport, South Wales. Recent history is a fascinating subject. Details of ordinary lives within living memory can seem both familiar and alien, and they resonate with clues about how we got to where we are now. The Home Front project is led by Newport City Council's Keeper of Art, Roger Cucksey.

"The quality and quantity of this photographic archive - much of which came to light purely by chance - is quite amazing. The Newport ROF was built, equipped and in production in under a year. Local men and more than 5,000 women worked 10-hour shifts to produce anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, using American machines brought to the UK by the Atlantic convoys.

"The photographs, taken by a professional War Office photographer, show both the intensity of work and the rich social life that the factory supported. They include a record of Dame Laura Knight's famous wartime painting of Ruby Loftus, which was painted at the factory."

A tour of the archive is currently in development. The material is also on display at the Newport Museum and Art Gallery until March 2005. The Home Front project is part of an on-going programme to explore the wartime experiences of the people of Newport, and Roger would very much like to hear from anyone who has connections with the ROF or other memories of wartime Newport (01633 840064, roger.cucksey@newport.gov.uk).

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small handbag logoChit-chat, Chardonnay and cheesy nibbles...

Love it or loathe it, you have to agree that Christmas wouldn't be the same without the annual office party. Whether it's an informal shindig in the workplace itself or an elegant soirée at a local restaurant, the event is a valuable opportunity to showcase your personal qualities and expand your contact network.

It's all part of being a good team player ­ vital at any time of the year, but particularly important at Christmas. Read the rest of Jane's article on networking at the office Christmas party on handbag.com.

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Information overload? No time? No problem!

You can become a super fast reader in ten easy lessons

In the past few years the volume of books, papers and reports pouring onto our desks has reached almost unmanageable proportions. Nevertheless, there are today more well-informed people than ever before. Right now, as you're reading this, a quiet band of successful people have learned how to increase their reading efficiency. In doing so they have boosted their confidence, their career prospects and their wealth. How exactly do they do it?

Jane's audio book Speed Reading for Success show you how you, too, can become a speed reading genius. Unlock the classic speed reading secrets in your car - or anywhere you have access to a CD player. You will learn:

  1. How to overcome the barriers to reading more effectively
  2. How to use your eyes and brain to read faster and understand more
  3. The seven secrets of successful speed reading
  4. A little known formula for absorbing longer documents and text books
  5. Five exercises for stretching speed and comprehension and for protecting your vision.

At the same time, you will revitalise your approach to reading and studying. You will boost your self esteem, discover undreamed of talents and become more confident in meetings and presentations. These are just a few of the benefits that users have discovered.

Speed Reading for Success is now available on Amazon at £10. The perfect Christmas present for family, friends or colleagues who are drowning in a tidal wave of information. And, as we mentioned last month - if you buy Speed Reading for Success from our website, we will give you copy of our e-book Decision Making for Success - absolutely free!

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Nick's grammar slammer
Part 3. Colons, semi-colons, and dashes

These punctuation marks are used to show a break in the flow of meaning which is less abrupt than a full stop, but more significant than a comma. However, there are subtle differences between them, and using the right mark in the right place will add clarity and elegance to anyone's writing.

NickDash

Best to get this one over with first as, like the grey squirrel or the ruddy duck, the dash seems to be threatening to wipe out its cousins - in this case, the colon and the semi-colon. It's the informality of the dash that makes it so attractive - and there's no doubt that, in emails and similar contexts, colons and semi-colons often don't have quite the right feel. Be aware, though, that too many dashes can make your text look frantic and ill-organised. And a tip for anyone interested in correct typography: in printed text (though not on many websites) a dash is not the same as a hyphen.

Colon

For business writing, colons and semi-colons, correctly used, are generally preferable to dashes.

The colon has only two major uses. First, it can be used to explain or enlarge on what has been said in the earlier part of the sentence. Having introduced some topic in more general terms, you can use a colon to explain that same topic in more specific terms.

For example:

This use is often equivalent to a verbal pointer like 'that is' or 'namely'.

Second, it can be used to introduce lists (where the subsequent items are bulleted or separated by semi-colons or commas)

Semi-colon

The semi-colon's main function is to present in one sentence two main clauses which are closely related in meaning. If a full stop would separate the ideas too much, the semi-colon can be used to show a balance or contrast between the two clauses.

It is important to note that in this function the semi-colon is equivalent to a full stop. It cannot be replaced with a comma. Consider it as making less of a break than a full stop: not as making more of a break than a comma.

Semi-colons can also be used to separate items in a list preceded by a colon (but not in bulleted lists).

Compared with the atrocities committed on other punctuation marks, the colon and the semi-colon suffer more from neglect than abuse. However, neither should ever be followed by the unnecessary, redundant hyphen or dash.

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Looks like we've come to a full stop with punctuation (and if you want a rule for full stops, just. don't. use. too. many - or you could end up sounding like Michael Caine). Next month we explore singulars, plurals and collective nouns. Happy New Year!

Need more help with writing or communication? Check our in-company writing courses.

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