topic business reports

8/3/2019 Topic Business Reports

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INTRODUCTIONThis topic introduces you to several activities related to business report writing.It outlines the salient features of both short and long reports including the layout,format and content. In addition, the topic also presents exercises on the use ofprepositions, adjectives and adverbs which will assist you in writing effectivereports.

PLANNING AND WRITING REPORTS

Planning and writing reports are important skills expected of most workingadults. Usually, we write reports when asked to by our boss or superior. It isimportant to remember that there are several types of reports. These can be longor short, formal or informal. Reports can serve various purposes some inform,some provide background information about something, and some makerecommendations or suggest a course of action.

10.1

TTooppiicc

1BusinessReports

100By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Describe the format and layout of short and long reports;2. Organise information so as to write good reports;

3. Differentiate between different types of short reports;

4. Explain the need for good presentation in long reports;

5. Use prepositions in context; and

6. Use adjectives, adjectival phrases, adverbs and adverbials appropriatelyin reports.

LEARNING OUTCOMES


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TOPIC 10 BUSINESS REPORTS166

LAYOUT OF SHORT REPORTS10.2

The aim of a short report is to place information on a page in such a way that the

information is easily seen and understood at a glance. A good short reportshould contain the following characteristics:

A clear indication of your purpose;

Accurate and objective information;

A suitable ordering of information; and

Appropriate formatting.

In a short report, ordering of information is important. Usually, this means

highlighting the main points and leading the reader to a logical conclusion. Adirect approach is recommended when the reader is familiar with the situation but an indirect ordering is acceptable when the reader is unfamiliar with thesituation, or likely to resist a proposal for changes, or if the report contains badnews.

The format for short reports varies, depending on the kind of information beingconveyed. This topic, however, focuses on three short report formats commonlyadopted at the workplace the formal report, letter and memo.

The letter and memo formats have been discussed in Topics 6 and 8 respectively,so the discussion here will focus only on the formal report.

A formal report comprises: A title page containing the title of the report, the recipients name, his/her

position and/or organisation, the writers name and position (andorganisation if appropriate) and the date;

An introduction;

Sections with headings in the body;

Conclusion;

Recommendations (if any); and

Attachments (if they contain useful information).


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TOPIC 10 BUSINESS REPORTS 167

A sample title page is given in Activity 10.1.

ACTIVITY 10.1

Study this sample of a title page in a formal report and use the checklistto note the information found on the title page.

Sample title page of a formal reportRECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEPRECIATING MACHINERY

Prepared forHenry Tan, Director

Speed Construction

35-37, Jalan Taman Overseas

25000 Kuantan

By

Gerald Nathan, CPA

Kassim and Chong Accounting Services

300 Jalan Selat Baru

25300 Kuantan

4 October 2010

Checklist:Title page Details ( )

Title of report

Recipients name

position organisationWriters name

positionDate


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TYPES OF SHORT REPORTS10.3

There are three widely used types of short reports:

(a) Justification report;

(b) Progress report (and completion report); and

(c) Periodic report.

Sometimes, descriptive headings are used to guide the reader through thesereports.

10.3.1 Justification Report

This report highlights a course of action or idea, and then presents evidence tosupport why something should, or has been done. Basically, the format is asfollows:

Introduction Presents purpose of report and describes proposal / course ofaction.

Body Describes the present situation, need for change, costs and benefits. Conclusion Evaluates changes and provides recommendations.10.3.2 Progress Report

This report provides information on the progress of a project and forecastsfuture development.

Introduction Identifies the reports purpose with a subject line anddescribes the current status of the project.

Body Presents positive features of the operation, describes problems thatarose and how they were solved, and includes schedule and costs.

Conclusion Points to the future.

10.3.3 Periodic Report

This report keeps management informed at regular intervals by providinginformation on some aspect of the organisations operations over a specificperiod.

Introduction Identifies the reports purpose with a subject line and thenpresents relevant facts and figures.


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Body Presents objective information on achievements and problems. Conclusion Summarises the findings and closes with a recommendation if

appropriate.

ACTIVITY 10.2

1. Refer back to the outlines of the justification, progress and periodicreports.

(a) Do the reports include recommendations at the end? Why?

(b) In each case, do you think the report was written uponrequest or as a regular exercise?

2. Now, read the sample justification report below and answer thequestions that follow.

To: Sinnathamby M., General ManagerFrom: Charlotte Soong, Head of ResearchDate: 21 June 2010

Subject: Appointment of Ms Norlaila Yakub to the position ofLaboratory Supervisor

Ms Norlaila was appointed to the position of Laboratory Supervisor on 20 May2010 because she was clearly the best applicant for the position, even though

several of the other applicants were more experienced and had greaterseniority.

During the interviews, we shortlisted three applicants: Ms Norlaila Yakub, MrEdward Lee and Mr Idrus Mohd Ngah. All three were equally well trained at atechnical level and seemed equally diligent and productive. Ms Norlaila,however, was the only applicant who had pursued further studies. She hascompleted a special course on the ACOL computer analysis system whichwe propose to buy next year and she has completed the first two years of amanagement diploma. These extra studies exactly fit Ms Norlaila for the newposition.

Furthermore, she impressed us during the interview with her communicationskills and understanding of her colleagues. In her annual appraisal for the lastthree years, she scored higher than any other applicant in communicationskills, interpersonal relationships and leadership.

From the above, it can be seen that Ms Norlailas promotion was not based onany discrimination against her male counterparts. If she had simply been asgood as the other applicants, her promotion would have been justified in termsof the companys affirmative action policy. But in this case, Ms Norlaila waspromoted on the grounds of superior abilities.


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(i) What does the subject line contain?

(ii) What is the purpose of the report mentioned in the

introduction/opening paragraph?

(iii) What are the justifications given for Ms Norlailas appointment?

(iv) How does the concluding paragraph support the decision?

(v) Evaluate the justification report. Is it effective in achieving itspurpose?

PREPOSITIONS10.4

Prepositions may be defined as any word or group of words that relate a noun orpronoun to another word in the sentence.

Imagine you have two nouns: report and supervisor.

How many ways can you connect the two nouns to express ideas?

The report about the managerThe report by the managerThe report for the managerThe report in front of the manager

The words in bold relate two nouns to each other. These relationship words arecalled prepositions. However, it can sometimes be difficult to know whatpreposition comes after a noun or a verb so it is good to familiarise yourself withsome of them.

Look at the following examples. Note how the prepositions connect the twonouns. The prepositions are underlined.


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Some common prepositions are shown in Table 10.1.

Table 10.1: Common Prepositionsabout before despite of to

above behind down off toward(s)

across below during on under

after beneath for out until

against beside from over up

along besides in since upon

among between into through with

around beyond like throughout within

at by near till without

An important element of English sentences is the prepositional phrase. Thisconsists of a preposition (PREP) and its object (O). The object of a preposition is anoun or pronoun.

Table 10.2 provides examples of prepositional phrases.

Table 10.2: Prepositional Phrasesthe alternative to job cuts interest in my idea a rise in pricesattention to detail a need for change a rise of 5%an application for a grant an order for goods the solution to the problema cheque for RM3,500.00 a fall of 4% the reason for the changethe return on investment value for money a vote of confidence

ACTIVITY 10.3

Read the sample justification report given in Activity 10.2. Identify theprepositions used in paragraphs 2 and 3. Use these prepositions in

sentences of your own.

The following are exercises to help you further understand the topic.


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ACTIVITY 10.4

Read the following periodic report and answer the questions below.

(a) Is the report prepared at regular intervals? What is the frequency?

(b) Which part of the report contains the purpose of the report?

(c) What is the current status of the problem?

To: David Tham, Plant ManagerFrom: Mohd Azman bin Che Wan, Personnel ManagerDate: 23 February 2010Subject: Monthly Absenteeism Report

OverviewThe absenteeism rate for January was 6%, an improvement of 1.5%over January last year. For the last 12 months, the mean rate of absencehas been 6.8%.

Breakdown of absences by shift and department*Medical certificates produced per department

Shift Assembly Production Transportation1st 8 of 202 1 of 28 1 of 202nd 10 of 202 2 of 28 2 of 203rd 19 of 200 N/A 1 of 10

Success of notification driveSupervisors are now urging their staff to phone in when they are not able to

come to work. Here is a breakdown of notifications.

Shift Assembly Production Transportation1st 6 of 8 0 of 1 0 of 12nd 10 of 10 0 of 2 2 of 23rd 12 of 19

At this stage, it would appear that many staff are letting their supervisorsknow when they are unable to work. Occasional reminders from supervisorsmay be necessary to make this an ingrained habit for all staff.

BH


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(d) Which of the following can be found in the body of the report?

Statistics of current situation

Statistics of previous period

Positive features of recommendation

Problems incurred

Measures taken to solve problem

Report on the day-to-day implementation

Summary report on the results of implementation

Costs involved

(e) Does the conclusion make a recommendation, point to the future orboth?

ACTIVITY 10.5

Fill the gaps in these sentences with a suitable verb or noun + prepositionfrom the list given in the box. You may need to change the verb form so that

the sentence is grammatically correct. The first one has been done for you.account for advertise for apply to approve of backlog of

based on benefit from bid for blame for bring up(a) In the middle of the meeting, our client brought up the subject of

compensation.

(b) All reports need to be carefully written and above all facts.

(c) The managing director was very satisfied; he myrecommendations.

(d) If we want to fill the post, we will have to ___a qualifiedtechnician.

(e) The clerk managed to the two missing packages.

(f) Computer operators wanted. Please the manager within.


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(g) The whole company is going to the China experience.

(h) The management and the workers each other the strike.

(i) The clerks had to work long after five to deal with the orders.

(j) Our agent RM2,000 to replace the merchandise destroyed inthe fire.

ACTIVITY 10.6

The following report was written by a student who had a work stint with

a large accounting firm during the holidays. The student has been askedto write a progress report on his studies because his employment duringthe next holiday depends on the successful completion of hiscoursework. His studies have also been interrupted due to illness.

1. Read the report and write the sub-headings in the appropriatespace numbered (1) to (4).

Overview Second Semester Conclusion First Semester

2. Complete the body ofthe report by correctly filling the spaces (a)

to (i) with the words provided in the box.during in at periods of of

available for in from in

SS3/21, Taman SEA46100 Petaling JayaSelangor

20 December 2010

Mr Kenneth Au

Student CoordinatorHuman Resources DepartmentDLloyds Accounting Consultants53050 Kuala Lumpur

Dear Mr Au,

(1) ___________

By the end (a)__________November 2010, I had completed 24 credits of the Bachelor of

Business at Open University Malaysia. There are 28 credits (b)__________this course.


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(2)_________

(c)________March, I was diagnosed as having hepatitis and consequently was granted

leave of absence for the first semester. (d)_________this time I undertook somestudy-related reading but was too ill to maintain extended (e)_________concentration.

(3)_________

In the second semester, I enrolled (f)________Financial Accounting, Management ofOrganisational Performance, International Accounting and Accounting Systems. Forthese, I received a credit, distinction, credit and pass respectively. Many of thesesubjects contain a practical component which I believe will be very useful in my workwith DLloyds.

(4)_________

With only another four subjects to complete the course, I expect to gain the Bachelor ofBusiness by June 2011. These subjects are Strategic Financial Accounting, InternationalTrade, Strategic Management and Strategic Information Systems.

My health is excellent and I will be (g)_________work from 3 January 2011. Please callme (h)_________63505021 to let me know if holiday work is available this year. I lookforward to hearing (i)_________you.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Lim

WRITING LONG REPORTS10.5

Formal reports are major documents written to provide comprehensiveinformation and expert opinions. They are written for specific purposes, forexample, to investigate the suitability of a particular site or to analyse

achievements over a set period. They are therefore usually long and requirecareful organising.

At the writing stage of preparing a long report, your first task is to produce themain text the part which contains an introduction to the findings, the body ofyour findings, your conclusions and recommendations. You will later need toprepare additional parts which can appear either before or after the main text.Details about each of these additional parts and a suggested writing sequence aregiven below.


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10.5.1 Sequencing a Long Report

The following is the sequence to follow when writing a long report:

(a) Develop an outline with main headings and sub-headings;

(b) Begin with the purpose statement and introduction;

(c) Write the main body of the report;

(d) Draw conclusions from the information you have presented in the body ofthe report and relate it to the purpose;

(e) Write the conclusions, then your recommendations;

(f) Optional Prepare the preface, abstract, synopsis or executive summary

after presenting facts and findings;(g) Include a list of references (bibliography) if you include researched material

in your report;

(h) Include a table of contents and a table of graphics (diagrams, charts,graphs). Each item is to be placed in the order it appears;

(i) Write the letter of transmittal; and

(j) Prepare the title page to complete the report.

10.5.2 PresentationPresentation is the arrangement of information on a page. It gives the reader aninitial impression of your organisation, so it is important that sufficient attention

be paid to the layout if you wish to project a professional image.

The presentation of information in letters, memos, faxes and reports follows setconventional rules. However, there is some degree of flexibility allowed,depending on the formality of the communication. What is most important is thecontent, which has to be set out clearly and well spaced. The following are

techniques you can use to make the presentation of information in yourdocument more impactful.

Headings Underlining Indentation Shading Numbered lists or sections, as in reports


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Space between paragraphs, left and right margins Headers and footersYou have already studied about the layout for specific types of letters underBusiness Writing 1 and 2.

Please note that proper presentation of a letter, or other business documents, isimportant as it helps the recipient understand what the sender wants to say. It isonly when the communication has been clear and effective that the recipient cantake appropriate action promptly.

10.5.3 Parts of a Long Report

(a) Introductory sectionTitle pageLetter of transmittalTable of contents

(b) The body (main text)IntroductionDiscussion and analysis of findingsDevelopment of ideasConclusionsRecommendations

(c) Final sectionReferencesAppendices

Long reports are similar to short reports as they both comprise three main parts:

(a) Introductory SectionThis section starts with the purpose statement that defines the reports maintask or topic. It also presents the terms of reference, which are theinstructions for writing the report. Finally, state the reports scope andlimitations.

NOTE: When writing to an expert reader who is familiar with the content,you can start with the conclusions and recommendations first.


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(b) The body (main text)This section usually investigates and analyses the findings and proposessolutions for problems involved.

Present both the advantages and disadvantages.

Use headings to highlight main ideas.

A numbering system helps if the body of the report contains many ideas.

(c) Final SectionThis section contains the conclusions and recommendations. Set these outas separate sections.

The conclusion section summarises and evaluates the reports main facts. Itis short. Do not present new information in the conclusion section.

Recommendations are the writers attempt to provide at least some answersto questions and issues raised by the report. State clearly the actionrequired. Recommendations are not needed if the long report is intended asa database for others who will be responsible for planning and makingrecommendations.

The language in a report should be simple, matter of fact, and as objective aspossible. Make sure that the information is relevant and up to date.

10.5.4 Writing Introductions

Read through the extracts given below. These extracts are all examples of theintroductory section in long reports.

You will note that although they share common features, they are eitherorganised differently, convey different kinds of information, or order theirinformation differently, based on instructions received to write the report.


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EXTRACT A:Report On Company Attitudes to Safety(A) Terms of Reference

In response to many complaints and the formation of a Safety andSecurity Committee, the Operations Manager requested the Committeeto investigate the current problems regarding safety at work. A reportmaking recommendations for improvements was to be submitted byFriday, 25 August 2009.

(B) ProcedureTo identify specific sources of complaint, the investigation adopted thefollowing procedures:

1. Interviews were held with both supervisory and operations personnel.

2. A questionnaire was designed, focusing on current:

Attitudes to safety; Working conditions; and Labour problems.

3. A cross-section of accident reports covering 2008 and 2009 was studied.

4. On-the-job attitudes to safety regulations were observed on fiveseparate occasions, twice on each shift.

5. A study of current theory and practice in safety attitudes andstandards was made.

EXTRACT BIntroduction of Flexitime SystemPurpose and ScopeDuring the management meeting on 7 October 2009, this department wasrequested to investigate the feasibility of introducing a flexitime system for alllower managerial and office workers at company headquarters. The reportwas to be submitted by 25 November 2009 and was to discuss:

(a) The organisation of the system;

(b) Financial implications;

(c) The effect on work performance; and

(d) Employee reactions to the scheme.


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EXTRACT CMethods of Clearing Oil Spills at Sea1. Overview

This report presents the findings of research into three methods ofclearing oil spills at sea as alternatives to the companys current use ofsinking agents. These were: burning, booms and chemical dispersants.Controlled tests of the alternative methods were held. Burning wasrejected as being unsuitable for deep water conditions. It was thereforedecided to recommend the use of chemical dispersants. Several types ofdispersants were considered and YN 1100X was finally selected.

2. ProblemAfter a series of accidents involving company tankers at sea, thecompany came under severe public criticism for its use of sinking agentsto disperse oil spills. The sinking agents used, although the mosteffective available, were found to have contaminated fishing gear andgreatly damaged the flora and fauna. It was therefore decided that thisdepartment should research alternative methods of clearing oil spills,with the aim of finding an alternative method which, while equallyeffective, and within a similar cost range, would be less detrimental in itsside effects.

3. ScopeThree alternative methods were considered: burning, booms andchemical dispersants. These were discussed in sections 4, 5 and 6respectively.


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ACTIVITY 10.7

Read the explanation given on Parts ofa Long Report. Then, go through theextracts carefully, noting the sub-headingsused in each of the extracts.

Tick () in the appropriate column in the checklist provided if the informationisfound in eachofthe extracts.

CHECKLIST OF CONTENTS FOR INTRODUCTORY SECTIONTYPES OF INFORMATION EXTRACTS

A B C1. Purpose: reports main task/ topic2. (a) Terms of reference: instructions for writing the

report

(b) Who requested the report

(c) Background of the request

(d) The deadline for submission

3. Scope of report

4. Conclusions

5. Recommendations

10.5.5 Writing Conclusions

The following activity sums up how conclusions in reports can be written.

ACTIVITY 10.8

Look at the following concluding sections from four reports.

What information does each contain: conclusions, recommendations, orboth?

A In conclusion, the accident was caused by the use of outdated andfaulty machinery and not by any negligence on the part of theoperator. We therefore recommend that Mr Yahya Che Long bereinstated and that the possibility of purchasing new and moremodern machinery be explored.


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B Thus, the complaints regarding the quality and quantity of food inthe staff cafeteria would appear to be valid and we have already

taken steps to ensure that matters improve.

C From the findings of the research, it would seem that the use ofchemical dispersants is the only one of the three methodsconsidered which is:

(a) Completely effective;(b) Within a satisfactory price range; and(c) Not harmful to marine life.Of all the types of chemical dispersants currently in the market,YN1100X is the least toxic and best meets our requirements.

D Ms Sarah has worked diligently and produced work ofconsistently high standard. She started in the credit department

before moving to investment banking last month. She rarely takestime off can usually complete her work before deadlines. She is areliable and diligent employee and is held in high regard by bothher superiors and subordinates. She has always been loyal to the

company and is willing to accept extra responsibilities. BesidesEnglish, Ms Sarah speaks Mandarin and French rather fluently.She would have no difficulty in carrying out the duties of a moredemanding position.

ADJECTIVES10.6

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. It adds information on

number, colour, type and other qualities to your sentence. Most of the time, youwill find adjectives in front of a noun or pronoun but that may not always be thecase.

Adjectives can be used in two positions: before nouns and after verbs such as be,become, seem, appearand feel.


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Examples:

The following sentences are taken from the introductory sections of reports givenearlier. Study the underlined phrases and note the position of the adjectives.

(a) In response to many complaints and the formation of a Safety and SecurityCommittee, the Operations Manager requested the Committee to

investigate the current problems regarding safety at work.

(b) Interviews were held with both supervisory and operations personnel.

(c) A questionnaire was designed, focusing on current:

Attitudes to safety; Working conditions; and Labour problems.


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(d) A cross-section of accident reports covering 2008 and 2009 was studied.

(e) On-the-job attitudes to safety regulations were observed on five separate

occasions twice on each shift.

(f) A study of current theory and practice in safety attitudes and standardswas made.

In the examples above, the position of the adjectives is before a noun. It is notoften that we come across link verbs such as seem, feeland appear in businessdocuments because they suggest uncertainty.

On the other hand, adjectives after link verbs such as be and become are more

common.

E.g. Complaints are many.The problems are current.He has become wealthy.The customer feels cheated.

ACTIVITY 10.9

1. Read Extract B again.(a) Identify the adjectives and note their position in the sentence.

(b) Are they all in the same position as those in the examplesabove?

(c) What other adjectives can be used for the nouns identified?

Some adjectives are used after the noun. For example:

The funds allocated to the project did not cover theexpenditure.

The people questioned during the survey thought thepackaging was good.

The issues discussed during the meeting were all resolved. Can I refer to one of the points raised during the last meeting? The goods ordered last week have arrived. The warning issued by the authorities was ignored.


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2. Fill in the blanks below with the correct adjectives.

favourable furniture past coming futurevariable international favourable Asian

Here are the results of my analysis of the (1)_________performance ofCane-Wood International together with some predictions for the(2)__________development of the (3)__________market.

Overall, the (4)__________year has been (5)__________for the Cane-WoodGroup in all three (6)__________regions. This has been the case despite the(7)_________conditions from country to country. The prospects for the(8)__________years look (9)__________on the whole and only the situationin the East may give some cause for concern.

ACTIVITY 10.10

Read the following paragraph. The information is not arranged in anorganised manner. Based on the explanation given on introductions,how would you divide the following introduction into sections and whatheading would you give each section?Over the past year, short-term absenteeism (i.e. absenteeism for two daysor less) has risen by an average of 20% throughout the company, withthe highest increase (24.3%) occurring in the Production Department. Atthe last managerial meeting, the Human Resources Department wasasked to investigate this problem and to determine the reason(s) for theincrease. This report details the findings of the investigation andsuggests ways in which absenteeism may be reduced. The reasons forthe absenteeism were determined in the following ways:

Employees records were checked and interviews were held with allstaff members who showed persistent patterns of short-termabsenteeism;

All departmental and section heads were interviewed; and

Union representatives were consulted.


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Once the reasons for absenteeism were established, a survey was carried outin other companies to see if similar problems existed. Particular attentionwas paid to companies which had experienced high short-term absenteeismin the past but have since been able to reduce the extent of the problem.

ADJECTIVE FORMATION10.7

The following sub-sections briefly explain types of adjectives.

10.7.1 Single-Word Adjectives

Many single-word adjectives are not derived from other words e.g. past, section,similar, high. However, you can recognise some of these adjectives from theirendings, for example:

-ion: Production Department-al: managerial meeting, departmental heads-ent: persistent patterns

Other common endings are as follows:

-able: adjustable-ary: monetary policy

-ed: limited company

-ful: successful career

-ial: industrial sabotage

-ible: deductible income

-ic: economic policy

-ive: competitive market-ly: costly mistake

-ous: ambitious plans

-y: fussy manager


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ACTIVITY 10.11

Complete the following job reference with the correct form of the wordin brackets. Use your dictionary if you are not sure.As requested, this is an appraisal of Ms Sarah who spent four years workingin my department. Science Corporation is a highly (1)_________(success)company in precision (2)_________(science) instruments in a highly (3)_________ (compete) market. During her time with Science Limited, MsSarah was (4) _________ (responsibility) for translating (5) _________(promotion) literature into English. This work requires someone who is (6)_________ (independence) and capable of producing (7) _________(accuracy)translations of both sales information and (8) _________ (technique)documentation. Ms Sarah proved to be an extremely(9)_________(competence) and (10)_________(loyalty) employee and I fullyrecommend her for the position.

10.7.2 Two-Word Adjectives

Many adjectives are formed by joining two or more words together with ahyphen, for example, short-term absenteeism and on-the-job attitudes.

There are many types of combinations:

Adj + noun: small-scale operationAdj + noun + ed: short-sighted policyAdj or adverb + past participle: low-spirited workersAdj, adv, noun + present participle: problem-solving approachNoun + adj: tax-free salaryA few compound adjectives consist of three or more words:

day-to-day operation up-to-date informationstate-of-the-art equipment down-to-earth approach


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ACTIVITY 10.12

Use one word to complete each of these sets of expressions.

1. trouble- __________maintenance

2. lead- __________petrol

3. interest-__________credit

4. __________- earned rest

5. __________-timed intervention

6. __________-service restaurant

7. __________-made man

8. short- __________contract

9. free -__________economy

10. medium- __________investment

ADVERBS AND ADVERBIALS10.8

Adverbs describe actions. Adverbials are usually adverbs, adverb phrases orprepositional phrases. Study the following forms of adverbs:

main ver

1. The staffrarely attends office parties.modal main verb

2. The cashiers can usually take one hour lunch.

auxiliary frequency auxiliaryadverb

3. Ms Sarah has always been loyal to the corporation.

main verb direct object adverbial

4. She speaks French very well.


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From these examples we can see that the adverb goes:

1. Before the main verb;2.

Between a modal (e.g. could, will) and the main verb;

3. Between the two auxiliaries for frequency adverbs; and4. After the direct object (NOT *She speaks very well French).Uses of adverbsAdverbs give information about verbs saying how, where, when, how oftensomething happens or is done.Ms Sarah walked quickly. how?to the next office. where?a few minutes ago. when?often how often?

ACTIVITY 10.13

Look again at the recommendations given in Extract D of Activity 10.8.

(a) Identify the adverbs in the extract.

(b) Note the positions of the adverbs.

(c) Identify the use of the adverbs: how? where? when? how often?

No Adverbs Position Use


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Two forms of reports long and short may be used at different times and

may be presented using different formats.

This information about reports is accompanied by a number of activities thatfocus on grammatical items such as prepositions, adjectives and adjectivalphrases as well as adverbs and adverbials.

These exercises hone your skills so that you may be better able to write wholesentences and paragraphs in your reports.

Adjective

Adverb

Adverbial

Justification report

Long report

Periodic report

Progress report

Report

Short report

Single-word adjective

Two-word adjective

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