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6.5 State the facts forcefully but be cautious about interpretation

You can afford to be concrete and precise, to use active-voice verbs, and to be straightforward when dealing with facts, with observations, with things that you saw. On the contrary, in a piece of writing with potentially negative overtones, you should hedge your interpretations of the facts or your statement about the predicted results of your observation. Thus, since it is a verifiable fact, you could safely say, "We still have not received the financial information requested on April 15." On the other hand, you will anger your reader if you say "You still have not sent the financial information requested on April 15."

 

Courtesy of John Mercer Associates, www.MercerWriting.com

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