SOME GUIDELINES Writing for eye vs writing for ear

 People don't write the way they talk.  In some ways, writing for the ear requires the same skills as any other format.  The ABCs -- Accuracy, Brevity, and Clarity -- always mark quality writing.  Although most of us learn not to move our lips as we read, we still "hear" ourselves reading in our heads, and so things like rhythm and rhyme and alliteration always matter.

 When you write for the ear, you must remember one important fact:  Listeners don't get a second chance!  READERS who don't understand something can go back and read it again.  LISTENERS can't. Listeners must understand your words the first time, or they're gone forever into the air!

 Speeches, radio copy, commercials -- anything that ultimately aims at an audience who will hear the final version rather than read it -- have some unique requirements.  Because you are writing material someone else will read out loud to the final audience, keep this baker's dozen of suggestions in mind when you're writing for the ear.

WRITE LIKE YOU TALK.  Well, almost like you talk. No swearing, please.  listen to announcers and news people on radio and TV and you'll notice something: the best ones sound like they're just TALKING to you, not READING to you.  So if you write something that "sounds" like you're reading it when you say it aloud - then it's wrong. For example, read aloud the two sentences to the right.  Which one sounds more like people talk? Yesterday, following a luncheon, the Mayor delivered an address to the student body. or The Mayor talked to the students yesterday after lunch

USE "YOU" AND "I" FORMS OF VERBS.  Casual writing for the eye also uses these constructions, but business and academic writers sometimes strive for a more objective sound by using third person constructions (he, she, it, they, or the stuffier "one").  One shouldn't create such distance between oneself and one's readers.  You see the problem when you're reading it. It's much worse for your listeners.

KEEP SENTENCES SHORT.  It's better to write two simple sentences than one long, complicated sentence. It's hard for listeners to recall at the end of a long sentence what you said at the beginning. And remember: they can't go back and re-read the sentence.  Avoid compound or complex sentences. Remember the structure from early composition classes: SVO -- subject-verb- object.  To the right is a sentence that's too long for the ear. Then it's followed by a better way to write the same information for a listener by making it into 4 short sentences. My grandmother, who came to America when she was a little girl, told me yesterday that she still remembers the first time she saw the Statue of Liberty, which she said made her cry, but I'm not sure why. Or My grandmother came to America when she was a little girl. Yesterday she told me she still remembers the first time she saw the Statue of Liberty. She said it made her cry. But I'm not sure why.

DON'T USE BIG WORDS WHEN SMALL ONES WILL DO.  It's good to keep learning new words and developing your vocabulary.  But it's clearer for listeners if you use simple words rather than big ones.  Use simple language. Don't say "e.g."; say "for example", and make it a separate sentence instead of a parenthetical statement.  To the right are two examples of how to make something simpler by using smaller words. Cathy declared she really liked chocolate. Cathy "said" she really liked chocolate works just as well as the big word "declared.“ or Gene attempted to purchase a new camera. "Attempted to purchase" uses big words. It's simpler to say he "tried to buy" a new camera.

USE CONTRACTIONS.  The way people talk is filled with contractions like those to the right.  Contractions sound like people talk. So use them when writing for the ear. I've is a contraction for I have. It's is a contraction for it is. We'll is a contraction for we will

USE ACTIVE VERBS.  In the English language, there are "active" verbs and "passive" verbs.  Active verbs are better for listeners. They are clearer, more direct, and easier to understand.  For example, to the right is a sentence with a passive verb, "was hit”  Who did the action? The car. What did it do? It hit. Who did it hit? The boy.  So it would be much easier for a listener to understand if you just said it more directly. Like the sentence to the right. It's short and direct. The boy was hit by the car. Or The car hit the boy.

WATCH OUT FOR "SOUNDALIKES".  These are words that readers can SEE are different, but listeners might be confused. For example, read aloud the sentence at right.  How would a listener know if the last word was "two" or "too?"  Be careful of "soundalikes" or your writing might look good on the page, but sound wrong on the radio. Yesterday the Yankees won their game and the Mets won two.

READ YOUR WORDS ALOUD.  That's the only way to hear how your words sound.  When you read aloud you can hear problems that your eye doesn't notice, like sentences that are too long, or tongue-twisters like the one to the right.  An even better idea is to tape record yourself to hear how you sound.  Remember, what you LOOK LIKE on the radio is not important. How you SOUND is! Sarah sold her seashells slowly Saturday.

MARK UP YOUR SCRIPT  Whatever you write to read aloud is a script.  In every sentence you write, there are some words you want to emphasize by saying them louder or with more energy.  Professional announcers and news reporters underline those words so they'll remember.  And they make other marks on the script to remember where they want to pause, or where they might need to take a breath.  Try "marking up" your writing too. It'll help you remember how you want to sound when you read aloud.

PARAPHRASE MORE, QUOTE LESS.  A speaker has trouble indicating a direct quote without pecking the air with the first two fingers of each hand.  Radio broadcasters don't even have that option.  Attribution is also harder. When you use a direct quote, give the attribution at the beginning of the sentence.  For example, instead of writing your quote, followed by "John Smith, Article Title, 2004", write, "As John Smith noted in his 2004 article... (title)," and then follow it with your quote.

ROUND OFF AND "VERBALIZE" STATISTICS.  Rather than saying, "This year's city budget will run $286,726,090,”say, "This year's city budget calls for nearly three hundred million dollars.“ SPELL OUT NUMBERS.  Speakers really should look at their copy before they deliver it, but many don't.  Spelling numbers out helps keep them from stumbling, and also helps make sure the number gets reported accurately.

MAKE YOUR STRUCTURE CLEAR.  You can develop a story for the eye in a fairly complex way, even using typographic conventions to indicate things such as flashbacks.  Listeners have few such cues.  "Signposting" (e.g., "Today we'll consider three reasons to buy a new car. First... second... third...") helps them keep track of the talk, understand the structure, and remember the main points.

POLISH BOTH THE INTRODUCTION AND THE CONCLUSION.  If you learned to write in journalistic inverted- pyramid style, break the habit for the ear.  Listeners remember the first and last thing they hear more than anything in the middle.  Beginning speech writers tend to work hard on the main message and tack on introductions and conclusions as afterthoughts.  Remember: people don't talk the way they write.