Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

STYLE
not unintentionally distract from them. Entire volumes have been
published on how to steer clear of sexism, racism and other 'isms
in your writing. This chapter touches briefly on the topic and gives
some examples.
A VOIDING LOADED WORDS
Many words carry messages under the surface that come through
either subtly or not-so-subtly. You must be attuned to their full
significance when you use them, to ensure that you aren't saying
something more than you intended. The last couple of decades have
seen a growing awareness about bias in language as it affects women
and members of particular racial, cultural and social groups, but
bias can have an impact on anyone.
Exercise
Each of the following sentences contains some word, phrasing or
message that could give readers pause. Note that none is blatantly
offensive: No racial epithets or gratuitous put-downs are included.
(All are drawn or adapted from actual published material, and in
no case did it seem that the writer intended to give offense.) Yet
all can be rewritten in a way that fully retains the information
while getting rid of something that could be viewed as insulting or
patronizing.
Battered women are often reluctant to admit that they are being abused.
Most people in the world cannot speak English; therefore, software
developers should design their products to be easily translatable.
The following are suggestions on how physicians can to try to change
the minds of patients who refuse to participate in research studies.
Local Grandmother Wins Pulitzer Prize!
Every kid in Canada grows up dreaming of playing one day in the NHL.
Mr. Smith, who is gay and a former convict, says that the support he has
received from the group has turned his life around.
In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, accompanied by a Nepalese
guide, became the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The neighborhood is rough, causing elderly residents to be scared to go
out alone.
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