Monique’s question: “I understand that hyphenation must be used between two words that form one adjective. However, if the words are a person’s name what would be the correct way of writing it, for example, Dag-Hammerskjöld-Honorary-Medal or Dag Hammerskjöld-Honorary Medal?” BizWritingTip response: You are correct on the basic rule. If two or three words form an […]
Danielle’s question: “We are having a debate in the office as to whether you can use a colon after the word ‘including’ in the middle of a sentence. Can you please help us?” BizWritingTip response: A colon signals to the reader that an explanation follows. You can only use a colon if a complete sentence precedes […]
Barb’s question: “I was in a store recently and saw two signs: ‘his’ and ‘her’s.’ Is this correct?” BizWritingTip response: We have all been taught to use an apostrophe to show possession. However, as I keep saying, there is always an exception to every rule. And, in this case, it relates to personal pronouns. The following […]
Russ’s question: “My manager just told me I am not using apostrophes in the right place. I believe I was taught to add them whenever a word ends in ‘s.’ But she says this is wrong.” BizWritingTip’s response: I have noticed this grammar problem a lot lately: apostrophes being misused and abused. Apostrophes have two uses. […]
Todd’s question: “Would you hyphenate ‘cost effective’ in the following sentence? ‘He has designed cost effective training and consulting programs.’” BizWritingTip response: Words change according to their use in sentences. Normally, you would consider the word “cost” as a noun or as a verb. In the sentence provided, “cost” is now serving as an adjective […]
Anne’s question: “We would like to ask you for the proper punctuation. In the sentence, ‘We have talked to other CCAC’s about their experience,’ should it be CCAC’s or CCACs?” BizWritingTip response: This is a great question dealing with a common error. To pluralize capital letters and abbreviations ending in capital letters, just add a […]
Linden’s question: “Must the abbreviation ‘Ltd’ have a period after it? If you do use a period after it, how do you deal with the end of the sentence? Are there two periods, one for the abbreviation and one for the sentence?” BizWritingTip response: Any abbreviation composed of upper and lower case letters should have […]
Jenny’s question: “Would you please comment on the use of apostrophes in names on plaques outside family homes. I see many of these signs that use the family name with an apostrophe as in The Wilson’s. Is this correct? This usage makes me think that the house belongs to The Wilson.” BizWritingTip response: You are absolutely right. The Wilson’s is wrong. […]
Grant’s question: “When does one place the apostrophe before the ‘s’ and when is it placed after the ‘s’?” BizWritingTip response: An apostrophe with a noun indicates both possession and the number involved. In other words, if the apostrophe is placed inside the “s,” there is only one item that possesses something. If the apostrophe […]
Be Your Boss’ Boss I was on the Go Train last week and cringed to see this slogan on a poster from a well known association. It’s a grammatical error. When you make a one-syllable word ending in “s,” “x,” or “z” possessive, you must add an apostrophe plus an additional “s.” Examples (correct – one-syllable […]