BizWritingTip reader: “When vacationing in Mexico last week, I went to a restaurant called Carlos’n Charlie’s. Is the name grammatically correct? I don’t think you need two apostrophes.” BizWritingTip response: An establishment has the right to call itself anything it wishes. However, you are right. Carlos and Charlie’s would be the grammatically correct way to name this well-known […]
Kathleen’s question: “Recently, I have noticed replies to me with ‘Thanks, Kathleen.’ The comma annoys me and just looks and sounds wrong. Is this the correct way of writing this?” BizWritingTip response: Grammatically, Thanks, Kathleen means Kathleen is thanking someone else. Thanks, Kathleen is a shortened version of Thanks, Kathleen On the other hand, Thanks Kathleen (no […]
BizWritingTip reader: “I never know when it is correct to use the word ‘whose.’ Can you please clarify this word’s proper usage?” BizWritingTip response: “Whose” is the possessive form for the word “who.” It will always be followed by a noun (person, place or thing). Examples Whose proposal was chosen? Whose idea was it? In […]
Pam’s question: “I am responsible for editing various financial documents. In the explanations provided, examples are often included. Can you please clarify the use of eg and ie and how to punctuate them?” BizWritingTip response: The abbreviation i.e. stands for the Latin id est. Translated it means “that is.” Think of it as saying “in […]
When you are writing a sentence that contains hyphenated adjectives with the same last word, delete all the repeated words except for the last one; however, keep the hyphens to indicate a connection to the last word. This is the rule of the suspended hyphen. Examples (incorrect) Long-term or short-term loan Open-door and closed-door policies Two-door […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Is the following sentence right? ‘If the writer does not explain him or herself clearly, readers will often get incorrect information.’ ” BizWritingTip response: This question involves several grammar issues. First, a pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the word it is replacing) in terms of number and gender. Examples Marie said she can make the meeting. We worked hard […]
Susan’s question: “I saw this recently on a television network’s van: Now there’s a million ways to connect. Is this correct?” Bizwritingtip response: Good catch. This is not correct. The author elected a catchy slogan over a grammatically correct one. Whenever you start a sentence with “there” or “here” the verb agrees with the closest […]
BizWritingTip reader: “What is the rule for ‘data’? Some of our consultants use singular, and some use plural verbs with it. I use the singular verb myself!” BizWritingTip response: “Data” is the plural of the Latin word “datum,” meaning “given.” You would think then that “data” would fall into the standard rule for subject and […]
BizWritingTip reader: “In a previous BizWritingTip, you ended it with ‘Having fun yet!’ Shouldn’t this have a question mark at the end rather than an exclamation mark?” BizWritingTip response: This is a great question! Question marks are used for questions – real and rhetorical. (A rhetorical question does not require an answer.) Examples Can you […]
In a previous post, we discussed some of the rules surrounding hyphens, and I promised to provide more guidelines in this BizWritingTip. I did say not to put a hyphen between a compound adjective (two adjectives) when the first word ends in “ly.” Examples (correct) Environmentally friendly packaging Poorly written report There is, however, an exception: When […]