Graham’s question: “Can you shed some light on the the usage of ‘on behalf of’? For example, if I am acknowledging someone, is it correct for me to say ‘on behalf of myself and the group, I would like to thank you for …’ If I am the one delivering, is it not redundant to state it is on behalf of […]
Ketta’s question: “Can you please provide some examples of the proper usage of ‘try to’ and ‘try and?’ ” BizWritingTip response: I was taught that when the first verb is a strong request the second verb should be in the infinitive form (to + a verb). Therefore, the phrase should be “try to.” However, according […]
Klaus’s Question: “Here is something I’ve wondered about since I’ve seen it used both ways. When showing lack of concern, which is correct, ‘I could care less’ or ‘I couldn’t care less’?” BizWritingTip response: The expression “I could care less” has caused a great deal of criticism for many years. The original phrase “I couldn’t […]
Susan’s question: “Could you please let me know when it is appropriate to use the word ‘bunch.’ I often hear it used in conjunction with people, but I find it hard on the ear. Am I just being picky?” BizWritingTip response: According to the Oxford dictionary, the noun bunch refers to “a cluster of things growing or fastened […]
Kirk’s question: “I am drafting a thank-you letter to two men. In the address portion of the letter, do I write Mr. X and Mr. Y or do I write Messrs. X and Y? And similarly, if the letter was addressed to two women is it correct to use Mmes.?” BizWritingTip response: Here is another […]
Jolanda’s question: “Lately, I have seen people write: July 3rd, 2010, but I learned in school that it should be July 3, 2010, or 3rd of July 2010. Can you clarify what is allowed?” BizWritingTip response: The answer to this question is a great example of how spoken and written English do not always mesh. […]
Mary Lou’s question: “Why is it that MD does not have a period after the M. and D. as this is a title?” BizWritingTip response: The rule for abbreviations is that if they are composed of all capital letters, you do not use periods with them. Examples MD YMCA MP SOPs (standard operating procedures) Exception: Abbreviations that […]
Elfriede’s question: “When you are using abbreviations, how do you know whether to put ‘a’ or ‘an’ in front of them, e.g., ‘a MBA’ or ‘an MBA’? Please help. I’m in health care and we use abbreviations ad nauseam.” BizWritingTip response: When it comes to using indefinite articles (a or an), it doesn’t matter whether you are spelling […]
Pat’s question: “Could you please discuss the grammatical misuse of the word ‘yourself.’ For example, I have heard people answer the question ‘How are you?’ by saying ‘Fine. And yourself?’ Shouldn’t it be ‘Fine. And you?’ ” BizwritingTip response: You are correct. “Yourself” is a reflexive pronoun. Reflexive pronouns are those that end in –self […]
Gord’s question: “I am mostly on board with writing things American style. But the American practice of including the punctuation inside quotation marks drives me up the wall. What do you think?” BizWritingTip response: You will most likely hate me for this information; however, the rules for quotation marks in Canada have changed. Check out […]