Hilary’s question: “Please discuss the use of ‘who’ versus ‘that’ in a sentence. For example, in the sentence — There are many other participants in the videos that also share their stories about welding as a career of choice — I think it should be ‘who also share their stories.’ ” BizWritingTip response: This is […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Is it ‘incidence’ or ‘incidents?’ For example: ‘While the incidence or incidents of illegal dumping has decreased…’ ” BizWritingTip response: This is a great question. Sometimes our English words sound so much alike it is difficult to know which one to use. “Incidence” is a singular noun and refers to the frequency of an occurrence. It cannot […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Will you please clarify the correct use of ‘that’ versus ‘which’ in qualifying sentences? It seems to me people often use ‘which’ when they should be using ‘that.’ ” BizWritingTip response: It’s interesting that I have received three separate requests for this information in the past two weeks. So although I have dealt […]
BizWritingTip reader: “When you close a business letter, does it still need to include the company name typed under the closing line? It seems like it duplicates the letterhead.” BizWritingTip response: Before letterhead, the courts required companies to put their name somewhere on the document to show they stood behind the correspondence. Most organizations placed […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Can you please clarify the correct use of the word ‘oversight’ versus ‘overseeing.’ I’ve been seeing the word ‘oversight’ used in the context of ‘X department is responsible for the oversight of Y project.’ Please clarify the correct usage of the word ‘oversight’ versus ‘to oversee.’ ” BizWritingTip response: “To oversee” is a […]
As this is the last BizWritingTip for 2011, I wanted to leave you with a smile. Debbie sent me this entertaining message on the word UP. Hope you enjoy it. UP – The Most Versatile Word in The Dictionary This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is UP. It is listed in […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Do you have anything on ‘may’ and ‘might’? I think there are some parallels with ‘can’ and ‘could.’ ” BizWritingTip response: “May” and “might” imply permission or possibility. “Might” is also the past tense of “may.” Examples The report may be accurate. (Possibility) You may call me tomorrow to set up an appointment. (Permission) He said he might have […]
BizWritingTip reader: “I read the following sentence in one of today’s papers: ‘Another seven senior executives were let go around the same time ….’ Is this correct?” BizWritingTip response: Good catch. This sentence is incorrect. The verb should have been “was.” Whenever the word “another” appears in a sentence as a subject or as an […]
BizWritingTip reader: “French being my first language, I am having difficulty figuring out when I should use ‘into’ versus ‘in’ and ‘onto’ versus ‘on.’ As of today, I am almost exclusively using ‘in’ and ‘on’ since I am not quite sure when I should use ‘into’ and ‘onto.’ ” BizWritingTip response: The nuances of these […]
Mary’s question: “My current pet peeve is the use of the word instantaneously rather than instantly. It seems rather cumbersome and the words, to me, are synonymous.” BizWritingTip response: Both adverbs are derived from the noun instant (Medieval Latin word instantāneus). And although they tend to overlap, the nuances are different. Instantly means immediately. It implies promptness. Example We phoned for the […]