Jean’s question: “Could you please clarify the correct use of “can” and “may” in a future issue? I am finding that ‘can’ is being used exclusively and that ‘may’ no longer appears in business communication. It’s another death of civility, as far as I am concerned.” BizWritingTip response: I remember one elementary school teacher who […]
Susan’s question: “Being a grammar buff, it causes me pain when I hear and read ‘lay’ being used instead of ‘lie,’ all over the internet, television, radio, and in song lyrics these days. Please consider doing your followers a great service by highlighting this epidemic.” BizWritingTip response: You are right. This is a common mistake. […]
Basia’s question: “I was proofing a paper for a grad student, and we wondered what the difference is between the terms ‘for instance’ and ‘for example’ in a sentence.” BizWritingTip response: According to the Oxford Dictionary, for instance is defined “as an example.” For example means “by way of illustration.” In theory, for instance is […]
Leah’s question: “Would you please write about the overuse of the word ‘that’? For example, shouldn’t ‘Please read the letter that I wrote’ be better as ‘please read the letter I wrote.’ ” BizWritingTip response: The use of the pronoun “that” is controversial. Fortunately, it is a style issue rather than a grammar one. In […]
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: “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 […]
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 […]
Antonio’s question: “Do you think you could help me in my personal battle against the wrong use of ‘me,’ both in how it’s used and where it’s placed? I am sure you hear ‘me and my cousin went to the movies,’ ‘me and my friend had lunch together’ and on and on… and you want to scream […]
Connie’s question: “I was wondering what you thought the correct abbreviation for continued would be? Is there a standard?” BizwritingTip response: Some words have set abbreviations, e.g., Mr., Sr., and Inc. You will find official abbreviations in the dictionary. Other words are abbreviated by leaving out letters and inserting an apostrophe, e.g., can’t or it’s. […]
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 […]