Marg’s question: “My manager says I can’t use contractions in my minutes. What do you think?”BizWritingTip response: First, contractions are words that are shortened by replacing a letter or letters with an apostrophe. Examples Cannot = can’t It is/it has = it’s We will = we’ll Contractions are not wrong, but they are considered a less […]
Paul’s question: “What is the difference between ‘recur’ and ‘reoccur’?” BizWritingTip response: If you say something recurs you are saying the event happens repeatedly – at regular intervals. Example We see a recurrence of flu symptoms in our patients beginning in December. (Flu happens every year.) How should we handle the recurring problem of all staff wanting to take their vacations during […]
Paul’s question: “My manager was talking about smothered verbs last week. What are they and why should we avoid them?”BizWritingTip response: Smothered verbs deal with style. There is nothing wrong with them grammatically. Smothered verbs are created when writers take our strong English verbs and turn them into nouns. They then have to insert another verb […]
Bev’s question: “In my company, we have been told to start any email response to our customers with ‘Thank you for your email.’ What do you think?”BizwritingTip response: There is nothing wrong with the sentence in terms of grammar or etiquette. But I don’t like it for a number of reasons. First, what are you thanking […]
Joanna’s question: “When do you use ‘among’ and when do you use ‘between’?” BizWritingTip response: The basic rule is to use between when referring to two persons or things andamong when you are referring to more than two. Examples I divided the workload between Gerry and Susan. I divided the workload between the two new staff members. I divided the workload among Gerry, Susan, and […]
Kelly’s question: “Can you please comment on ‘plead’ versus ‘pled’?” BizWritingTip response: According to the Oxford dictionary, to plead is to “make an earnest appeal; to maintain (a cause) esp. in a law court.” Example She will plead not guilty of the charges. The past tense of plead is either pled or pleaded. Pled is American English and pleaded is British English. Examples She pleaded guilty of the charges […]
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. […]
Terry’s question: “I am wondering about the use of per cent and percentage. For instance, should it be ‘Early Development Instrument: Percent Vulnerable by Domain’ or should it be ‘Percentage Vulnerable by Domain’?” BizWritingTip response: According to the AMA Manual of Style, deciding on whether to use per cent or percentage is simple. “The term […]
Phil’s question: “I often find sentences written like this ‘project delivery will not proceed as there has been no approval to date.’ It bothers me because I would expect to read ‘project delivery will not proceed because there has been no approval to date.’ Which form is more acceptable or correct.” BizWritingTip response: As, since, and because are used to […]
We always like to end the year with a little fun. Here are some statements that may make your eyes roll. I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words. I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not so sure. I stayed up all night to see where […]