Grammar Tip – Commas With Introductory Thoughts

Mary Ann’s question: “Should there be a comma in the following sentence: ‘If you’re driving tired you’re driving impaired’?” BizWritingTip response: Years ago, writers were told to place a comma wherever they would take a breath. But this could sometimes be confusing as people don’t always have the same breathing patterns. And people learning English […]

Grammar Tip – His or Her or Their

Paula’s question: “This issue has come up often in our organization — the use of ‘their’ for singular instead of ‘his/her.’ For example, many write: ‘This patient needs to follow their diet better.’ I would use ‘his/her.’ What is the acceptable norm now?” BizWritingTip response: It is difficult to give a straight answer to this […]

Grammar Tip – Most Is or Most Are

Deane’s question: “Is it okay to write ‘Most of the population speaks English.’ Or should it be ‘Most of the population speak English.’ BizWritingTip response: This question deals with subject and verb agreement and collective nouns. Words such as all, none, any, some, more and most are considered pronouns. The verb following may be singular […]

Grammar Tip – Hyphens with Numbers and Nouns

Jan’s question: “When referring to a 21 bed unit or a 2 year term contract, is it 21 bed or 21-bed? And is it a 2 year or two-year contract?” BizWritingTip response: Again, great questions — taking two different rules into account. First, when a number (e.g., 21) and a noun (e.g., beds) form one thought and […]

Writing Style – International Numbers

Just wanted to point out a truly Canadian company – Tim Hortons. If you ever participate in their Roll-Up-the-Rim-to-Win contest, you will notice the numbers on their disposable coffee cups do not have commas to indicate thousands. This is the metric way of writing numbers and also the international style. Canada went metric in the […]

Grammar Tip – Text Style Guide

Carlene’s question: “I am trying to find a good reference for a text style guide. I want to address readability of word-based text documents. Are you aware of a guide that provides information on how to use headings, bolding, font size, etc.?” BizWritingTip response: Design is a very personal thing, and many organizations have even […]

Grammar Tip – Possession With Compound Nouns and Pronouns

Kim’s question: “In both writing and speaking, how do I refer to something that belongs to more than one person? For example, a report that Bill and I worked on – ‘the report is Bill’s and mine’ or ‘the report is my and Bill’s.’ What is the correct way to state this?” BizWritingTip response: This […]

Word Choice – More Versus Most

Jane’s comment: “In an earlier tip you said, ‘Which word is the most appropriate?’ Surely you meant to say, ‘Which is the more appropriate’ since you were comparing only two words (‘first’ versus ‘firstly’). Or, like so many other examples of misuse of the English language, has this too now entered into the growing list of […]

Word Choice – Less Versus Fewer

Deborah’s question: “I see and hear in the media, and in conversations the word ‘less’ being used instead of ‘fewer.’  It is a pet peeve of mine, and I see it on T.V., in print, on packaging, and I hear it on the radio – the CBC no less! Has there been a change in […]

Word Choice – Off or Off of

Andy’s question: “Is it proper grammar to use ‘Billy jumped off of the ladder’? I don’t think so. I think it should be ‘Billy jumped off the ladder.’” BizWritingTip response: “Off” and “of” are both prepositions. A preposition is a word mainly used before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship with other words. […]