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 […]
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 […]
Rob’s question: “I just received an email saying that the attachment was the ‘last update on the project.’ As the project will continue for six more months is this correct?” BizWritingTip response: “The last update” implies you are receiving the final update on the project. You will not be receiving anything else. The sender should have […]
Linden’s question: “I’m wondering about the difference between ‘continuous’ and ‘continual.’ We’re trying to develop a mission statement and are debating whether we trying to ‘continually achieve excellence’ or are trying to ‘continuously achieve excellence.’ Or does it matter which word we use?” BizWritingTip response: These two words are often interchanged but, according to the Oxford […]
Rebecca’s question: “My question is when do you use ‘ie’ and when do you use ‘eg’? Of course, along with that question I also need to know what is the proper punctuation to be used with them.” BizWritingTip response: The abbreviation i.e. represents the Latin term “id est” meaning that is. The term e.g. – […]
Rob’s question: “Is ‘thank you’ a hyphenated word? For example, should I write ‘thank you for your help’ or ‘thank-you for your help’?” BizWritingTip response: To express gratitude use the two words thank you – without the hyphen. Example Thank you for your help. If you are familiar with British English, you probably learned to […]
Paty’s question: “I have a question about the proper use of ‘License’ vs. ‘Licence’ as I’m writing a policy.” BizWritingTip response: The spelling of these two words varies according to country. In Britain and Canada, licence is the noun and license is the verb. In other words, if there is a piece of paper to hold […]
Susan’s question: “I would like to know if it is grammatically correct for a person to say – ‘Thank you for having me.’ You hear this often on the radio when there is a guest, and it sounds awkward.” BizWritingTip response: I agree that it does sound a little strange. In fact, I cringe when I hear […]
Ketta’s question: “Could you please provide some examples of the proper usage for ‘try to’ and ‘try and’?” BizWritingTip response: According to the Oxford Dictionary, try means to “make an effort with a view of success.” Traditionally, when the first verb is a strong request, it is followed by the word “to” and the verb. […]