As I explained in an earlier BizWritingTip, every business writer should have access to a good dictionary. Relying solely on your computer’s spell checker is not a good idea. It just doesn’t provide enough information. Frankly, I’m old fashioned and enjoy the feel of a print dictionary. I really like my old Oxford Canadian Dictionary. However, I […]
BizWritingTip reader: “You always mention about having an up-to-date dictionary. Can you please tell us if there is any up-to-date internet dictionary that we can refer to?” BizWritingTip response: I prefer a hard copy dictionary because in looking up one word I often glance at surrounding words and in helps to keep my English “fresh.” […]
Abraham Lincoln often said that he taught himself through reading. This is true of many great leaders. The ability to read means that people can educate themselves to overcome problems. Unfortunately, today we receive much information by radio, TV, and other multi-media sources. Yet none of these mechanisms have the ability to improve our reading […]
Ketta’s question: “Can you please provide some examples of the proper usage of ‘try to’ and ‘try and?’ ” BizWritingTip response: I was taught that when the first verb is a strong request the second verb should be in the infinitive form (to + a verb). Therefore, the phrase should be “try to.” However, according […]
Klaus’s Question: “Here is something I’ve wondered about since I’ve seen it used both ways. When showing lack of concern, which is correct, ‘I could care less’ or ‘I couldn’t care less’?” BizWritingTip response: The expression “I could care less” has caused a great deal of criticism for many years. The original phrase “I couldn’t […]
Kirk’s question: “I am drafting a thank-you letter to two men. In the address portion of the letter, do I write Mr. X and Mr. Y or do I write Messrs. X and Y? And similarly, if the letter was addressed to two women is it correct to use Mmes.?” BizWritingTip response: Here is another […]
Here are a few reminders to ensure your documents are clear and concise: Keep your average sentence length to 18 words. Avoid sentences that require more than four pieces of punctuation. Keep opening paragraphs under four lines in a print document and under three lines in a screen document. Keep body paragraphs under eight lines […]
Jolanda’s question: “Lately, I have seen people write: July 3rd, 2010, but I learned in school that it should be July 3, 2010, or 3rd of July 2010. Can you clarify what is allowed?” BizWritingTip response: The answer to this question is a great example of how spoken and written English do not always mesh. […]
Mary Lou’s question: “Why is it that MD does not have a period after the M. and D. as this is a title?” BizWritingTip response: The rule for abbreviations is that if they are composed of all capital letters, you do not use periods with them. Examples MD YMCA MP SOPs (standard operating procedures) Exception: Abbreviations that […]
Elfriede’s question: “When you are using abbreviations, how do you know whether to put ‘a’ or ‘an’ in front of them, e.g., ‘a MBA’ or ‘an MBA’? Please help. I’m in health care and we use abbreviations ad nauseam.” BizWritingTip response: When it comes to using indefinite articles (a or an), it doesn’t matter whether you are spelling […]