Posts

Grammar – The Changing Rules

Although they may not like it, people are now aware that nothing remains the same. Everything changes. That’s why I find it amazing when some people appear stunned to hear grammar rules and writing styles change. But why shouldn’t they?  Grammar and writing style rules were invented to meet a specific need. When the need […]

Grammar Tip – Explaining Colons

The colon (:) is an important punctuation mark in that it signals to your readers that an explanation follows. Unfortunately, many readers tend to overuse it. If you are staying on the same line, you must have a complete sentence before you use a colon. Correct Our client list includes many companies from the automotive […]

Word Choice – Organize or Organise

Gail’s question: “It is becoming more difficult to remember the correct Canadian spelling of words, especially since Microsoft software only references American grammar and spelling.  For example, I would spell “organisation” with an ‘s.’ Is this correct?” BizWritingTip response: My favourite reference books for Canadian spelling are The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling and the […]

Word Choice – First Versus Firstly

Dominique’s question: “Which sentence is correct: ‘Firstly, I would like to let you know that …’ or ‘First of all, I would like to let you know …’ I wrote to a colleague in the States who claims she has never heard of the word ‘firstly.’ ” Bizwritingtip response: This is a writing style issue […]