Jo’s question: “Which is correct? ‘There was lightning and thunder last night,’ or ‘there were lightning and thunder.’ ” BizWritingTip response: This question relates to subject and verb agreement. When a sentence begins with there or here, the actual subject is considered to be the word or words following the verb. Use a singular verb if the […]
Recently, we discussed the overuse of prepositions, and how they did not help if you wanted to write concisely. (Some common prepositions are in, of, at, on, for, with, to, between and by.) On the other hand, you must not omit essential prepositions. Words such as “type” and “couple” always require the preposition of. Examples (Poor) What […]
Slashes have several meanings: and, or, both, to, or per. Be careful when you use them. They can make your sentence difficult to interpret. 1. You can use a slash to indicate a time period that extends beyond a single year. Example Fiscal year 2010/11 2. Use it to replace per in measurements: 40 km/h (40 kilometers per hour). 3. You […]
Wilma’s question: “Please send out a segment on ‘your’ versus ‘you’re.’ Almost daily, I get emails from people who answer me with ‘your welcome.’ This is one of my pet peeves! It really makes us look inept when we send out things like that.” BizWritingTip response: I agree with you. “Your” used in place of […]
BizWritingTip reader: “My colleagues and I were astounded to learn that “learnt” is an acceptable British variation of “learned,” to express past learning. It is accepted by MS Word in its “Spell-check.” However, the MS Word thesaurus does not offer a synonym. Is this widely used and accepted as proper English in North America, or […]
Prepositions are important words in a sentence. They link words or phrases to other words in terms of time, space or relationship. Some common prepositions are in, of, at, on, for, with, to, between and by. However, some writers tend to overuse them. Your sentences will become stronger if you omit prepositions that add nothing to […]
Remember in English, there is always an exception to every rule. When a sentence starts with a he said/she said phrase and ends in quoted material, you should place a comma before the quote. Example He said, “The proposal will be completed by Friday.” However, if the introductory phrase forms a complete sentence, then place a colon […]
Arun’s question: “I have noticed that sometimes the word ‘peoples’ is used instead of ‘people.’ What is the difference? I always thought that ‘people’ is plural.” BizWritingTip response: As long as I am answering this question, we might as well start with the word “person.” A person is an individual human being. It comes from […]
BizWritingTip reader: “When do you use in versus into? I also have seen in to. Are they interchangeable?” BizWritingTip response: These are tricky questions – often requiring some thought on the part of the writer. The preposition “into” is used to imply movement or change or contact. Examples (correct) Please have the brochure translated into French. (This statement implies […]
Hope is a lovely word. We should all have it. However, the only time I would use it in a business document is when I am referring to a social or personal situation. Example I hope the weather is good for your vacation.?I hope you and your family are fine. In a business setting, hope implies the writer […]