1. Parentheses ( ) are used to insert explanatory information within a sentence or paragraph. Use them when you want to provide additional information that really isn’t essential to the reader. Examples This was the best year we’ve had in a long time (in terms of sales).?Note: The period is outside the parentheses because in terms […]
Muhammed’s question: “I have read that The Associated Press has officially killed off ‘e-mail’ in favour of ‘email’ in their official style guide. What are your thoughts?” BizWritingTip response: My first thought is that whatever I write will irritate someone. E-mail is the original spelling of the word. Normally, all English words that use a […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Please do a piece that explains when to use ‘between’ and ‘among.’ Increasingly, ‘between’ is used when ‘among’ should be used. I was taught that ‘between’ references two people and ‘among’ references three or more. In fact, even Sesame Street taught this.” BizWritingTip response: Yes, Jean, you and Sesame Street are correct – […]
A 2007 study conducted in 32 countries shows that people are walking 10 per cent faster than they did a decade ago. If we enter our offices after travelling in the fast lane, how does it impact the rest of our day? And how does it affect our reading styles? I believe we are turning […]
Due to is a phrase that many people misuse. We could tell you to use due to in front of adjective phrases. But let’s keep it simple. Use due to if you could also use caused by. Example The rising gas prices were caused by low inventories. The rising gas prices were due to low […]
Who Versus That I have noticed lately that there seems to be an increasing use of the word that in news reporting rather than the word who. Example The soldiers that fought in the battle. It is not incorrect. You can use that for both objects and people, but it is not frequently used for […]
What punctuation should I use with a bulleted or a numbered list? This is a commonly-asked question. Although many writers like to use bulleted lists in their business documents, list writing is difficult. You must be consistent. Your lists must contain all sentence fragments or all complete sentences. Your lists should never be a mixture […]
BizWritingTip reader: When is it ok to use a comma before “and”? BizWritingTip response: Many people tell me that they have been told never to put a comma before “and.” However, as we all know, never say “never.” When listing a series of ideas in a sentence, you separate the thoughts with commas. But when you […]
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 […]
I am often asked if we still need to use articles (a, an, and the), particularly when writing an email. The answer is a resounding yes. Without them, a writer looks sloppy. The articles, a, an, and the, are considered adjectives and they signal that a noun follows. Example Are you going to the store? […]