Posts

Word Choice – Come Versus Go

Roger’s question: “I hear and see people misusing ‘come’ and ‘go.’ Can you please explain the differences?” BizWritingTip response: When choosing between these words, you must consider your location and your receiver’s location. Come means move toward. Go means away from. Examples (when communicating with someone at your location) I hope the server comes soon. (The destination is toward you.) I […]

Grammar Tip – Hers Versus Her’s

Barb’s question: “I was in a store recently and saw two signs: ‘his’ and ‘her’s.’ Is this correct?” BizWritingTip response: We have all been taught to use an apostrophe to show possession. However, as I keep saying, there is always an exception to every rule. And, in this case, it relates to personal pronouns. The following […]

Grammar Tip – Apostrophes

Russ’s question: “My manager just told me I am not using apostrophes in the right place. I believe I was taught to add them whenever a word ends in ‘s.’ But she says this is wrong.” BizWritingTip’s response: I have noticed this grammar problem a lot lately: apostrophes being misused and abused. Apostrophes have two uses. […]

Word Choice – On-site Versus Onsite

Pamela’s question: “I often see ‘onsite’ used as one word. Shouldn’t ‘on site’ be two words with the hyphen inserted if you are using the word as an adjective, such as on-site meeting? Is ‘onsite’ ever one word?” BizWritingTip response: There is a tendency now to drop hyphens from words. But according to the Merriam Webster and […]

Word Choice – If Versus Whether

Pam’s question: “Please do a future issue on ‘if’ versus ‘whether.’  When asked to review documents, I often see my associates using ‘if’’ incorrectly. I would like to be able to give them a simple explanation.” BizWritingTip response: There are several rules regarding “if” and “whether.” I have tried to simplify them as much as possible. The […]

Word Choice – Safety Versus Security

Paulo’s question: “In the sense of protection from danger, are the words ‘security’ and ‘safety’ interchangeable?” BizWritingTip response: People often confuse these words. Although the thought process is close, the words are not interchangeable. Safe comes from the Latin word salvus meaning “uninjured, healthy.” Secure comes from Latin securus, “free from care.” “Security” refers to […]

Grammar Tip – Hyphens with Adjectives

Todd’s question: “Would you hyphenate ‘cost effective’ in the following sentence? ‘He has designed cost effective training and consulting programs.’” BizWritingTip response: Words change according to their use in sentences. Normally, you would consider the word “cost” as a noun or as a verb. In the sentence provided, “cost” is now serving as an adjective […]

Grammar Tip – Apostrophes With Abbreviations

Anne’s question: “We would like to ask you for the proper punctuation. In the sentence, ‘We have talked to other CCAC’s about their experience,’ should it be CCAC’s or CCACs?” BizWritingTip response: This is a great question dealing with a common error. To pluralize capital letters and abbreviations ending in capital letters, just add a […]

Grammar Tip – Abbreviations That End a Sentence

Linden’s question: “Must the abbreviation ‘Ltd’ have a period after it? If you do use a period after it, how do you deal with the end of the sentence? Are there two periods, one for the abbreviation and one for the sentence?” BizWritingTip response:  Any abbreviation composed of upper and lower case letters should have […]

Writing Style – Starting a Sentence With “But”

Tammy’s question: “I’ve always thought that it is not appropriate to start a sentence using ‘but.’ What are your thoughts?” BizWritingTip response: Starting a sentence with but is not a grammar error. It is a style issue. In the academic world, the writing style is formal. Therefore, starting a sentence with but would be inappropriate […]