Jason’s Question: “My question is regarding the usage of the word ‘got.’ My wife constantly corrects anyone that uses the word ‘got’ in a sentence because she believes this is bad grammar.” BizWritingTip response: Years ago, “have got” and “have gotten” were commonly used in English. About 300 years ago, the British dropped the “got” […]
Barbara’s Question: “When do you use ‘awhile’ and ‘a while?’ ” BizWritingTip response: Awhile means “for an unspecified period of time.” A while is a noun phrase “meaning a period of time.” Although the words convey a similar meaning, the structure is different. Awhile (written as one word) has the word “for” built into it. It is used as […]
We have received a number of questions regarding word choice. Some of them are quite easy to explain. Therefore, we have decided to cover three of them in this BizWritingTip. Enquire Versus Inquire These are alternative spellings of the same word. “Enquire” is perhaps slightly more common in the U.K., but either is acceptable in North America. […]
BizWritingTip reader: “I often hear people make the following statement: ‘This one is different than that one.’ I think it should be ‘from’ and not ‘than.’ Please clarify this when you can.” BizWritingTip response: You are correct. Different from is the way to contrast two items. Examples My findings are different from hers. Vancouver is different from Montreal. This one is different from that […]
BizWritingTip reader: “Are ‘former’ and ‘latter’ still good words to use in the business world?” BizWritingTip response: Former and latter are both adjectives. They should only be used when referring to two people or things. Former refers to the first of the two things mentioned. Latter is used for the last item. Examples I can meet you at the main or the branch […]
Paulo’s question: “Could you clarify the use of ‘come’ versus ‘go,’ as well as ‘bring’ versus ‘take?’ I find it strange that someone would write: ‘Yes, I am coming, and I’ll bring wine.’ ” BizWritingTip response: Use “come” and “go” when you are referring to movement. Use “bring” and “take” when carrying something. Now for the […]
BizWritingTip reader: “On the weekend my 13-year-old daughter told my wife and me that her girlfriend ‘texted’ her on her cell phone. I commented that the correct way of saying it was that her girlfriend had sent her a text. My wife agreed with my daughter that it is past tense and that ‘texted’ was correct. […]
BizWritingTip reader: “I feel the word ‘that’ is used much too often and, in many cases, is not required at all. What is the rule pertaining to using the word ‘that’ ”? BizWritingTip response: That is a great question! “That” is used when the information following is essential to the meaning. Examples Here is the […]
Jean’s question: “Could you please clarify the correct use of “can” and “may” in a future issue? I am finding that ‘can’ is being used exclusively and that ‘may’ no longer appears in business communication. It’s another death of civility, as far as I am concerned.” BizWritingTip response: I remember one elementary school teacher who […]
BizWritingTip reader: “I would never say, ‘I feel good’ or ‘I feel bad.’ It sounds like a rapper’s song. I think we should say ‘I feel fine’ or ‘I feel well’ because, in fact, we are using an adverb to describe ‘how’ we feel.” BizWritingTip response: This may seem like a simple question, but there […]