Category: Business Writing

A pair of friends disagreed on which is correct. Is it “noise,” or “noises”?

From what you know, what would you say? Which is correct?

Mistakes in your writing can cost you dearly.  Recently I heard one of my clients say that when she gets a resume containing errors, it goes immediately in the “unacceptable” pile. Make sure your writing is correct by addressing the completeness of your sentences. Run-on sentences contain two or more independent thoughts not separated by any … Read On >

Fragments and Run-Ons and Errors – Oh My! Writing In Complete–or Incomplete Sentences? To be sure any one sentence you write is correct and complete, ask yourself, “Is it understandable out of context?” (In other words, if you stated only the sentence out loud to someone, would it make sense? If it does, then it’s … Read On >

The term, “FAIL” has become widely used as an Internet meme where people superimpose the word, “FAIL” on images of the unsuccessful, or that which does not live up to what is expected. Usually, these FAILs are intended to make people laugh. In most cases, they are quite funny. Written messages in customer-serving businesses, like … Read On >

Indefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace These are words that begin with any-, every-, no-, or some-and end with -body, -one, or -thing. Indefinite pronouns that end in -body, -one, or –thing, are singular. In your mind, add the word, “single” in the middle of these words to reinforce … Read On >

The subject is who or what the sentence is about.  The trip to the office usually takes about an hour. The predicate is what the subject is or does. The trip to the office usually takes about an hour. “Who” is the subject case and “whom” is the object case. Examples: Who is going with … Read On >

People use the term “Business Writing.” Is there really such a thing? Isn’t it just writing? Yes, there is such a thing, and we even have a Business Writing class. Certainly, it’s different from Academic Writing (what we all learned in school). In fact, Academic Writing isn’t very welcome in the business world. Long, cascading sentences … Read On >

Pronouns refer to other words (called “antecedents”). The “other word” needs to be very clear to the audience before you can use a pronoun to refer to it. How do you think your pronoun usage is these days? Check out these examples of pronoun usage: Confusing: Michael’s manager said that he will attend the meeting. [Who will … Read On >

Grammar Costs Time and MONEY Some experts estimate that the US economy wastes $75 billion annually because of poor English skills. Others say that 80 percent of corporate waste can be tied directly to ineffective communications. A lot of focus has been put on speaking skills, because really, who writes anymore, right? Well, if you … Read On >