Problem: Moni Jackson, Toms River, N.J., takes minutes during a board of directors meeting. “At a recent session, the vice president stated that policies should be reviewed biannually,” Jackson told us. “I found out later that she actually meant once every two years. I believe the word should be ‘biennially.'”
Avoid gender bias with clever writing
Close isn’t good enough when it comes to business communication. The person reading your correspondence or memo might understand your meaning if you use almost-correct words, but you’ll lose respect from those who know the difference. Test your knowledge of these commonly confused words by selecting the right one for each sentence: 1. Our manufacturing […]
Catch more errors by proofreading the last section of a document first.
Problem: Several readers have asked recently about whether to capitalize particular words, ranging from job titles to seasons.
When dashing off your next memo, report or e-mail, cut right to the core points. HR directors from half of the 120 major American corporations polled in a recent study said they consider writing ability when making promotions. “You can’t move up without writing skills,” one HR director said.
Problem: Therese Sliwa, Waltham, Mass., wrote about our response in the July “Our Readers Write” column to someone who complained about people writing “could of” for “could’ve” and “should of” for “should’ve.”
Problem: Reader Judy Woodliff asked us whether “elders retreat” should carry an apostrophe after the “s” in “elders” to make it possessive.
Problem: Phyllis Nagy, Orlando, Fla., asked about the spelling of the possessive “boss’s.”
If you’re handling a high volume of email with Outlook, you’ve probably already tapped the Rules tool to sort messages. Check whether you’ve missed an opportunity with these options.
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