One reader asks: “Please clarify the use of the word ‘I’ when using a pronoun with another name, such as: ‘These are the vacation schedules for Joan and I.’ Do you use I or me?” Whenever you’re unsure of which pronoun to use in a situation like this and don’t have time to dig into […]
People tend to overuse the passive voice because they think it’s more professional. In truth, readers prefer active sentences for their more direct and engaging tone. How can you spot a passive sentence? Three telltale signs: 1. Something happens to the subject of the sentence. Example: “The report was written last week.” 2. It contains […]
Starting off a letter or an e-mail message with a drab opening (“This is in response to …” or “Enclosed please find”) is a sure-fire way to put your readers to sleep just in time to miss your most important points. Add variety—and persuasiveness—to your messages by starting sentences with words that grab readers. Here’s […]
Problem: Lisa DiBuono, a legal administrative assistant in Greenwich, Conn., wants to know whether to capitalize seasons. Lesson: When you’re referring to a season, keep it lower case. If the word is part of a formal title, capitalize. Correct: “We’ll begin office renovations in the spring.” “The office dress code for summer is more relaxed.” […]
Create a positive impression by making each interaction with people memorable. You can do that in 10 seconds or less, with these approaches:
Should it be affect or effect? They’re or their? If you haven’t confused these words when writing, you’ve probably seen others mix them up. Here’s how to make the right choice, when it comes to the following commonly confused words: 1. There/their/they’re. Example: There/Their/They’re meeting always runs long. Answer: Their. How to remember: “Their” contains […]
Avoid repeating yourself by watching out for the following tautologies: phrases that—put simply—say the same thing twice. 1. advanced ahead 2. at this point in time 3. basic fundamentals 4. brief in duration 5. both together 6. cooperate together 7. enclosed herein 8. free gift 9. important essentials 10. just exactly 11. merge together 12. […]
Which is correct: “E-Mail” or “e-mail”? “Red, white and blue” or “red, white, and blue”? “A.M.” or “a.m.”? Would everyone in your office answer the same way? If not, you could probably use an internal style guide.
End with a preposition only when it keeps you from sounding hopelessly stilted.
Reader Sharon Wentzell sent us this question: “When you use parentheses at the end of a sentence, where does the period go: inside or outside the last parenthesis?” Answer: When you have a full sentence inside parentheses, and it isn’t positioned inside another sentence, it should begin with a capital letter and end with a […]
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