Spot the misspelling
Here’s a list of the 15 most common misspellings in the United States, according to SpellChecker.com, along with the correct versions:
Category: Writing/Editing
Sentence beginnings and endings
What’s the rule on these four sentence-starting and -stopping strategies? 1. Starting a sentence with “and” or “but.” 2. Launching a sentence with “There is” or “There are.” 3. Ending a sentence with a preposition. 4. Starting a sentence with “however.”
Improve writing by ‘unsmothering’ verbs
Are you “smothering” perfectly good verbs? Example: You turn “decide” into a noun, making it “decision.” Then you need to use “decision” as a verb, so you write, “make a decision”—forgetting that you could simply use “decide.”
You want it perfect … but does the boss?
Phil, an administrative assistant, recently lamented that his efforts to improve his boss’s communication were going unheeded. But perhaps it’s not what Phil’s boss wants from Phil. When someone hands you his work to look over, first determine what he wants in return.
How to use bullet points effectively
In business writing, bullet points often replace regular old paragraphs, with good reason: Readers can scan them faster. Stick to these standards for using bullets effectively:
1-Minute Strategies: April ’12
Hold a mobile device at eye level to avoid “text neck.” Dr. Dean Fishman adopted the phrase after seeing a huge influx of younger patients visiting his chiropractor facility … Avoid writing redundant combinations that give readers a sense of “deja vu all over again” …
To whom it may concern
When to use “who” and “whom,” which confuses many people:
Business writing: Is it ‘100’ or ‘one hundred’?
Is it “100” or “one hundred”? Know how to express a number in your business writing with these rules from Daily Writing Tips:
1-Minute Strategies: March ’12
Give your résumé a 21st century update by making it search-optimized for Google … Memorize this rule when typing: one space after a period at the end of a sentence … Use this email best practice …
Make your corporate communications sing
Whether you’re writing for a company blog, newsletter or e-newsletter, your goal is to keep readers coming back for more. Here’s a short list of common mistakes people make when creating content: