Write for Business - Blog

Using the Right Word: their, there, they're

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:24:00 GMT

Their is a possessive pronoun. As a pronoun, there is used to introduce a clause; as an adverb, it is used to indicate place. They're is the contraction for "they are."

They're planning to leave immediately after their presentation.

"If there isn't a law, there will be."
- Harold Farber

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement: Singular Pronouns

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:53:00 GMT

Use a singular pronoun to refer to antecedents such as either, neither, each one, anyone, everyone, everybody, somebody, nobody, another, none, and a person.

One of the reports is missing its [not their] cover.

Note: When a person or everyone is used to refer to both sexes or either sex, you will have to choose whether to offer optional pronouns or to rewrite the sentence.

Everyone will turn in his or her time card.
(optional pronouns)

All employees will turn in their time cards.
(rewritten in plural form)

(From Write for Business, 2nd ed., page 325, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 75)

When Writing is "For the Birds"

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:49:00 GMT

A customer wrote us recently about trouble "getting words down before I forget them." She explained that she finds writing slow and difficult, and that when sentences do begin to come, they fly too quickly to be recorded. So her best thoughts are often forgotten.

I'm certain that many of us have felt the same way. It's as if those phrases are stray birds leaping into the sky, glimpsed once and then gone. The fact is, however, that stray thoughts can always be recaptured. Even birds have to land sometime. The trick to catching them is to use a net.

That is to say, the early stages of a writing project are messy. Feathers should fly. Snatch a bird and stuff it in your sack and move on to the next. Later, you can decide how to arrange what you've captured - which ones to put together in which cages, which ones to let go because they don't belong, what order you want to display the cages themselves.

Usually when people can't get started with a writing project, and then can't keep up once the ideas start coming, it's because they're subconsciously hoping to do it all in one draft. Often, they've come to think of writing as so difficult that they just want to get it over with. But again, even birds have to land sometime. A migration of a thousand miles isn't accomplished in one long swoop but as a series of shorter trips, each growing nearer to the final goal.

That's my best advice in this case, but what ideas would you offer? Have you experienced a similar situation in your own writing, and if so, how did you overcome it? We'd love to hear your comments.

- Lester Smith

Photo by mikebaird

Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement: Overview

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:51:00 GMT

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender. (The antecedent is the word or words to which the pronoun refers.)

Susan paid cash for her lunch.

Note: The antecedent in this sentence is Susan; it is to Susan that the pronoun her refers. Both the pronoun and its antecedent are singular, third person, and feminine; therefore, the pronoun is said to agree with its antecedent.

(From Write for Business, 2nd ed., page 325, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 75)

Using the Right Word: than, then

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:06:00 GMT

Than (conjunction) indicates a comparison; then (usually an adverb) refers to time.

Michael did not know any more about this than I did.

First write your résumé; then look for a job.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Using the Right Word: stationary, stationery

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:21:00 GMT

Stationary is an adjective meaning "immobile"; stationery is a noun referring to writing materials used in letters.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Using the Right Word: tenant, tenet

A tenant is one who rents or leases property from a landlord; a tenet is a principle, belief, or doctrine.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Avoiding Sentence Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement: "Be" Verbs

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:58:00 GMT

If a form of the be verb is used and there is a noun both before and after that verb, the verb must agree with the subject. This holds true even if the predicate noun (the noun coming after the verb) is different in number.

The cause of his health problem was his bad eating habits.

His bad eating habits were the cause of his health problem.

(From Write for Business, page 324, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 74)

Using the Right Word: some, sum

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:11:00 GMT

Some (adjective) refers to unspecified things or numbers. Sum means "the whole amount, the total."

Some reporters are at the door.

The sum is too high for our budget.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Using the Right Word: sole, soul

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:10:00 GMT

As an adjective, sole means "single, one and only"; as a noun, sole refers to the bottom surface of the foot or a shoe. Soul refers to the spiritual part of a person.

The sole reason for the success of this paper is that it prints the truth.

Certain experiences nourish the soul.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Avoiding Sentence Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement: Relative Pronouns

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:52:00 GMT

When a relative pronoun (which, who, that) is used to introduce a dependent clause, the number of the verb must agree with the pronoun's antecedent.

This is one of the reports that are required for this project. (The relative pronoun that takes the plural verb [are] because its antecedent [reports] is plural. To test this type of sentence, read the of phrase first: Of the reports that are…)

(From Write for Business, page 324, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 74)

Avoiding Sentence Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement: Nouns That Are Plural in Form

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:44:00 GMT

Some nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning require a singular verb: economics, news, mathematics, summons, mumps, and so on.

Economics is a social science, not a pure science.

Exceptions: assets, earnings, premises, proceeds, quarters (These plural-form nouns, though singular in meaning, use a plural verb.)

Last year's earnings were up from 2001!

Our greatest assets are our employees.

(From Write for Business, page 324, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 74)

Using the Right Word: sight, cite, site

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:06:00 GMT

As a noun, sight means "the ability to see" or "something seen"; as a verb, it means "to see something." Cite means "to quote," "to officially commend," or "to summon before a court." Site means "a place."

Before they reached the construction site, they were cited for speeding.

Carolyn had a tendency to cite Dickens when observing the sights of London.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Using the Right Word: set, sit

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:56:00 GMT

The verb sit means "to assume a seated position." The verb set means "to place or put down." Set is transitive (it must take a direct object); sit is intransitive (it does not take a direct object).

Jay set the package on the scale.

Please sit over there while I do this.

(From Write for Business, page 238, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 50)

Avoiding Sentence Errors: Subject-Verb Agreement: Collective Nouns

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:49:00 GMT

Collective nouns (class, faculty, family, committee, navy, team, species, band, crowd, pair, squad) can be singular or plural in meaning. They require a singular verb when they refer to a group as a unit; they require a plural verb when they refer to the group members as individuals.

The team is [not are] required to submit an expense report for the road trip. (Team refers to a group as a unit; it requires the singular verb is.)

The faculty are [not is] highly experienced. (In this example, faculty refers to the individuals within the group. If the word individuals were substituted for faculty, it would become clear that the plural verb are is needed.)

(From Write for Business, page 324, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 74)

What’s my motivation?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:43:00 GMT

That’s more than just a line from a method actor. In business it’s the customer’s unspoken question. In writing it’s the reader’s “Why should I care?” In training it’s the audience’s “How does this apply to me?”

As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, educators in California are experiencing remarkable results from addressing this question with a “Linked Learning” program. When math, writing, science, and so on are taught within the context of students’ career interests, those students perk up, pay attention, and more easily grasp what is being taught. The U.S. Department of Education’s new Elementary and Secondary Education Act parallels this idea with its own call for “college/career ready programs.”

UpWrite Press’s Write for Work takes that same common-sense approach, asking trainees to practice writing within the context of their own jobs. (Career-path students are asked to write for a company where they wish to be employed.) Workplace forms, e-mails, memos, business letters, summaries, instructions, reports, and proposals are all covered in this fashion.

If you’re a trainer, we highly recommend tailoring your presentations and exercises to each audience in this way. Instead of showing hypothetical examples of memos and instructions, get your audience involved by presenting them with real-world situations. Write for Work provides plenty of direction in that regard, and for a limited time, trainers can apply for a free review copy.

- Lester Smith

Photo by Apenas imagens - Marília Almeida