Write for Business - Blog

Fewer refers to a number of countable units; less refers to value, degree, or bulk quantity.

Despite fewer benefits and less pay, department morale rose.

(From Write for Business, page 231, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 43)

A common noun is a general name for a person, a place, a thing, or an idea and is lowercased.

entrepreneur
stock exchange
skyscraper
ideology

(From Write for Business, page 241, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 53)

Do you want to make sure your e-mail gets results? Here are three simple tips for making your messages stand out from the crowd.

1. Write a clear subject line.

Think how often you receive an e-mail, scan it, and realize you can't deal with it's business immediately. Later, when time permits, you browse your inbox for that message, but the subject line was blank or vague. You're forced to run a computer search for a phrase you remember, then scan the contents of each resulting message to find the right one. Often you end up deciding that, again, there isn't enough time for this, and the business will have to be delayed further. Ultimately, it may never be dealt with.

Now think of those times when you receive an e-mail with a subject line that clearly states the message's purpose. You're able to quickly decide whether time permits to deal with it now. If the business has to be delayed, later you're able to scan the subject lines in your inbox and easily pick out the message you need. The time savings means you can deal with the business and move on to the next item on your list. You're happy and grateful, and you can't help but admire the sender, which means you'll be more receptive to messages from that person in the future.

As e-mail senders, we need to be that person other people feel good about. Taking care to write clear subject lines is arguably the most important step toward that goal.

2. Deal with one topic only.

E-mail is designed for rapid response. It's a mistake, then, to slow things down by including multiple topics in one message. Readers may have time to deal with one of the issues but need to delay the others. Often they forget to come back. Assuming they do return, they have to scan through the text of the former topic to reach the remaining ones. Frustration builds.

If you must deal with separate issues, put them in separate e-mail messages (each with its own clear subject line). That way your readers can tackle each and delete or archive it as time permits. Again, they'll think well of you and be more responsive in the future.

3. Reread before sending, and delete every word possible.

When it comes to e-mail messages, the more succinct the better. So treat your e-mail as you would any more formal piece of writing. Use the writing process: Plan the ideas you need to cover; draft a copy of the message; revise it for clarity; and edit it for correctness. During that last step, specifically look for clutter that might be forgiven in a longer writing (in an extended memo or report, for instance). The fewer words your recipient has to read, the more likely you'll receive a quick and favorable response.

Conclusion

As you can see, none of these tips is difficult to accomplish. However, they all take just a bit of discipline. That little bit of extra care is like the cut and polish that makes a finished diamond sparkle among even bigger, uncut ones.

- Lester Smith

A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea and is always capitalized.

Bill Gates
Ivory Coast
Sears Tower
World Federalism

(From Write for Business, page 241, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 53)

Use female in scientific or legal materials; in most other contexts, woman is the more personal, acceptable term.

The female subject received the placebo.

Women of varying economic backgrounds have been polled.

(From Write for Business, page 231, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 43)