The GrammarPhile Blog

Avoid Confusing Words When Writing for Business

The goal of this week's post is to help you become a better business writer. The better your writing, the greater your chances of success. It's just a fact of life. Sure, there are some exceptions to every rule. But why not better your chances by avoiding the following common confusions?

So; so that. So as a conjunction means "therefore"; so that means "in order that."

• The work is now finished, so you can all go home.
• Please finish what you are doing so that we can all go home.

Individual; party; person; people. Use individual to refer to someone whom you wish to distinguish from a larger group of people.

• We wish to honor those individuals who had the courage to serve their country in its time of great need.

Use party only to refer to someone involved in a legal proceeding.

• All the parties to the original agreement must sign the attached amendment.

Use person to refer to a human being in all other contexts.

• Please tell me the name of the person in charge of your water ski tournament.

If reference is made to more than one person, the term people usually sounds more natural than the plural form persons. In any event, always use people when referring to a large group.

• If you like, I can send you a list of all the people in our club who will be skiing in the tournament.

Doubt that; doubt whether. Use doubt that in negative statements and in questions. Use doubt whether in all other cases.

• We do not doubt that she is capable. (Negative statement.)
• Does anyone doubt that the check was mailed? (Question.)
• I doubt whether I can go.

Everyday; every day. As one word, everyday is an adjective. Don't use it for each day.

• You'll soon master the everyday (ordinary) routine of the job.
• He has skied every day (each day) this week.

Fiscal; financial. The adjective fiscal (as in fiscal year or FY) can be used to refer to all types of financial matters--those of governments and private businesses. However, with the exception of fiscal year, it is better to use fiscal only in connection with government matters and to use financial in all other situations.

Writing for Business -- Create a Professional Image

I recently had a conversation with Rick Roberge who told me what a great service our company provides. Rick, a sales coach and trainer, said he believes that every salesperson who writes proposals, e-mails, letters, etc., should incorporate proofreading as a standard part of their business writing process.  Rick then went on to write a blog post about this topic.

I had to agree with Rick about the need for attention to detail in writing. As you may know, I've written before about the lack of quality and the inattention to detail that I see almost every day on the Web and in e-mails and other written correspondence.

I'm constantly amazed that there are folks who think it doesn't matter that their posts include misspellings or bad grammar. Their attitude is that it's more important to have timely posts than correct posts. But while I firmly believe a casual style of writing is appropriate in many instances, such as blog posts and some e-mails, this doesn't mean that all writing guidelines should be ignored.

First impressions are very important. If you're a businessperson who comes across unprofessionally in a first encounter, whether face-to-face or in writing, you may very well take yourself out of the running for new business.  I'm totally in agreement with Rick on this!

So are you in agreement with us? How do you approach your business writing projects? Do you use the "get it done quickly" approach, without paying heed to misspellings, grammar and punctuation? Or do you stop to proofread before posting, e-mailing, or printing your document?

We at ProofreadNOW.com can help you present a professional image. But if you're looking for help in perfecting your company's professional sales image, I recommend you talk with Rick at Kurlan Associates.

More Mis-Used Words in Business Writing

Here are more words that business writers often confuse. Check your writing to be sure you don't fall into word confusion. 

healthy; healthful. Traditionally, a living thing that is healthy enjoys good health; something that is healthful promotes health {a healthful diet will keep you healthy}. But healthy is gradually taking over both senses.

help (to). Omit the to when possible {talking will help resolve the problem}.

farther; further. The traditional distinction is to use farther for a physical distance {we drove farther north to see the autumn foliage} and further for a figurative distance {let's examine this further} {look no further}.

every day, adv.; everyday, adj. The first is adverbial; the second adjectival. One may wear one's everyday clothes every day.

stationary; stationery. Stationary describes a state of immobility or of staying in one place {if it's stationary, paint it}. Stationery denotes writing materials {love letters written on perfumed stationery}. To remember the two, try associating the er in stationery with the er in paper; or remember that a stationer is someone who sells letter paper.

determine whether; determine if. The first phrasing is irreproachable style; the second is acceptable, though less formal. The same is true of decide whether versus decide if.

toward; towards. The preferred form is without the s in American English, with it in British English. The same is true for other directional words, such as upward, downward, forward, and backward, as well as afterward. The use of afterwards and backwards as adverbs is neither rare nor incorrect. But for consistency, it is better to stay with the shorter forms.

who; whom. Here are the traditional rules: Who is a nominative pronoun used as (1) the subject of a finite verb {it was Jim who brought the coffee today}, or (2) a predicate nominative when it follows a linking verb {that's who}. Whom is an objective pronoun that may appear as (1) the object of a verb {I learned nothing about the man whom I saw}, or (2) the object of a preposition {the woman to whom I owe my life}. Today there are two countervailing trends: first, there's a decided tendency to use who colloquially in most contexts; second, among those insecure about their grammar, there's a tendency to overcorrect and use whom when who would be correct. Writers and editors of formal prose often resist the first of these; everyone should resist the second.

therefore; therefor. The words have different senses. Therefore, the common word, means "as a consequence; for that reason" {the evidence of guilt was slight; the jury therefore acquitted the defendant}. Therefor, a legalism, means "in return for" or "for it" {he brought the unworn shirt back to the store and received a refund therefor}.

it is I; it is me. Both are correct and acceptable. The first phrase is strictly grammatical (and stuffy); the second is idiomatic (and relaxed), often contracted to it's me. In the third-person constructions, however, a greater stringency holds sway in good English {this is he} {it isn't she who caused such misery}.

ingenious; ingenuous. These words are similar in form but not in meaning. Ingenious describes what is intelligent, clever, and original {an ingenious invention}. Ingenuous describes what is candid, naive, and without dissimulation {a hurtful but ingenuous observation}. The latter's opposite is disingenuous, describing what is lacking in candor or giving a false appearance of simple frankness.

idyllic. An idyll is a short pastoral poem, and by extension idyllic means "charming" or "picturesque." It is not synonymous with ideal (perfect).

gibe; jibe. A gibe is a biting insult or taunt; gibes are figuratively thrown at their target {the angry crowd hurled gibes as the suspect was led into the courthouse}. Jibe means "to fit or coincide" {the verdict didn't jibe with the judge's own view of the facts}. Don't confuse jibe with jive, which as a noun means "the jargon of hipsters" and as a verb means to "tease or cajole."

Source: The Chicago Manual of Style.