Business Writing

Have You Been Triaged Yet?

My example today is not from business writing, but I am sure we can relearn something from it.

When I sat in a doctor's waiting room with my father this afternoon, a medical staff member asked a man sitting near us, "Have you been triaged yet?"

The man had no answer.

Jargon anyone? How would you have responded?

Lynn
Syntax Training

Was Rick Perry Literally Wrong? Correct Use of the Word "Literally"

Comedians and political pundits in the United States have been making fun of Texas Governor Rick Perry because of his use of the word literally. In a recent presidential debate, Perry said Iran would invade Iraq "literally at the speed of light."

Literally means "actually" or "in a literal manner." Iran cannot actually (literally) invade Iraq at the speed of light. Perry's use was incorrect.

But where did he learn it? I wondered how the governor could make such an unfortunate, much mocked error. My curiosity led me to to my bookshelf.  

It turns out there is plenty of precedent for using literally figuratively, as Perry did. The governor is not alone.

My reference books do not recommend Perry's use, but they report similar examples:

Fowler's Modern English Usage reports this use way back in 1863: "I literally coined money."

Garner's Modern American Usage offers examples from the 1980s and 1990s, including "Life literally has been turned upside down."

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the definition "in effect, virtually," with the example "will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty or injustice."

The American Heritage College Dictionary says in its definition "used as an intensive before a figurative expression." In its usage note, the dictionary says that although such use of literally may be "infelicitous, it cannot be said to be incorrect."

My conclusion: Although Perry's use of literally is out of favor, it is not as foolish as it seemed.

Then when should literally be used? The word fits when you want to reassure your reader or your audience that you mean what you say. You are not exaggerating or using language loosely.

Here are correct examples:

He continued typing for literally another minute while I sat there. (Literally indicates an actual minute, not just a few seconds.)

I literally cried. (Literally indicates real tears.)

The official waved us through, and we literally ran onto the airplane. (We actually ran.) 

When you translate Schadenfreude literally, it is "harm-joy." (The parts of the word do mean "harm" and "joy.")

Sometimes people use literally in a literary way, which is also correct:

The roller-coaster teen years began literally at Busch Gardens, where we spent Eva’s 13^th birthday riding the Griffon, “the world’s tallest, floorless dive coaster.” (From our holiday letter)

When it comes to success, the sky's the limit--literally and figuratively. (From the website of a satellite company)  

Your audience may not speak your language literally or figuratively. (From an article on business writing)

But often the word literally can be cut from business messages:

The thank-you note is literally your last chance to impress a potential employer.

He literally turns down more business than he accepts.

Was Rick Perry literally wrong?

What would you add to this discussion about literally? I welcome your comments, but please do not get into politics. As you know, this is the Business Writing blog.

Lynn
Syntax Training

Premiere or Premier?

Today I was reviewing writing samples for a business writing seminar when I read the phrase "one of the country's premiere spa resorts."

Premiere? I liked the sound and sense of the word to describe a spa resort, but I wasn't sure about the spelling. What do you think? Premiere or premier?

As usual, the experts gathered on my bookshelf do not agree completely, but the clear preference for the use in my sample phrase is premier.

If you would like to refresh yourself on the spellings and meanings of the two forms, here is what the excellent Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, offers:

Premier as an adjective means "first in position, rank, or importance" (like the premier spa resort) and "first in time, earliest."

Premier as a noun is cross-referenced to "prime minister."

Premiere is listed as an adjective and cross-referenced to premier. So that version, premiere, is correct for the spa resort too.

Premiere the noun is "a first performance or exhibition of" or "the chief actress of a theatrical cast."

Premiere the verb is "to have a first public performance" or "to appear for the first time as a star performer."

The American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, generally agrees with Merriam-Webster's on this topic, but it adds a definition for the adjective form premiere: "first or paramount; premier." 

The wonderfully opinionated Garner's Modern American Usage, Third Edition, finds premier "often pretentious in place of first or foremost." (Often pretentious perhaps, but I think it works for a spa hotel.) However, Garner emphatically states that premier is the adjective form, and premiere the noun.

The AP Stylebook doesn't discuss premier except as the title of a political leader, and The Chicago Manual of Style doesn't mention either version.

After reviewing my best reference books, I will grant that both words may be used to describe the spa hotel. But I choose premier.

Have you researched any words lately? Please share.

Lynn
Syntax Training

What You Must Know About "All Told" and "All Tolled"

I paused over the expression all told in a piece of business writing the other day. Because I had not seen the phrase in a long time, I decided to make sure it was correct. Sometimes expressions we think are correct are not. You can read my posts "Disburse Vs. Disperse--Wrong!" and "Do You Write With Flare?" for examples of words to reconsider. 

Here is what you need to know about all told and all tolled: Only all told is correct.

To support that statement, I have four excellent resources piled on my desk at this moment. They are Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, The American Heritage College Dictionary, and Garner's Modern American Usage--all the latest editions.

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines the expression as "with everything considered; in all." Garner explains its use this way: "One archaic meaning of tell is 'to count.' Hence the idiom is all told."

You might use the expression this way:

• His investment, all told, was close to a million dollars.
• All told, she paid over $7,000 in penalties. 
• The explosion resulted in 12 casualties, all told.
• All told, Kristi sent out nearly 500 resumes.

Since the expression is not well known, you might be wise to avoid it. But if you do see all told in someone else's business writing, remember this blog post before you replace it with "all totaled," grab your red pen, or frown in disappointment.

Which words have fooled--or almost fooled--you?

Lynn
Syntax Training

Recognizing Words With No Plural Forms

I am working with an executive who speaks English as a second language, with Chinese as her first language. She was very surprised to learn that the words information, knowledge, and jewelry have no plural forms.

Would you join me in making a list of such words for her? I have started the list below, and I would appreciate your additions. Not one of my reference books has a list of nouns without plural forms. [Note added on January 20: Dala Beld suggested Googling "list uncountable nouns English," which gave me several lengthy lists. Thanks, Dala.]

These are called "mass nouns." I call them nouns that do not have a plural form in English.

Here is my list so far:

furniture
information
knowledge
jewelry
homework
marketing
livestock
education
courage
bravery
cowardice
greed
clarity
honesty
evidence
insurance
mud
weather
racism
sexism
patriotism (and the other -ism words)

I am certain my client will be grateful for your help, and so will I.  Ah--that statement made me think of another word: gratefulness!

Lynn
Syntax Training

My Flyer Is Your Flier

Dan sent me an email recently to tell me I had misused a word. He said:

"Just a friendly tip: You used the word flyer on your website. It should be flier."

I appreciate friendly tips, but I resisted Dan's. The reason is that I had researched the options, flyer and flier, and had decided on flyer. I wrote back to Dan with a message as brief as his:

"Hi, Dan. Which style manual do you follow?"

My point was that my choice was not wrong. It was simply not Dan's choice. He replied in more detail:

"AP [The Associated Press Stylebook] -- I have a newspaper background. I know it comes down to the style one adopts. I just passed it along. Merriam-Webster prefers flyer, I believe. It might make an interesting blog for you--different words a la different styles."

Dan is right. It is an interesting topic. Let's look at the style guides' pronouncements on flyer/flier:

The AP Stylebook says, "Flier is the preferred term for an aviator or a handbill. Flyer is the proper name of some trains and buses."

The Gregg Reference Manual says that flier refers to a pilot; flyer is an advertising brochure.

Garner's Modern American Usage says, "Flier is the standard form in American English, flyer being a needless variant. But in British English, flyer is standard."

Canadian Oxford Dictionary says, "Flyer (also flier). A pilot or aviator; a person who flies in an aircraft as a passenger." It adds, "North American: a small advertising leaflet that is widely distributed." Under the entry flier, it says "variant of flyer."

The American Heritage College Dictionary says, "Flier (also flyer). One, such as an insect or bird, that flies with wings. . . . A pamphlet or circular for mass distribution." Under the entry flyer, it says "variant of flier."

Fowler's Modern English Usage says flyer is the recommended form, not flier. Under flier, it says, "In Oxford University Press house style, flyer is recommended for all senses. Perhaps flier is the more common of the two forms in American English."

The Chicago Manual of Style and Microsoft Manual of Style don't cover the topic.

After consulting many of my reference books, I say to Dan, "I prefer flyer."

What's your preference: flier? flyer? It's your choice--both are correct.

Lynn
Syntax Training

"Discrete" and "Discreet"--Two Discrete Words

Yesterday a friend asked for feedback on the resume she had just written. In her resume, she mentioned a job in which she had provided "discrete, confidential secretarial support."

But discrete means "separate, distinct." My friend wanted the word discreet, which means "prudent; showing prudence and self-restraint."

Here is an easy way to choose the correct homonym:

When the e's are separate, the word means "separate." When the e's are together, the subject described "has it together," which is a slang way of saying the subject is prudent.

Test yourself by filling in these blanks with the correct form, discrete or discreet:

1. There are two ___________ steps in the process.

2. Please be ____________ when you discuss Carl's situation.

3. He was very __________ when he spoke about his previous employer. 

4. Our department is a ____________ unit in the editorial division.

Were the correct answers obvious? Mine are (1) ete, (2) eet, (3) eet, (4) ete.

If you are sighing and wondering why you were not aware of the two discrete/discreet forms, it's time to buy or borrow a reference book. Be sure you are not mistaking other word pairs such as complement/compliment, principal/principle (many people use principle incorrectly), and peak/peek/pique. (You pique someone's interest.)

For quick instruction, I recommend my 60 Quick Word Fixes. I also like Jan Venolia's The Right Word: How to Say What You Really Mean.

Which word pairs have you mastered in the past few years? Which do you wish others understood? Please share your secrets.  

Lynn
Syntax Training

Being in the Moment

I sent out our monthly e-newsletter, Better Writing at Work, yesterday. As usual we got hundreds of out-of-office messages. Here is my favorite, which came from Phillip in Germany:

"I am in the moment not in the office."

I prefer Phillip's preposition.

Lynn
Syntax Training

Passive Verbs in a Father's Day Card

Yesterday I bought a Father's Day card for my dear husband. Of course, I don't have to recognize him on Father's Day, but he is a wonderful father to our daughter and a terrific partner. So I wanted to get him a card.

I found one in the "husband" section of the greeting cards. It started out perfectly: "For a wonderful husband and father who gives so much . . . his time, his heart, his all, his best." It continued well on the inside of the card until it got to the last sentence:

"You are loved and appreciated so much!"

Why use the passive "are loved and appreciated"? Doesn't it make more sense and communicate more powerfully to say "I love you and appreciate you so much"?

I bought the card. But I intently crossed out and rewrote that last sentence before signing the card and sealing it in the envelope.

I have been wondering about why the greeting card writer would use the passive voice for that last sentence. And I now have the answer:

Passive verbs do not indicate who is performing the action of the verb. The passive "You are loved and appreciated so much" widens the choice of who might buy and give the card. It can be from the wife alone or from the wife and children. Using "I love you" would have limited the buying and giving audience to wives alone.

To Hallmark, the producer of the card, I say this: That was a very savvy verb choice, Hallmark. I appreciate your language tactics.

To all fathers and to those who have taken on a fatherly role, I say this: Happy Father's Day! You are loved and appreciated.

Lynn
Syntax Training

Put the Ticket(s) in the Envelope(s)

Erik, a technical writer, wrote to me with a problem involving awkward writing.

"I am hoping you can give me feedback on something I run across frequently in my job at a bank. Many of our procedures and forms use what I call 'parenthetical plurals'; for example, 'Place the ticket(s) in the basket.' When these parenthetical plurals become the subjects of sentences, things get awkward.
 
"My instinct is to make these all plural, or to reword the sentence so that the parenthetical plural is not the subject. Do you have any advice you can offer me on dealing with these plurals?
 
"Also, I have tried to search online for tips on this, but I don't even know what these 'parenthetical plurals' are actually called. Is there a more agreed-upon name for these?"

Erik's phrase "parenthetical plurals" is a fine name for the plurals he describes. The Gregg Reference Manual calls them "plural endings in parentheses." Erik's label is more concise.

I applaud Erik's instinct to eliminate parenthetical plurals. They look funny, and they can make subject-verb agreement a guessing game in sentences.

Yet on forms, parenthetical plurals may be the simplest way to indicate that the information required may be singular or plural.

Let's look at examples I found in documents on my computer. 

These appeared on an application form for conference speakers:

Presenter Name(s)
Presenter Title(s)
Target Audience(s)

To me, the parenthetical plurals work well. They offer a crisp shorthand way of indicating that there may be one or more presenters and audiences.

The same application form includes a space for "Presenter's Biography." The writer chose wisely to avoid the clumsy "Presenter's (s') Biography (ies)." But in keeping with the parenthetical plurals, the best choice would be this:

 Presenter Bio(s)

In examples like these, the parentheses just clutter the sentence, and Erik would be smart to eliminate them, keeping the nouns plural:

Which aspect(s) did you find most effective?

In what way(s) could this course be improved?

Indicate which individual(s) have the authority to negotiate and approve any final contract.

The company may use subcontractor(s).

If there have been major changes in your family circumstances, briefly describe the change(s), the effects on your lifestyle, and how each family member has reacted.

Date(s): September 7-8, 2009

The use of parentheses in the sentence below may make sense, but I wonder why the writer does not know how many databases the client has. If the distinction doesn't matter, "databases" would serve. 

It is possible that this change will be picked up in our next update of their database(s).

In this example, the parenthetical plurals can be cut. The singular form is acceptable with any:

List the name(s) and year(s) in school of any of your children attending the same high school.

In PowerPoint slides for my business writing classes, I regularly use this sentence in instructions:

Review your checklist with your partner(s).

If I remove that parenthetical plural, some people in a class will point out that it doesn't match their situation. For example, if I use partners, they will say, "But I have just one partner." The same kind of thing will happen if I keep the singular form, partner. So I am going to keep those parentheses.

I could not find examples of what troubled Erik most, parenthetical plurals as subjects, so I made up these:

Your contribution(s) pays for programs throughout the county.

Any contractor(s) undergo a complete security screening.

You can see how inelegant the verb choices are. "Contribution pays" or "Contributions pay"? "Contractor undergoes" or "Contractors undergo"? Usually we ignore information in parentheses when choosing a verb, but that's a bad solution if it makes the reader stumble.

I would choose one noun, singular or plural, that suits the sentence:

Your contributions pay for programs throughout the county. (This sentence may encourage the reader to contribute more than once.)

Every contractor undergoes a complete security screening. (Every emphasizes the completeness of the screening process rather than focusing on the number of contractors.)

Do parenthetical plurals fill your company's documents? Do you strive to eliminate them, as Erik does?

Lynn
Syntax Training