Business Writing

To Assure You About "Assure"

In the past week I have read writing samples from two high-level managers in two different industries, both with the same mistake. They both used the word assure incorrectly. So even though I have covered ensure-assure-insure before, it must be time for a reminder.

One manager wrote something like this:

"My job is to assure that we have the resources we need to succeed."

The other wrote a sentence like this one:

"We assure that all controls and safeguards are in place."

The word assure is wrong in their sentences. What should it be? Ensure? Insure?

The word they wanted is ensure--in both sentences. 

Here's how to think about it: We assure people. We do not assure things.

These are correct examples with assure:

I assure you [a person] that this mistake will not happen again.

Please assure Dr. Reed [a person] that her ride will be waiting for her.

He [a person] wants to be assured that the business writing class is not too basic.

Ensure means "to make sure things happen or do not happen":

We must ensure that this mistake does not happen again.

Please ensure that Dr. Reed's ride is waiting for her.

The instructor ensures that the course is not too basic by using actual case studies.

Insure belongs in sentences about insurance (underwriting financial risk):

Are we insured against mistakes like that?

Insure the furniture for its replacement cost, not its original cost.

We insure businesses, farms, and families. 

I assure you that I have ensured the correctness of the examples above--despite not having grammatical malpractice insurance!

Do you want to find out what you know and don't know about the rules of writing? Get my Error Quests, and test your writing wisdom in 50 short paragraphs, each with just one error. Can you find it?

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

Is Donald Trump Wrong About "Apprenti"?

I was listening to a news show on TV tonight, when I heard Donald Trump talking about hiring 10 "apprenti." He pronounced that final word ah-PREN-tie.

It is possible that Mr. Trump believes the plural of apprentice is apprenti. If so, I am here to correct him.

But I will not do so without first checking my sources.

Too often people write to me to complain about the grammar, punctuation, and usage errors of others, when in fact, they themselves are misinformed. I do not want to fall into that trap.

That is why I looked up apprentice in three dictionaries, including the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, to be certain that apprenti is not a correct plural form. I confirmed that the plural of apprentice is apprentices--not apprenti.

The word is not like syllabus and hippopotamus, whose plurals are syllabi and syllabuses, hippopotami and hippopotamuses.

In my research I learned that apprenti is the French word for "apprentice." Maybe the French influenced Mr. Trump.

I was especially careful about correcting Mr. Trump's language because of an assumption I had made earlier today, when I was reviewing a business writing sample for an upcoming class. The sample used the term on-site. I was sure onsite was correct, but I was not sure enough to make a note without checking my dictionaries and a style guide. I learned I was wrong. On-site is correct.

Lesson learned: Before assuming someone has made an error and correcting it, be sure you yourself are correct.

What business writing rule have you been wrong about lately? Please share, and we will all learn something.

Lynn
Syntax Training

Most Common Writing Error of 2011

Although today is only November 15, I can already tell you the most common error in people's business writing this year. It is the use of this word:

memo's

When people sign up for my writing courses, I ask them, among other things, what kinds of business messages they write. Their responses reveal the error: 

I write email, reports, memo's, and presentations.

I write memo's requesting funds for capital purchases.

The plural of memo is memos--not memo's. We should all write memos.

The word memo's can be a correct possessive form. Examples:

I could not understand the memo's intent.

The memo's format was unconventional.

Grammar purists might frown at the possessive form used with an inanimate object, which my two examples directly above use. They would prefer these constructions:

I could not understand the intent of the memo. [OR] I could not understand the writer's intent.

The format of the memo was unconventional.

Despite the preferences of purists, possessive forms with inanimate objects are fine unless the resulting expression is awkward. For example, "the bottom of the barrel" and "the foot of the bed" are common phrases. "The barrel's bottom" and "the bed's foot" would be awkward replacements.

If you are someone who mistakenly uses memo's, set your software to automatically correct it to memos. If everyone does that, I will be able to report a new most common error in 2012.

What is the most common error you have seen in business messages this year?

Lynn
Syntax Training

Why "Them Tools" Is Wrong

Grace wrote and asked me to settle a dispute at work about using them or those in specific ways in sentences. Here are Grace's examples:

1. A. The workman left them tools in the garage.
    B. The workman left those tools in the garage.

 2. A. Please take them trash bins to the curb.
     B. Please take those trash bins to the curb.

Grace is certain she is correct in choosing the B examples, but she cannot explain why.

Indeed, Grace is correct in saying "those tools" and "those bins." Those is an adjective (a describing word), and it is used correctly before a noun (a naming word) to answer the question "Which ones?" Which bins? Those bins.

Them is not an adjective--it is a pronoun (a word that stands for a noun). In standard English, them cannot be used before a noun to describe it. However, in nonstandard English, them is used that way.

Grammatically speaking, using "them tools" rather than "those tools" is like using "him tools" rather than "his tools." Him, like them, can only be used correctly as a pronoun, but his is both a pronoun and an adjective.

Similarly, writing "them trash bins" is like writing "me trash bins" instead of "my trash bins." Me, like them, is a pronoun, whereas my is an adjective.  

Them is an object pronoun, as are these words: me, you, him, her, it, us. Although these pronouns can't be used in standard English to describe a noun, they can stand alone. For example, these sentences are correct:

The workman left them in the garage.
Please take them to the curb.

Of course, in the sentences above, readers and listeners need to know what them stands for, as they would in these examples:

If you are looking for the tools, the workman left them in the garage.
If you want to handle the trash bins for me, please take them to the curb.

In business communication, standard English is what everyone wants and expects. That's why Grace cringes when she hears a coworker say "them tools."

I hope Grace can now explain why her sentence choices are correct. "Those tools" is standard English. "Them tools" is nonstandard for the reasons above.

Because communication is so important to job and career success, I hope Grace can tactfully persuade her coworkers to use standard English when speaking and writing at work.

What is your view?

Lynn
Syntax Training

"Few" vs. "A Few": What a Difference an "A" Makes!

I recently worked on business writing with a manager from India who spoke several Indian languages as well as English. She made an error that I have since noticed in another Indian manager's writing, so I thought it was worth writing about here.

It involved using "few" when she meant "a few." Here are examples:

• I have had few conversations with my director.
• We have received few emails from the New York office.
• I heard from few close friends.
• We planned few demos for the customer.
• I recommend making few changes to the procedure.

The word "few" in those examples emphasizes the small number. For example, the sentences "I have had few conversations with my director" and "We have received few emails from the New York office" suggest a lack of communication. But that was not what the manager intended. She meant "I have had some conversations with my director" and "We have received some emails from the New York office." "Some" can be expressed with the phrase "a few"--but not with the word "few."

The sentence "I heard from few close friends" suggests that my close friends have abandoned me. But "I heard from a few close friends" suggests that a close circle of people have communicated with me.

Similarly, "We planned few demos for the customer" suggests that we don't care about the customer. Why else would we plan few demos? In contrast, "a few demos" sounds like good customer service.

"I recommend making few changes to the procedure" suggests that I like it the way it is. That's very different from "I recommend making a few changes," that is, "some changes."

If English is your second, third, fourth, or fifth language, remember this: "Few" means "not many"; it emphasizes the small number. "A few" means "some."

That little "a" makes a big difference.

Have you noticed this error in speech and writing? Please tell your story.

Lynn
Syntax Training

 

Looking for a Babysitter. Call Jane.

Katherine, a reader, sent me an excellent example of the confusion that can result from messages that are stingy with words and punctuation. Katherine saw this handwritten advertisement on a bulletin board:

Looking for a good, responsible babysitter. Call Jane.

Underneath the announcement were small slices of paper, each with Jane's phone number, for people to tear off.

Is Jane a responsible babysitter looking for work? Or is she a parent in search of a sitter?

Katherine described the confusion: "The punctuation suggested that she was looking for a babysitter, but the nature of the sheet with tear-off slips and the fact that most advertisements of this sort are for people trying to find work as a babysitter led me to believe that perhaps it was a punctuation error."

These two revised signs clarify the situation:

Looking for a good, responsible babysitter? Call Jane.

If you are a good, responsible babysitter, call Jane.

You might wisely argue that neither version says enough. What about the hours, days of the week, number of children, geographical location, or other details? But in both versions at least we can tell whether Jane is seeking work or seeking a babysitter. 

Do you have an example of business writing that confuses by saying too little? Please share it, as Katherine did. Thanks, Katherine!

Lynn
Syntax Training

If I Were, If She Were: Using Subjunctive Verbs With "If"

People have been asking why "If I were" and "If she were" are correct. How can were, a plural verb, be correct with I and she, singular subjects? And does the rule really apply in 21st-century business writing?

These correct sentences illustrate the rule:

• If Mike's mother were alive, she would still be correcting his grammar. 
• If the CEO were in the plant today, everyone would be nervous.
• If I were you, I would read this information about subjunctive verbs.

Those "if clauses" describe things that are contrary to fact. The subjunctive form were informs readers and listeners instantly that Mike's mother is not living, the CEO is not in the plant today, and I am not you (this one the audience already knows, of course).

The verb form you might have expected in those sentences is the simple past tense was, but these sentence openers would be wrong for the sentences above: 

• If Mike's mother was alive. . . . 
• If the CEO was in the plant today. . . .
• If I was you. . . . 

The reason the past tense is wrong is that it does not indicate that something is contrary to fact. It just indicates that something is past and unknown, as was does in these sentences: 

• If Mike's mother was alive, she did not want anyone to know her whereabouts.
• If the CEO was in the plant today, it was only for a short visit.
• If I was you, we must have magically traded places! 

As odd as the subjunctive may seem if you are not used to using it in "if clauses," well-regarded reference manuals still promote it with no apologies. I checked these volumes on my bookshelf: The Gregg Reference Manual, The Associated Press Stylebook 2011, The Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition, Garner's Modern American Usage, and The American Heritage College Dictionary 4th Edition. Not one of them will let you off the hook. According to their rules, you must use the subjunctive form were if you want to speak and write correctly.

Test yourself with these sentences. Fill in the blank with were or was. Use were if the introductory clause expresses something that is contrary to fact. Use was for a past tense in which the facts are not known.

1. If Abika _______ here, she would run an efficient meeting.
2. If my father _______ here, I did not see him.
3. If she _____ Chris, she would choose the University of Texas at Austin.
4. If Bala _____ retired, he would spend more time travelling in Western Europe.
5. If John ______ a Canadian citizen, we were not aware of that fact.
6. "If I ______ a Rich Man" is sung by poor Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
7. If Elizabeth Taylor ______ known for just one role, it would be Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
8. If it ______ raining, we would not be having such a great time camping.
9. If it ______ raining, we did not even notice it.

In those nine sentences, I would use were in six of them. (My grammar and spelling checker flagged three of the six.) Do you agree?

1. If Abika were here [she is not here] 
2. If my father was here [he may have been here] 
3. If she were Chris [she is not Chris]
4. If Bala were retired [he is not retired]
5. If John was a Canadian citizen [he may have been]
6. "If I Were a Rich Man" [Tevye is not rich]
7. If Elizabeth Taylor were known for just one role [she is known for many roles]
8. If it were raining [it is not]
9. If it was raining [it may have been raining]

If you were I, you would be finished writing this blog post.

Questions? Suggestions? Thoughts?

Lynn
Syntax Training

50 Ways to Test Your Proofreading Skills

I am excited to announce Error Quests, a new product we just released. It is a collection of 50 short excerpts from business messages, each one containing just one error in grammar, usage, word choice, sentence structure, or punctuation. Your job is to find the single error according to business writing standards in the U.S. and Canada. (American spellings are used.)

Here is a sample Quest. Can you find and correct just one error in it? 

Error Quest 24
We are pleased that you have made your travel plans. Once you arrive at the airport and retrieve your baggage, you will be able to get a taxi just outside the baggage claim area. A typical one way fare from the airport to our conference center is $40. The trip takes approximately 45 minutes in rush-hour traffic.

Error Quests comes as a printed booklet and as a PDF. In the printed booklet, you can find the solution to each Error Quest just beneath it (no peeking!). In the PDF, you can click for the solution, and it will appear on the screen right below the Quest. Try this PDF sampler of five Error Quests.

Well, did you find the error in Error Quest 24?

Here is the solution:

Solution
The error involves the adjective one way before fare. It should be rendered as one-way. The hyphen is required to link the two parts of the compound adjective before the word fare. If the sentence had read “A typical fare is $40 one way,” no hyphen would be required because one way comes after fare rather than before it. Similar examples requiring a hyphen are two-door cars, three-week trip, 10-minute breaks, and 20-year drought.

Of the 50 Quests in the booklet, 44 have appeared in our monthly e-newsletter Better Writing at Work; 6 are new Quests.

Many people have told me how much they enjoy testing their skills each month in the newsletter. Their positive comments gave me the idea to collect the Quests into a handy booklet of quick proofreading tests. Each Error Quest presents an error I have found in clients' writing--nothing rare or ridiculously difficult.

Interested? Error Quests as a booklet or PDF is just US$9.95. Read more.

Enjoy!

Lynn
Syntax Training

Can You Pass This Pronoun Test?

This month's issue of my free e-newsletter, Better Writing at Work, focuses on pronoun problems that come up in business writing classes. It includes the test below. Take the test, and then check your answers.

Note: In case you have already taken the test in Better Writing at Work, I have included three bonus questions.

In each sentence, choose the pronoun that is correct according to the rules of grammar.

1. After the concert please give the cash drawer to Lizzie or I / me / myself.
2. Erika and I / me / myself both made reservations at the French restaurant.
3. I hope Richard will give Eva and I / me / myself a ride to the airport.
4. The proposal was prepared by Product Development, with some input from I / me / myself.
5. Who / Whom have you told about the plant closure?
6. Nadine will speak to whoever / whomever asks about Dale's termination.
7. Whoever / Whomever Greg hires, I promise to support the individual 100 percent.
8. Suzan and I / me / myself are leading the project together.
9. Who / Whom wrote this excellent summary?
10. Jessica will let me know her choice, whoever / whomever it is.

Bonus Questions

A. Whoever/ Whomever is responsible for the budget should be told about this expenditure.  
B. I wrote to the woman who's / whose name appeared at the bottom of the article.
C. Brent and she / her planned the entire event.

 

 

 

 

Here are the correct answers according to the rules: 

1. me    2. I    3. me    4. me    5. Whom    6. whoever   

7. Whomever    8. I    9. Who    10. whoever 

A. Whoever   B. whose    C. she

For explanations of the rules covering Items 1 to 10, read "Things You Must Know About Pronouns" in the newsletter. Here are brief explanations for A, B, and C:

A. Whoever is correct because "is responsible" needs a subject. Whoever is a subject pronoun.

B. Whose is correct as a possessive form; who's is the contraction of "who is."

C. She is correct as a subject pronoun: "She planned the entire event."

Which pronoun puzzles stump you in your business writing? 

Lynn
Syntax Training