Business Writing

Email: Can't Get a Response?

The other day I was talking with a man named Scott, who asked me whether I agreed with a tip he had picked up in a presentation on writing email. The presenter had said that one should never write to a group--only to individuals--because that is the only way to... Read more →

An Error, A Mistake: "A" & "An"

This morning I received an email from a friend who knows a lot about grammar and punctuation. I was surprised that her message included the phrase "a MS word specialist." It should have been "an MS word specialist" because "MS" is pronounced "em ess." Words that begin with a vowel... Read more →

Bad or Badly?

"I would feel bad if I treated you badly." That's an illustration of the correct use of the words bad and badly. Bad/badly is a grammar point that trips up many of us. Even people who are very careful about their speech and writing are confused about those two words.... Read more →

"I Apologize"--How to Say It

I've been getting requests for tips on how to write an apology, and I am happy to oblige. For every piece I write--whether it's a report, a thank you, a proposal, a recommendation, a resume, a request, or an apology--I think about my reader's questions. These are the questions my... Read more →

The "Lean and Mean" Message

Every so often I hear the expression "lean and mean" applied to United States industries. This week I heard it again, in an ASTD webcast called "Closing the Skills Gap," which focused on the challenge of filling U.S. jobs that require certain skills. The expression was used by Stacy Jarrett... Read more →

Telegrams Give Way to Email

Late last month the last telegram was sent--the very last telegram. For those of you who are too young to have experienced the telegram, it is was a quaint typed message sent by telegraph lines (through Morse code) and delivered to one's home by a human messenger. It existed before... Read more →

How to Give Feedback on Writing

On Saturday I received a glowing email from Scott in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, who offered several compliments on this blog. Among the detailed praise were words I loved reading: "well worth my time," "exceptionally well written," and "thank you for the considerable effort that you put forth in maintaining your... Read more →

RSS Feeds and Readers: Simple Steps

According to an October 2005 Yahoo publication, 96% of Internet users have never knowingly used RSS (Real Simple Syndication). Are you one of them? I was until today. Yes, I confess that I've been blogging since last June, but I just downloaded an RSS reader so that I can receive... Read more →

How to Write an Auto-Reply

Email has become such a communication lifeline that it's hard to imagine not answering it promptly. When we are away from the office for even a day or two, we want people to receive a response from us. We shudder to imagine not sending a response for an entire one-... Read more →

Errors, Erors Everywhere!

Many visitors to this site have been searching for everyday examples of mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I have a Best Pick blog to recommend to you: Grammar Hell. In the spirit of Eats, Shoots & Leaves author Lynne Truss, Grammar Hell's creator, Jack, has been merrily and methodically... Read more →