This error stuck out most in the thousands of messages and documents I read in 2009:
Thank you for the booklet, it is very helpful.
Sign up today, the conference will fill quickly.
I saw Grant yesterday, he said to say hello to you.
We decided to buy the unfinished bookshelves, they seemed most economical.
Do you recognize the error?
It is called a run-on sentence, that is, two separate sentences connected by only a comma (not with a conjunction such as and). Run-ons are wrong, even if the two sentences are very short.
Corrections:
Thank you for the very helpful booklet. (OR) Thank you for the booklet, which is very helpful. (OR) Thank you for the booklet. It is very helpful.
Sign up today. The conference will fill quickly. (OR) Sign up today–the conference will fill quickly.
I saw Grant yesterday, and he said to say hello to you. (OR) I saw Grant yesterday. He said to say hello to you.
We decided to buy the unfinished bookshelves because they seemed most economical. (OR) We decided to buy the unfinished bookshelves. They seemed most economical. (OR) Because the unfinished bookshelves seemed most economical, we decided to buy them.
If you know you are guilty of writing run-ons, allow yourself just one idea per sentence. If you do so, you will be able to recognize and correct your run-ons easily.
When people ask for ways to improve their business writing skills, I suggest eliminating common errors like run-on sentences. Getting rid of those mistakes makes writing instantly stronger.
Lynn
Syntax Training