Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, Author at BusinessWritingBlog

Presentation and Formatting

Underlining: A Bad Choice Online

Yesterday I visited two websites where underlining had gone wrong. At each site, I clicked underlined (underscored) words and phrases, expecting to be taken to more information. But there was no click. I just sat there, staring at an unchanging screen. In the old days,… continue reading

Vocabulary

Served or Serviced–Which Do You Prefer?

My friend Margaret sent me an amusing sentence from an email she had received from a car rental company. Here is the sentence, from which I have eliminated the company’s name to maintain its good reputation: Our car rental company values you as a customer,… continue reading

Vocabulary

Entitled or Titled?

On Monday I led seminars for the communications group of a huge company. When I asked this sophisticated audience to find errors in sentences, they identified an error I did not intend. Here is the sentence: She was quoting from a white paper entitled “Avoiding… continue reading

Capitalization

Sales Department or sales department?

Here is a topic that comes up often: Do we capitalize department, as in “Finance Department”? And how about department by itself? These sentences illustrate standard capitalization of words such as department, committee, team, unit, lab, division, and company: Jamie works in the Finance Department.… continue reading

Etiquette

How to Address a Married Woman

My email inbox continues to fill up with questions about salutations. Frequently, the questions focus on married women and the appropriate courtesy title to use when typing their names in letter greetings and addresses. Here is the official word, which I have adapted from Emily… continue reading

Business Communication

How to Give Written Feedback

The other day I emailed John, a client, a description of a new seminar I am creating for him. He wrote back: Hi, Lynn, Thanks for your creativity. I like what you have created so far. May I suggest the following modification? After that question,… continue reading

title graphic stating "email or emails: is 'email' plural or singular?"

Grammar and Usage

Email or Emails – Singular or Plural?

Email is? Email are? Emails are? We discuss below whether the word email is singular or plural and how to use it. One day no doubt all style manuals will jump in to provide an opinion, but now only the Microsoft Manual of Style for… continue reading

Grammar and Usage

Bring vs Take – Which Should You Choose?

In writing seminars, people often ask about the words bring and take. Usually it is because their mothers, fathers, or English teachers repeatedly corrected them, and they want to know whether they can finally forget those old nagging corrections. The reference guides that touch on… continue reading

Etiquette

Writing to Same-Sex, Same-Name Couples

Carolyn wrote to ask for guidance on addressing correspondence to two women who are married to each other and have the same last name. Below are suggestions for a couple I will call Grace and Linda Smythe. For a formal business letter On the envelope:… continue reading

Punctuation

Eliminate/Reduce Slashes/Diagonals/Slants

The use of the forward slash (/) has gone too far. Whether known as the slash, diagonal, virgule, slant, or solidus, the mark is simply showing up too often. I used to see them commonly in only and/or and his/her constructions. But lately I can’t… continue reading

Author Archives: Lynn Gaertner-Johnston