My husband is on a mailing list for information about upcoming stamp shows. This week he got an email announcement and saw his email address in a clump of at least a hundred others. All were there in a long list, a gold mine for… continue reading
You check your documents electronically to try to catch every error. But your grammar and spelling checker may be giving you bad advice. Because it’s a software program, it can’t read your mind or know your intentions. Also, it can’t always distinguish between correct and incorrect… continue reading
Are you haunted by too much email appearing nonstop, lurking in your inbox, and raising your anxiety level? If you are like most people at work, you get too much unnecessary email. If you need to keep your email open, you probably have messages popping up constantly,… continue reading
UPDATED IN AUGUST 2021 Do you know the difference between a dash and a hyphen? Do you recognize where to use en dashes and em dashes? If you do, then pass this post on to someone else. Or read it to be sure of your… continue reading
You have read and heard statements like these at work: “I’ll ask the guys on my team to work on that feature.” “We need to get a top-notch guy in here to fill that role.” “Let me know how you guys are doing.” Barbara wrote… continue reading
When it comes to proofreading, many people recommend reading aloud what you have written. That technique often works well. But to be successful using it, you must read what is on the page or screen–not what should be there. Reading what is actually there is challenging because you… continue reading
In Microsoft Office the grammar and spelling checker often flags non-errors. It flags certain constructions that have "fooled" the software into detecting a possible error. My grammar and spelling checker flagged a potential error in each item below. But don't be fooled! Each item is correct. I am wondering… continue reading
Today I received a brief, thoughtful message from a successful colleague who works in another field. Here is the email: Thanks, Ly7nn. Let me know if you have any questions concerning the report. What went wrong? How could my friend send me a message with my… continue reading
Today I received an email in which a business writing class participant answered the prework questions for an upcoming writing class. She wrote at the top of her email, "My answers are in blue." As often happens with such messages, her answers were in black–not blue–so… continue reading
Working with over a hundred people on their business writing over the past seven days, I recognized once again that people’s writing can be slowed down and weakened by something that has nothing to do with words. That something is lack of knowledge of Microsoft Word… continue reading
