“I coulda been a contender!” While this plaintive cry worked well for Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront”, it falls flat in business writing. Careful writers cringe when they see sentences like If I would of known they were good prospects, I would of tried harder. I should of known he was a rascal. I could […]
Woulda Coulda Shoulda Read More »
My daughter recently asked me whether the correct word in this idiom was “deserts” or “desserts”. Feeling cocky, I asserted that the right word was obviously “desserts”, as in the sweet reward for a job well done. Well, I was wrong. And my teenager was gleeful. The word “desert” means “that which is deserved”. It
Which is correct? Just Deserts or Just Desserts? Read More »
At a corporate training I taught last week, participants asked me to clarify the meaning of the above word pairs. Since these words seem to perplex many people, here are simple definitions. Affect (verb) This word has many meanings in the dictionary. It can refer, as a noun, to one’s emotional state. As a verb, it
Clarifying perplexing word pairs: affect/effect, advise/advice Read More »
Some common phrases are hard to tell apart. Here is a brief guide to a few common trouble-makers. Compared To vs. Compared With When making an analogy to something of an entirely different class, use compare to. He compared leading a company through recessionary times to steering an ocean liner through a storm. Compared to moving
Commonly Misused Phrases in Business Writing Read More »
I recently came across a pamphlet called Slips of Speech and How to Avoid Them. It was published in 1922 and written by Frank H. Vizetelly, Litt.D, LLD, Managing Editor of the Funk and Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary and its Abridgements. This fading, dog-eared publication is about 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. It has only
Commonly Misused Words 1: Wisdom from 1922 Read More »
