Why do some people write better than others at work? Is it because they won the genetic lottery or went to the best high schools or colleges? Did they pay closer attention in the 7th grade? Or is there another factor, one that makes the difference between the greats and the just-okays?
Why are some people better business writers than Others? Read More »
The Talmud asks, “Who is wise? He who sees the end from the beginning.” Stephen Covey echoes this in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People when he urges us to “begin with the end in mind.”
Many writers plunge into their work without a clear destination. They don’t stop to think about their goals, but hope their reader will manage to decode the message about which they themselves are unclear. But this approach wastes time and is unlikely to achieve results. Successful writers think about their desired outcome before they even touch the keyboard.
Begin with the end in mind: the key to purposeful writing Read More »
Words such as rather, pretty, very, and little are the leeches that infest the body of prose, sucking the blood of words. We should all try to do a little better, we should all be very watchful of this rule, for it is a rather important one and we are pretty sure to violate it
Some word pairs flummox even the most literate writers. We use a word to say one thing, but its opposite form seems not to exist. Or does it? In some pairs, apparent opposites have the same meaning. English is a mongrel language with a motley history, which means that our words don’t always make sense.
Are You Gruntled that Irregardless is a Word? Read More »
Someone recently wrote to me, “Your welcome to join us at the dinner reception.” While I appreciated the dinner invitation, the writer undermined herself by making the basic mistake of writing your instead of you’re. She meant to say, “You are welcome to join us,” but that’s not what she wrote.
Am I being a curmudgeon to mention this? Perhaps. But if I’m a grouch, I’m not alone. For millions of readers, these mistakes matter. When you are building your personal and business brand, can you afford to assume that your readers don’t care about precision in language?
Don’t embarrass yourself: Use the Right Words Read More »
