7 Habits of Highly-Effective Business Writers - #6 - Good Grammar and Perfect Proofreading

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Today we continue our series 7 Habits of Highly-Effective Business Writers.

Yesterday you learned the #7 habit - Be Friendly.

The #6 habit is Good Grammar and Perfect Punctuation.

Good Grammar 

Poor grammar and writing is said by many to be an epidemic sweeping through offices and an increasing number of businesses are deciding to crack down on the matter.

Good grammar is good business.

Solid grammar has a lot to do with your job performance, creativity, and intelligence. Your boss already knows and counts on you to do your part.

Good grammar illuminates your ideas, sells your products or services, and gets people talking about you - in a positive way!

So here are just a couple of grammar points for you to consider.

1. Fewer/less – Less is used around hypothetical quantities, while few and fewer are used when you can quantify something

2. Farther/further – Farther implies a measurable distance, while further should be reserved for abstract lengths you can't always measure

For more confusing English word pairs, check out this e-book. 

Perfect Punctuation

Precise punctuation goes perfectly together with good grammar.

Again, incorrect punctuation like poor grammar reduces your business's credibility and thus negatively impacts the recipient of your communications.

Sometimes a punctuation gaffe can alter the meaning of your communication.

For example:

1) The boss had a discussion with a friend and a stock broker yesterday.


2) The boss had a discussion with a friend, and a stock broker yesterday.


Sentence One means the boss had a discussion with a friend who is a stock broker. 

Sentence Two means the boss had a discussion with two people:  a friend and a stock broker. 

(Check out this online PDF for more business punctuation tips). 

Conclusion

As you can see, the #6 Habit of Highly-Effective Business Writers is very important to both your personal and professional success.

Make sure your business writing reflects the professional image you want to project with good grammar and perfect punctuation. 

Check out the audio e-Clinic, How to Adjust Your Business Writing to the 21st Century, for more tips to improve your workplace writing immediately.