Business Writing Workshop
Frank Hurley and Donna Kain
Strategies and Tips
Writing free of errors that interfere with
reader comprehension:
 Use punctuation correctly to avoid confusion.
 Use structures correctly to avoid confusion.
 Choose the right word from confusing pairs such
as discretely/discreetly and affect/effect.
Reasons we confuse some words
 They sound the same (“homonyms”)
 They’re spelled similarly
 The definitions are similar or related (e.g.,
“advice” and “advise”)
Something to keep in mind:
Something to keep in mind:
Spell check will not save you.
(But use it anyway. Grammar check may help)
Common Homonym Problems
 There, their, they’re; your, you’re
 Its, it’s
 To, too, two
Affect or effect
Affect is usually a verb meaning "to
influence." Effect is usually a noun meaning
"result." When used as a verb, effect means
"to cause."
Among or Between
Use “among” for arrangements involving more than 2
people or things. Use “between” for arrangements
involving only 2 people or things.
Example
The consensus among pollsters is that the
Democrats are set to pick up between 25 and 35
seats this fall.
Amount or number
Use amount to refer to a quantity. Use number to
refer to people or things that can be counted.
Examples
The amount of gizmos is more than we can ship
in on box. (incorrect)
The number of gizmos is more than we can ship
in on box. (incorrect)
Complement and Compliment
Complement is something that completes something
else. A compliment is an expression of praise.
Examples
That picture complements the text.
She complimented his work.
“e.g.,” or “i.e.,”
The abbreviation e.g. means "for example." The
abbreviation i.e. means "that is.“
Examples
Some parts are difficult to pack (e.g., the gizmo’s
and the widgets).
Some parts are difficult to pack (i.e., the shapes
do not fit the packing well).
Finally and Finely
This confusion is usually a spelling error.
The adverb finally means at last, coming at the
end.
The adverb finely (from fine) means precisely,
minutely, or extremely well done.
Good or well
Good is usually an adjective (a good book, a good
job). Well is usually an adverb (runs well, a wellwritten essay).
Examples
She did a good job.
She did the job well.
(Remember “bad” and “badly” too).
Imply and Infer
A speaker implies (or "suggests") something; a
listener infers (or "deduces").
Examples
The manager implied that I was a bad risk. I
inferred from her remarks that she thought I was
lazy.
Lay and Lie
Lay means to put or place; it takes a direct object.
Lie means to rest or recline; it does not take a direct
object.
Examples
Remember: chickens lay eggs; people lie down.
Perquisite and Prerequisite
A perquisite is a benefit (beyond pay) that is
associated with a particular job. A prerequisite is
something required as a prior condition of something
else.
Examples
Proper insulation is the first prerequisite for the
effective use of any energy-saving device.
Than and Then
Use than to make a comparison. Use then when
referring to time. (Mistakes here are usually typos.)
Examples
The job was harder than I had expected.
I sent two e-mails and then I called.
Which and Who
Who refers to people; which refers to things.
Examples
The man who just left drives a Mercedes, which
is a very expensive car.
Who and Whom
Use who when a sentence requires a subject
pronoun (equivalent to he or she).
Use whom when a sentence requires an object
pronoun (equivalent to him or her).
In contemporary usage, who is often used in
either case.
Who and Whom
Examples
We need people who can lift 70 lbs. for this job.
To whom will you give the job?
TIP: see if you can substitute “him” or “her” in a
related sentence. “We will give the job to him”
(use whom). “She can lisft 70 lbs” (use who).
Use a comma before a coordinator (and,
but, yet, or, nor, for, so) that links two
independent clauses:
The optimist thinks that this is the best of all
possible worlds, and the pessimist knows it.
(Robert Oppenheimer)
Independent clauses are parts of sentences that would make sense as
sentences all by themselves. Dependent clauses are parts of sentences
that could not be sentences by themselves.)
However, do not use a comma before a
coordinator that links two words or
phrases:
Jack and Diane sang and danced all night.
Use a comma between words, phrases, or
clauses that appear in a series including
before the last item in the series:
The widgets get injected, inspected,
detected, infected, neglected, and selected.
The example also demonstrates parallel
construction:
The widgets get injected, inspected,
detected, infected, neglected, and selected.
Use parallel constructions in lists and bullet
points.
Use commas and semi-colons between
words, phrases, or clauses that appear in a
series when parts of a series include
multiple items:
We need to pack the gizmos, widgets, and tools;
store the boxes, pallets, and tarps; and throw
away the trash.
Use a comma after a phrase or clause that
precedes the subject of a sentence (or the
verb in a command):
If at first you don't succeed, failure may be
your style. (Quentin Crisp)
To meet the deadline, ship the package by
2:00 pm today.
Use a pair of commas to set off words,
phrases, or clauses that interrupt a
sentence to provide extra information:
We need the gizmos, which are stored in
the trailer, for the order tomorrow.
(In other words, we need gizmos and I’m just letting you know they’re out back
in the trailer in case you didn’t know where you can find some. )
But don't use commas to set off
information that directly affects the
essential meaning of the sentence:
We need the gizmos that are stored in the
trailer for the order tomorrow.
(In other words, we need those gizmos in the trailer specifically and not any
other gizmos stored anywhere else. Gizmos may be everywhere. We only
want the ones from the trailer.)
The previous examples also demonstrate
restrictive and non-restrictive clauses
Restrictive: We need the gizmos that are stored
in the trailer for the order tomorrow.
Non-restrictive: We need the gizmos, which are
stored in the trailer, for the order tomorrow.
Use semi-colons to separate two complete
(independent) clauses:
We need the gizmos today; we need the
widgets by Friday.
Make sure to check your writing for
errors and don’t rely completely on
spell check or grammar check.