Correcting the 12 Most Common Mistakes
in Speaking and Writing
Part One: Word Choice and Good Grammar
1. Use Plain English
To impress a client, do it with your ability to be short and to-the-point, not with fancy, overblown language. In other words, say get instead of obtain; start instead of commence and other words you'd use in everyday conversation.
2. Pick the Proper Pronoun: Me, Myself or I
If you're about to meet the CEO, knowing whether to say “him and I” or “he and I” or “he, her and myself,” is as important as knowing there’s a piece of spinach caught between your teeth. You want to sound and look as polished as possible. (If you knew “he and I” was the only correct choice, you may head directly down to #3.)
3. Objects and Prepositions: Why We Say, “With him, her and me”
Though “between you and I” may sound fine to many people, it is still a grammar no-no: You wouldn’t say, “put the book between we” would you? Well, there’s a reason for that.
4. Politically Correct Possessive Pronouns
English makes a distinction between his desk and her desk, but no such gender distinction for their desks. So these days, it’s common to see sentences like: “Every employee should keep their desk clean;” though the subject is singular, the possessive pronoun is plural. This is proper politically, technically wrong, but ultimately the only choice besides his/her.
5. Choosing Lie vs. Lay; Sit vs. Set
Hens lay eggs; people lie down. People also sit down, but they set the table. In other words, lay and set take objects; lie and sit do not.
6. 10 Commonly Misused/Misunderstood Words
What’s the difference: Advise or Advice? Affect or effect? Than or then? You don't “here” the “misteaks” in speaking, but in writing “their” right there in black and white.
Part Two: Tone and Style
7. Know What to Stress: Who Did What? or What Was Done?
If your boss wants to know the status of a report, you can either say,“I’m still writing it,” or you can reply, “It is still being written.” In the first case, you are clearly the one responsible for the job; in the second, it is not clear who is writing the report Ð perhaps it’s a team effort; but clearly, the report is not finished. These are samples of active vs. passive voice. In most cases, the active voice is more direct and concise, but there are times when the passive voice does the job – as long as you don’t hide behind it, as in, “Mistakes were made.”
8. Keep It Positive
No one likes to read bad news or sharp criticism. Try using a little diplomatic spin: “I’m glad you’re concerned about this problem, but I’m not sure I understand your approach. Let's get together and talk about this.”
9. Avoid Ambiguity
Ambiguity is when there are two or more meanings for one sentence, and it’s impossible to tell the right meaning from the words alone. Take: “My boss spoke with Elaine and said she was mad.” Is “she” the boss, or Elaine? In “I just gave him some advice,” did the writer “simply” give advice, or give him advice recently? Without context, it’s hard to know.
10. Understand The Power of Commas, Semi-colons and Periods
Punctuation, a word derived from the Latin word for “points,” are the little dots and squiggles that tell a reader to pause, question, ask, exclaim and much more. Punctuation is to writing what stoplights and yield signs are to drivers.
11. Why NOT to Write in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
BECAUSE IT SOUNDS ANGRY. If you ARE angry, it is best to articulate your feelings through words and reason, not by visually screaming across the page. The beauty of upper and lower case letters, and punctuation, is that it gives you a way to modulate your words on paper.
12. Be Personal, Natural and Respectful
If you write to colleagues and clients as if you were speaking to them in person, your words and tone will flow more naturally, and stiff, awkward phrases like, “It has been decided that” will quite rightly never emerge. Make sure to get names and titles right; and saying please, thank you and appreciate is always effective in asking for favors or services.
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