Write for Business - Blog

It's is the contraction of "it is" or "it has." Its is the possessive form of "it."

It's not simply what you know; it's also whom you know.

The medical clinic finally remodeled its outdated waiting room.

(From Write for Business, page 233, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 45)

Irregardless is the substandard form of regardless.

Incorrect: Irregardless of the weather, we will go.

Correct: Regardless of the weather, we will go.

(From Write for Business, page 233, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 45)

Interstate means "connecting or existing between two or more states"; intrastate means "occurring or existing within a state."

(From Write for Business, page 233, and Proofreader's Guide PDF, page 45)

I write for a living. So do most of my friends. We care about language use, and sometimes we debate a particular issue of grammar. Often we point to historical sources to support our views, but sometimes the sources disagree.

Consider the use of hopefully in the sentence "Hopefully it won't rain."

When asked what he would say to a friend who used hopefully in this manner, the late, great Isaac Asimov responded that he would not have such friends.

I love Isaac Asimov, and he gave a pretty funny reply. But when grammar is used as a measuring rod for friendship, something's wrong.

Purists would argue that when the adverb hopefully is used in the example above, it isn't modifying any specific word or phrase. Recently, however, hopefully has gained acceptance as a "sentence adverb," which is to say it can modify an entire sentence. See "Grammar Girl's" discussion of hopefully.

A similar debate rages on about the "serial comma." (Some may fault me for discussing punctuation in a grammar post, but for most people "grammar" is a catch-all for correct language.) For journalists, a list such as "peaches, porridge and poultry" should have only one comma. For most everyone else, such lists need two commas to avoid potential confusion, as in "I'd like to thank my parents, God and Coach Simmons."

I'd suggest that debating the serial comma is like arguing whether (or not) to extend one's pinky while sipping tea. If you're drinking from a mug and need that pinky to help hold it, by all means do so. If you're using a more delicate teacup and the pinky won't fit, curl it under or stick it out - whichever you prefer. True gentility does not judge people whose preference differs.

When we use good grammar, we show respect to our readers by adhering to a standard that makes our words and meaning easier to grasp. If as a result we appear intelligent and trustworthy, that is merely a fringe benefit.

When grammar is used to judge other people, however, it becomes snobbery. Snobbery is prejudice, and prejudice is a matter of ignorance. So yes, it is possible for proper grammar to lead a person into ignorance. Fortunately, with an open mind, that pitfall is easy to avoid.

- Lester Smith

English is an ever-evolving language that, according to editor Patricia T. O'Conner, may have the most words of any modern language. As a living language, it is full of "quirks and surprises" and a mind boggling, ever-changing set of standards for proper usage.

There are countless books and Web sites devoted to proper usage. These sources agree on most usage issues, but not all of them. Mitchell Ivers, another editor, says that it's up to the writer to "know the distinctions to make educated choices."

Of course, you already know the difference between your and you're; their, they're, and there; and so on. And when you do have a question, you know where to turn for help, either a business-writing handbook or the Net. (Write for Business, for example, lists more than 100 commonly mixed pairs, many of which are also covered here on our Web site.)

But as I discovered during the past few days, there are all kinds of quirky (interesting, amusing, odd) usage issues that never make most business-writing resources. What follows are a 15 of them. All except the last three will apply to most business writing.)

• peruse (This word is commonly, and incorrectly, used to mean "to skim," when it really means the opposite - "to read thoughtfully and carefully.")
• unique (The word needs no help; to say "very unique" is redundant.)
• lawyer, attorney (A lawyer has a law degree; an attorney acts in a lawyerly way for a client.)
• persuade, convince (Persuade involves action - and usually teams up with the word to; convince involves thought - as in "convince her that or of…")
• impact (Don't use as a transitive verb: not "The proposal impacted their second-quarter forecast"; instead "The proposal affected their second-quarter forecast.")
• both agree (a slight redundancy)
• bemused (Incorrectly used as a synonym of amused; bemused means "to make confused.")
• cache, cachet (Cache is pronounced "cash" and means "hiding place." Cachet is pronounced "ca-SHAY" and means "a seal, noting official approval.")
• loath, loathe (Loath means "unwilling"; loathe means "to hate.")
• prescribe, proscribe (Prescribe means "to recommend"; proscribe means "prohibit.")
• try and, try to (Use try to, not try and.)
• on behalf of, in behalf of (On behalf of means "in place off" - as in "On behalf of the sunshine committee…"; in behalf of means "in the interest of" - as in "We raised $4,000 in behalf of the earthquake victims.")
• gourmet, gourmand, glutton (A gourmet is a connoisseur, a gourmand is an eager consumer, and a glutton is an overeater.)
• biceps (A singular and plural form.)
• Afghan, Afghani (An Afghan is a person, a blanket, and a type of dog; the monetary unit of Afghanistan is the Afghani. [I'm sure that I've heard commentators say the "Afghani people."])

My sources for these examples are Lapsing Into a Comma by Bill Walsh, the Random House Guide to Good Writing by Mitchell Ivers, and the Times Online Web site, listing commonly misused pairs in business writing.

Your Turn: Are you aware of any usage issues that that don't appear in most common resources? If so, please share them with us.

- Dave Kemper