Ryan Standil is a former lawyer and the owner of Write To Excite. He leads seminars for businesses and governments about effective writing in the workplace.
In the workplace, a handful of “grammar dos and don’ts” will cause you to gain or lose credibility with your clients and colleagues. Notably, however, many other rules of writing will not have a material impact on your career.
This article is intended for readers who wish to portray an image of professionalism through their writing, but who don’t have time to earn a PhD in grammar.
Consider the following two sentences:
I only saw the third Godfather movie.
I saw only the third Godfather movie.
According to books on writing, the correct sentence is the second one, but the number of Canadians who would scoff at the first sentence – or interpret it to mean anything other than the obvious – is negligible. (Books on writing note that the word “only” modifies whatever comes immediately next. Therefore, in the first sentence, sticklers might suggest that all I did with respect to the third Godfather movie was see it, as opposed to listen to it, record it or critique it.)
Conversely, many people make a huge deal out of the correct choice between “I” and “me” in the phrase “Johnny and I/me.” In the following sentences, should writers use “I” or “me?”
- Johnny and [I or me] went to the movies.
- Do you want to come to the movies with Johnny and [I or me]?
To choose the correct word, imagine removing “Johnny and.” Then, ask yourself which version sounds more natural:
- I went to the movies. or Me went to the movies.
- Do you want to come to the movies with I? or Do you want to come to the movies with me?
Every year, I teach writing courses to thousands of Canadian professionals, and when I poll my participants, they draw a direct line between a writer’s command of certain rules and the impression it creates of that person’s overall competence. Bungling the “Johnny and” rule will worsen this impression, as will misspelling people’s names or using apostrophes to form plurals.
In no particular order, below are additional rules that, I believe, are important to master. Until now, I have been using the term “grammar” as a convenient label, but the following list extends to punctuation, spelling, usage and the general concept of attention to detail.
Subject-verb agreement with complex nouns
For example, “The influence of ancient Greek philosophers continue to shape modern thought.”
- It should say “continues” because the noun “influence” is singular
Comma splices
Avoid connecting two complete sentences with only a comma.
Overreliance on spell check
For example, accidentally writing:
- “from” when you mean “form”
- “stationary” when you mean “stationery”
For example, defaulting to American spelling.
For example, not realizing that a non-standard word such as “Ohtanni” is spelled wrong, on the basis that you know “Ohtani” will be flagged regardless, so you just hurried along.
Consistency when a writer has a choice between acceptable styles
For example, consistent use of the Oxford comma. Writers should use the Oxford comma in all or none of their lists that contain at least three items: “Bill, Bob[,] and Brad.”
For example, when dealing with collective nouns, consistent use of the singular or plural for pronouns and verbs
For example, consistent use of hyphens: “E-mail” and “Email” are both widely used, but a writer’s job is to be consistent
Commas in direct address
For example, the comma in this sentence is correct: “Thank you for the information, Jamie.”
Commonly confused words, such as
- “apart” and “a part”
- “then” and “than”
- “who’s” and “whose”
- “every day” and “everyday”
- “alumnus”, “alumna”, “alumni” and “alumnae”
“Try and”
Opt for the phrase “try to.” For example, “I will try to arrive by noon.”
Sentences with lists: Sometimes, writers forget that even the third item on a list must flow out of the phrase that introduces the list. For example, consider the following sentence:
“Whether you work alone, in a small firm or manage a big team, here is a five-step plan to expand your business.”
This sentence effectively says, “Whether you work manage a big team,” which makes no sense.
A few handy resources for looking these rules up are Purdue University’s online writing lab, Grammar Girl and the handouts from Jerry Plotnick’s team at the University of Toronto.
When I was evaluating whether an item belongs on the list above, I tried to ballpark the percentage of discerning professionals who would form an opinion about correct/incorrect usage. In other words, the items above draw interest from an overwhelming majority of participants at my writing course. By comparison, the proportion drops to approximately one-third of participants who are interested in learning the difference between “less” and “fewer” or “over” and “more than” or the rules regarding commas before co-ordinating conjunctions. Therefore, it does not feel as though violating these conventions will undermine a writer’s credibility.
At the very end of the continuum, hardly anyone fusses about
- “because” versus “since”
- strict use of “whom”
- the lack of a comma after “Hi” to begin an e-mail; this is the only instance where I wouldn’t be a stickler in regard to my earlier mention that writers should use commas in direct address.
Thank you for reviewing the writing issues that I find to be most important in the workplace. What other issues would you place in the non-negotiable category?
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.