Nowadays, computerized communication is almost as common as talking on the telephone. We send e-mails to our friends and families, as well as to our business clients. Often, we do this in the five minutes between clients or during our lunch break. Due to us being in too much of a hurry, e-mails and other correspondence can become riddled with typos and grammatical errors. If we’re writing to Aunt Patty in Florida, this isn’t that big a deal. However, business people should proofread in order to avoid looking unprofessional.

As discussed in the previous article, 10 Grammar Mistakes that Make You Look Unprofessional, there are several common errors that sharp-eyed customers will catch if you do not. Here are five more such errors.

1. Mixing up effect and affect. These two similar sounding words have slightly different meanings. “Affect” is a verb, whereas “effect” is a noun. So your grammar affects how professional you seem, but the effect of poor grammar skills is a reputation for unprofessionalism. The only time you may use the word “effect” as a verb is if you are talking about how you will “effect change” (a fancy way of saying you are going to implement some changes.)

2. Mixing up i.e. and e.g. In common parlance, it often appears that both of these abbreviations mean “for example”. However, i.e. (from Latin id est) actually means “in other words”. If you are trying to give an example of something, use e.g. (from Latin exempli gratia).

Example
Gratuity is included in all prices (i.e., you don’t have to leave a tip).

Example
She loves international dining (e.g., Thai, Chinese, and Indian).

If you introduce a list with e.g., do not end it with etc. (“and so forth”). The abbreviation e.g. already indicates that some items will not be listed.

3. Using “different than” instead of “different from”. This is another one of those “common language” differences. In everyday speech, you can say, “She is different than her brother.” and everyone will understand what you mean. However, it is grammatically incorrect. Always say, “Our company is different from the competition.”

4. Mixing up “of” and “have”. Many people nowadays have a habit of typing, “She could of done better.” instead of, “She could have done better.” The reason for the confusion is that the two words sound similar when spoken, especially if the speaker’s diction is a little bit lazy. However, if you take a moment to think about it, the correct word should become clear. What does “of done” mean? Nothing, of course. “Have done” makes more sense.

5. Using the wrong form of “your”. There are two forms of the word “your”. “Your” is a possessive, while “you’re” is short for you are. So you’re sure to seem more professional if you watch your grammar.

These five errors are so common that many people won’t notice them. However, if you want to stand out to your most intelligent clients, make sure to avoid these grammatical mistakes.

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©2009 The Business Identity Factory. All Rights Reserved.
http://BusinessIdentityFactory.com
“Helping businesses define and express their brand”

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If you liked this article, we'd love for you to share it, post it on your site or blog, or even use it in your newsletter. All we ask is that you leave it intact and do not alter it in anyway. All the links must remain in this article.

© 2009 The Business Identity Factory. All Rights Reserved.
http://BusinessIdentityFactory.com
"Helping businesses define and express their brand"