The holidays are upon us and with them lots of opportunities to wish people well. Putting those wishes to paper correctly, however, can be tricky. Is it, for example, Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year or Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year?
Read these guidelines... (Read More)
I’m recognized as a collaborative and “hands-on” advisor to my clients.
“Why the quotation marks?” I asked as I read this line in a LinkedIn bio.
The author’s not using hands-on in an ironic, sarcastic or skeptical sense, which is one reason you use quotation marks. Hands-on isn’t a slang,... (Read More)
In this version of Say It Better Say It Right, a Hollywood producer talks about creating a binge-worthy series for Netflix.
All three statements use myself incorrectly. Here’s what the speakers should have said—and why:
Here are two sentences that recently crossed my desk:
In both cases, everyday should be every day.
Everyday is an adjective that is mostly used to describe something routine... (Read More)
Our legacy is built on finding and knowing the essential.
That’s what a leading financial company says on its website. Expertise or reputation would be more accurate than legacy, which is what you’re remembered for after you’re gone.
Or take the magazine executive who said he wanted to be sure... (Read More)
I recently read a bio that ended with the following line: He was also a contestant on the college edition of “Jeopardy!”.
I loved that quirky detail, but I wondered about the period at the end of the sentence.
You don’t need it. The exclamation point in the quoted... (Read More)
In this edition of Say It Better Say It Right, an executive of a major food company talks about teaching people to snack mindfully, that is to enjoy cookies and candy—responsibly.
Please let us know if you’re aligned to this.
That line appeared in an email about an agenda for an upcoming meeting. Its author should have written, Let us know if you agree with this.
In everyday English, align means to arrange in a line, as in, The pictures look... (Read More)
In both cases, summer... (Read More)
