Affect is a good, strong verb that’s been shoved aside by one best kept to talk about wisdom teeth.
In each of the sentences below, impact means to affect, a word far more pleasing to the senses than one that has in its definitions bad effect, hit something, great force,... (Read More)
I got an email with a special offer to help me manage my money. “Learn how to take control of your financial life! A live webinar, instructional videos, and one-on-one coaching are just the tip of the iceberg! Let me know if you have any questions!”
And then came another... (Read More)
The business world is drunk on the word leverage, particularly as a verb. Here’s a shot of what I’ve read recently but not fully understood.
• The company is going to leverage its savings across diverse markets.
• Our program leverages the behaviors of its users.
•... (Read More)
I get all pumped up when people write and say, That’s my pet peeve or Here’s another one that makes me nuts.
Sometimes I get emails that say simply, Here! Here! Those give me pause because I can never remember whether it’s Here! Here! as in, Yoo-hoo, I’m over... (Read More)
A company said it wanted to position me as an extension of its team/culture. Another asked whether I provide deals/discounts for bulk work. As I was writing this bulletin, this question popped up in my inbox: How many different jobs did you try until you found your passion/career of choice?
... (Read More)Unique. It’s like being pregnant. You are or you’re not.
Unique means one of a kind, so a situation, challenge, service, etc., cannot be completely unique, very unique, or some other kind of unique. It’s either the only one or it’s something else.
In today’s world, it’s rare for... (Read More)
We want what we say (or what our clients say) to live on—in print and online. So in addition to sounding good, quotes should read well. I’m regularly surprised by how unclear or boring many businesspeople sound when they talk for attribution, uttering bewildering statements like, “They would cannibalize down... (Read More)
CEOs drive their business. Along the way, they drive change, decisions, and strategies. If things go well, they drive results that drive shareholder value.
Drive has become an all-purpose word that seems to mean to have a good effect on.
Not at the beginning.
The quickest way to lose your audience is by reaching back. Telling your readers something they already know or making general statements aren’t attention-grabbers either.
We have a natural tendency to want to set the scene before we get to... (Read More)
“It’s so easy to fall in love.” So sang Linda Ronstadt in 1977. (Go on and enjoy a little of it.)
Who would have thought falling in love would be easier than using it’s and its correctly?
We often write it’s—which is short for it is or it has—when we mean its,... (Read More)
