On behalf of myself and the employees of the Ford Motor Company, who condemn such behavior and regret any harassment as much as I do, I apologize.
That’s an excerpt from a letter Jim Hackett, the head of the Ford Motor Company, recently sent to employees apologizing for sexual... (Read More)
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.
Is that correct? Or should it be, Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year, with new year in upper case?
If you went with version No. 1, you’re correct.
When you refer... (Read More)
“Frankly, there is a creepiness factor of this whole idea of medicine tracking. The thing I tell them first and foremost is there’s nothing to reach out of this technology to pry your mouth open and make you take a pill.”
That’s what a well-known scientist said in a... (Read More)
News arrived this week of a new type of chocolate—ruby chocolate, or as its manufacturer puts it, Ruby (with a capital R). According to the company’s press release, the chocolate “satisfies a new consumer need found among millennials—hedonistic indulgence.”
I’m not a millennial, but I think it’s safe to say... (Read More)
Would you ever say Talk to I or Join I?
Of course not.
But something happens when another person, say Mary or John, enters the mix. All of a sudden, you’re not so sure whether me is in fact correct (it is), so you hesitate and—mistakenly—say He talked... (Read More)
A friend wrote that her somewhat crotchety mother can’t stand people starting emails with I hope you’re well.
“They don’t care how I am,” she says, “so they should just get straight to the point.”
I don’t consider myself crotchety, but I agree. In everyday business writing, there’s... (Read More)
I grew up watching a lot of basketball, which is where I first heard the term pivot. The player who’s holding the ball keeps one foot anchored in one spot and uses it to turn—rather, pivot—in any direction, ultimately to get the ball in the basket.
Today, pivot is part... (Read More)
Pippa Middleton, sister to Princess Kate, got married a couple of weeks ago. You might wonder how news of this event has turned into a post about business writing.
The headlines in a New York Times preview of the not-quite-royal-wedding were my inspiration: Whom is Ms. Middleton marrying? Whom is... (Read More)
I was in a crowded subway car on a recent rainy day when the voice over the public-address system cautioned, “Due to the inclement weather, exit onto the subway platform with caution.” Or at least I think that’s what she—the voice—said.
The combination of poor acoustics, a clipped British accent—British?... (Read More)
Engulfed in a months-long scandal over his role in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal, Governor Chris Christie conceded some wrongdoing in his 2014 State of the State address.
“Mistakes were made,” he said, using the passive voice, which kept him from having to say who actually... (Read More)
