Business Writing Info Blog

This paragraph contains a business grammar error. Find and correct it!

A client questioned the proper use of contractions in business writing:

• The owner of the painting that has been stored in the company storage room for the past twenty years has decided to sell it.

A client in a business writing course asked today if the abbreviations i.e. and e.g. were interchangeable. They are not. Each has a specific meaning, and therefore, use:

Punctuation matters in business writing. Let's test this. Punctuate the following statement:
A woman without her man is nothing.

This one paragraph contains a business writing error. Find and correct it:
The damages from Hurricane Irene have been severe. Power is still out in portions of Princeton, NJ. The electric company has announced all homes and businesses can expect power restoration by Monday, September 5.

I addressed the business grammar question, Blackberry Device: Is Plural Blackberrys or Blackberries? in January, 2009, and that article continues to receive much search query traffic, so it seems to be a continuing question.

The authors will be holding a discussion about registration, to better give instruction to the participants who have to make a choice between which sessions to attend. (27 words)

This one paragraph contains a business writing error. Find and correct it:
I'm sorry for my slow reply. I've been on vacation, and just received your message. Paula Havlicek in corporate communications is very knowledgeable about your concerns. You can reach her by phone at (609) 555-5555 or by email at phavlicek@acme.com.

My friend emailed me these grammar “rules” today. These have circulated on the Internet for a few years now, but they are funny and nicely illustrate common business grammar errors.