This week’s mistake is drawn from real life as usual. Sadly, it’s only one example of mistakes I see that show a lack of knowledge about words that function as both nouns and verbs and sound the same but are written differently. But more on that in a minute. First the mistake: “We’ll walkthrough the facility to show you the areas and supplies to which you have access. Then we’ll walk-through the building to inspect it before your departure.” I hope one mistake jumps out at you right away: the inconsistency. One sentence says...
My samples for these Monday Mistakes practically fall from the sky. They show up in my email inbox, on food packaging, and in my mailbox. This week’s Monday’s Mistake is courtesy of a sales letter I received. Do you think the legal department wrote this? It has a mistake, which I’m sure you’ll see, but it is also convoluted—which is a mistake in my mind, because our goal is clear communication, especially when trying to sell something! Here it is: In the event of a covered accidental loss of life, this coverage, when combined with...
Let’s get straight to the point this week. What’s wrong with this paragraph? “In light of the major data breaches the world has been experiencing in recent years, the importance of cybersecurity can’t be reiterated enough. Even big brands are not exempt from becoming victims and facing repercussions like lawsuits and settlements.” It’s too wordy! I don’t see any mistakes, per se, but this is convoluted writing. And at BetterFasterWriter.com, we say “no” to clutter and “yes” to clarity. Look at all the clutter in these 39 words: “In...
Here’s this week’s pop quiz! What’s wrong with this sentence? “2020 has been like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, ripping us all up from our familiar lives and depositing us in a strange new world.” The answer? You can’t start a sentence with a number. If the writer had said… “The year 2020 has been like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, ripping us all up from our familiar lives and depositing us in a strange new world” …it would be correctly written. If you find you’ve started a sentence with a number, it...
Mistakes are so common in business writing that I don’t have to look for mistakes to share as teaching moments. They pop up all over! For this week’s lesson in business writing, here’s yet another real-life example that’s confusing as currently written: “The numbers to fix the nation’s crumbling and outdated roads and bridges is staggering, billions is overly optimistic, it seems trillions is more accurate.” This was obviously written in a hurry. As a result, it has punctuation errors, but is also poorly written. “Numbers” isn’t...
One thing about business writing today: It’s easy to find mistakes to share with you!! Here’s your Monday’s Mistake for this week below. Try to figure it out before you look at the answer. What is wrong with this sentence? “An example would be a supplier who is able to make forms, stampings, tubing, sharps, build assemblies and create new processes under one roof.” Well, it doesn’t make sense, does it? And that’s because it’s not parallel in construction. The writer says “is able to make” but then switches to “build” and “create.”...
