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Author Archives: barnabyharward
The difference between “ton” and “tonne”
Both “ton” and “tonne” are units of weight, but a “ton” is a British and American measure, while a “tonne” is a metric measure. A “tonne” is equal to 1,000 kg. In the US it may be referred to as … Continue reading
Careful how you use the word “of” (part 3: Emails and letters)
A letter or email is always from the sender and to the receiver – never of. WRONG We would like to present our standpoint regarding the email of the Company dated 28 January 2011. RIGHT We would like to present … Continue reading
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Tagged Clear and concise writing, Prepositions, Useful everyday phrases
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Careful how you use the word “of” (part 2)
My previous post on this subject looked at using ’s instead of of in phrases like “the claimant’s attorney”. Here are some of the examples I gave you last time, plus some more examples: BAD STYLE … Continue reading
Careful how you use the word “of” (part 1)
I find that non-native English speakers tend to use the word “of” much too often. “Of” is also frequently used incorrectly instead of other prepositions. The next few posts will look at issues related to using “of”. of and ’s … Continue reading
What is pleonasm and why should you avoid it?
Pleonasm, according to Wikipedia, is “the use of more words or word-parts than is necessary for clear expression”. It is sometimes referred to as rhetorical tautology. It is a common literary device in many types of writing, but should be … Continue reading
An important point about how to write numbers
When we write numbers in English we use commas where continental European countries often use points, and points where continental Europeans use commas. So, for example, while many continental Europeans would write 45.678,90 (forty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-eight and … Continue reading
Don’t confuse “work” and “works”
The word “work” can be a verb or noun or even an adjective. This entry looks at “work” and “works” as nouns. “Work” has several different meanings, but one of the most common is “exertion or effort directed to produce … Continue reading
The difference between “damage” and “damages”
Remember that damages is not the plural of damage, but actually has a different meaning. Damage means “loss or injury to a person or property”. It is an uncountable singular noun and has no plural form. E.g.: The cost of the … Continue reading
How to use participle clauses correctly
WRONG This opinion was drawn up on the basis of the sent to us by email or fax documents. The accident was caused by an animal running in front of the car from a neighbouring the road field. RIGHT This … Continue reading
The difference between “hand over” and “handover”
The difference is that “hand over” is a verb and “handover” is a noun. To be precise, “hand over” is a phrasal verb and “handover” is a compound noun. So we say: He handed over the money on Saturday. And: … Continue reading
Common Mistakes in Business English 