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Author Archives: barnabyharward
Showing appreciation
WRONG We would appreciate if you corrected the entry in the register as soon as possible. RIGHT We would appreciate it if you corrected the entry in the register as soon as possible. This is a very common mistake, and … Continue reading
Until Now
The phrase “until now” is often used incorrectly. This can result in a sentence having the opposite meaning to the one intended. Consider the following sentence: Until now, the above documents and information have not been provided by the Banks. … Continue reading
How to use the word “information”
WRONG The informations that you sent us in your last email are out of date. RIGHT The information that you sent us in your last email is out of date. In English the word “information” is an uncountable noun. You … Continue reading
How to use “remind” and “invite”
This post follows from my previous post on “inform” and “notify”. In the same way as “inform” and “notify” require two objects, so do “remind” and “invite”. You must “remind somebody about something” and “invite somebody to something”. It is … Continue reading
How to use “inform” and “notify”
These words are very common in legal writing, but unfortunately few people know how to use them correctly. Here are a couple of common mistakes: WRONG The Contracting Party hereby informs of selecting the most favourable offer. RIGHT The Contracting … Continue reading
“Few” and “a few”; “little” and “a little”
There’s a big difference between “few” and “a few”. In fact they have opposite meanings. If you say, for example, “I have few friends”, it means you do not have many friends. However, if you say, “I have a few … Continue reading
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Tagged Articles, Countable and uncountable nouns, Quantifiers
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The difference between “metre” and “meter”
“Metre” is the British spelling of the unit of length equal to 100 cm, and “meter” is the American spelling of the same unit. However, “meter” is also used in British English, but it means something different. A “meter” in … Continue reading
Polite conditionals – “would” in the if-clause
The rule that states “never use will or would in the if-clause of conditional sentences” is not 100% true. We do use “would” in the if-clause in polite conditionals. For example: I would be grateful if you would send me … Continue reading
“Which” and “that” with relative clauses
“Which” and “that” are very commonly used in relative clauses. In the following examples the underlined sections are the relative clauses: Unfortunately we cannot open the documents that you emailed earlier as they have been corrupted. The conduct of the … Continue reading
Golden rule for conditionals
When you are writing conditional sentences the golden rule to remember is this: Never use “will” or “would” in the if-clause. When I pointed this out in a recent training session everybody said that they already knew the rule. But … Continue reading
Common Mistakes in Business English 