Showing appreciation

Posted on November 18, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 I think I have seen such sentences written incorrectly more times than I’ve seen them written correctly.

Remember that when you use the phrase “I would appreciate…” you MUST include the word “it” before “if”:

I would appreciate it if…

More examples:

WRONG
As you will be contacting the company yourself, we would much appreciate if you could inform us of the result of your enquiries.

RIGHT
As you will be contacting the company yourself, we would much appreciate it if you could inform us of the result of your enquiries.

WRONG
I am sure the supervisory authority would not appreciate if you took that course of action.

RIGHT
I am sure the supervisory authority would not appreciate it if you took that course of action.

WRONG
We would appreciate if you would arrange for immediate payment.

RIGHT
We would appreciate it if you would arrange for immediate payment.

There is no need to add “it” if you do not include “if”. E.g.:
We would much appreciate a letter informing us of the result of your enquiries.

I am sure the supervisory authority would not appreciate that course of action.

We would appreciate immediate payment.

An alternative phrase to “I would appreciate it if…” is, of course, “I would be grateful if…” This is the more formal phrase of the two and does not require that troublesome “it”!

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Until Now

Posted on November 18, 2010 by barnabyharward

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.

What does the writer mean? Have the Banks provided the documents and information or not?
A native English speaker would be likely to say yes. But the writer intended to say that they have not.

In English the phrase “until now” is used to refer to a change of circumstances where the change happens now.

E.g. Until now I have never eaten sushi.

This means that it is the first time the speaker has eaten sushi. Until the present moment the speaker never ate sushi. NOW the speaker is eating sushi.

So, if we apply this understanding of “until now” to the first example, it means that until the present moment the Banks have not provided the documents and information. NOW (or in the very recent past) they have provided them.

That is how a native English speaker would understand the sentence.

Instead of “until now”, in this sentence the writer should have used the phrases “to date”, “as yet” or “so far”. They all have the same meaning. “To date” is formal; “so far” informal.

RIGHT
To date, the above documents and information have not been provided by the Banks.

Other examples:

WRONG
Please be advised that the request for payment sent to Mr Smith on 17 September 2010 has not been picked up from the Post Office until now.

RIGHT
Please be advised that the request for payment sent to Mr Smith on 17 September 2010 has not been picked up from the Post Office.

Adding “until now” here gives the impression that NOW (or in the very recent past) Mr Smith has picked up the request for payment, which is not the case. In order to correct the sentence we simply delete “until now”. The use of the present perfect tense (has not been picked up) is enough to convey that we are referring to time that continues from the past to the present. If we want to stress this point we can add the word “still”:

Please be advised that the request for payment sent to Mr Smith on 17 September 2010 still has not been picked up from the Post Office.

WRONG
We declare that the demanded amount has not been transferred to the bank account until today, which is the final date for repayment.

RIGHT
We declare that the demanded amount has not been transferred to the bank account to date, which is the final date for repayment.

Here, the incorrect sentence gives the impression that TODAY the demanded amount has been transferred. The correct version makes it clear that the demanded amount it still outstanding. “As yet” and “so far” would not work in this sentence as it refers to a specific date.

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How to use the word “information”

Posted on November 9, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 can never, ever, for any reason whatsoever, say “an information” or “informations”. [Actually, this is not quite true. See the comments below – ed.] Instead, if you need to use the word in the singular, you can say “a piece / an item of information”. But usually we simply use “information” for both singular and plural.

This mistake arises because in some languages the word has both singular and plural forms. In English it has only one form.

Related mistakes

WRONG
The Contractor undertakes that during the Term of this Agreement and for two years thereafter, he shall maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information and shall not disclose them to any third party unless if necessary for the proper performance of this Agreement.

RIGHT
The Contractor undertakes that during the Term of this Agreement and for two years thereafter, he shall maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information and shall not disclose it to any third party unless if necessary for the proper performance of this Agreement.

WRONG
Moreover, many information concerning the Company should be easily available in the public domain.

RIGHT
Moreover, a lot of information concerning the Company should be easily available in the public domain.

The word “many” can only be used with countable nouns.

WRONG
We need to receive those information in order to adjust the Schedule to Polish law.

RIGHT
We need to receive that information in order to adjust the Schedule to Polish law.

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How to use “remind” and “invite”

Posted on November 9, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 incorrect in English to use these verbs and omit somebody.

WRONG
We would like to remind that Mr Smith signed the statement on behalf on the Claimant.

We have the honour to invite to a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the ICC.

RIGHT
We would like to remind you that Mr Smith signed the statement on behalf on the Claimant.

We have the honour to invite you to a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the ICC.

As with “inform” and “notify”, if you do not want to include somebody in the sentence (i.e. there is no indirect object) you have to use different words:

Instead of “remind” – reiterate, repeat, point out, stress, emphasize
Instead of “invite” – present, host (e.g. We have the honour to host a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the ICC.)

And finally…

The phrase “Please be reminded that…” is rarely used by native English speakers. It is certainly too formal for emails. Instead use “I would like to remind you that…” or “Please remember that…”

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How to use “inform” and “notify”

Posted on November 9, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 Party hereby gives notice of selecting the most favourable offer.
The Contracting Party hereby announces its selection of the most favourable offer.
The Contracting Party hereby declares its selection of the most favourable offer.

WRONG
I, Monica Dupont, domiciled in [-], hereby notify of my intention to sell 39 (thirty-nine) shares in the Company’s share capital.

RIGHT
I, Monica Dupont, domiciled in [-], hereby give notice of my intention to sell 39 (thirty-nine) shares in the Company’s share capital.

In these examples “inform” and “notify” cannot be used because you must “inform” or “notify” somebody about something. It is incorrect in English to “inform” or “notify” something and omit somebody. This is because these verbs require two objects. Grammarians call such verbs “ditransitive” verbs.

So in the above examples I have exchanged “inform” and “notify” for the verbs – “give notice of”, “announce” and “declare” – verbs which only require one object.

If you want to use “inform” or “notify” you MUST use two objects in your sentences, as shown below:

We are pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted.

Please notify us of any change of address.

In these sentences the underlined text is the direct object and the bold text is the indirect object.

In Slavic languages it is possible to use the equivalents of these verbs with only the direct object, and omit the indirect object. In English you must have both objects.

More examples:

WRONG
If a Party fails to inform about a change of address, deliveries made to the address last known by the other Party will be deemed effective.
RIGHT
If a Party fails to inform the other Party about a change of address, deliveries made to the address last known by the other Party will be deemed effective.

WRONG
The Company must notify any amendments to its articles of association.
RIGHT
The Company must notify the Regulatory Authority ofany amendments to its articles of association.

SUMMARY

If you use “inform” or “notify” you MUST have two objects in the sentence (something AND somebody).

If you do not include somebody in the sentence (i.e. there is no indirect object) you have to use different words:
Instead of “inform” – e.g. announce, declare, give notice, state
Instead of “notify” – e.g. give notice [in advance], report [after the event]

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“Few” and “a few”; “little” and “a little”

Posted on October 18, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 friends”, it means that although you don’t have lots of friends, you do have some.

And if you say, for example, “I have a few friends in the Ministry”, it sounds impressive.

“few” = not many
“a few” = several

“Few” and “a few” are used with countable nouns.

Some examples:

The Regulator has presented this standpoint on few occasions. (i.e. it has rarely presented this standpoint)
The Regulator has presented this standpoint on a few occasions. (i.e. it has presented this standpoint several times)

There are few legal tools that could be used to invalidate the transactions. (i.e. there are legal tools, but not many. Invalidating the transactions might be a problem)
There are a few legal tools that could be used to invalidate the transactions. (i.e. there are several legal tools that we can use.  It should not be a problem to invalidate the transactions)

“Little” and “a little” work in the same way as “few” and “a few”.

“I have little money” means you’re poor.

“I have a little money” is a modest way of saying you’re reasonably wealthy.

“little” = not much
“a little” = some

“Little” and “a little” are used with uncountable nouns.

Some examples:

I’ll get by with a little help from my friends. (i.e. some help)
The project may take us a little more time than we initially estimated. (i.e. some more time)
Our research indicates that little effort was made on the part of the auditors. (i.e. not much effort)
We hope to be able to complete the project in as little time as possible. (i.e. not much time – “as little … as possible” is a common phrase)
The measure will be of little help to general practitioners. (i.e. not much help – “of little help” is a common phrase)

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The difference between “metre” and “meter”

Posted on October 18, 2010 by barnabyharward

“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 British English is an instrument for measuring. You have several of them at home – a water meter, a gas meter and an electricity meter. The man with a clipboard who rings your doorbell when you’re just about to step into the shower on a Saturday morning has come to read your meter. And you put money into them when you park on the side of the road in the city centre – parking meters. “Meter” also has this meaning in American English.

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Polite conditionals – “would” in the if-clause

Posted on October 18, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 an answer as soon as possible, and in any event, not later than COB on Thursday.

We would appreciate it if you would arrange for immediate payment.

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“Which” and “that” with relative clauses

Posted on October 14, 2010 by barnabyharward

“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 Tender Committee, which has not yet explained the motives for its decision, infringes the Bidder’s legal interest.

In relative clauses, “that” and “which” are called relative pronouns.

The first example above contains a defining relative clause. This means that the relative clause defines the thing mentioned before it (in this case, the documents), and the sentence would not make sense if the relative clause were omitted (we would not know which documents were being referred to).

Defining relative clauses have no commas around them and can use “that” as their relative pronoun.

The second example above contains a non-defining relative clause. This means that the relative clause does not define the thing mentioned before it (in this case, the Tender Committee), but instead gives additional information about it. Thus the relative clause can be omitted and the sentence will still make sense.

Non-defining relative clauses always need commas around them and CANNOT use  “that” as their relative pronoun.

More examples

Defining relative clause:
This remuneration may not be less than the national minimum wage reduced in proportion to the hours of work which / that are to be performed in a given calendar month.

Non-defining relative clause:
The worst-case scenario, which we should make every effort to avoid, is that the court will register Acme, but will not register the Bank.

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Golden rule for conditionals

Posted on October 14, 2010 by barnabyharward

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 I reckon I still have to correct this mistake about two or three times every day.

Here’s an example of what I mean (this is a 2nd conditional):

WRONG
If the TPO would take over such a role from the manufacturer or seller, it would simply offer a network of service providers equipped with repair and replacement capacities.
RIGHT
If the TPO took over such a role from the manufacturer or seller, it would simply offer a network of service providers equipped with repair and replacement capacities.

As you see, in the part of the sentence that follows “if” (the if-clause), “would” is incorrect. However, “would” is correct in the main clause.

Here’s another example (a zero conditional):

WRONG
In the event that production costs, market circumstances or government interference will necessitate a review of the prices, both parties agree to reconsider them in good faith.
RIGHT
In the event that production costs, market circumstances or government interference necessitate a review of the prices, both parties agree to reconsider them in good faith.

Notice that in this example the word “if” is not used. Instead, the if-clause starts “In the event that…”

It is important to remember that the if-clause can start with all sorts of different words and phrases, e.g.: In the case that… In the event that… When… Where… Provided that… Unless… etc.
Also remember that the if-clause doesn’t have to be the first half of the sentence.

This example is a 3rd conditional:

WRONG
The affected party would not have entered into the contract if it would have known the true state of affairs.
RIGHT
The affected party would not have entered into the contract if it had known the true state of affairs.

As usual, there are some exceptions when you can use “will” or “would” in the if-clause (most notably in polite conditionals). But 99% of the time you will be correct if you apply this rule.

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