Tag Archives: Clear and concise writing

As of

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barnabyharward

“As of” is a little phrase but I have a lot to say about it. Although it is very common in business writing it can create ambiguity if used incorrectly. Ambiguity is caused by the fact that “as of” has … Continue reading →

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“Base on”, “based on”, “on the basis of” etc

Posted on March 30, 2012 by barnabyharward

These phrases seem to cause no end of trouble! Base on Mistakes with this arise from incorrectly translating the Polish verb opierać. Look at the example below: Klimatolodzy opierają się na symulacjach tworzonych na komputerach. You CANNOT translate this as: … Continue reading →

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Regards and respect

Posted on March 28, 2012 by barnabyharward

I regularly see mistakes with phrases using the words “regards” or “respect”. There are several of these phrases in English, but they are easily confused and mixed up. For example, phrases like in respect to and with regards to are incorrect. Here … Continue reading →

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“According to…” and “in accordance with…”

Posted on March 13, 2012 by barnabyharward

Although these phrases are often used interchangeably they have slightly different meanings, so we should be careful how we use them. “According to…” is usually used when you restate something someone told you or something you have heard or read … Continue reading →

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Out of office messages

Posted on February 21, 2012 by barnabyharward

People often make mistakes in their automatic out of office messages. This can make a bad impression, especially if there are basic spelling or grammar mistakes – which is often the case, as such messages tend to be written at … Continue reading →

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How to use the word “account” (part 2)

Posted on February 1, 2012 by barnabyharward

Meanings of “account” As I said in the previous post, the word “account” can mean a variety of things. Below is a list of common meanings and uses of the word. As a noun a bank account a record of … Continue reading →

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How to use the word “account” (part 1)

Posted on February 1, 2012 by barnabyharward

The word “account” can mean a variety of things, depending on the context in which it is used. It also has many idiomatic uses. As a result, if not used with great care, the word can cause ambiguity and make … Continue reading →

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Careful how you use the word “of” (part 3: Emails and letters)

Posted on January 23, 2012 by barnabyharward

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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Careful how you use the word “of” (part 2)

Posted on January 23, 2012 by barnabyharward

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 →

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Careful how you use the word “of” (part 1)

Posted on January 23, 2012 by barnabyharward

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 →

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