Learn about our books, self-study workbooks, and business writing training programs help people write professional business e-mail, letters, memos, reports, proposals, marketing materials, performance evaluations, technical documentation, user and procedures manuals, and other business documents that make sense, get results, and use professional grammar and punctuation.
Write It Well’s Natasha Terk will deliver a one-hour webinar, Effective E-Mail, for the Association of Administrative Professionals on Wednesday, March 17th. Guests are welcome. Click here for more information and a link to register.
A piece of chocolate-covered bacon may … have been the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted.
Still, as both a fan of all things meat and a restaurateur, I have to speak truth to power: The bacon craze has gone too far…. Bacon coffee, bacon cereal, bacon ice cream — America, cut it out!
— Tim Love, “Stop the Bacon Insanity!”
Daily Beast, February 23, 2010
There’s the punctuation of Standard Written English, and then there’s nonstandard punctuation that signals an informal, conversational tone. The informal commas in the last sentence bend the standard rules.
Lighthearted journalism is one context. But in business writing, nonstandard punctuation can lower your credibility.
Adding the word and to the quotation’s last sentence would keep it informal, but make it impeccably standard: “Bacon coffee, bacon cereal, and bacon ice cream — America, cut it out!”
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For more guidelines on how to use punctuation correctly and confidently, and on when to write with a formal or informal tone, see our updated book Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide, which will ship on March 5th!
While Burberry joined many designers in live-streaming its show online, it was the first brand to also do it in 3-D. Crowds packed the London show at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, but viewers in five cities around the world were also able to sit in the front row: the show was live-streamed in 3-D to Tokyo, New York, Paris, Dubai, and Los Angeles, where viewers donned special Burberry 3-D glasses.
— Isabel Wilkinson, “The Best of London Fashion Week,”
“Burberry Prorsum” page, The Daily Beast, February 24, 2010
Sometimes, perfect punctuation isn’t enough to make a sentence perfectly clear. Rewriting is the best answer.
Take this last sentence. Viewers in all five cities probably got the 3-D glasses, but the excellent punctuation still leaves you guessing whether the glasses were a perk of being in L.A.
We’d suggest this revision for clarity:
Crowds packed the London show at the Chelsea College of Art and Design. The show was live-streamed in 3-D to Tokyo, New York, Paris, Dubai, and Los Angeles, enabling all these viewers around the world to don special Burberry 3-D glasses and sit in the front row.
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For more guidelines on how to use commas correctly and confidently and write crystal-clear sentences, see our updated book Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide, which will ship on March 5th!
Listen to an interview about e-mail with Write It Well President and author of Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide, Natasha Terk!
Write It Well’s one-hour webinar, Effective E-Mail, is a great way to establish e-mail best practices for your corporation, department, or organization.
The agenda includes four sections: think before you write, get your message across clearly, present a professional image, and e-mail tips.
Contact Write It Well about delivering a customized webinar.
Participants in last week’s webinar for ASTD said this:
“Great presentation!”
“The webinar was enlightening. Natasha is an awesome presenter!”
“Great seminar. I learned a lot!”