Grammatical errors can do terrible things to your professional credibility. See how many of these common mistakes you can correct.
1. We started small, but as the company has grown over the past ten years.
2. The reason we cancelled the picnic was because there was a thunderstorm.
3. I have never and will never go skydiving.
4. I have waited for this opportunity for year's.
5. None of the executives were available to meet the visitor.
6. We had to choose between three good candidates for the job.
7. The amount of people taking the subway is growing all the time.
Answers
1. This is not a complete sentence. What happened as the company grew? We must either add something at the end or remove the word as.
Correct:
We started small, but as the company has grown over the past ten years we have employed hundreds of people.
Correct:
We started small, but the company has grown over the past ten years.
2. Never pair reason and because.
Correct:
The reason we cancelled the picnic was that there was a thunderstorm.
Correct:
We cancelled the picnic because there was a thunderstorm.
3. The opening phrase is incomplete. In this construction, you must be able to take out the intervening phrase "and will never". If we do that here, we will be left with "have never go", which doesn't make sense.
Correct:
I have never gone, and will never go, skydiving.
Correct: I have never gone skydiving, and I never will.
4. This is an incorrect use of the apostrophe. Years in this sentence is not possessive, but simply a plural noun. As such, it requires no apostrophe.
Correct:
I have waited for this opportunity for years.
5. The word none is a shortened form of the phrase not one, which would take the singular form. Therefore, none also takes the singular.
Correct:
None of the executives was available to meet the visitor.
6. Between is used to compare two. For more than two, use among.
Correct:
We had to choose among three good candidates for the job.
7. Use the word number for countable nouns, i.e. those that can be divided into countable units. For non-countable nouns, use amount or quantity.
Correct:
The number of people who take the subway is growing all the time.
Correct:
The amount of time I spend on the subway is also growing.
How many did you answer correctly? Using correct grammar is vital to good writing, and making these common mistakes can damage your image as a professional.
Lively Listening: Nine Simple Rules
Listening is underrated and underused, but it is one of the most important communication skills. Good listeners are valued by those with whom they interact. These nine simple steps will help you become an effective listener.Employee Morale, Employee Retention and Common Civility
Employee retention is an ongoing challenge in today's workplace. Employee reward programs are an integral part of the solution, but the root cause of morale problems can easily be addressed with no financial outlay at all.Include Team Members In Setting Goals for the Year
New Year is traditionally the time for great plans and schemes to be hatched by those at the top of organizations and teams. But implementation is often doomed from the start, because all the team members were not included in creating the plans. If you include team members in setting goals for the year, you'll have a much better chance of success.