Stylebooks: How to Write Professionally

Jodith — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

We all know how important proper grammar and punctuation are in business writing. We all took English in school and learned the basics, but questions of style can be more complex. When talking dates, do we refer to the “1950s” or the “1950’s”? Is it “an historical event” or “a historical event”? Is that title capitalized, italicized or underlined? The answer to these questions depends on the industry doing the writing and what stylebook they use.

What Is A Stylebook?

A stylebook is, essentially, a set of rules or standards used in writing and design. Once upon a time, individual organizations each had their own stylebook or style manual. Some of them sold that manual to the public. Over time, certain stylebooks have become the de facto standard for particular industries. In the world of journalism, it’s The AP Stylebook;, in book publishing, it’s The Chicago Manual of Style; and in business, it’s The Gregg Reference Manual. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but in general, these are the books that these industries use.

Which Stylebook Should You Use?

The stylebook you use will depend a great deal on your industry. The first thing you should do is check with your boss. She may have a particular preference for a certain stylebook, or your company may dictate the stylebook to use. You may even find yourself using different stylebooks for different tasks. For instance, you may use The AP Stylebook for newsletters and The Gregg Reference Manual for business letters and memos.

If your boss or company doesn’t dictate the stylebook to use, you should use the appropriate stylebook for the task at hand. The important thing is to be consistent in the stylebook you use, so your writing is consistent overall.

What Stylebooks Do You Use?

Tell us what stylebooks you use in your office and/or industry? Do you use the good old Gregg or one of the other many manuals available to you? Leave a comment and share your practices.Similar Posts:

Grammar Tip: Easier vs Easily

Jodith — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:00:54 +0000

photo credit: quinn.anya

Proofreading is an essential skill for all administrative support personnel. In addition to spelling and typos, you also need to be looking for proper word usage. In a previous post, I talked about confusing the words Prospective and Perspective. Today I have another pair of words that I often find misused.

Easier vs. Easily

I must admit to using these two incorrectly on occasion in every day speech, many of us do. However, in writing, especially professional and business writing, these two words should never be used interchangeably.

Easier

The word “easier” is an adjective and should be used to modify a noun. For example:

The easier route is A.
This route is easier.

In both examples, the word “easier” is used to modify the noun “route”.

Easily

The word “easily” is an adverb. Adverbs are used to modify verbs and sometimes adjectives. For example:

This cake is easily prepared.
This cake is prepared more easily than the other cake.

In both examples, the word “easily” is modifying the verb “prepared”.

Remember, when you are proofreading documents, you need to not only look for typos and misspellings, but also correct word usage. So don’t get these two words confused when writing and proofreading documents.Similar Posts:

Administrative Arts » Grammar/Word Usage