Email Grammar Quiz

How good is your grammar? When writing email messages, proper grammar is important. By being aware of common mistakes, you can avoid them.

Keywords:

email, commmunication, business, marketing, customer service

Article Body:

How good is your grammar? When writing email messages, proper grammar is important. By being aware of common mistakes, you can avoid them.

In other words, you don’t need to know all the rules. (What a relief!) But, . . . (You knew that was coming, didn’t you?) you need to know what you don’t know. If you are unsure if something is correct, look it up. Or, ask someone knowledgeable for assistance.

If you don’t have the time to seek help, here’s a quick tip. Use different wording. To put it another way:

If you can’t determine how to make the sentence correct, re-word the sentence so it doesn’t contain the item you’re having trouble with. Please don’t tell your high school English teacher that I made this suggestion!

Yes, it would be great if the entire country knew proper English. However, the reality is many people don’t. The goal of this article is to convince you to select the grammar that you know is correct.

Quiz
Are your grammar skills good enough? Find out by taking the following quiz.

Directions: Indicate whether the specified phrase is Correct (C) or Incorrect (I).


C I 1. John is (laying) on the couch in the office.

C I 2. Peter (laid) the file on the desk.

C I 3. He (sat) in front of the computer.

C I 4. (Set) the files on my desk when you are done.

C I 5. The customers want (their) price quote now.

C I 6. The customer wants (their) phone call returned.

C I 7. Wilma had (less) callers on her line.

C I 8. Fred has (fewer) employees.

Solutions

1. Incorrect.
The correct answer is lying.
To lie means to recline.
The verb is intransitive; it does not require an object.
The past tense is “lay.”

2. Correct.
To lay means to put or place.
The verb is transitive; it requires an object.
The past tense is “laid.”

3. Correct.
To sit means to be seated.
The verb is intransitive.
The past tense is “sat.”

4. Correct.
To set means to put or place.
The verb is transitive.
The past tense is “set.”
(Yes, it is the same as the present tense. This is, after all, English grammar. It is not supposed to make sense.)

5. Correct.
The antecedent is plural which requires a plural pronoun.
In other words, the plural form of “customers” requires using a plural pronoun “their.”

6. Incorrect.
The antecedent is singular which requires a singular pronoun.
In other words, the singular form of “customer” requires using a singular pronoun “his or her.”
This can also be written “his/her.”

7. Incorrect.
The correct word is “fewer.”
Fewer is used when you can count the quantity (e.g., “fewer students,” or “fewer hours in the workday,” or “fewer corn kernels”).
Less is used with an indeterminate quantity (e.g., “less interest,” or “less time,” or “less corn”).

8. Correct.
Fred can count the number of his employees, so “fewer” is correct.

Score:

8 = You’re perfect. (But, you knew that already.) Keep emailing!

6 - 7 = You’re okay. You could learn a few tips from my book, Email Etiquette Made Easy (see link in resource box).

3 - 5 = You could use some help. Try my book, Email Etiquette Made Easy (see link in resource box).

Less than 3 = Ugh! Call me now! We’ll schedule your intense therapy immediately.

Email Grammar Guide

Just because email messages are sent quickly doesn’t mean they can be composed in a hurry. Sorry! You were hoping I’d say little pesky things like grammar aren’t important. But, they are.

Keywords:

email, commmunication, business, marketing, customer service

Article Body:

Just because email messages are sent quickly doesn’t mean they can be composed in a hurry. Sorry! You were hoping I’d say little pesky things like grammar aren’t important. But, they are.

Here are a few grammar pointers to get you started on the right track for sending proper email messages. This isn’t an exhaustive list. Entire text books are devoted to grammar. But, these few tips will be helpful.

Incorrect Modifiers
Put modifiers in their proper place. Sure – as soon as I tell you what a modifier is, you can tell it where to go.

Modifiers are adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives are used to modify nouns and pronouns. Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. One way to help remember this is that most adverbs end in the letters “ly.”

Example - Using Modifiers Correctly

The following example demonstrates how to use adjectives to modify a noun and how to use adverbs to modify a verb.

When modifying a noun, use an adjective:

• He did a poor job.
• She is a frequent contributor.

When modifying a verb, use an adverb:

• He did the job poorly.
• She contributes frequently.

Noun/Pronoun Agreement

Another common grammar problem is when the pronoun doesn’t agree in number with its antecedent. Or, in plain English, that means incorrectly using a plural pronoun to modify a singular noun, or vice versa. The most common offender is using the plural “they,” when the sentence really calls for the singular “he” or “she.”

Example

This will become clearer when you read the following example. The illustration also offers several options for rewording these statements in order to make them correct.

Sample of Single Versus Plural Pronouns

The following statement is incorrect. The noun and pronoun do not agree.

“When a customer is upset, they need to vent.”

Here are several ways to reword the statement to make it correct:

• Rewrite it in the plural:

“When customers are upset, they need to vent.”

• Use he/she:

“When a customer is upset, he/she needs to vent.”

• Re-use the noun:

“When a customer is upset, a customer needs to vent.”

• Re-word the statement:

“An upset customer needs to vent.”

Recent Phenomenon

This specific problem is a recent phenomenon. Long ago, “he” was the standard pronoun used to refer to both sexes. In current times, we have tried to be more politically correct. This leads to the he/she issue. Errors on this issue not only lead to poor grammar, but they may offend someone.

Future Trend

Now that you’ve had a quick history lesson, let’s look to the future. In a few years, it may be acceptable to use the plural pronoun “they” with a singular antecedent.

However, those times haven’t arrived yet, despite what you may see to the contrary. So, don’t use plural pronouns with singular nouns until you receive the official memo from the Proper English Grammar Gurus.

Grammar Surprises

Here’s a final point about grammar. You may be surprised by who becomes upset if your messages aren’t grammatically correct. Your customer, colleague, or boss may use incorrect grammar all the time. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t recognize improper usage when they hear it or see it from others. In other words, they may be holding you to a higher standard. Make sure you measure up.

Email Grammar Tips

You may think there is no connection or relevance between constructing email messages with grammatically correct sentences and conducting the functions of a competent businessperson. However, your clients may disagree.

Keywords:

email, commmunication, business, marketing, customer service

Article Body:

You may think there is no connection or relevance between constructing email messages with grammatically correct sentences and conducting the functions of a competent businessperson. However, your clients may disagree.

In order for customers to buy your products or use your services, they must have confidence in your abilities. Using proper grammar is important to make a positive impression.

The same can be said for internal correspondence within a corporation. Coworkers in other departments may not know anything about the work you do, but they may know English grammar. And, they may be quick to point out when you don’t use that English grammar properly.

Since space prohibits a lengthy discussion on proper grammar, the following is a brief discussion of one common grammatical problem. Watch for these errors when composing your email messages.

Fewer or Less
Determining whether to use the word “fewer” or the word “less” can be tricky. Here are two techniques to help.

1. Quantifiable Method

One technique is called the quantifiable method. Ask yourself if you can count the individual items (e.g., apples, paper clips, calculators) or if you can’t count the quantity (e.g., food, time, patience).

• If you can count the items, use “fewer.”

• If you can’t then count the items, use “less.”

For example, you can count the number of email messages you receive. And, most people want FEWER messages! Why? Because they’d like to spend LESS time on email.

2. Much or Many Method

Here is the second technique to help you determine whether to use the word “fewer” or the word “less.” This method is a little quirky. But, hey, “quirky” is more fun and that makes it easier to remember.

If you can rephrase the sentence by using the word “much,” then you select the word “less.” On the other hand, if you can rephrase the sentence by using the word “many,” then you select the word “fewer.”

• Many = “fewer.”

• Much = “less.”


Example

The following example demonstrates how to determine when to use the word “fewer” and when to use the word “less.” This example illustrates both the quantifiable method and the quirky “much or many” method.

Determining When to Use “Fewer” or “Less”

Quantifiable Method:

• If you can count the items, use “fewer.”

For example: There are fewer than six cars in the parking lot.

• If you cannot count the items, use “less.”

For example: We had less gasoline in the car than we thought.


Much or Many Method:

• If you would use “many,” then use “fewer.”

For example: She doesn’t have many students.
Therefore, she has fewer students.

• If you would use “much,” then use “less.”

For example: I don’t have much time.
Therefore, I have less time.

Regardless of which method you use, be aware of the impression you’re making with your email messages. You’ll suffer LESS stress if you can retain MORE customers and staff by being professional.