Writing for Business: September, 2009 archives

Writing for Business:

September, 2009

Sep 30 2009   4:41PM GMT

When should you use commas with “such as” and “including”?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, such as, including, commas, punctuation, grammar, Business writing, Quiz

Which is correct?
We have received expressions of concern about wiretap Trojans from various _________ the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Privacy Coalition.
a. groups, including
b. groups including
Continued »

Sep 29 2009   5:23PM GMT

Collective nouns and subject - verb agreement



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, collective nouns, subject-verb agreement, grammar, Business writing, Quiz

Which is correct?
As the prevalence of VoIP increases, so ____ the number of attempts to exploit it.
a. do
b. does
Continued »


Sep 28 2009   2:41PM GMT

Take a different tact — or tack?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, grammar, homophones, commonly confused words, commonly misused expressions, Business writing, Quiz, tact / tack

Which is correct?
When we learned that our relaxed approach to VoIP security made us more vulnerable to corporate espionage, we decided it was time to take a different ____.
a. tack
b. tact
Continued »


Sep 25 2009   12:59PM GMT

Do plural dates take an apostrophe?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, plural dates, pluralization, decades, grammar, Business writing, Quiz

Which is correct?
The concept of kaizen became better known in the late ______, after the publication of Masaaki’s book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success.
a. 1980’s
b. 1980s
Continued »


Sep 24 2009   11:17AM GMT

Pricing — is it competitive, aggressive or predatory?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, jargon, marketing terms, Business writing, Quiz

Which is correct?
We will be pricing the system ________ to get a jump on the market.
a. competitively
b. aggressively
Continued »


Sep 23 2009   12:47PM GMT

“Composed of” or “comprised of”?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, compose / comprise, commonly confused words, commonly misused words, grammar, Business writing, Quiz, word meanings

Which is correct?
An ODS may be ___________ various types of data that must connect to different components of an information system.
a. composed of
b. comprised of
Continued »


Sep 22 2009   1:30PM GMT

If a deadline’s moved forward is it earlier or later?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, deadlines, forward / back, Quiz, commonly misunderstood terms, word meanings, grammar, Business writing

Which is correct?
The compliance deadline has been moved forward, so all reporting is due two months _____ than the original date.
a. later
b. earlier
Continued »


Sep 21 2009   2:42PM GMT

Titles and capitalization



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, titles and capitalization, grammar, Business writing, Quiz

Which is correct?
According to James Campbell, _______________, deploying an SIM system probably means you’ll also need to hire someone to manage it.
a. Vice President of Security
b. vice president of security
Continued »


Sep 18 2009   1:57PM GMT

It’s or its?



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, it's or its, Business writing, grammar, personal pronouns, possessives, Quiz

Which is correct?
Augmented reality seems futuristic but ____ potential has already begun to be realized.
a. its
b. it’s
Continued »


Sep 17 2009   3:12PM GMT

If only I knew where to put “only”



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
CIO, only, misplaced modifiers, interviewing, hard skills, soft skills, Business writing, Quiz, grammar
typing Which is correct?
The hiring manager said she was _______________________ who had the hard skills specified in the job ad.
a. only interviewing the applicants
b. interviewing only the applicants

Continued »