E.g. and I.e.: are they the same?

E.g. and i.e.:  are they the same?

Both i.e., and e.g., are commonly used interchangeably as people think that they share the same meaning. They do not mean the same. I.e. is an abbreviation that stands for id est in Latin, which means “that is” or “in other words”. E.g., is an abbreviation that in Latin stands for exempli gratia, which means “for example”.

What is the difference?

Use “e.g.” to introduce an example. For example, the students really enjoy their business courses, e.g., accounting and finance.

Use “i.e.” to introduce further clarification. In this example, the students like some of their business courses, i.e. accounting and finance.

In the aforementioned examples, it may seem as if nothing really changed except for the use of i.e. in the second example. However, if you read more carefully, you will notice the message conveyed between those two examples changed.

In the first example, e.g., is used to give examples of business classes that students like. In the second example, the use of i.e. is used to clarify further that accounting and finance are the two business courses that the students like.

A few simple rules to using the abbreviations:

1.      There is no need to italicize them, as they have become Standard English language usage.

2.       Most writing guidelines such as Chicago Style manual recommend using a comma after i.e., and e.g.

3.       Since they are abbreviations for words, you can use them in sentences that you would normally use the words “that is….” or “for example”.  In other words, there are no specifications as to when to use or not use them.

4.       There is no rule that says that you must use abbreviations. You can always write the words out- “for example” or “in other words”, which would actually be more appropriate for formal or professional writing.

Writing an Executive Summary

An executive summary is a brief analysis, review, or summary of major or main ideas of a report. An effective executive summary is written as a stand-alone or independent part of the report that it summarizes. In other words, one should be able to read and understand the main ideas of the report without actually reading the whole report. 

Your professors, and at some point in your business career, your boss may require or ask you to write and submit an executive summary of a report. Therefore, it is essential to know how to write an effective summary of any report.  The length of an executive summary generally depends on the length of the report. The longer the report, the longer the executive summary should be. A good general rule of thumb is that an executive summary should be 10% of the report that it is summarizing.

Although there are small differences when writing executive summary depending on the type or kind of report, the following are three key basic components to address when preparing to write one.

The audience: It is important to keep in mind who will be reading your executive summary so that you can adjust and target your summary specifically to them.

·         The audience: it is important to keep in mind who will be reading your executive summary so that you can adjust and target your summary specifically to them.

·         The main thesis: it must clearly outline and justify the central ideas, points or theme

·         The purpose: it should include goals, methods & analysis, recommendations and conclusions.

Do you have an executive summary to write for a class or business report? For more information and help, please visit us at 3445 Schneider Hall, and we will be happy to assist you. You can also access our Executive Summary tips-sheet here @ http://www.wmich.edu/business/academics/communication/tips

Tips for creating a strong resume

When writing a resume, keep in mind that many if not most employers simply do not have a lot of time or patience to sift or carefully comb through numerous resume in the application pool. Therefore, you must keep in mind three basic rules while creating your resume. (1) Size counts and matters (2) Stand out and tailor it, (3) grammar, spelling and punctuation are important.

 Rule #1: Keep to one page

There is no set number for how long a resume should be, but the rule of thumb is to keep to a single page and up to maximum of two pages if necessary. You do not have to list every single activity or job position that you have ever held. If struggling for space, list only experiences that are most relevant to the specific job for which you are applying.

 Rule #2: Tailor your Resume

Just as you would not wear the same outfit to every interview, do not send a in generic resume for every position even if for the same position but different company. Endeavor to suit the content based on skills, responsibilities and experience being required based on the specific position and company.

 Rule #3: Grammar counts

Good grammar goes a long way as it tells potential employers something about you such as skills, traits & personalities. Therefore, it is in your best interest to use appropriate grammar, professional tone & writing. Make sure spelling and punctuation are correct. It never hurts to have another pair of eyes & ears check over your writing, including your resume. When in doubt, ask for professional help.

 

FYI: For more information, help and tips on how to write an effective, powerful and strong resume, please visit us at the Communication Center. We are located on the 3445 Schneider Hall and we would be happy to assist you to create and write a professional resume.

  

 “Do not submit a generic, bland, “covering all bases” kind of resume. They do not work”. –Job Mentor.

Commonly Misused words

 

In the business world, knowing how and when to use the right word is very important. The following words are commonly misused word in English language:

1.       Well and Good- People often use these words synonymously, but they actually have distinct roles in grammar. Good is an adjective; well is an adverb. Typically, an individual is well vs and an object is good.  FYI: Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns while an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Example: Cynthia performed well on her Accounting exam VS.  Cynthia will be a good accountant.

 

2.       Affect and Effect-Affect is as an action word (a verb) and typically means to have an impact (effect) on something. Effect is a noun, which is a change that results or a consequence of an action or cause. 

Example: The student lobbying groups want to affect the business courses taught in the Business College vs. The new change in the business courses was an effect of student lobbying groups.

 

3.       Then and Than- Then is an adverb used to describe timing or sequence of events while than is used for comparison.

Example: Susie performed better than everyone else on the accounting test but then she did not perform as well on the marketing test.

 

4.       Everyday and Every day- people also wrongly use these interchangeably. Every day is an adverb and often describes a daily occurrence while every-day as an adjective often used to describe a commonplace occurrence, a mundane or ordinary activity.

Example: David attends his accounting class every day, goes to his marketing club every day, and goes to his business meetings every day. These are all David’s everyday school activities.

 

5.       Bring and Take- though two verbs have very distinct meaning, they are often mistakenly misused. The distinction is in the direction of the person speaking. To take implies to move object away from the speaker to another location. To bring is to move object from one location towards the speaker.

 

Example: Both Cynthia and David will bring their accounting assignments with them to the meeting so they can take their awards.

 

 

How often misused words generated misleading thoughts. –Robert Spencer.

 

Parallelism in Grammar

 

Parallelism in grammar is a balancing act.  Sentence structures are parallel when there is a balance between or among similar words, phrases or clauses.  The use of Parallelism when constructing sentences prevents awkward sentences and ensures clarity and readability of sentences. Can you identify parallelism in the last sentence?  

Here are more examples:

1.       Incorrect: Cynthia enjoy singing and to dance

        Correct: Cynthia enjoys singing and dancing

2.     Incorrect: The project will be completed individually, in pairs, or can be completed in groups of three.

        Correct: The project will be completed individually, in pairs, or in groups of three.

 

“Art is a harmony parallel with nature” –Paul Cezanne.

 

Farther vs. Further

It is common to use farther and further interchangeably. They both have similar meaning; however, there are subtle differences in their usage.

Farther is used to describe or discuss physical distances.

Example: Susie walked farther down the road.

Further is used  to discuss degree or extent or figurative distance.

Example:  Susie wanted to discuss the issues further.

Both can be used interchangeably  in a situation where one can be referring to either physical distances or figurative distances.  

Example: Susie is further vs farther along in her book reading than Lucie.

In this case, Susie can be referring either to physical book pages (farther) or through the story content of the book (further).

Other tidbits:

One can apply further in places of advancing something like a project.

Further can be used in place of moreover or additionally as in “further, you took my belongings”… 

It is common to see furthermore used as well ….

Take home lesson:

 So, which one do you use when you interrupt someone in the middle of a sentence? Is it “before you go any further, or “before you go any farther”? It depends on If you are referencing physical or measurable distance (or advancing of) or figurative distance (degree/extent of). General rule is when in doubt, it is safer to use further as farther tends to carry more restrictions.

“With persistence, I will go farther to further my goals”.

-able vs. -ible

Both are suffixes used to connote “can be”, “able to”, and “capable of”.  They are both added to words to give those words “power to be”, “ability to”, or “skill”. They are used to form adjectives when attached at end of words. The difference between the two is in when to use them.

 General rule of thumb:

The use of “Able”: if root word is a complete English word on its own. 

Examples: fashionable, affordable, valuable, suitable, comfortable, dependable.

The use of “ible”:  if the root word is not a complete functional word that can stand on its own.

Examples: audible, visible, horrible, terrible, edible, eligible, incredible, permissible.

Extra rule of thumb:

If the root is a complete word that ends in vowel, drop the last e, add –able.

Example: excus-e + able = excusable. Others: advisable, desirable, valuable, debatable.

If a word has a vowel before a y, keep the y and add –able. Example: enjo-y + able= enjoyable

If a word has consonant before y, drop y and add-ible. Example: rel-y + ible = reliable

Exceptions to the rules

The use of both –ible and –able for a single word which can either have the same meaning or carry different meanings. Examples: extendable vs. extendible, collectable vs. collectibles, defendable vs. defensible.

The use of –ible in complete words. Examples: contemptible, digestible, and flexible.

The use of –able in non-words. Examples: irritable, inevitable.

Take home lesson:

These rules may seem intuitive for Native English speakers, but it can be quite a challenge for those whose primary language is not English.  To make simplify things, use –able for complete words and –ible for non-words. Most words end with the suffix –able. Only about 76 English words have been identified as ending with suffix –ible.  So then, it is safe to say, when in doubt, use –able.

 

“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication” –Leonardo De Vinci.

Few vs. Less

Many times, people often mistakenly use few and less interchangeably in sentences in ways that are incorrect grammar usage.  So, what is the difference between few vs. less anyway?

While both are used to quantify small number of things, according to grammar usage, there are differences in their usage.

Few:  is used in numbers or items that can be counted individually. It often quantifies smaller numbers or individual items and modifies plural nouns.  It is often considered redundant to use fewer in number or people (see example).

Examples: 

                Incorrect: The supermarket checkout sign that says “10 items or less.”

                Correct: The supermarket checkout sign says “10 items or fewer.”

                Incorrect: There are fewer in number of people present in the meeting today.

                Correct: There are fewer people present in the meeting today.  

Less: is used more on quantifying bulk or quantities of a certain degree that are not countable and modifies singular mass nouns and collective nouns.  Less is also used to express mass terms or to denote things of certain measurable extent or degree. It is also used to denote a measure of an amount, time and distance.

Examples:

                Cynthia needs less advice and more help with her assignments.

                Jacob needs to pay Sarah less than $100 before he can join in the vacation in less than four weeks.

Sometimes it can get rather tricky when expressing quantities using few vs. less.  Example: a project is due in less than 4 weeks not fewer than 4 weeks. This is because the reference is for a single period of time that lasts for 4 weeks rather than individual 4 weeks.

In formal usage, to emphasize plural nouns, ‘less’ can be used even though ‘few’ should formally be the correct usage. Example:  The professor expected the students to write a paper on any healthcare issues in 1,500 words or less.

Take home points: General simple rule for using few vs. less: less means “not as much” and few means “not as many.”   

Less friends, few drama.  Keep your circle small.  –Author unknown.

Can one start a sentence with "as well" ?

Short answer: For the most part, yes, you can.

There are no grammar rules that restrict or prohibit the use of “as well” at the beginning of a sentence. However, more conservative and traditional linguistics tend to avoid the use of ‘as well’ at the beginning of a sentence because it makes for an awkward sentence.  

The use of “as well” at the start of a sentence may not be the best choice in certain sentences. Using “as well” at the start of sentence is considered interchangeable with “furthermore” and ‘also’, as long  as it is followed by a complete sentence and/or a verb so that it can stand on its own.

     Use of “as well” as a comparative phrase:

o   Correct: As well as his teacher, he speaks Spanish fluently.

o   Incorrect: He spoke Spanish fluently. As well as his teacher.

  Use of “as well” with a verb in a sentence:

o   Correct: He can play piano. As well, he can play violin.

o   Incorrect: He can play piano. As well, violin.

Take home lesson: use ‘as well’ to start a sentence, but make it a complete sentence. However, it is considered awkward or unacceptable in formal or professional writings per grammar purists.

At the end of the day, language is an art. It is fluid, dynamic and it lends itself to creative expressions.

        “The limits of my language is the limits of my world” –Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Dashes & Hyphens

 

Is there really a difference between dashes and hyphens? Yes, there is. A dash (–) is a longer version of a hyphen (-), and it has different usage in sentences and grammar construction.

Hyphens are often used to link two or more words or sentences together. A hyphen is used in compound adjectives, which are two or more words that together form an adjective.

Take for instance, Life-long vs. Lifelong as an adjective.

Many times, one can spell certain words such as lifelong without a hyphen, and if an adjective comes after a noun, then no need to use a hyphen.

Example:         Education is a lifelong learning process.      Vs.

                        A life-long learning process is the foundation of continual education.

Dashes are less formal. Dashes can be used in same fashion as parenthesis, such as in outlining emphasis or comments in sentences. There are two types of dashes: En-dash and Em-dash. En- dash is shorter but slightly wider than a hyphen and has spacing before and after it. It is used for a span of numbers (1999 – 2000) or to represent connections (North – South). Em-dash is longer with no spacing and can be used liberally in place of commas, parenthesis and colons—just not in professional writing. Can you identify the type of dash in the next example?

Example:         Education is a lifelong learning process––the key to successful personal, professional growth and development.  

“Once you stop learning, you start dying”.  -Albert Einstein.

Happy Communication and to learn more, check us out at the communication centre @ 3445 Schneider Hall.