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Almost on a daily basis, I see advertisements for CD's, as opposed to CDs. I have often read reports referring to the “staff compliment”, which I can only assume is a collective effort by all to praise the boss, as opposed to “staff complement”, which refers to the number of staff employed. There are a plethora of other examples: the classic mixing of British and American English (summarize vs. summarise), the incorrect use of homophones (there vs. their, stationary vs. stationery, etc.), the incorrect use of apostrophes (MD's, 1990's), not to mention countless spelling mistakes, incorrect punctuation and unnoticed typing errors.

The reason for these and many other common mistakes is simple: people do not realise that they are making them. This, however, is not really their fault. Many professionals who churn out heaps of written communications have had little or no instruction in English since leaving school. Not everybody is a linguist; therefore, they cannot be expected to write perfect sentences in perfect English, especially in a country where only 9% of the population speaks English as a first language.

The fault lies with companies who do not invest in a capable, on-site proofreader, or outsource this function to a specialist contractor. Newspapers and magazines employ teams of sub-editors, whose main purpose is to ensure flawless copy and fix (often seasoned) journalists' mistakes. Surely the big corporates, who aim to be seen as competent and professional, ought to ensure that they too use correct spelling and grammar in their written communications?

Delegates attending Business English courses have often told me how their managers or supervisors “check” their written work, often unnecessarily changing correctly used words, punctuation marks or sentence structures. Mistakes and poor grammar affect the writer's credibility and the reader's perception of their level of intelligence. Moreover, companies whose advertising copy or proposals are riddled with mistakes may find their products or services being avoided by sticklers and those who know better.

Useful tips

Here are a few useful tips to help ensure that your written communications are correct:

• Plan before you write. If don't you have a clear idea of what you want to say before you start writing, you could get stuck mid-sentence not knowing what to write next.
  
• Avoid using big words. Using simpler, more understandable words will eliminate ambiguity and the inappropriate use of certain words.
  
• Keep your sentences short and to the point.
  
• Invest in a dictionary and thesaurus, as well as a style guide.
  
• Run a spell-check. When typing fast, you may make mistakes that you'll only see when it's too late. Be sure to set your PC's default language to British English, to avoid using American spelling.
  
• When uncertain, google it. There are many websites that provide tips on correct usage.
  
• Read your document out loud to make sure it will make sense to the reader. You may have used commas in places where no pause is needed.
  
• Ask a colleague to read your document to check for errors, and look up any changes that are made.

These tips might ensure that day-to-day written communications are relatively free of avoidable mistakes. However, companies should ideally employ the services of a proofreading firm to professionally edit documents such as templates, annual reports, newsletters and website content. This will prevent their professional image being negatively affected by the unnecessary use of poor language.

• Originally published in The Star Workplace