HBR Management Tip: Don’t Make These Common Writing Mistakes

This is a good one:

People judge you by your writing, so getting a word wrong can make you look bad. Be sure to avoid these common writing errors in your next email:

• Affect/Effect: Affect is a verb; effect is a noun. It affected him. The effect was startling.

• All Right/Alright: Although alright is gaining ground, the correct choice is still all right.

• A Lot: A lot is two words, not one. Allot means “to parcel out.”

• Between You and I: Nope. Between you and me is the correct phrase.

• Complement/Compliment: Things that work well together complement each other.Compliments are a form of praise.

• Farther/Further: Farther is for physical distance; further is for metaphorical distance. How much farther? Our plan can’t go any further.

• Lay/Lie: Subjects lie down; objects are laid down. He should lie down. Lay the reports there.

And remember: If you’re unsure about a word, just write the sentence another way. 

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