Page 126 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

Punctuation and grammar tips 115

● ● When the action is planned for the future (‘I am writing another
book next year.’).

With regard to this last sentence, the future tense would also be
correct, namely: ‘I will write another book next year.’
We use the present tense for more general actions or states that
have no particular time reference. For example:

We drink water to survive.
If I find a mistake, I correct it.

Non-native English writers can be confused about when to write,
for example:

She lives in Tokyo.
She is living in Tokyo.

Both are correct – but the second version often implies to a native
English speaker that ‘She is living in Tokyo (at the moment).’

Agreement of subject and verb

When a subject in a sentence is in the singular, then the verb must
be in the singular too. When the subject is plural, then the verb is
in the plural, in agreement with it. This is also called concord –
which can trip all writers up on occasion. Examples are:

Paul is at university and so is his brother.
Paul is at university and so are his brother and sister.
They understand the reason why they have to do this.
She understands the reasons why she has to do this and why you
have to do it too.
These conditions apply now. This condition applies now.

A typical error a non-native English writer may make is:
Sara has received our e-mail. Has you received it too?