Page 141 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

130 How to Write Effective Business English

Your and you’re
‘Your’ means belonging to you. ‘You’re’ is the contraction of you
are. For example:
Your bag is in the other room.

You’re expected in half an hour.

Should, must and have to
‘Should’, ‘must’ and ‘have to’ are verbs that convey obligation. In
writing, ‘should’ can be interpreted as weaker in meaning than
‘must’ or ‘have to’. For example, if I write, ‘You should always
check your spelling before you send an e-mail’ you might think I
am just recommending this as good practice. You could see it as an
option, not an obligation. On the other hand, if I write, ‘You must
always check your spelling before you send an e-mail’, then I’m
making it very clear that this is not an option; it is a directive.
‘Have to’ carries the same weight.
Without knowing your line of business, I can’t usefully give
more examples here – but you can see the potential problems. It’s
really worthwhile for you to formulate a list of words that may
confuse colleagues or clients alike – and either avoid them or make
sure you get them right!

Acronyms

Acronyms make an abbreviated word formed by the initial letters
of other words or a compound noun. The idea is to make the sub-
ject easier to refer to and easier to remember.
When you use abbreviations and acronyms, write them in full at
the first mention, then follow with the abbreviation in brackets: for
example, Regional Development Agency (RDA). People tend not to
do this when an acronym is very likely to be recognized interna-
tionally. An example would be the UN (United Nations). It does