Page 34 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

Quality matters 23

placed: ‘Thank you for your order’ tells us that. So is the customer
going to feel that this is a nice company to do business with? I
don’t think so.
In business, when new customers place their orders, we should
make this a very positive experience for them. If a company can’t
be bothered to write well here, then the indicators are not good for
future business success. Customers usually have a choice: there is
likely to be an alternative company that they like to do business
with. Which would you choose?

2 We can certainly provide the services you request in principal.

Homonyms are words that have the same or similar sound and
sometimes the same spelling as another but whose meanings are
different (more on this in Chapter 10). But let’s just take a look
here at two words that are frequently confused by native English
and non-native English writers alike. They are:
Principal: an adjective generally meaning first in importance;
also a noun meaning a chief or senior person, or an original
sum of money for investment.

Principle: a noun meaning a fundamental truth or quality; a
rule or belief governing a person’s morally correct behaviour
and attitudes.

In the second example, unfortunately the writer has chosen the
wrong version of the homonym. The correct word would be ‘prin-
ciple’. Some readers may not mind this; some will not notice. But
some will make a value judgement: this is wrong!
It may be unfair but just one wrong word can undermine read-
ers’ perception of a writer’s or a company’s professionalism. It can
also distract readers’ attention away from the writer’s key message.
Although I’ve just highlighted some mistakes, I’m not suggesting
a ‘red pen’ approach. Some managers use a red pen to highlight an
employee’s written mistakes, in a clearly unsupportive way. This
approach is particularly unfair to dyslexic employees and can really
demotivate staff generally. Helpful suggestions work much better.