You may have an MBA and brilliant ideas. But if you commit any of these grammatical errors, you will simply look dumb to your clients and colleagues.

1. Capitalization Errors
2. The Missing/Misplaced Apostrophe
3. Mix-ups
4. Quotation Marks
5. Slang

1. Capitalization Errors

DO capitalize the first word in every sentence, as well as all proper nouns
(names of a person, place, or thing).

DON’T capitalize ordinary nouns unless they are the first words in the sentence.

2. The Missing/Misplaced Apostrophe

Sure, they’re small. But every time Dr. GoodWrite sees a missing or misplaced apostrophe, it’s like a bullet to his brain. For GoodWrite’s sake, follow these simple rules:

Possessives:
DO use an apostrophe to indicate that something belongs to an individual or group. When a singular word or name ends in “s,” still use the “apostrophe-s” combination. When the word is plural and ends in “s,” use only the apostrophe.

Examples:
• This account is Alex’s problem.
• This is a children’s book.
• I put the document on Charles’s desk.
• Our success is based on our clients’ success.

Exceptions:
DON’T use an apostrophe for these few possessives: Its, his, hers, theirs, yours, ours,
and whose.

Examples:
• I returned the laptop to its rightful owner (Don’t use it’s, which means “it is”)
• Whose laptop is it? (Don’t use who’s, which means “who is”)

Contractions:
If you’re (you are) contracting two words into one, an apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters.

Examples:
• I can’t (can not) stand these long meetings.
• It’s (it is) time to put our plans into action.
• Who’s (who is) the main target for our ad campaign?

Plurals/Verbs:
DON’T use an apostrophe for verbs (action words) or non-possessive plurals. Please, never say, “I hope this get’s to you in time” or “twelve donut’s in each box.”

3. Mix-ups

In addition to flat-out misspelled words, which can be caught easily by your spell checker, avoid misusing these words, which sound similar but have different meanings.

Lose – to misplace, to experience a loss (rhymes with “booze”) “Did you lose your keys?”
Loose – not tight (rhymes with “goose”) “These pants are too loose.”

Choose – to select – “Please choose one or more of the following answers.”
Chose – past tense of “choose” – “We chose the green curtains.”

Then – at that time: “We’ll catch up with you then.”
Than – in comparison with “We bought more than 20 boxes.”

You’re – you are
Your – belongs to “you”

Who’s – who is
Whose – belongs to someone

Averse – to have a distaste for something – “I am not averse to taking risks.”
Adverse – unfavorable – “This drug can have an adverse effect.”

Effect – the result of something – “The heat has a negative effect on our products.”
Affect – to produce an effect – “How did the medicine affect you?”

4. Quotation Marks

DO use double quotation marks at the beginning and end of a quote:

Paul said, “I think the client is out of his mind.”

DO use single quotation marks for a quote within another quote:

“I think I heard him say, ‘Call me tomorrow,’ but I could be wrong,” said Danielle.

DON’T use quotation marks at the end of a paragraph when the quote continues into the next paragraph. But DO use quotations marks at the beginning of the next paragraph.

Robin told me, “The market research shows that our product has good awareness
and a positive image.

“But there’s no guarantee that we can translate that to higher sales,” she said.

DON’T use quotation marks for slogans or other phrases that aren’t attributed to a specific source. Dr. GoodWrite calls this the Pizza Box Rule, for the thousands of pie shops that insist on writing, “You’ve Tried the Rest, Now Try the Best” – always in unnecessary quotes!

5. Slang

There’s no place in business for slang and other forms of casual or improper language.
If you want to be taken seriously, always do your best to look professional.

For more help in brushing up your grammar and language skills, click here.