Grammar Tips: Learn to Use "Well" Correctly

Boomers tend to be impressed by good grammar. It's not that they know every rule. They don't. No one does.

But you will harm your "image" if you slip up with an obvious mistake.

For example, understanding when to use "well" isn't an obvious mistake per se. But those that know their grammar will see such misuse as a major faux pas (see below.)

You can also sink your career with bad grammar. Here’s a list of some problem areas.

Like

Avoid using like as a filler word (Like, we’re going out tonight, and… like, uh, we’ll meet people later.) It might be popular among some, but it’s considered a sign of bad grammar.

Good/Well

We often hear athletes say in their interview: We did “good.” Sorry, incorrect. Good is an adjective, so you cannot do good, or live good. You need the adverb well. So you can do well, and live well.

The exception: An adjective can follow sense-verbs and be-verbs. You can therefore feel good, look good and even be good.

Anyways, Irregardless

Both words are common errors, although acknowledged as non-standard English. Anyways is non-standard spelling for anyway. The extra negative “ir” in “Irregardless” cancels the “-less” to make the word mean regard.

Use the words Anyway, and Regardless to ensure grammatical correctness.

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Communication Protocols at Work

What No One Tells You about Business Protocols

Consider a few things people did not tell you about at college.

1. Good communication takes work. Some people are naturally gifted at it; others aren’t. We can all learn to communicate better.

2. Technology continually changes the rules. Don’t assume that what worked last year will work now.

3. Every organization has its own set of communication protocols. They run organizations, or they disrupt them.

How does communication work at your workplace? You need to know what those protocols are.

Every organization is different. I can give you some guidelines (a map) that will help you succeed.