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.

© CanStockPhoto/maximult

Find Communication Role Models

If English is your first language, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The bad news: you’re too fluent! You may be too close to the language to realize how or why you’re using it in a particular way. It’s instinctive.

The good news: you’re fluent! So you are not short of ways to express yourself.

Those of you who have studied English as a second language often have earned a slight advantage. You’ve been forced to look at things differently. Maybe your grammar is better than someone who learnt English as a first language. Not unusual.

Knowledge of grammar and the way words work will help you communicate.

Given that English is the language of business, it’s not a bad idea to know how it works really well.

Look for role models who speak the language well. Listen to them. Do not rely on sportscasters, athletes, coaches, rock stars, etc.!!

Tune into the best: BBC in the U.K.; CBC in Canada; ABC in Australia; public broadcasting in the U.S.

Tune into BBC World as your news network so you can absorb the language by listening to the best.

Read your country’s best newspapers and magazines. You know their names.

It doesn’t require a lot of work on your part.

Bathe yourself in words – and the English language.

© Canstockphoto

Writing Skills Sell

Writing is one of my core skills.

It needs to be one of yours.

And you need to take feedback graciously. I’ve been writing most of my adult life. Yet I welcome feedback. I know writing can always be improved.

When I write something, I like to bounce it off an audience. I ask my team members to review it. I’m not possessive about my first drafts and you don’t have to be either.

Also, although writing is my core skill, I promise you that I do not pretend to know everything about writing. Neither can you.

Think about the challenge. More than 600,000 words exist in the English language; plus 200,000 technical words. Then there’s the grammar. You can’t know it all. In fact, if you’re a professional writer, you will own reference books. Many reference books. Tricky issues abound. Professional writers and editors often debate editing quandaries and disagree on solutions.

E.g., Is the word “Gen X” a singular entity or a plural entity? If a member of the boom generation is a boomer, would a member of Gen-X be a Gen-Xer? Hmmm. Not so easy, is it?

Take writing seriously and grab any opportunity to learn more about the skill and craft of writing.

Take writing training. You will lose nothing by learning to write well. And you could gain a lot! (P.S. And you can start a sentence with “And.” Writers have been doing it for centuries!)

Writing Dynamics™

What is one of your biggest writing challenges?

Is English your second language? What do you find most challenging when writing in your second language?