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The grammatical cousin of the bored teenager, the apostrophe can often be found hanging out in all the wrong places. Or just being plain useless. Worrying or confusing everything that crosses its path.

Take, for example, the following as a case in point:

“Choose from 1000’s of DVD’s…”

Or:

“Visit Brighton, for refreshing sea view’s…”

Both are not as innocent as they seem on the surface.

Incorrect use of punctuation – and here, we are specifically referring to the humble apostrophe – can weaken your writing and your message, as well as trip up your reader.

So here are some dos and don’ts in the world of apostrophes:

• And it’s all right, now…

Ah, yes, the king of confusion – ”it’s” is a contraction of “it is”. However, it’s often presented as “its”. This is bad. And should be avoided. Unless, of course, you mean “its” in the possessive sense of the word. For example:

“It’s about time it showed its true colours.”

Here “it’s” means “it is” and “its” (without the apostrophe) indicates that something belongs to “it”.

• Ps and Qs, Dos and Don’ts…

You do NOT need an apostrophe to pluralise. OK, it’s tempting to slip in a quick apostrophe, but that would be mere folly. Apart from the obvious one – “don’ts” – which is correct in this instance.

There is neither a contraction nor a possessiveness connected with numbers, abbreviations or the “dos” in the world.

So the following are correct:

“There are 100s of them out there.”

“You only ever saw two PCs, but that was in the 1970s.”

“The MPs had 1,000s of complaints.”

So remember, only use an apostrophe for a missing letter or, in every other case apart for “its”, when something ‘owns’ something else. (“It’s amazing to think that the project’s deadline was met.”)

Please send me any ‘grammar gaffes’ via the ‘comments’ section here, and I’ll pop them in a future post on this blog.

Picture by Sceptre via Wikipedia

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You book your car in for its annual MOT, so why not your business words? (Are you sure they’re giving the right impression? Do they reap the desired results? Is your message being compromised by sloppy copy?)

While we can all ‘write’, copywriting involves so much more than simply penning a few well-crafted words. Before she or he writes, a good copywriter will spend a considerable amount of time researching the intended audience. They’ll make sure they understand buyer behaviour and how to craft your message in such a way that it really makes a splash.

Good copywriting can make confusing policies crystal clear. It can keep inter-company communications running smoothly through the careful use of words. And it can effectively ’sell’ a company’s products or services to its customers.

So if you’re not sure your copy is quite right, email me a paragraph (up to 200 words) of your poorly prose and the “Word Doctor” will nurse it back to life. Think of it as a ‘Try Before You Buy’ offer. Then you can decide whether to give me the go-ahead if you have any text that requires editing, copyediting, rewriting, proofreading, indexing or researching.

Don’t have the time or the inclination to write your own copy? I can do it for you. Just follow this link and you’ll soon be on your way to owning copy that gets results.

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Film director David Cronenberg recently aired a warning to all budding scriptwriters:

“Most scriptwriters are illiterate – their grammar is non-existent and they can’t spell. If I’m distracted by spelling mistakes, I can’t get through a script, so I turn it down,” said Cronenberg, speaking on BBC’s Radio 4 on why he turns down film scripts.

As well as ruining any chances of potential stardom, not noticing or, worse, ignoring ongoing errors is bad for business. We’re talking errors on your website, in your blog posts, in your advertising, your press releases and other marketing communications. Sloppy copy confuses your reader … or makes them think you simply can’t be trusted to get things right.

That, in a nutshell, is why proofreaders are so important.

You see, when it comes to checking your own work, ‘blind spots’ get in the way. Oh, you think you know it like the back of your hand; after all, you’ve read the piece so many times, you are certain there aren’t any rogue typos, misspelled words or erroneous punctuation. Absolutely certain … well … maybe…

The thing is, your eyes can and will play tricks on you. They’ve scanned that piece of work so many times now, that they have simply become bored. So they begin to skip the details. Hence, errors stay put.

In my 14 years-plus of proofreading, there’s one surefire thing I have noticed: That it is fairly easy to spot errors in OTHER people’s work, but not so in your own.

What about you? Do you think we should bother with grammar and spelling? Please share your thoughts via the comments link below. I look forward to reading your views.

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The lead article in MediaMinister’s latest newsletter, Communiqué for Success, shows you how to get make sure 2010 starts off on the right path for your business. To read “2010 and the Top Marketing Insights For Business” as well as the rest of the ezine, please sign up first. (You can unsubscribe at any time, and I NEVER abuse my subscriber’s email address. Your details are safe with me.)

Subscribe here.

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Here’s a question I received from reader Latoya Pennant, which, along with my answer, I though you might find helpful:

Question: “How can I write clearly and concisely?”

Answer: I cover this in detail in my TeleClass Better Writing Skills 101 – Write Your Way to Blockbuster Results and BOOST Business to Boot. Basically, it’s about using simple language (not using ‘utilise’ or ‘employ’ when ‘use’ will do, for example), writing short sentences and paragraphs, and sticking to one main point in your communication.

For example, compare this sentence: “High-quality, high-yield learning environments are a necessary precondition for facilitation and enhancement of the ongoing learning process.”

With this: “Students need good schools if they are to learn properly.”

The latter is much clearer and to the point. As a result, it’s also a LOT easier to understand than the gobbledygook in the first sentence.

Almost anything or anyone can be written about using plain English. That doesn’t mean you have to ‘dumb down’ your writing. Rather, just make sure you really think about the message you wish to impart and keep things simple. Don’t just write words willy-nilly. You have to make every single word count.

Also, make sure you write in logical sentences and paragraphs that can be easily understood. That way, your writing will be much better received … and more effective.

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A press release that generates a one-page article in a high-circulation publication is worth more than six times the value of equivalent advertising space. However, less than 50 per cent of press releases ever get printed — much less lead to interviews, articles or sales. There are many reasons for this, but the most obvious one is sloppy copy. It is the kiss of death for any business or author.

If your copy lacks sparkle, a professional feel or is chockfull with errors, it might confuse your target reader at best. He or she WILL certainly think that you are either partially illiterate or remarkably inconsiderate, and will immediately form a negative impression of you. Your credibility is lost — and so is your news release; off it promptly goes, straight into the ‘circular file’ (aka bin). 

Even a single spelling or grammatical error can destroy everything. So do make sure you thoroughly read through and check ALL your copy before publishing it or sending it out to your target market. But do not rely on your computer’s spellchecker: this has been proven to miss even the most obvious of errors. 

Remember, sloppy copy = bad publicity. Will yours make a positive impression?

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I was thinking of some special way to show my clients, CfS subscribers and blog readers much I appreciate you. Of course, chocolates and flowers may well do it — but those don’t last very long (at least, the choccies wouldn’t round here!). So here’s what I came up with…

http://snipurl.com/val-sale

It’s a Valentine’s gift that could significantly impact your profits and bottom line. (OK, so it is hardly romantic, but your bank manager will surely love you!)

It’s a four-day sale of some of my most popular products — they all go on sale from 12 February until 16 February, inclusive. This is the first year I’ve done this, so I’m going all-out with a whopping 50% discount.

Click here to find out more:

http://snipurl.com/val-sale

Please keep in mind, though, that the offer is only valid until end of play on the 16th. After that, everything returns to its full price.

Helping you enjoy a bigger, better, more passionate business!

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Wotz ron with the English langwage? Kwite alot, according to a leading academic expert.

Teaching correct spelling is a waste of time, and the apostrophe should be scrapped, says John Wells, an Emeritus Professor of Phonetics at University College London and president of the Spelling Society.

“Let’s stop worrying if people sometimes spell ‘you’ and ‘u’, ‘you’ and ‘you’re’ as ‘ur’, and ‘whose’ and ‘whose’ and ‘who’s’ as ‘whos’,” he adds. 

Well, yes, I agree — WHEN we’re talking about informal emails and ‘textmessage speak’ among friends and family. BUT in general I’m a stickler for correct use of the English language as it was intended.

Sure, add words as we and the language we use evolves, but let’s not get complacent over what is often regarded as possibly THE greatest gift to the world.

The trouble with completely altering any language with each generation is — apart from the fact that different generations may well not be able to communicate with one another on paper — great literature works from hundreds of years ago will become unreadable and unintelligible.

Speaking and writing the English language as it has been thus far been taught allows us to communicate . . . to be understood . . . to be socially mobile.

Playing around too much with the English language — abandoning spelling and punctuation — will ultimately lead to a world full of conflicting messages and meanings, and a place where no one can really understand one another.

Let’s not dumb down too much, nor abandon the pursuit of excellence in attention to detail. English is universally too precious a language. 

As for John Wells, all I can say is, careful; you don’t want to do yourself out of a job.  :)

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One of the most common errors I come across in any kind of writing is mixing up “it’s” and “its”.

Put simply, “its” denotes that “it” is a possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, “of it” or “belonging to it” – eg, “She gave the dog its bone.” Always fight the urge to add an apostrophe when you are using “its” in this sense. 

The only time you need use that apostrophe with these three letters (”i”, “t” and “s”) is when you are contracting the words “it” and “is”, or when “it” and “has” are being used together – eg, “It’s sunny outside,” or “It’s been sunny today.” 

See, once you know how and why, it is that simple!

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The lead article in the latest issue of MediaMinister’s Communiqué for Success reveals that far from being the kind of lovely lady who rejoices in handing out cough drops while sipping chamomile tea, Aunty AIDA is more akin to Checkpoint Charlie in character.

AIDA is in fact one of the most useful formulas for keeping your creative thinking on tap. And it has the potential to substitute flagging sales with a roaring trade . . . BUT only if you pay attention.

To read the full article and gain hidden links to recent CfS newsletter editions, you’ll have to become a subscriber. As well as being FREE, you’ll receive a business-building report and audio CD simply for signing up and trying it out. 

Subscribe here.

Recent CfS newsletter issues cover:

• The Most Important Action You Can Take For Your Business This Year 

• Recession-Proof Your Business
• Stand Apart From ‘Me-Too’ Competitors 
• Stop! Don’t Post that Letter!
• Common Mistakes that Can Kill Business
• When Push Comes to Shove
• How to Bolster Trust on Your Website 
• Just How Believable Are You? 

Subscribe here. 

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