Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Aide vs. Aid

Are you an aid or an aide to your boss?

Aid can be used as a noun meaning a form of help or a verb meaning to help.

- We offer aid to people affected by disaster.
- We aid those affected by disaster.

Aide is a noun and means an assistant.

- John Taylor is the senator's aide.
- You are an aide to your boss.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

That or Which?

That = introduces essential information: “The mystery book that is on the third shelf is mine” means that there is more than one mystery book and mine is the one on the third shelf.

Which = introduces nonessential information: “The mystery book, which is on the third shelf, is mine” means that there is only one mystery book, it is on the third shelf, and it is mine.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

E-mail Etiquette

Do
• Be concise and specific
• Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Proofread
• Keep language gender neutral
• Use a salutation and signature
Don’t
• Use text abbreviations and emoticons
• Send confidential information
• Use all CAPITALS
• Flame
• Use fancy formatting