Part 1
We sometimes encounter and make these simple business writing mistakes. In the following examples, I selected some of the most common expressions which are present in learners’ sample business letters.
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1. I would like to inquire about your promo. (correct)
I would like to inquire for your promo. (wrong)
Some say “I would like to inquire for the availability or rate of something. Generally, it’s better to use about. We should be careful also with the verb that we use. Some use the past tense inquired. Remember in the phrase “to inquire”, to is an infinitive. To-Infinitives are formed by combining “to” with the base form of the verb. When we say base form, it means we do not add s, es, ed, d or any inflections. We just use the main verb. Thus, “to inquired” is wrong. It should be to inquire.
2. I would like to apply for a part-time job. (correct)
I would like to apply for a part time job. (wrong)
We have to hyphenate the adjective part and the noun time in this expression because they are describing the noun job. We have to check the basic rules for hyphenation when we encounter a combination of adjectives or nouns which are followed by another noun. Remember, there are hyphenation rules that we must understand and follow.
3. My supervisor suggested that I transfer to another department. (correct)
My supervisor suggest me that I transfer to another department. (wrong)
My colleague said it’s ok to remove that in the sentence above “My supervisor suggested I transfer to another department”. Yes, it is also correct. However, it is only accepted in an informal context. Some people use “suggest me” instead which is wrong because you need to insert the preposition “to” to make the sentence correct. (My supervisor suggested to me that I transfer to another department.)
I found a very good site to explain this mistake. We can see the other possible combinations on this credible website. Cambridge Dictionary
4. As one of our business partners…(correct)
As one of our business partner…(wrong)
The word “one” here means the company is just one among all the business partners of the sender. Thus, the noun partner should be plural. Otherwise, the sender could have just said, “As our only partner.”
5. I look forward to your response/reply or I look forward to hearing from you. (correct)
I am sincerely waiting to your response. (wrong)
To say that you are waiting for your receiver’s reply is a bit “impolite” and ” informal”. You can say, “I am waiting for your response” or “I am awaiting your response” but these expressions are impolite. The best one to use is “I look forward to hearing from you. On the other hand, “I am looking forward to your response” is also commonly used although some of my colleagues say it is informal.
6. I would like to inquire about the packages and services you offer. (correct)
I would like to know what are the packages and services you offer. (wrong)
Simplify the sentence by removing “what are”. Let us rephrase the sentence until it sounds right. Using “inquire” instead of know is more appropriate since business letters have a more formal tone.
On the other hand, in terms of grammar, we can make the sentence grammatical by saying:
I would like to know what packages and services your company offers. (correct but informal)
I would like to know what the packages and services are? (correct but informal)
Avoid this one though:
I would like to know what are the packages and services? (wrong)
The last sentence is wrong because in a declarative sentence, the question word or the interrogative pronoun such as what or how should precede the verb or should come before the verb. We sometimes make this mistake. We do not say “I know what are you thinking.” What we say is, “I know what you are thinking.” So, again, question word (what) first before the verb (are).
7. What are the requirements for me to qualify for the scholarship? (correct) What are the requirements for me to qualify for the scholar? (wrong)
The word scholar refers to a person who is granted a scholarship. This means the word scholarship is a grant given to a person. A scholar is a person, a scholarship is a grant.
Other words which are commonly misused by learners include success and successful. Success is a noun which we use when we want to say we have achieved the goals we want. On the other hand, successful is an adjective that we use to describe ourselves or other people after achieving success.
Lastly, are the words confidence and confident. Confidence is a noun which we use if we want to say we have trust in ourselves. It is something we have. Confident, on the other hand, is an adjective. It’s how we describe ourselves when we feel we have confidence. For instance, I am confident I will pass in the exam.
These common business writing mistakes can be easily understood if we will understand parts of speech better. We should know when to use the noun confidence and the adjective confident. Again, let us be careful with the following confusing words: scholar versus scholarship, success versus successful, and confidence versus confident.
I will add more examples to my list soon. I would greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions particularly those that spark discussions about this subject.
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