No matter how corporate we are, we all have a personal side. Mine’s getting an outing on my new Huffington Post blog.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the new project, and please keep those corporate writing peeves coming my way!
Writer/editor John Rambow grouses:
Here’s my pet peeve–the misuse of compliment vs. complement. In most cases it’s “compliment” that gets (mis)used–hats are forced to compliment the rest of your clothes, fries compliment burgers, etc.
Even New York magazine drops the ball on this one. The writer could, I suppose, argue that this non-alcoholic cider is a “gesture of affection” toward the hard stuff but either way it’s BAD.
As John notes, a compliment (with an i) is a gesture of affection. A complement enhances something or, to use the dictionary definition, “brings it to perfection.”
Which means that the free mimosa complements your meal (or your morning). Bags complement shoes. I compliment your beauty because, of course, it complements my wit and skill.
What’s your pet peeve?
It’s been a busy time for The Corporate Writer and her colleagues. We’re proud to have contributed substantially to a new website for a leading Midwest law firm, and are immersed in a similar project for another firm. We’ve also been working on a new website for a state university.
With so much going on, it’s been harder to chronicle the daily challenges facing writers of corporate communications. So I’m grateful to college pal Jeremy Epstein for providing today’s guest rant:
“I just saw a phrase referring to a variety of colors on a palate; of course, the opposite would be a mix of flavors on your palette or–even worse, but fortunately rarer–colors or flavors on a pallet. At least the latter gives a nice connotation of a forklift unloading a giant shrink-wrapped cluster of cardboard boxes, all filled with colors or flavors. Still annoying though.”
I will be posting more often in coming weeks. Meanwhile, please keep those peeves and whinges coming!
6 professional ways to say ‘this sucks’ is making waves on Ragan.com today.
My newest Ragan post has readers in a tizzy!
One lowly apostrophe separates a business that knows its shit from a business that knows it’s shit.
A single letter will turn my precious husband into my previous husband.
Many of us have left the “l” out of at least one public appearance.
The point is, small mistakes matter. Take this example from DamnYouAutocorrect:
What are your worst small mistakes?
Helena Rubenstein famously said, “There no ugly women, just lazy ones.” The same applies to writing.
The worst work I’ve seen isn’t poorly written–it’s lazy. Language is overly general and stuffed with cliches. Sentence structure is juvenile and/or repetitive.
Here’s an example: “Higman’s Hideout offers fine wines and good food at prices that won’t break the bank. Higman’s has everything you need for a memorable night out.”
This is the literary equivalent of a beer belly: flabby and unappealing. Yet a couple of authentic details–the kind you’d know if, say, you’d been to Higman’s–would turn it around.
