There’s nothing more embarrassing than emailing a client or prospect and realizing you’ve made a careless spelling or grammatical error in your email. People are more likely to email or message you than they are to pick up a phone so your grammar has to be up to par. Here are a few common errors to be aware of:
It’s vs. Its – “It’s” is the contraction of “it is” (ie. “It’s such a nice day”). “Its” is the possessive form of it (ie. “Everything in its place”).
You’re vs. Your – “You’re” is the contraction of “you are” (ie. “You’re such a lucky person”). Your is a possessive pronoun (ie. “That’s your bus”).
Compliment vs. Complement – You’ll compliment your friend’s new home if you like it. If you like the way the wine goes with the chicken, you’ll say that they complement each other well.
They’re, Their & There – “They’re” is a contraction of they are. “Their” is a possessive pronoun. There denotes a place. “They’re living in their new house just over there”.
Accept vs. Except – “Accept” refers to entering into or receiving something. “Except” refers to an exclusion. “I’m thinking about accepting your offer. It’s perfect, except for the price”.
Affect and Effect – Affect is a verb: it acts upon something, someone, or an emotion, while “effect” is a noun. The words sound almost identical in conversation, but it’s important to get them right in print!
It’s easy to make these kinds of simple mistakes given the hectic pace of our busy lifestyles but it’s important to quickly look things over before clicking send.
The best way to make sure your emails are grammatically correct is to use Grammarly. It’s completely free and you can use it on your desktop computer or even on your smartphone. Check it out and let me know what you think!
