Prepositions – the basics

Prepositions connect nouns or pronouns with the rest of a sentence. They’re short words that yield a lot of power. Prepositions expand on what you’re saying by specifying time, place, and direction.

The most used prepositions are: as, at, but, by, for, from, in, next, of, off, on, out, over, since, than, to, until, up, with.

Other common prepositions are: about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, because of, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, close to, down, during, except, inside, instead of, into, like, near, on top of, onto, out of, outside, past, through, toward, upon, within, without.

There’s no formula or method that tells you which preposition to use. They are also very tricky to translate, because most languages use different prepositions in the same context. When it comes to knowing the right preposition, you just have to learn by reading good quality writing and memorising them.

Examples
  • You’re as tall as your brother. You’re older than your sister.
  • You’re just in time for a meeting, when you arrive at the last minute. You’re on time for a meeting when you have some time to spare.
  • You tell your dog to get off the couch. (not “off of”)
  • You can die of a disease, but you recover from it.
  • You can be embarrassed for somebody or be ashamed of their behaviour and feel superior to them because you don’t behave like that.
  • You can do something differently than somebody else, because their methods are different from yours.
  • You emigrate from a country and immigrate to another country.
  • You estimate the cost of a project to be about $5 million (never around), but not more than $8 million (never over).
Some prepositions can change the meaning of a phrase
  • You meet people at a restaurant, and if they’re late you’ll have to wait for them. Once everybody’s there, a waiter will wait on you. (Never say you’re waiting on somebody unless you are a waiter.)
  • You’re excited about something and excited for someone. Nowadays, many people say they are excited for something, which is wrong. Correct use: You’re excited about your next holiday. And you’re excited for your friend who has just landed her dream job.

©Andrea Paulsen

Adjectives – when to use “more” and “most”

Adjectives are words that are used to describe or modify nouns or pronouns. Comparative adjectives do exactly that, they compare one noun to another. Superlative adjectives show a further level of comparison.

Add “er” or “est”

Some examples:

Absolute

Comparative

Superlative

bright

brighter

brightest

fast

faster

fastest

happy

happier

happiest

friendly

friendlier

friendliest

But you cannot add “er” or “est” to all adjectives. It only works for adjectives with one syllable and those ending with “y”.

Add “more” or “most”

 Some examples:

Absolute

Comparative

Superlative

beautiful

more beautiful

most beautiful

difficult

more difficult

most difficult

exceptional

more exceptional

most exceptional

 

One rule to remember

Use one method only – never both.

For example, don’t say: It’s much more hotter  today than yesterday. “More hot” is also wrong, because you can escalate hot by adding “er” and “est”.

The exceptions: Irregular adjectives

When you cannot add “er” or “est”, nor use “more” or “most”:

Absolute

Comparative

Superlative

good

better

best

bad

worse

worst

much

more

most

little

less

least

far

further

furthest

©Andrea Paulsen

Less or fewer

Rule of thumb: Use fewer if you can count it. Use less if it’s not quantifiable. The opposite of both is more.

Examples

Her diet is paying off. She weighs less than she used to, although she lost fewer kilos this month than last.

He drinks less than he used to. He had fewer beers last night than the night before.

It’s raining less than last year. Every month, there are fewer rainy days.

Fewer cars on the road mean less stress and fewer accidents.

Exceptions

Money, time, weight, and distance. Although you can count them, we tend to think of them as singular units.

Examples

He has less than fifty dollars in his wallet.

She has worked at our company for less than a year.

The suitcase weighed less than 20 kg, yet the airline charged me for excess baggage.

My office is less than 10 kilometres from home.

She completed her degree in less than three years.

The tricky one: Percentages

Examples

Fewer than five percent of our employees take leave between Christmas and New Year.  (Employees can be counted.)

She ate less than twenty percent of her porridge and gave the rest to the dog.

Much versus many

Like less and fewer, use much for things you can’t count, and many for the ones you can.

Less means not as much. Fewer means not as many.

©Andrea Paulsen

What’s the difference?

Similar words with different meanings

Principal

Principle

Head, main or most important person

Fundamental truth, law or standard

The principal called the student into his office and explained to him the principle of time management. 

 

Compliment

Complement

An expression of praise or admiration

Something that contributes to something else and emphasises its quality

He complimented her on her dress, telling her that the colour complemented her eyes. 

 

Loose

Lose

Not firmly fixed in place, not fitting tightly

Misplace something

If your pants are too loose you might lose them.

 

Lie

Lay

A horizontal or resting position of a person or animal

Put something down

You lie down on your bed, but you lay a book on a table.

 

Affect

Effect

Have an effect on, make a difference

A result of an action (noun)
Cause something to happen (verb)

 

Then

Than

A point in time

Use for comparison

 

Historic

Historical

Important in history

Something that happened in the past

 

Partake

Take part

Eat or drink something

Join in an activity, to participate

You take part in the Comrades Marathon and then you partake of food and drink after the race.

 

Titled

Entitled

Having a title

Having a right to something

In his book titled The advantages of being the boss, the author explains why he thinks people in leadership are entitled to certain privileges.

 

Defuse

Diffuse

Make a situation less tense or dangerous

Spread something over a wide area or among many people

 

Stationery

Stationary

Pens, paper, envelopes, and other office supplies

Not moving

 

Emphasise/emphasize

Empathise/empathize

Stress a word or phrase when speaking

Understand or share the feelings of another

 

Regards

Regard

Best wishes

View or consider something, in respect of something

Closing greeting in emails:
Kind regards

With regard to (NOT “regards”)

 

Each other

One another

A reciprocal pronoun between two people

A reciprocal pronoun between more than two people

When you address two people:
Be kind to each other.

When you address a group:
Be kind to one another.

 

Advice (noun)

Advise (verb)

Guidance, instruction, recommendation

Recommend, counsel, instruct, inform

You advise somebody by giving them advice on something.

 

Aspire

Inspire

To have hope or ambition to achieve something for oneself

To instil the desire in someone else to achieve something; (also: to breath in)

 

Wait for

Wait on

“Wait for” something or somebody means waiting for something to happen or somebody to arrive.

“Wait on” somebody means acting as a servant, ie a waiter in restaurant. You can’t “wait on” something.

 

Definitely

Definitively

Without doubt, certain, for sure

Decisively and with authority, conclusively

 

Adverse

Averse

Preventing success or development, harmful, unfavourable

Against, having a strong dislike of or opposition to something

 

Mediator

Intermediary

A mediator assists and guides parties in resolving a conflict. For example, in legal disputes.

An intermediary is a go-between who negotiates an agreement between parties. For example, in buying and selling.

Both are neutral parties acting on behalf of others.

 ©Andrea Paulsen

Start the year with a marketing plan

A new year – a fresh start! Everybody is rested after their yearend break and full of enthusiasm and positive expectancy. Use that momentum to do what you’ve always meant to do, but usually don’t get around to.

What’s your vision for 2020?

Outline what you’d like to achieve in your business this year. It’s likely that you already have a projection of expected overheads and expenses. This usually is the basis for what you need  to earn. But don’t stop there.

What about business growth, developing new products or services, expansion to other cities or countries? Starting an online business?

Put a marketing plan in place

Nothing happens by itself. You need a plan with deadlines, budget allocation, and commitment from staff.

Get professional help

You probably have an accountant to do your books, and an IT specialist to sort out your computers. So, don’t try to become a marketing expert. Focus on your core business and outsource if you don’t have funds to employ a full-time marketing person.

Get buy-in

Marketing is part of everyone’s job. Don’t underestimate the ideas your staff may have. Involve them, have brainstorming sessions and you’ll find among the most ridiculous or outlandish ideas that one gem that you can put into practice. Then reward those that have bright ideas with the responsibility to implement them.

Marketing on a shoestring budget

Allocate a budget. Draw up a list of possible marketing activities. You may find that you have more ideas than you have budget.

There’s no need to spend large amounts on high-cost advertising. You don’t need a full-page advertisement in the Sunday Times, nor a banner in the airport arrivals lounge to get your message out there. Rather focus on marketing activities that cost little but offer good returns.

Newsletters and social media

Write articles for your monthly, inhouse newsletter that you can repost on social media and various online publications. Send ad hoc emailers about news in your industry to your database. Because regular newsletters and social media posts increase brand awareness.

Seminars

Offer short, informative seminars to clients at your offices. Have a coffee break at the halfway mark to give you the opportunity to network with them. Don’t think food has to be the main attraction for clients to attend a seminar. Sharing your knowledge and expertise at no cost is the drawcard.

Differentiate yourself from your competitors

Offer clients free, inhouse seminars or workshops about issues that are relevant to their employees. You’re not marketing your services, but you’re adding value and clients remember that. And these short presentations can be given by junior staff – an opportunity to develop their presentation skills.

Social responsibility

Get active in your community. If you don’t already have a social responsibility programme, partner with an NGO in your neighbourhood. Get your staff involved in volunteer work. And, if you can, make a financial contribution or offer your services for free. These activities will create goodwill and promote your brand. As a bonus, you can post what you’ve done on social media.

When times are tough – diversify

There are always companies that do exceptionally well during tough times. It’s all about your mindset. If you believe that your business will struggle during bad economic times, you are going to act accordingly. So, do the opposite. Brainstorm what you can offer your clients as added value, free of charge, that will help them improve their business.

Also, look for additional income streams and ways to utilise your staff when they’re not busy.

  • Run seminars where you give in-depth input on topical issues and charge for those.
  • If you’re in a central location and have spare offices and meeting rooms, rent them out to businesspeople who come to your city and need an office base (a footnote on a newsletter that you have these facilities is all you need to get the ball rolling).
  • Market your services to smaller firms in other cities or countries, who may need a local partner.
Secondments

If you provide a service to clients (such as legal, accounting, etc) and you have junior staff who aren’t used to full capacity, consider outsourcing them to clients. Your clients pay a discounted rate for a full-time, inhouse lawyer or accountant, who still has access to senior expertise when required. Your junior will be very keen to add this secondment to their CV. And once they’re back at your office, you have a closer relationship with your client and a better understanding of their day-to-day business requirements. Win-win-win.

First things first

  • Refresh your website and brochures and update individual profiles. Add new expertise, or just rewrite existing content, to make it sound fresh and new. (Don’t forget to update your website’s copyright year.)
  • Plan your seminars and workshops for the whole year in January.
  • Draw up a schedule for newsletters, social media posts, etc and assign content provision.
  • Enter all relevant events, important dates and deadlines on a year planner. Make sure everyone has access to this information and knows what they’re expected to contribute.

If you don’t plan ahead, it’s not going to happen.

© Andrea Paulsen

When to use italics

Italics

Italics make words stand out from the rest of the text – the modern equivalent of underlining. But there are rules – there are always rules. Here are some useful tips when to apply italics.

Titles of books, songs, movies, and works of art

Long literary works, such as book titles and names of newspapers and journals are written in italics. This includes reports, dissertations, and theses.

Shorter works – those that appear in books or journals, like poems, shorts stories, and articles are surrounded with quotation marks.

  • Example: Financial Mail published the article “How to invest wisely”.

 Like long literary works, music albums and CDs are in italics, but the songs on the albums get quotation marks.

  • Example: Michael Jackson’s album Thriller is the all-time bestselling album worldwide. Seven singles were released from this album, among them the song “Thriller”.

Movie titles, TV and radio shows, plays, and works of art are also written in italics. But the names of episodes of TV shows are in quotation marks.

  • Example: “Song Beneath the Song” is the 18th episode of the seventh season of the TV drama Grey’s Anatomy.

Foreign words and phrases

Words or phrases in a foreign language, unless they have become part of everyday use, are written in italics.

  • Examples: inter alia, vice versa, déjà vu, à la carte.
  • Not in italics: spaghetti, chef, kindergarten, boerewors, etc.

For emphasis and contrast

Please note, never use underlining for emphasis. And if you use italics, use them sparingly.

  • Example – emphasis: She arrived three hours late for dinner.
  • Example – contrast: I usually go to gym twice a week. But last week I went five times.

Citing English words

Example: Many people don’t know when to write they’re, their, or there.

Names of vehicles

Ships, trains, aircraft, spacecraft, etc: Titanic, Orient Express, Challenger.
But don’t italicise brand names of vehicles, ie Ford Explorer, Audi X3, Airbus A330.

Legal cases

Smith v Jones

Don’t use italics

  • For titles of sacred works, such as the Bible, the Torah, the Qur’an.
  • For public documents, like the Bill of Rights, the Constitution.
  • For text between quotation marks.

©Andrea Paulsen

Business emails made easy

Business email

An email consists of a subject line, salutation, body, greetings, and sometimes attachments.

And it’s “email” – no hyphen. In the early days instead of writing “electronic mail” it was abbreviated to e-mail. Over time “email” has become a word in its own right, so the hyphen has fallen away.

The subject line should be specific

Don’t refer to something ambiguous like “Your email” or “Our meeting”. Be specific. The recipient should immediately recognise what it’s about. That’ll also determine how fast they’ll respond.

Keep the email chain going. If you’ve replied and are waiting for feedback, use your last email to follow up. Don’t respond to an earlier email with new questions. That later complicates trying to establish what happened when, and where you’re at.

And DON’T use an email on a different subject to write to a person about something else. That creates confusion and wastes time. First upon receipt, and later when you’re looking for emails on a certain subject, you’ll have to wade through unrelated material again.

If an email was sent to a group, but your response is of no interest to the entire group, don’t hit “reply all”. In addition to the sender, only copy in those people who need to read your response.

Addressing the recipient

“Dear” plus their name for most emails; for colleagues or people with whom you have a good relationship “Hi” plus their name is also fine.

The body of your email

The contents of the email should be easy to read and laid out in a logical manner. If you’re covering several issues, it helps to have sub-headings in your email.

Have you ever noticed that many people only respond to the last question you asked and totally ignore all the others? And then you have to write back and ask again. To avoid that, repeat at the end what you need to know by listing your questions again.

CU@8

This is not social media – use words. A business email is equal to a business letter. The only difference is the means of delivery. It should look professional and be written in business language.

Among close colleagues, your writing style can be a bit more informal. But keep in mind that emails are often forwarded and nothing in your email should be so casual – or personal – that it’s inappropriate for somebody else to read.

Greetings

“Regards” is the most used form, “Kind regards” is also fine (but then “regards” is all lower case).

In letters we still write “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully” (if it’s very formal), but these forms aren’t used in emails.

No comma after “Dear …” in the beginning of the email, nor after “Regards”.

© Andrea Paulsen Communications