Bull's Eye Business Writing Tips:
Getting to Your Writing Target

Tip #156:  ... how to use the article ‘the.’

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Tip #156:  I received a request to explain how to use the article ‘the.’ ‘The’ is a type of adjective called an article.
  1. The word ‘the’ is used to identify specific items, persons, or places. For example:
  • Call ‘the’ person who left this book.
  • Wear ‘the coat’ I left for you.
  • See ‘the island’ in the distance.
  1. Do not use ‘the’ before the word ‘both.’

Incorrect: Let us see the both of them.

Correct: Let us see both of them

  1. Do not use when referring to something general.

Incorrect: I was referring to several kinds of the coffee.

Correct: I was referring to several kinds of coffee.

Weekly Exercise:

We receive over 200 emails per day.  We encourage you to answer our weekly tips, but please, if you are answering this weekly tip exercise,  identify the tip number in the subject line of your email.

I received the following from a subscriber:

When writing to an individual who is a II or III, do you always include these in the address on the envelope and in the inside address? Example: John Doe II.

I have the same question regarding professional designations. Example: John Doe II, RPA, CPM.

Please answer this subscriber's question:

To send the above exercise answers to Gloria for her comments and review,  copy the questions,  paste  them into an email, answer them,  and send to Marsha@basic-learning.com.

 

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By Gloria Pincu, M.A. , President of Basic Learning Systems, Inc.
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Here are some books on business writing that I recommend.

Bull's Eye Business Writing is also available from Amazon.com.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, author, Lynne Truss The Everything Resume Book by Steven Graber
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction , by William Knowlton Zinsser  The Gregg Reference Manual, by William A. Sabin 
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, White, E. B. White  How to Take the Fog Out of Business Writing, by Robert Gunning, Richard A. Kallan (Contributor) 

More books on business writing and other business subjects  (available from Amazon.com). 

Contact Gloria Pincu at Basic Learning Systems, Inc.

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