Bull's Eye Business Writing Tips

Tip #479: Comparative Degree:

These FREE weekly business writing tips
will help you improve your business writing.

Tip #479:  Comparative Degree:  Most adjectives and adverbs can be compared.  Their common forms of comparison are as follows:

Positive---The new copier is fast.

Comparative---The new copier is faster than the old one.

Superlative---The new copier is the fastest I have ever used.

Weekly Exercise:

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This week’s quiz:

Writers often use the comparative degree when comparing two things and the superlative degree when comparing three things.  Choose the correct words in the following sentences:

  1. This is the (newest/ newer) of the three policies.
  2. This is the (newest/newer) of the two jackets.

Quote of the week:

“The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had the means, time, influence, and educational advantages, but what he will do with the things he has.”  (Hamilton Wright Mabee)

Comments: Alma Mitchell  asked:  Here's a question that has been confusing people, and there are differing opinions; we'd like yours.  When a large dollar amount is used at the end of a quote in a sentence, what is the proper comma treatment?  i.e.,  "The campaign goal is $10,000., " said Lois.  Financial people would not want to see $10,000," said Lois. Isn't it more correctly written to always use a period after that kind of a dollar amount if you aren't adding cents?  Please clarify this for me.  Thanks very much.

My answer: Use this:  "The campaign goal is $10,000.00," said Lois.   Place the cents in the sentence so it will be clear to the reader.

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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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