When doing business in English, speaking imprecisely can lead to miscommunication. A slight misstep can alter the intended message, or even throw off your audience. Steering clear of these six common mistakes will not only elevate your English proficiency but also enhance your ability to communicate effectively with English-speaking colleagues and clients.
- Remember the ‘s’ in ‘headquarters’
- Referring to a company’s main office as ‘headquarters’ is correct, despite the ‘s’ at the end. For instance, “I need to go to our headquarters next week to meet the CEO.”
- Personal or Personnel?
- Personnel: Pronounced as “per son NEL,” it is a noun denoting a company’s staff or, at times, serving as an alternative term for human resources. For instance, “This company’s most valuable asset is its personnel – motivated and productive.”
- Personal: An adjective signifying “related to that person.” The stress falls on the first syllable, as in “PER so nal.” For example, “He had to take some leave for personal reasons.”
- Don’t add an ‘s’ to Uncountable Nouns
- Never append an ‘s’ to ‘information,’ ‘knowledge,’ or ‘advice,’ as they are uncountable nouns. To singularize them, employ the phrase ‘a piece of.’ For instance, “There was a lot of information in that presentation” or “He gave us several pieces of important information.” Similarly, refrain from adding an ‘s’ to ‘experience’ unless referring to a series of individual occasions.
- Present, Presentation, but Not Presentate!
- While you can ‘give a presentation’ or ‘present information,’ there’s no room for ‘presentate.’ The latter isn’t a valid word, often arising from the attempt to derive a verb form from the noun “presentation.”
- “I look forward to hearing from you.”
- Ensure you remember the ‘ing’ on ‘hearing.’ Commonly, English learners mistakenly write, “I look forward to hear from you,” which sounds peculiar to native English speakers. The verb ‘hear’ necessitates the “ing” in this phrase.
- Pronouncing ‘executive’!
- When referring to someone in company management as an ‘executive,’ be cautious about pronunciation. Stressing the ‘u’ inadvertently transforms ‘executive’ into ‘execute,’ a term connoting killing or putting to death.
Now equipped with the knowledge of these common pitfalls in business English, you can confidently navigate workplace communication. Should any uncertainties arise, make a note and delve into them after work, consistently refining your business English for perfection.
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