Times do and should change, and those changing times includes changes in language and the use of language. Those changes, however, don’t negate the need for professionalism, especially in business. What businesses consider professional may change, but the need for professionalism in business won’t.
That’s why it’s important for writers to understand their craft. And yes, when you write, regardless of your level of experience, you are participating in a craft. I keep harping on the differences between spoken and written English because understanding that one principle prepares writers to move ahead of their peers when producing professional prose. Simply transcribing speech rarely makes the most effective presentations in writing. Those require writers to understand the nuances of the written language.
Case in point: Observe the example sentence in the graphic above. Often writers use between to communicate choices. And choices often mean accepting one selection or another. Yet both options together comprise the choice. Having only one option to select isn’t really a choice at all.
That’s why and is the word of choice to pair with between, not or. The revised sentence should therefore appear thus:
That’s why it’s important for writers to understand their craft. And yes, when you write, regardless of your level of experience, you are participating in a craft. I keep harping on the differences between spoken and written English because understanding that one principle prepares writers to move ahead of their peers when producing professional prose. Simply transcribing speech rarely makes the most effective presentations in writing. Those require writers to understand the nuances of the written language.
Case in point: Observe the example sentence in the graphic above. Often writers use between to communicate choices. And choices often mean accepting one selection or another. Yet both options together comprise the choice. Having only one option to select isn’t really a choice at all.
That’s why and is the word of choice to pair with between, not or. The revised sentence should therefore appear thus:
Left to choose between AISI 1020 and 4320 steel, the committee selected 1020 for its lower initial cost.
Alternatively, the writer could pluralize steel since both metals are in fact different types of low-carbon steel. Making that revision yields
Left to choose between AISI 1020 and 4320 steels, the committee selected 1020 for its lower initial cost.
Technically, both sentences are grammatically correct. Thus, the difference is simply a stylistic one, in accordance with the leanings of the writer.
Little details often make big differences. Between requires and not or. Using the right words can increase the professionalism of your writing beyond the ordinary. And the extraordinary is what all successful businesses want associated with them and their brands.
Little details often make big differences. Between requires and not or. Using the right words can increase the professionalism of your writing beyond the ordinary. And the extraordinary is what all successful businesses want associated with them and their brands.
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