Roughly 306.4 billion emails are sent and received each day. Considering the numbers, it should raise awareness about the need for proper email grammar. Your emails reflect on you as a professional.
Your emails likely aren’t drawing in the best attention or image for you. You might be making common email grammar mistakes without even realizing it.
These are making your emails appear less polished. They’re also impairing your ability to communicate clearly.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Be sure to read below to find out the common email grammar issues to avoid in your future emails.
1. From “Your” to “They’re”
“Your” vs. “you’re” is probably the most common mistake people make in emails. “Your” is a possessive pronoun, while “you’re” is a contraction of “you are”. So, if you want to say “you are welcome”, you would say “you’re welcome”.
Another common mistake is “Its” vs. “it’s.” “Its” is a possessive pronoun, while “it’s” is a contraction of “it is”. If you want to say “it is raining”, you would say “it’s raining”.
“There” vs. “their” vs. “they’re” is another mistake that people often make. “There” is used to indicate location, “their” is a possessive pronoun, and “they’re” is a contraction of “they are”. If you want to say “they are welcome”, you would say “they’re welcome”.
Email grammar mistakes can quickly turn a professional message into an unprofessional one. To avoid this, take a minute to proofread your email before hitting send.
If you’re unsure about a word, this guide from iWriter will make sure it sounds the way you want it to.
2. Dangling Modifiers and How to Avoid Them in Emails
A modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word or phrase.
For example, in the sentence “The man with the dog is here,” the phrase “with the dog” is a modifier that describes the word “man.” When a modifier is in the wrong spot in a sentence, it becomes a dangling modifier.
To avoid this, make sure that the word or phrase the modifier is supposed to describe is placed as close to the beginning of the sentence as possible.
3. Fragments, Run-Ons, and Comma Splices
When it comes to email, grammar problems can really put a damper on things.
Not only do they make you look bad, but they can also be confusing for the person reading your email. Fragments, run-ons, and comma splices are all big no-nos when it comes to email.
To fix a fragment, simply add whatever is missing to make the sentence complete. For a run-on, try breaking the sentence up into two or more shorter sentences. And to fix a comma splice, just use a period or semicolon in place of the comma.
4. Subject-Verb Agreement
This occurs when the subject and verb do not agree in number. For example, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular as well.
If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. To fix this mistake, simply ensure that the subject and verb agree in number.
Fixing the Grammar Mistakes
There are many common email grammar mistakes that people make on a daily basis. While these mistakes may seem small, they can actually make a big difference in the way that your email is received.
Simply proofread your email before sending it off, and make sure to use proper grammar. If you take the time to do this, you will be sure to make a good impression with your email.
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