FAQ
Submitted by eplough on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 12:47.
Do you have a question? Post it here, and I will answer it as soon as I can.
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Do you have a question? Post it here, and I will answer it as soon as I can.
Contractions
I was wondering if it was still improper to use contractions in professional formal business writing.
Contractions
Wow! What a cool question. It's actually my favorite kind of grammar question because as an advocate of abstract thinking, I get to answer your question with a question:
What do YOU think? (and now I twist my mustache deviously!)
But seriously, a main goal of mine with Engl 420Y is to get you to use your own judgment. Why? Because the rules that you may have learned in elementary school or high school can fail you when push comes to shove.
The closest thing to a real answer I can give you is something like "it depends."
What does it depend on? That's easy: context.
On your cover letter, I'd steer clear of contractions. It looks casual and lazy, like you were too lazy to type out "did not." In a quick email to a co-worker, it's likely that they won't care.
I suppose the safest answer is to avoid contractions. It certainly can't hurt.
And yes, I'm aware that my response has seven contractions in it.
Single or Double?
I just wanted to make sure that our project assessment document should be single spaced. Is that correct?
Single vs. Double space
I'm not very concerned with single or double spaced in this particular document. My prompt on the Employment Project page asks for two pages, but honestly I'm not very concerned with that either. What I AM concerned with is that you compose an effective and informative document that addresses the key points listed in the prompt in an articulate manner. I would like you to make the rhetorical decision regarding font, spacing, page count...everything. You should think about why single spacing or double spacing is the better way to go and make a smart decision.
Business Cards
Is it common for college students to create generic business cards? I have been asked on two ocassions for a business card, even after I said I was still in college. One person I work with made a business card to carry with her in case she met potential employers, because they are more practical to carry than resumes. Is this common?
Business Cards
Business cards are becoming more and more common for just about anyone to carry around. There are services out there that offer hundreds, if not thousands, of personalized business cards for cheap so it's worth checking out.
A great idea would be to create an online version of your resume, and have a link to it on your business card.