In #EngTips: Faults to avoid in writing business letters, we’ve talked about a couple of things you shouldn’t do in writing business letters. This time, we’ll continue the topic with a couple more tips.
Let’s get started!
4. Needless inversion
In good writing, inversion is used in order to give freshness and force. However, when overdone, it not only becomes very wearisome, but also positively nauseating to anyone who loves the beauty of English language. In business letters, try to avoid using this kind of sentence:
“Greater value than this, never have we offered.”
You should just write:
“We have never offered greater value than this.”
5. Words misused
People with limited vocabularies are forced to use the relatively few words they know without any regard for their precise meaning. This is an example of misused word in business letter:
“This most unique Delivery Service…”
“Most unique” is absurd. Either a thing is unique or it is not. The word “unique” means the only one of its kind, and is capable of no qualification.
6. Colloquial expressions
Vigorous and vivid language is to be preferred to pompous phraseology, but colloquial expressions should not degenerate into slang. You should simply state what you mean. Try not to use this kind of expression:
“You keep asking us for suggestions and every time we submit an idea, you give it the bird.”
The idiom “give (something) the bird” is an informal way of stating that you disapprove something. In business letters, you should just say “you keep turning it down.”
Compiled by @iismail21 for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, 3 April, 2016
RELATED POST(S):
- #EngTips: Faults to avoid in writing business letters
- #EngTips: Miss, Ms, Mrs, Mr
- #BusEng: DOs and DON’Ts on writing CV
- #EngClass: Common abbreviations in emails
- #BusEng: How to write a formal email for job application
^MQ
@EnglishTips4U 
7 thoughts on “#EngTips: Faults to avoid in writing business letters (2)”