mistakes - Mortgage Market Guide

Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
OKAY
Biannual
Broadcast
Net Income VS
of No.
Bienniel
Restaurateur
Months
Percent Points
EASY WORD
Principle
Marketers Make
Baloney
OK
Numbers Comprise
Jibe Mid
MISTAKES Continuous
vs
DATA
Co-Toward
1
Zero
HOW
Total #
AVOID THEM COMPOSE
and
to
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Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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With Platinum Marketing, you have a complete library of professionally written content
that’s ready for you to share with your prospects, past clients and referral partners. And,
we know sometimes you like to create your own content too!
As a special bonus for you, we’ve gathered together some of the most common
mistakes marketers make with words—and show you tips for how to avoid them.
Keep your name front and center with marketing content that’s polished, professional,
and personalized.
Please let us know if you have any other favorite “mistakes” we can add to future
editions by emailing us at [email protected].
The Platinum Marketing Team
No matter how you want to deliver your message, we’ve got you covered. With Platinum Marketing,
it’s like having an entire agency working for you to create high-impact, personalized marketing content.
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Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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Adverse vs. Averse
Adverse means unfavorable. Your business faces adverse conditions. Averse means
reluctant. Don’t be averse to making bold changes.
Affect vs. Effect
As verbs, affect means to influence while effect means to cause. This new information will
greatly affect your thinking. You need to effect change now. As a noun, effect is equivalent to
result. What I learned at the conference had a great effect on marketing. Do not use affect as
a noun.
Allude vs. Refer
You allude to something when you speak about it without saying it directly. The presenter
alluded to her competitor without naming names. Refer means to say it directly. She referred
to the 36 percent increase in productivity her company experienced.
Amid vs. Amidst
Amid means just what you think it means. Amidst meant the same thing 500 years ago in
England, but today just means you use bigger words than necessary. Avoid it.
Anyone vs. Any one
It’s counterintuitive, but use two words when talking about one person and one word when
talking about lots of people. Anyone can register at this special rate. Any one of our attendees
will tell you how great our event is. Ditto for anybody vs. any body, anything vs. any thing, etc.
Approve vs. Adopt vs. Enact vs. Pass
Which do you use to discuss a new law? Enact. Use pass only when referring to bills on
their way to becoming law but not yet there. Both houses of Congress passed the bill. When
the President signs it, the law is enacted. Save adopt and approve for less formal codes like
rules, budgets and resolutions.
Ax vs. Axe
You probably want the verb, which is ax. You will ax your costs in half. The past tense is axed.
An axe is what you use to chop down a tree.
Baloney vs. Bologna
The former is the one that means foolishness. A politician is full of baloney, not bologna,
unless he’s leaving a deli, in which case the latter may also apply.
Bankrupt vs. Bankruptcy
A company is not bankrupt until a judge orders it to sell everything and give whatever cash it
gets to whomever it owes money. At that point, it’s out-of-business, kaput, not coming back.
A company in bankruptcy proceedings is working with a court to see if there’s any way it can
keep operating while it negotiates and settle its debts, hopefully emerging from the process
free-and-clear with a new lease on life.
Beside vs. Besides
The former is next to. The latter means regardless.
Between vs. Among
Use between when you are talking about just two things. Between the two companies, there
wasn’t a single experienced leader. Use among when you are talking about more than two
things. There’s a general consensus among all the players in this market. Never say amongst!
Biannual vs. Biennial
Biannual events happen twice a year. The word is interchangeable with semiannual. Every
other year is biennial.
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Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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Bianything vs. Bi-anything
In general, there is no hyphen after the prefix Bi. It’s pretty much always one word, as in
bicentennial, bilateral and biweekly. Need a way to remember this? You would never write “bicycle.”
Bizarre vs. Bazaar
The former is strange. The latter is a marketplace.
Broadcast vs. Broadcasted
Use broadcast for present and past tense. Broadcasted isn’t a word. (Same for webcast,
podcast.)
Citizen vs. Resident vs. Alien
Use resident when referring to all people living in one area. The residents of Texas are
all affected by the oil economy. Use citizen and alien only when you need to distinguish
someone’s legal status. Citizens in Texas will vote on the matter, but aliens residing there will
not. Citizens were either born in the country or went through a legal process that made them
citizens. An alien is a resident who has not become a citizen.
Coanything vs. Co-anything
The general rule of thumb is that the hyphen is only used when referring to a specific person
or group of people, as in co-author, co-workers, co-pilot. When not referring directly to people,
leave out the hyphen, as in coexist, cooperate and coordinate.
Compared to/with
Use compared with when contrasting things. As a member, you’ll have quite a few advantages
compared with your competitors. Use compared to only when equating things. His skills
compare to the best in the industry. (Since “comparable” is used to equate things, it always
takes to and not with. This information is comparable to a graduate course in economics.)
Compose vs. Comprise vs. Constitute
Use compose when the focus is on the creation of something. The crisis was composed of a
number of smaller problems. Use comprise when focusing on something’s complete contents.
The Wall Street Journal’s product portfolio comprises dozens of publications, services and
events. Constitute is best used when talking about what qualifies as something. Fifty-two cards
constitute a full deck.
Connote vs. Denote
Connote means imply or suggest. The neutral rating connotes a certain level of dissatisfaction.
Denote is explicitly stated or related. The number of guests denotes how popular this event is.
Continual vs. Continuous
Continual means repeated, recurring. Continuous means uninterrupted. The last six months
continually brought bad news. I’ve had the headache continuously for eight hours.
Convince vs. Persuade
You convince people to think something. You persuade people to do something. The brochure
convinced 500 people that the meeting was important. The brochure persuaded 500 people to
attend.
Data
Treat data as a plural when referring to lots of individual pieces of information. All the data
need (not needs) to be reviewed. Treat it as singular when you are referring to a group of
data points that combine to form a specific unit. The survey’s data was (not were) contributed
anonymously. Technically, one piece of information is a datum, but it is better to refer to it as a
data point.
© Vantage Production, LLC.
Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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Different from, Differ with, etc.
It is always different from and never different than. Our strategy is different from yours (not
different than yours). To differ from has the same meaning as to be different from. To differ with
means to have a disagreement.
Disinterested vs. Uninterested
We are always the former, which means unbiased, and never the latter, which means we don’t
care.
Each other vs. One another
Two sides of a dispute deal with each other. More than two sides deal with one another.
Ensure vs. Insure
Almost always the better choice is ensure, which means to guarantee. Save insure for only
those situations where you are talking about (financial) insurance, as in insuring your car. Easy
to remember by: You can insure your life, but you can never ensure it.
Equally vs. As
Pick equally to emphasize the equivalence of two things. The two tactics are equally effective.
Use as to emphasize that one rises to the same level as another. This tactic is as effective as
that one. It is redundant (and kind of clumsy) to say “equally as.”
Farther vs. Further
Further means to a greater extent. We plan to pursue this investigation further. Make further
progress against goals. Farther is always a reference to distance. Moved farther away from
each other.
Fewer vs. Less
Use fewer when comparing quantities of individual items. Their product has fewer bells and
whistles. Use less when comparing the totality of something. Their product delivers less value.
Another example: He served fewer years at the company than she did. His term in office was
less than hers.
Flier vs. Flyer
Almost always it’s flier. A flier is both the paper you hand out at conferences and what you are
while on the airplane going to the conference. Easy to remember by: As a flier you can bring
fliers onboard. Flyer is often used incorrectly, and when it isn’t, it’s usually in the name of a
train or boat, as in Amtrak’s Memphis Flyer.
Gamut vs. Gauntlet
Gamut is the range of something, the full spectrum. In old English, gauntlet was the word for
glove: gaunt=bony, let=covering; hence, a covering for the bony parts of the hand. In those
days, you issued a challenge to someone essentially by what we’d consider today to be a
hissy fit—you took off your glove and threw it to the ground. So, to issue a challenge is to
throw down the gauntlet. If you mean that someone accepted a challenge, say that they took
up the gauntlet.
Gibe vs. Jibe
The former means to tease or taunt. The latter means to agree with.
Glamour vs. Glamorous
Both are correctly spelled here. In case you’re ever separated from your spellchecker, the “u”
before the “r” goes away when you add the “ous.”
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Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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Hands on, off, etc.
Hyphenate when combining hands with another word to form a single adjective, as in handson management, hands-off approach, or hand-to-hand combat. No hyphen when the words
just happen to be next to each other in a sentence, as in she hands off the responsibility or
they passed the baton from hand to hand.
History vs. Past
Use the former when linking to the present. This result is not surprising given the history. Use
past when referring to prior periods of time not necessarily related to the present. There have
been periods of tremendous growth in the past.
Imply vs. Infer
The person from which the communication originates implies something. The person receiving
the communication infers something. The speaker implied one thing but the attendee inferred
another.
Incredible vs. Incredulous
The former applies to a concept that is difficult to believe. The latter applies to a person that is
having a tough time believing.
Indiscrete vs. Indiscreet
The former means continuous, not separated into distinct parts. The latter means
demonstrating poor judgment.
Inasmuch as, Insofar as
Kinda stuffy language, but if you use them, write them as you see it here. In, since or much will
usually work as a synonym.
Irregardless
It’s a meaningless double-negative. Always use regardless instead.
Last
Last implies finality, as in Joe’s entering his last year on the job. If you mean most recent, use
latest, not last, as in the company’s latest press release offered no explanation. Do not say
their last press release, as it is not their final one. Small additional point: While it’s fine to refer
to last week and last year, it’s unnecessary when talking about a specific day of the week
(e.g., it happened Wednesday—you don’t need to say it happened last Wednesday) or
specific month (just say it happened in April, not last April).
Late
When discussing a deceased person, do not use late in conjunction with what they did before
they died. OK: The late Dr. Johnson was laid to rest last week. OK: Dr. Johnson, who died last
week, twice had his license suspended. Not OK: The late Dr. Johnson twice had his license
suspended.
Lay vs. Lie
To go from vertical to horizontal is to lay down. Now I lay me down to sleep. To remain
horizontal is to lie. Lie still or the bear will bite your head off. And, in one of the cruelest tricks
in English, lay is also the past tense of lie. He lay still and the bear went away.
Majority vs. Plurality
The former means more than half. The latter is the amount by which the highest amount in a
group exceeds the next highest amount. If a candidate wins the popular vote 51 to 45 percent,
he won a majority. If the candidate wins by 49 to 47 percent, we say he’s won by plurality. The
plurality in this case is 2 percent.
© Vantage Production, LLC.
Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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Mid
Should you follow it with a hyphen, or not? Yes, if what follows is capitalized or is a numeral.
Mid-Atlantic; mid-20s. Otherwise no, as in midyear and midway.
Months
Write the full name of the month when it stands alone or is immediately followed by the year
but not a specific date. Our next conference is in September. The January 2005 issue rocked.
Never put a comma between the month and year, unless there’s a date in between. In that
case, abbreviate the name of any month with six or more letters—write out the others—and
put commas after the month AND after the year (unless the latter is the end of the sentence, in
which case it gets a period.) Incorrect: The contract was signed Jan. 4, 2005 at headquarters.
Correct: The contract was signed Jan. 4, 2005, at headquarters.
Nano
This prefix means one billionth of something. As distinguished from milli- (thousandth), micro(millionth) and pico- (trillionth).
Net Income, Net Profit, Net Earnings
The “net” part is key. It means after all expenses are deducted, including taxes, interest,
overhead, accounting charges, etc. Its counterpart is “gross” which means that you’ve only
deducted the immediate costs of producing and selling what you just sold, none of the indirect
expenses just listed. In general, only companies have net income. The term “profit” is more
general and may apply to product lines, individual projects, marketing promotions, and other
smaller endeavors. Try to always qualify “income” and “profit” with “gross” or “net.” Avoid
“earnings” except when talking about a public company’s net income.
No. vs. #
Use “No.” when talking about where something ranks or falls in a sequence. They are the No.
2 player in this market. (Similarly, if you make a banner for your favorite football team, write
We’re No. 1! not We’re #1!) Save the italicized tic-tac-toe board to represent the pound sign
on a phone.
None
Is it singular or plural? Do you say “None is…” or “None are…”? Well, it depends. Use the
former when you mean not a single one. Is there none left? If you’re referring to two or more,
it’s plural. None of the panelists are going to agree. (Since it takes two or more to agree.)
Northeast
Which of the following is part of the Northeast: Delaware, Ohio or Washington, D.C.? Answer:
It’s a trick question—none of them is. (Not none of them are!) The Northeast contains two
groups of states: New England and the Middle Atlantic. The former is Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The latter is New York, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania. That’s it. Capitalize Northeast when referring to these states. Lower
case when referring to the direction northeast on a compass or map.
Office vs. office
Capitalize office only when it’s part of a formal name. Otherwise it’s lower case, as in the office
of the Attorney General.
Off vs. of
These words do not go together. The of is unnecessary with off. It fell off the radar screen.
Thirty is 40 percent of 50.
OK vs. Okay
Always the former; never the latter. Do not put an apostrophe when using the plural OKs.
© Vantage Production, LLC.
Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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On (with days and dates)
In general, it is not necessary to say on before referring to a day. The announcement will be
December 1. The weekly update arrives Fridays.
One-time vs. One time
With most compound words, hyphenate when using as an adjective and write as two words.
They granted a one-time exemption to the rule. They granted the exception just this one time.
Oral vs. Verbal
In most cases, use oral to discuss words that are spoken aloud. Use verbal only to compare
two or more methods of expression. His verbal skills far exceed his writing ability.
Percent and Percentage Points
Use the former to describe the proportion by which something has changed. In jumping from
400 members to 500 members, we increased membership by 25 percent. Use the latter only
to describe increments of increase or decrease between two percentages. The interest rate
dropped 1 percentage point from 5 percent to 4 percent (which represents a 20 percent
reduction in the rate.)
Predominant vs. Predominate
The former is the adjective (and predominantly the corresponding adverb.) The latter is a verb
only, never an adjective. We are the predominant player in the market. We predominate in the
market.
Premier vs. Premiere
Always without the “e” at the end, except when you mean the first performance of something.
Remember this by thinking of the fancy-schmancy British way of writing “theatre” with the “re”
at the end instead of the American “er.” A premiere in the theatre—both end in “re.”
Presently vs. Currently
OK if you mean happening soon. Not OK if you mean happening now. The movie theater
is currently showing Gran Torino and presently will be showing Slumdog Millionaire. As
adjectives, present and current both mean “now existing” and are interchangeable.
Principal vs. Principle
Remember this one from grade school: The principal is your P-A-L. Use principal when
referring to someone who holds a leading position. He is a principal in the business. The other
word, principle, refers to a key concept. The principle of freedom and justice for all.
Prior to vs. Before
Use the latter except when referring to a requirement. They addressed the shareholders before
submitting their resignations. They had to sign waivers prior to being paid their severance.
Prison vs. Jail
These are not interchangeable. A prison provides long-term housing for convicted felons
who are serving their sentences. A jail is where you get taken when you are arrested. It also
provides shortterm housing for people serving time for misdemeanors and other less serious
situations.
Publisher vs. publisher
Capitalize only in front of someone’s name. Platinum Marketing Publisher, Sue Woodard
said…versus said Sue Woodard, publisher of Platinum Marketing.
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Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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Ranges of Numbers
If in the millions, billions, etc., put that word with both numbers. Correct: The cost of the
stimulus is between $750 billion and $800 billion. Correct and easier: The cost of the stimulus
is $750 billion to $800 billion. Incorrect: The cost of the stimulus is $750 to $800 billion. The
latter is a range of $799,999,999,250. Also, if you use “between” do not put “somewhere”
before it.
Rarely, with and without ever
You can say “rarely” or you can say “rarely, if ever,” but you should not say “rarely ever.” The
first means seldom. The second means seldom or possibly never. The third is redundant.
Rebut/Refute
Rebut means to argue against. Refute means to successfully argue against. He rebutted her
claims, but couldn’t refute the evidence.
Recur vs. Reoccur
Use the former in all uses. Avoid reoccur.
Reign vs. Rein
The former is a despot’s tenure. The latter is what steers a horse. So that means reign of terror
is correct, but it’s rein in (control) and give free rein to (let run wild).
Reluctant vs. Reticent
You are reluctant to do something but reticent to say something.
Restaurateur
On the off chance you’re writing about a restaurant owner, drop the “n” when adding the “eur”
at the end. There is no such word as restauranteur.
Semi
Literally, half of something. Semiannual is twice a year. We get paid semi-monthly.
Semiannually means the same as biannually, not to be confused with something that happens
every other year, or biennially.
Shall vs. Will
In most marketing copy, will is the simpler and better choice. You will pass your next audit.
Your revenues will increase. Reserve shall for when the central thing you want to emphasize
is how determined you are to see that something happens. Together, we shall survive this
recession.
Spouses and Significant Others
Both words are slippery slopes these days, so choose carefully. Spouses are people who are
legally married, the definition of which varies from state to state, with plenty of controversy.
“Significant others” is open to wide interpretation—some will take it to mean only romantic
partners, but other readers may think it OK to include siblings, children, parents and close
friends. Avoid if you can. One better option in some circumstances is “guests.” Also, use
husbands and wives when (and only when) you’re sure of everyone’s gender and marital
status. The defendants’ wives were in the courtroom. The business was passed down to the
daughters and their husbands.
States
There are eight state names that should not be abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa,
Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. For the other states, spell out their name when it stands alone,
but abbreviate when paired with a city or town. Platinum Marketing is based in New Jersey.
Platinum Marketing is based in Holmdel, N.J. Do not use postal abbreviations in your copy.
Instead, use common abbreviations. (For example, California is Calif., not CA.) Also, do not
© Vantage Production, LLC.
Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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capitalize the word “state” in a sentence. The state of Michigan just passed a new budget. And
when you refer to the Washington that’s not in D.C., it’s Washington state, not Washington
State. The latter is a university.
Sucked vs. Suckered
You get sucked into a vacuum or into a long and unpleasant process. You get suckered into a
bad deal. She got sucked into the complex politics of the place. She got suckered into trading
in her car for less than it was worth.
Supreme Courts
Capitalize the federal version whenever you use it. For states, write “state Supreme Court” in
your first reference to distinguish from the federal court. However, be careful—there are some
states in which the highest court is not its Supreme Court. For example, while there is a state
Supreme Court in New York, it is lower in the hierarchy than the state Court of Appeals, which
sits atop New York’s judiciary.
That vs. Which
If you recall from grade school the difference between an essential (independent) clause and a
nonessential (dependent) clause, use “that” for the former and “which” for the latter. If not, an
easier way is: “which” is preceded by a comma, and “that” is not. The company that had the
highest bid won the contract. The company, which had the highest bid, won the contract.
Titles
Capitalize someone’s title when it precedes his/her name, but not when it follows. Vantage
Production, LLC President Sue Woodard said.... versus said Sue Woodard, president of
Vantage Production, LLC.
Total
To avoid redundancy and keep your copy tight, avoid writing “a total of” unless leaving it out
would put a numeral at the start of your sentence. The business lost $3.4 million. Not: The
business lost a total of $3.4 million. However: A total of $3.4 million was lost is OK.
Toward and Upward
Use toward to imply movement. Upward also impies movement, but this movement is always
higher as in upward trend or upward in the company. Towards and upwards are prefered in
British English. Dropping the “s” is prefered in American English.
Uninterested, Disinterested
The former means you don’t care. The latter means you’re not biased.
Years
Do not add an apostrophe when describing a decade or century. The 1700s. The 1990s.
Unlike other numerals, it is OK to start a sentence with a year. 2008 was miserable for the
economy.
Zero vs. 0
Spell out all numbers under 10 and use numerals for 10 and above—so theoretically you’ll
never use “0.” There are exceptions to the rule. Use figures for ages, sums of money, time
of day, percentages, years, days of month, degrees of temperature, votes, scores, speeds,
dimensions and serial numbers.
© Vantage Production, LLC.
Easy Word Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them
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