Usage & grammar

Words or constructions where the right choice depends on how the sentence works.

47 guides

Comprise / Compose / Include / Contain / Constitute A whole comprises or contains its parts; parts compose or constitute a whole. Include introduces members or examples. Write “comprises”, not “comprises of”. Open guide
Fewer / Less Use fewer for countable items and less for amounts. Established expressions involving time, money, distance and measurements often use less. Open guide
Continual / Continuous / Continued Continual usually emphasises repeated recurrence; continuous emphasises an unbroken sequence; continued simply means carried on or persisting. Open guide
Alternate / Alternative Alternate is clearest for taking turns; alternative is clearest for another choice. Open guide
Staff / Staff member / staff members Use staff for the workforce collectively and staff member when referring to one person. Use staff members when a precise count matters. Open guide
Feedback / Comment / comments / Piece / item of feedback Feedback is normally uncountable. Use comments for countable observations, or pieces or items of feedback when you need to count feedback. Open guide
Information / Piece / item of information Information is uncountable in standard workplace English. Use a piece or item of information for one fact and pieces or items for several. Open guide
Equipment / Piece / item of equipment Equipment is normally uncountable. Use a piece or item of equipment for one device and pieces or items for several. Open guide
Approve / Approve of Approve something means formally authorise it; approve of something means have a favourable opinion of it. Open guide
Must / Need to / Should / May Use must for obligations, need to for necessary process steps, should for recommendations and may for permission or options. Open guide
Compare to / Compare with Compare to often draws an analogy; compare with often examines similarities and differences. In everyday usage they overlap, so prioritise clarity over enforcing a rigid rule. Open guide
Verify / Validate In systems and assurance work, verification asks whether the solution meets its specifications; validation asks whether it serves the intended use. Open guide
Estimate / Forecast / Projection An estimate infers a population value from sample data for a previous reference period; a forecast states an expected future value; a projection shows a conditional future value under stated assumptions. Open guide
Biweekly / Fortnightly / Twice weekly Biweekly can mean every two weeks or twice a week. Use fortnightly or every two weeks for the first meaning, and twice weekly or twice a week for the second. Open guide
Bimonthly / Twice monthly / Every two months Bimonthly can mean every two months or twice a month. Write the intended frequency explicitly. Open guide
Amount / Number / Quantity Use amount with uncountable nouns and number with countable nouns. Quantity is more formal and can be used with either, depending on context. Open guide
A number of … are / The number of … is A number of means several and normally takes a plural verb; the number of refers to one total and takes a singular verb. Open guide
Discuss something / Discuss about something Discuss normally takes a direct object and does not need about. Use discuss the issue or talk about the issue. Open guide
With regard to / Regarding / With regards to Use with regard to or, more simply, regarding. Avoid with regards to in formal writing. Open guide
In regard to / In regards to Use in regard to without s, or use the plainer regarding. Avoid in regards to in formal writing. Open guide
Result in / Result from A cause results in an outcome; an outcome results from a cause. Open guide
Apply for / Apply to / Apply something to Apply for names what is sought; apply to names the recipient or scope; apply something to names the rule, method or treatment being used. Open guide
Clarify (verb) / Seek clarification on Clarify is a transitive verb and normally takes a direct object; the noun phrase clarification on names the matter that needs explanation. Open guide
Emphasise or stress (verbs) / Place emphasis or stress on Emphasise and stress normally take a direct object in these workplace senses; the related noun phrases take on. Open guide
Between X and Y / From X to Y Use the matched constructions between X and Y and from X to Y; do not combine one half of each. Open guide
Agree with / Agree to / Agree on Agree with expresses the same view; agree to expresses consent; agree on identifies a matter jointly decided. Open guide
On time / In time / Just in time On time concerns the schedule; in time means early enough for a purpose; just in time means only narrowly early enough. Open guide
Seek / Search for Seek normally takes its object directly: seek approval, seek advice or seek clarification. Use search for when you mean actively try to locate something. Open guide
As at / As of / With effect from / effective from Use as at for a snapshot at a date, and with effect from or effective from for the commencement of a change. As of is standard but can mean either at or from a date, so choose a more explicit expression where the distinction matters. Open guide
Consider something / Consider doing something / Consideration of / give consideration to Use consider something or consider doing something. Do not write consider about or consider to do. The related noun constructions include consideration of and give consideration to. Open guide
Update someone on something / Inform someone of / about something / Notify someone of something Update someone on the latest position; inform someone of or about facts; notify someone of something when communicating formally or officially. Open guide
Improve / Worsen / Deteriorate / Regress / Deprove Improve means become or make better. Use worsen for the general opposite, deteriorate for progressive decline, and regress for a return to an earlier or worse state. Do not use deprove as the opposite of improve in formal workplace writing. Open guide
As such / Therefore / so As such should normally refer back to what something or someone has just been described as. Use therefore or so for a general cause-and-effect link. Open guide
As requested / As per your request / As per requested Use as requested, or the more formal as per your request. Do not combine the two as as per requested. Open guide
The reason is that … / Because … / The reason is because … In formal workplace writing, prefer the reason is that or a direct because-clause. The reason is because is common in speech but usually duplicates the causal link. Open guide
According to [source] / In my view / in my opinion / According to me According to normally attributes information to another source. Use in my view, in my opinion or I think for your own judgement. Open guide
Cope with / Keep up with / Cope up with Use cope with for managing difficulty and keep up with for matching pace. Avoid the blended cope up with. Open guide
Share something / Talk about something / Share about something Share normally takes the thing shared directly; talk takes about before the topic. Avoid blending the two patterns in formal writing. Open guide
I have attached … / Attached is … / Please find attached … / Attached herewith … / Enclosed … All of these can be grammatical. For routine email, I have attached or Attached is is usually the clearest. Please find attached is formal; attached herewith is more legalistic; enclosed traditionally suits physical correspondence. Open guide
Insights into / Insights on Use insights into when the emphasis is understanding something more deeply. Insights on is also used for observations or views on a topic, so this is a usage distinction rather than an absolute grammar rule. Open guide
Repeat / Repeat again Repeat already means do or say again, so again is usually redundant. It can be meaningful only where you explicitly mean one further repetition after an earlier repeat. Open guide
Return / Return back Return normally already contains the idea of going or giving back, so return back is usually redundant in formal writing. Open guide
Colleague / Fellow colleague Colleague already expresses shared work or professional membership. Fellow colleague is usually redundant, though fellow can sometimes be used deliberately for emphasis. Open guide
Going forward / With effect from / effective from / From [specific date] / on or after [date] Going forward is valid business English but can be too vague for rules, eligibility conditions or operational cutovers. Use an effective date or an explicit on-or-after boundary when timing affects scope. Open guide
Mention / Mention about Mention normally takes a direct object: mention the issue, not mention about the issue. Talk or speak can take about. Open guide
Prefer X to Y / Prefer to … rather than … / Prefer X than Y Prefer normally compares things with to: prefer X to Y. When comparing actions, prefer to do X rather than do Y is also standard. Open guide
Per / As per Per and as per can both mean according to or in accordance with. In concise operational writing, per is enough; as per is valid but more formal and often heavier. Open guide

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