THE AMA HANDBOOK OF BUSINESS WRITING This page intentionally left blank The AMA Handbook of Business Writing The Ultimate Guide to Style, Grammar, Usage, Punctuation, Construction, and Formatting KEVIN WILSON and JENNIFER WAUSON AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D. C. Bulk discounts available. For details visit: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales Or contact special sales: Phone: 800-250-5308 Email:
[email protected] View all the AMACOM titles at: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data AMA handbook of business writing : the ultimate guide to style, grammar, usage, punctuation, construction, and formatting / Kevin Wilson and Jennifer Wauson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1589-4 Isbn-10: 0-8144-1589-x 1. Commercial correspondence--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Business writing— Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. English language—Business English—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Wilson, K. (Kevin), 1958– II. Wauson, Jennifer. III. American Management Association. HF5726.A485 1996 808'.06665—dc22 2009050050 © 2010 Kevin Wilson and Jennifer Wauson. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. About AMA American Management Association (www.amanet.org) is a world leader in talent development, advancing the skills of individuals to drive business success. Our mission is to support the goals of individuals and organizations through a complete range of products and services, including classroom and virtual seminars, webcasts, webinars, podcasts, conferences, corporate and government solutions, business books and research. AMA’s approach to improving performance combines experiential learning—learning through doing—with opportunities for ongoing professional growth at every step of one’s career journey. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C