HBR Guides to Being an Effective Manager Collection (5 Books) (HBR Guide Series)

Chapter 14

Learn the basics of correct grammar

Why nitpick about grammar? Because readers may see your language—especially your use of your native language—as a reflection of your competence. Make lots of mistakes and you’ll come across as uneducated and uninformed. People will hesitate to trust your recommendation to launch a resource-intensive project, for example, or to buy goods or services. They may think you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Telltale indicators

Consider pronouns. If you don’t know how to handle I and me, many of your colleagues, partners, and customers won’t take you seriously. Some errors will predictably get you in trouble:

• “She placed an order *with Megan and I.” (CORRECT: She placed an order with Megan and me.) ...