Interjections

Ouch! Oh my! Wow! Yikes!

If you’ve ever uttered any of the words above, you’ve used an interjection, whether you knew it at the time or not. The word interjection comes from the Latin words inter (between) and jacĕre (to throw). So, an interjection is a word that you throw in between sentences or thoughts to express a sudden feeling.

Standalone Interjections

Because interjections usually express sudden feelings, you’ll often see them used to convey surprise (both good surprises and bad ones) or excitement.

Yikes! There’s a snake in the garage! You planned this party just for me? Wow! Ouch! That wasp just stung me! Yahoo! Oops. Terrific! Jordan will send you the contract this afternoon.

There’s no strict rule about where an interjection must go in relation to other sentences. You can use an interjection before or after a sentence that explains what’s going on. You can also use an interjection alone, although it may not make sense if you haven’t adequately described the situation that caused you to use the interjection. Interjections often use exclamation points, but they don’t necessarily have to.

Interjections in a Sentence

It’s possible to use an interjection within a sentence. When you do, treat the interjection as a parenthetical element that’s separate from the rest of the sentence. You can put the interjection inside parentheses or set it off with commas.

I may not succeed, but, hey, at least I tried. The project was delayed because the logistics team made a few (ahem) miscalculations. It will take only thirty minutes (Wow!) to reach the city on the new train.

The important thing to remember is that the interjection should be set off somehow. Don’t just drop it in with nothing to mark it as separate from the rest of the sentence.

I forgot to do the homework assignment oops but my teacher gave me an extra day to finish it.

I forgot to do the homework assignment (oops), but my teacher gave me an extra day to finish it.

Gee I hadn’t thought of that.

Gee, I hadn’t thought of that.

When to Use Interjections

Because interjections are usually separate from other sentences, it’s hard to use them incorrectly. The bigger concern is whether it’s appropriate to use an interjection in your writing. Interjections are fine to use in casual and informal writing. It’s okay to use them in speech, too. But avoid using interjections in formal writing because it may appear that you’re not treating the topic seriously.

And now, you’re ready to go out and use interjections. Hooray!

5 Things That Will Make You Better at Content Writing

Writers around the world publish millions of articles to the Internet every day. Does yours stand out? If you’re a content creator, making a few simple changes will help you become the kind of writer whose posts are readable, relatable, and shareable. Here are five things that will make you better at content writing and help your posts shine like a beacon in a sea of words.

1Studying other writers.

If you’re going to create solid content, you have to be aware of what other writers in your space are doing. Read widely. Keep a clip file of articles that hook you. The bonus? When you’re short on inspiration, you can browse through your clip file to discover topics you’re excited to write about.

Here’s a tip: Don’t let great ideas get away! You may think you’ll remember that cool topic you stumbled upon while reading outdated magazines at the dentist’s office, but chances are it’ll slip your mind unless you write it down. Use Evernote, or any note-taking app on your smartphone, to jot down your flashes of inspiration.

Reading good writers will help you become a better one. Use social media to follow writers whose work informs and entertains you. (Or, if it works better for you, subscribe to their email updates.) Study their articles analytically—what are they doing that’s so appealing? Is there something about their technique that you could learn from?

Take a look at how your favorite writers draw you in with their opening sentence and paragraph. Pay attention to what you like about their voice and style. Do they structure their articles in a way that makes them particularly readable? Is there anything unique about their presentation? How do they handle closing paragraphs? Reading and analyzing the work of other writers can give you valuable insights.

2Researching without overdoing it.

When I begin a new article, I start with some reconnaissance reading. I perform a Google search for my article topic and then scan through the articles in the top results. As I do this, I think about how I’m going to frame my own article in a way that brings something unique to the subject.

My approach to creating content quickly involves writing first and researching last. While I do my recon reading, I make quick notes about the research I want to include in my article. But I won’t dig into that research until I’ve finished my draft. We writers love to learn, so it’s easy to take a deep dive down a research rabbit hole if you’re not careful, and climbing back out of those rabbit holes takes time that busy content producers don’t have.

Odds are, unless analyzing research is your specialty, your readers aren’t going to be looking for in-depth coverage. In most cases, they’ll thank you for digging out the most fascinating discoveries and sharing those in a few sentences. Just make sure you provide a link to the research in case your reader is curious and wants to learn more.

3Getting familiar with SEO best practices.

Search engine optimization is a huge topic. This article isn’t the place for a deep dive, but SEO best practices are something any content producer should study. Here are a few bare-bones basics.

• Titles will make or break you. A good title with competitive (but not too competitive) keywords is key to getting your article seen, read, and shared.
• Structure is crucial. The Internet has made us into scanners rather than deep readers. Your article needs to be skimmable. Not only that, but subheaders are important for placing SEO-friendly keywords.
• You should link back to yourself. Linking back to your own relevant articles is a great way to generate more pageviews.
• Fresh content is critical. Keep your articles updated. That includes creating fresh new stories and updating older ones.

If your SEO knowledge is lacking, Neil Patel offers a great step-by-step SEO guide.

4Knowing how to create a killer hook.

As I mentioned, your headline is the first thing that will draw your reader in, which is why getting it just right is essential. After that, your opening sentence and lead paragraph need to be compelling enough to keep the reader on the page.

I often draft the rest of my article before going back to work on the opening paragraph. I find that, once I’ve written the body of my article, I have a good idea in my mind about what’s unique and interesting about it. Think of your opening paragraph as an advertisement for the rest of your article. Consider these examples.

Weak Hook

Writing a great opening paragraph is very important. Here are a few tips to get you on the way to hooking your readers.

Yawn. Don’t tell your reader that something’s important, show her. Why should she want “a few tips” from you?

Strong Hook

I just stopped reading your article. You had about two seconds to hook me, but your yawn-inducing opener made me surf on to something else. Writers (not to mention their websites) thrive on being read, so why do we invest so little time in crafting strong opening hooks?

Here, we’re showing why a strong hook is important—because if you don’t have one, your reader won’t stick around. (Pro tip: Dwell time is a key factor in SEO.) Readers who navigate away, rather than staying on your site to read what you’ve written, don’t engage. They won’t comment, or subscribe to your newsletter, or follow you on social media. And they probably won’t come back.

There’s one caveat when it comes to opening paragraphs—they should sell, but they shouldn’t be misleading. Never let your opener write a check that your article can’t cash.

5Finding your voice.

It’s been documented that over two million blog posts are published every day. (Enough posts to fill TIME Magazine for 770 years.) Writers, our numbers are legion. Which means that it’s more important now than ever to stand out.

The one thing you have that other writers don’t is your voice, and your voice is forged by not only your writing style but also your experiences.

Whenever you can, don’t just cover a topic, share a story. I recently wrote about imposter syndrome. Instead of covering the same ground others had, I decided to take a more personal approach and share some how-to tips for defeating imposter syndrome through the lens of my own fraught experience at an open mike night. In doing so, my article became more relatable to people who think they may be dealing with the effects of imposter syndrome, too. (At least, I hope it is. I mean, I wrestle with imposter syndrome, so . . .)

If you don’t have a story to relate to your readers, you can at least infuse your article with your personal style. Instead of writing like you’re churning out a dry research paper, write as though you’re telling a friend about some cool new stuff you’ve learned. Use your own natural, conversational tone. Keep your language simple and direct. In other words, just be you. No one else can.

20 Email Subject Lines That Will Get Opened Every Time

Did you know that 33 percent of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on subject line alone? If you want your email read, you’ve got to get it opened first. Here are twenty powerful headers to try for four different types of email outreach, plus a few helpful tips for creating subject lines that work.

Networking

Met you at [event]. Let’s connect!

If you’ve met your contact before, and you’re convinced they’d remember the meeting favorably, it’s always helpful to bring it up

Aspiring [profession] seeking advice from the best

Is there someone in your desired industry that you admire? Flattery will often get an email opened.

[Referrer name] recommended I get in touch

A referral will often get you in the door, so don’t be afraid to name-drop right from the subject line.

[Topic] is a passion of mine, too!

You’ve scoured your contact’s blog and social channels and discovered that you both have an interest in hockey. This is fate! Break the ice (ha ha) by referring to a common interest.

Fellow [university] alum looking to connect

If you went to the same college, even if your paths never crossed, use a little school spirit to get a foot in the door.

Sales and Marketing Pitches

X ideas to help you with [problem]

We humans like numbers. Email subject lines with numbers are opened more often. Drop a number, and then offer to give your contact help with some challenge and you’re likely to catch their attention.

How to [accomplish a task]

Let’s say you’re offering customized meal plans. A subject line like “How to become an awesome cook in one week” is sure to get attention.

Only three spots left in [topic] workshop

Tell people that a deadline’s coming up and most of them just shrug. Oh, well. If I miss the deadline, it’s whatever. Tell them there are only three spots left (or twenty-four hours left to save $100, or only four magical squirrel catapults left in stock) and FOMO kicks in. We’re competitive creatures, and no one wants to miss out.

3 out of 4 people are deficient in this mineral. Are you?

Subject lines that create curiosity are infinitely clickable. Don’t you want to know what mineral you’re likely to be deficient in? (We don’t know, either. We made it up. That’s not the point.) If you can make your recipient curious to find the answer to something, you’re more likely to get them to engage.

Introducing [product], a better way to [accomplish a task]

People are curious about new things. Campaign Monitor discovered that emails with “introducing” or “new” in the subject line increased the chance of the email being opened by 9.45% and 3.26% respectively.

Content Promotion

Do not commit these epic Twitter fails

This subject plays off the curiosity gap, but it also suggests that the recipient might be making some critical errors, which makes it a must-open email.

My biggest [topic] mistake

We want to read confessional content. If we’ve made similar mistakes, then we’re reassured that we’re not alone. If we’ve avoided the mistake, we feel grateful. It’s a win-win.

28 ways to get organized right now

Again, we’re using numbers. If the content you’re promoting uses a numbered format, then use that in your subject line. People respond to numbers, and they like tips, too!

What you must know to protect yourself from identity theft

Any time you tell your recipient that there may be a gap in their knowledge, you encourage them to open your email to find out more.

I wrote this for you

Okay, it’s a bit gimmicky, but email subject lines like this work. They feel personalized. Just make sure you deliver some intimate, compelling content or you’ll lose your reader’s trust.

Asking for Something

Spare five minutes to give your expert feedback?

We like to be thought of as experts. We like to know that our opinions matter. Asking for feedback is often fairly easy. Reminding your contact that your request will only take five minutes helps it seem manageable.

I would really appreciate your help with [subject]

Not everyone wants to be helpful, but most people do like to be appreciated. Ask for help in a polite, straightforward way that expresses gratitude.

Urgent call for volunteers. Are you in?

Saying that you have an urgent need alone might do the trick, but adding a call to action right in your subject header can stir a more immediate response. The question “Are you in?” subtly implies that others are and urges the recipient not to miss out.

What are you doing Friday night?

Okay, so, maybe you’re going to ask your recipient to do something they’d rather not, like answer phones at the telethon or stay late to help with a special project. But you’ve got to get them to open your email plea first. This subject line is just vague and intriguing enough to do the trick.

Would you share this story on your social channels?

People often make the mistake of burying their ask so deeply in their email that the recipient isn’t even sure what they’re asking for. This type of subject header cuts straight to the chase and tells the recipient exactly what you want.

Subject Header Tips

• Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver. If your subject header promises to offer twenty great tips for starting a ferret farm, your email had better point to a website with those tips. Otherwise, you’ll lose trust.
• Keep it short. Although 65-character-long email headers do seem to result in opens, it helps to be aware of the issues longer headers may cause. People read emails on their mobile phones, where a subject line over 25 to 30 characters may be truncated.
• Avoid filler words and phrases. Your space is limited. Use it wisely!
• Don’t use all caps or excessive punctuation. When you use all caps online, you look like you’re shouting! No one likes to be shouted at. Excess punctuation (like multiple exclamation points or question marks) looks amateurish and desperate. Both all caps and over-punctuating can also trigger spam filters.
• Speaking of spam filters . . . here are some of the best ways to avoid them.

If You Work From Home, Here’s How to Be Successful

Working from home seems ideal. No need to get dressed and polished for the day, no commute, and no distracting coworkers to face—what’s not to like? But working remotely isn’t as easy as it looks.

The undisputed champion of small talk topics revolves around one question: What do you do for a living? I tell people I’m a writer and that, although I’m technically a freelancer, I have a steady gig with Grammarly. (That insight sometimes evokes the exclamation “Oh em gee! I love Grammarly!” Satisfying.) Inevitably, I’m asked whether “freelancer” means I get to work from home. I do. I’ve been working from home for about twenty years.

Tell people you work from home, and the following conversation almost always ensues:

Person: Aaah, you’re so lucky!

Me: Yeah. It’s pretty cool.

Person: I mean, you can just get out of bed and work in your pajamas.

Me: Well, it’s a little more complicated than that . . .

There’s been a shift toward remote work in recent years. According to Global Workplace Analytics, 50 percent of the U.S. workforce holds a job that allows them to work from home at least part of the time, and approximately 20 to 25 percent of the workforce telecommutes frequently. Everyone seems to want to ditch the commute and the need for a business casual wardrobe and instead work from the relative peace and comfort of their own space.

Top Three Work-from-Home Problems and Their Solutions

I was telecommuting long before telecommuting was cool. I can’t imagine ever having to work outside my home again. And yet, there are some definite challenges that every remote worker faces. Here are my top three, along with some helpful ideas for tackling them.

1 Lack of Discipline

Allow me to speculate that you’re not as disciplined as you think you are. (And if you already know you’re undisciplined, allow me to speculate that you’re even more undisciplined than you concede.) I speak from experience. The siren call of household chores, playtime with your kids or pets, and naps are the least of your concerns.

The most dangerous distraction sits before you at your desk. Social media, YouTube, and the rest of the Internet are just a tab away. Online games lurk there, too. (And, if you’re of the gamer persuasion, you already know that the game icon on your desktop, or the console in the living room, poses a serious threat to your productivity.) Unless you find ways to minimize distractions, they’ll monopolize your work day before you can say “Whoa! Where did the time go?”

Solution:

Learn good time management skills. You can’t stick to a schedule unless you have one, so schedule your time in blocks.

The key is to make your time blocks manageable. If you book yourself for four solid hours of work without a break, you’ll find your mind wandering and your productivity tanking. The Pomodoro Technique, for instance, promotes scheduling twenty-five-minute blocks of work time followed by brief breaks.

Whatever you do on your breaks, I recommend leaving your desk. Stretch, breathe, grab coffee or tea, use the bathroom (thanks coffee or tea), or take the dog for a quick walk. Your body and brain will thank you. Too much sitting can sap your creativity and ability to think clearly. Grabbing ten minutes to do some yoga or go for a quick walk will clear your head and make you more productive.

Here’s a tip: If you find yourself lured away by Facebook or Twitter during your work-time blocks, try tools that keep you from surfing to distracting websites. StayFocusd is a good one for Chrome users. FocusMe, Cold Turkey, and SelfControl are a few other solid options. Oh, and turn off smartphone notifications while you’re at it.

2 Feeling Out of the Loop

If you’re freelancing for multiple clients, this may not apply to you. But if you’re one of the many telecommuters who work remotely for a single employer, staying connected to your team at the office may prove challenging.

There’s nothing like prepping your really cool project ideas only to hear the project was scrapped or has shifted directions, and that you were not only not informed of the change but also not involved in making it. In addition to leaving you feeling like you’ve wasted time, it serves as a reminder that being out-of-sight sometimes means being out-of-mind.

Solution:

Fortunately, there’s a lot of technology at your fingertips to make communicating with your colleagues easier. Stay active on company chat platforms like Slack. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you feel ill-informed. Be persistent and go after the information you need in order to do your job. Never use “I wasn’t in the loop” as an excuse.

Be your own advocate. Ask to be included in meetings via video conference so you’ll have better insight into projects. If you can’t attend a meeting, ask a colleague for a quick debriefing by phone. You’ll feel more connected and tuned in.

Don’t make yourself difficult to get in touch with, either. If you’re required to be available during working hours, then consider yourself on the clock and answer promptly when your coworkers message or email you. If you’re accessible, your coworkers will be more likely to include you.

3 Going Stir Crazy

It’s already difficult to make friends as an adult. It’s doubly difficult when you don’t go to an office and connect with your coworkers. There are no daily break room chats, there’s no bonding over sports scores, and no getting the recipe for that awesome veggie dip Dave brought to the last office luncheon. You’re on a solo mission, and yeah, it can get lonely.

Working from home sounds great until you consider how isolated it can make you feel. Staying connected with your colleagues in the ways I described can certainly help, but it’s still no substitute for face-to-face interaction with people. You’ll have to make some extra effort to avoid becoming a creepy recluse.

Solution:

Make time for the friends you already have. Don’t turn down social invitations because you’re tempted to work—get your work done on schedule so that you can keep your evenings and weekends free. You need the downtime just as much as someone who reports to an office does.

Here’s a tip: If you don’t work on a set schedule, make one for yourself. Work reasonable hours. With few exceptions (crunch times, or when you’re getting caught up due to illness or time off), give yourself weekends off. Don’t be tempted to overwork just because your work is always within reach.

Find activities outside work that you can join. A few years back, I found myself becoming a work-obsessed hermit. I realized that, despite my tendency toward introversion, I needed to get myself out amongst people if I was going to be a happy and well-rounded. I love to sing, so I joined a community choir. I’ve since made some great friends, and rehearsals give me a reason to look forward to Mondays.

If finding a hobby or activity isn’t your jam, then at least consider working outside your office now and then. Take your laptop to a coffeehouse where you can watch people, and maybe even interact with a few, as you get work done. (You might be surprised by how well you work in that type of environment.) You could also look into co-working spaces or shared office space in your area.

Working from home can be wonderful. Right now, I’m sitting at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee to my left, a sleeping dog to my right, and a ukulele behind me. As soon as I send this article off to my editor, I’ll finish the coffee, strum the uke for a few minutes, and then walk the dog. It works for me because I’ve learned how to make it work. Here’s to making it work for you!

Did You Study Grammar In School?

Quotation Marks and Dialogue

Quotation marks are used to identify words that someone has said. You’ll often find them in fiction, where they signify dialogue, the words spoken by the characters. In newspapers, journalists use quotation marks to signify that something is a direct quote from a person in the article. In academic papers, quotation marks can signify that you are quoting material that was written by someone else. Quotation marks always come in pairs; the first set opens the quote and the second set closes the quote.

American vs. British Quotation Marks

American English and British English differ in the way they use quotation marks. American English uses double quotation marks (“ ”) for quotes and reserves single quotation marks (‘ ’) for quotes within quotes. In British English, the convention is the opposite. Another difference is that in American English, periods and commas go before closing quotation marks. In British English, they go after the closing quotation mark. The guidelines below apply to American English.

Dialogue

When writers become confused about quotation marks, it usually has to do with where to put other nearby punctuation. Below is an example of a conversation between two characters, with their dialogue correctly punctuated.

Martin said, “I’m going over to Jennifer’s house for a few hours.”

“You can’t be serious!” cried Fauntleroy.

“Oh, but I am,” Martin replied.

“How will you get there?” Fauntleroy asked.

“I thought I’d take the bus.”

“And,” Fauntleroy continued, “exactly how long is ‘a few hours’?”

“Probably two or three.”

“Well . . . fine. Tell Jennifer I said hello.”

In the first sentence, Martin makes a declarative statement that ends in a period. The period goes inside the quotation marks. Treat anything within quotation marks as separate from the rest of the sentence you’ve written, and make sure it has its own correct punctuation. If the quote is a full sentence, it must begin with a capital letter, even though it is within the larger structure of another sentence.

The second sentence begins a new paragraph because a different character is speaking. Fauntleroy responds with an outburst, ending with an exclamation mark. When an exclamation mark belongs to the sentence inside the quotation marks, it goes before the closing quotation mark.

In the third sentence, Martin is making another declarative statement. This time, however, the statement is followed by the dialogue tag Martin replied. In dialogue, when a sentence that would normally end in a period is followed by a dialogue tag, the period becomes a comma. It should go before the closing quotation mark.

In the fourth sentence, Fauntleroy’s query ends with a question mark. As with exclamation marks, a question mark goes before the closing quotation mark when it belongs to the sentence inside the quotation marks.

In the fifth sentence, Martin is speaking, but there is no dialogue tag. Writers often omit dialogue tags when the context of a conversation makes it clear who the speaker is.

In the sixth sentence, the dialogue tag Fauntleroy continued appears in the middle of Fauntleroy’s sentence. Notice the placement of the commas after And and continued; commas go before quotation marks. This sentence also contains a quote within a quote, which is enclosed with single quotation marks. Fauntleroy is repeating Martin’s words a few hours.

The final two sentences of the conversation also omit the dialogue tags, because it’s clear which character is speaking in both instances.

Non-Dialogue Quotations

In nonfiction or academic contexts, you may want to quote someone without styling it as dialogue. The same rules for where to put other punctuation in relation to the quotation marks apply. But you should also take care to construct your sentence so that the quoted words fit within it grammatically.

The mayor said his two golden retrievers were “the best dogs in the world” and added that he was not a cat person.

The mayor said his two golden retrievers were “the best dogs in the world. I’m not a cat person.”

In the second example, the sentence begins in the third person and past tense but abruptly switches to the first person and present tense halfway through the quote. The result is jarring for the reader, and sometimes hard to follow.

Scare Quotes

Occasionally, writers enclose certain terms they wish to distance themselves from in quotation marks. Quotation marks used this way are commonly called scare quotes or shudder quotes. It’s a way of implying that you’re using a term in an unusual way or that you don’t necessarily approve of it. For example:

Silicon Valley has fully embraced the “sharing economy.”

The scare quotes around sharing economy suggest that it’s not a fully accepted term. Perhaps the writer feels that it’s jargon or just doesn’t like it. But, unless you’re writing for an audience who is totally unfamiliar with the subject, it’s better to leave the quotation marks out and instead provide enough context to make the meaning of the term clear. Overusing scare quotes will quickly annoy readers, so reserve them for terms that truly require them:

For too many people, “computer security” is an oxymoron.

In the sentence above, the scare quotes are needed to indicate that the writer is not talking about computer security in general, but rather the term itself.

Because scare quotes usually suggest a sniff of disapproval or sarcasm from the writer, you should never use them purely for emphasis or decoration. A sign outside a restaurant that proclaims Best “Flapjacks” in Town will make people stop and wonder why the flapjacks need the scare quotes. Are they really flapjacks? Or are they some kind of inferior imitation? Likewise, if you write someone a note that says I “love” you, the recipient will probably assume that you meant the exact opposite!

Words to Purge From Your Emails

Do your bloated emails need a diet? If an email is too wordy, the recipient may not be inclined to read it carefully. Make your emails brief, clean, and effective by eliminating these unnecessary phrases.

One Potentially Impolite Word

When you type an email, the receiver can’t see your twinkling eyes and impish grin. Certain words, such as “actually,” can seem sarcastic, condescending, or even impolite. Consider these example conversations, and decide which of the two sends the more polite message.:

Boss: Marie, I asked you for the Boulder report this morning. Can you please bring it to my office ASAP?

Reply 1: Actually, I put it on your desk earlier. It should be under your green paperweight. Let me know if you don’t see it.

Reply 2: I put it under your desk earlier. It should be under your green paperweight. Let me know if you don’t see it.

Does version one actually seem a bit snippy? Rather than run the risk of your words being misconstrued, why not leave out the unnecessary phrase “actually” in your emails?

7 Weasel Words and Phrases

Weasel words make you sound unsure or unreliable. In particular, there are seven expressions that should be eliminated if you want to make a good impression on the reader: like, sort of, kind of, maybe, perhaps, might, and can. Let’s look at another sample email with and without the weasels.

Client: Will the package arrive on Monday?

Reply 1: We might be able to deliver the package by Monday. I sort of need your tracking number. Perhaps if you send it, I can see where the package is.

Reply 2: To see exactly where your package is, I need the tracking number. Please send it and I will let you know if the package will arrive by Monday.

Reply two is direct and honest. Doesn’t reply one sound hesitant? If you want to send the impression that you have everything under control, avoid expressions that sound like you are trying to weasel out of something.

3 Add-Nothing Adverbs

Some writers hate adverbs, but most agree that they have their place. Henry James wrote “Adjectives are the sugar of literature and adverbs the salt.” To carry the metaphor forward, salt enhances the taste of food when used in the right proportion. Too much salt spoils a dish. On the other hand, salt has no place in certain edibles. Imagine putting salt in your lemonade, for example! Three adverbs are the worst of the worst because they add nothing important to a phrase. Avoid basically, currently, and seriously. Take a look at these examples to see why you should permanently leave these three words behind.

Message 1: I seriously considered your job offer. Basically, I am writing to decline because I currently have commitments that extend through April 2 of next year. Once they are fulfilled, I will contact you again to discuss what openings you have.

Message 2: I am writing to decline your job offer because I have previous commitments that extend through April 2 of next year. Once they are fulfilled, I will contact you again to discuss what openings you have.

It’s a job offer! Of course you seriously considered it. You are writing in present tense. Therefore, “currently” is extraneous. “Basically” indicates that a statement summarizes the most important aspects of a complicated situation. However, you explained the main points. If your readers need more details, they will ask.

3 Redundant or Imprecise Phrases

We’ve covered several redundant phrases that do nothing more than bloat writing. In an email, where brevity is especially appreciated, these phrases should be cut without delay. Let’s revisit a few of the worst offenders:

As a matter of fact

As a matter of fact means “in reality.” Speakers often use it to correct a misunderstanding or point out an error.

Speaker 1: I don’t eat polenta because I am allergic to wheat.

Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, polenta is a corn product.

Remember when we discussed why “actually” should be avoided? If you read the conversation above aloud, perhaps you might imagine Speaker 2 delivering the correction with hands on hips and a roll of the eyes. Why risk offending your readers? Don’t take for granted that they will understand your motives. It’s always better to make important corrections or clarifications in person. If you must send an email, choose your words carefully. A little tact goes a long way.

In the process of

Dear client, we are in the process of remodeling our store. The Bates location will be closed until further notice.

Will your clients get confused if you take out the phrase “in the process of”? Will they turn up at the storefront scratching their heads? If you reread the sentence without “in the process of,” you still understand why the location is closed. Why state the obvious?

For all intents and purposes

For all intents and purposes means “in effect.” People use it when there may be some ambiguity in a statement of fact. For instance, imagine you are a company owner who wants to discontinue the manufacture of a product. You set the date to cease production. Most of the materials to make the product should be used by that date. If you end up with materials left over, you will continue production for a few more days to avoid waste. Rather than go into exhaustive detail with your workers, you state: For all intents and purposes, production will cease on October 15.

Instead of this wordy phrase, opt for a more precise way of expressing ambiguous details. In the example above, the company owner could say that production is predicted to cease on October 12. Or, she might say that production will cease mid-October. Either way, the workers would understand the general timeframe of the end of production.

If you aren’t convinced, consider another problem that arises with “for all intents and purposes.” Many people use it incorrectly. Rather than take a chance on being one of them, you might want to use a synonym such as “in effect.”

English is full of unneeded filler words. The best emails are clear, direct, and brief. If you want your emails to communicate their purpose, eliminate these superfluous phrases.