The importance of punctuation and grammar in business English is a modern language in conducting business. Clarity is accomplished through a process of writing. Proper grammar and punctuation in business communication establish credibility. They are necessary tools of any piece of writing if you want to communicate effectively and efficiently. Accurate use of punctuation and grammar in business writing is essential since it contributes to making communication. Ideally, accuracy helps to clear communication given that proper use of commas, and good sentence construction can make the message much easier to understand. Errors in punctuation and grammar can easily lead to miscommunication and error in action. “The book Lauchman, R. (2010). Punctuation at work. New York: American Management Association” provides some elegant examples of how clarity can be lost entirely with little punctuation and grammatical errors. It is essential to edit yourself thoughtfully if you want your ideas to be understood well enough to be agreed to as well as implemented. Proper use of grammar and punctuation always lead the reader to assume that you are a careful person who pays attention to detail since the bad use of grammar and punctuation will often cause the reader to conclude the writer is inattentive. Punctuating in a proper manner result in getting the right syntax whereby making use of a variety of options take advantage of a broad knowledge of grammar. The adherence to the rules of grammar, as well as attention to proper punctuation, helps ascertain a positive impression when developing client relationships, impressing employers along with communicating with co-workers. Therefore, the main aim of this essay paper is to explore the importance of grammar and punctuation in a business environment.
A business venture can be successful through the ability to communicate in a language that is free from errors. Operative communication is dynamic in today’s business endeavors. Businesses have to adapt to newer technologies along with operational procedures to remain competitive with the continuous changes in the economy. Effective communication involves written and verbal aspects which encompass the exchange of ideas and opinions. It is evident that many universities have seen the need of offering its students the opportunity to learn the concepts of grammar and punctuation since it makes them more marketable in the business environment. It has become broadly accepted that the lingua franca of international trade is English which is thought of as a standard language. Lingua Franca is used for business operations and is aimed to provide essential business communication vocabulary, which can be a downfall if at all the language is incorrectly articulated based on the concept of grammar and punctuation.
From Bircan (2013), American Academic ; Scholarly Research Journal” illustrate that proper punctuation and grammar of languages help business compete globally. Communicating as well as conducting business in various countries relies on several aspects, and one of the main is proper punctuation and grammar. The ability to communicate properly provides opportunities to bridge communication gaps among cultures. While companies work hard to remain competitive in a market, employees also need a competitive advantage in securing employment basically by punctuating and providing proper grammar while communicating. Business communication goes hand in hand with each other in the sense that companies achieve success and employees satisfaction through appropriate language skills. Skills seem to be gaining popularity from not only companies but from governments as well. For instance, the business environment in China has experienced numerous challenges due to punctuation and grammar mistakes while trading both locally and globally. It is evident that punctuation and grammar play a vital role in the global economy given the fact that it is a part of the world’s prime destinations for foreign investment. Proper language skills have become a crucial resource for international companies particularly in China since shared business interests require a shared language. Language proficiency has both positive and negative sides in sales environment, and they include; Positives of punctuation and grammar
Social contacts are often highly ritualized
It helps in conveying precise information
Writing that impresses the reader and provides them clear understanding will make the reader feel more at ease in doing business with you
Proper punctuation and grammar are becoming increasingly important to be accurate in business communications
Messages that are precise and clear provide effective communication that equates to the ability to deliver products and services
Proper communication shows professionalism and has the power to change perceptions of people as well as sway people’s decisions in the business environment.
Negatives
Errors will cost your business that leads to costly mistakes and hurting feelings
Unclear and ambiguous writing causes misunderstanding as well as misinterpretations
Careless mistakes based on grammar and punctuation creates the wrong impression, cost time, lose business as well as reduce productivity
The use of improper punctuation and grammar result in miscommunication
Much of the language needed in business people will be transactional
“Peck, J ; Coyle, M (2005). The student’s guide to writing. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan” is the favorite book that aimed at perfecting the student’s writing skills. The book shows how the students construct a sentence, essay, and a paragraph and carefully explains punctuation as well as grammar. The book tackles the problem of writing and how to avoid the kind of simple errors that can lose marks in as essay examination. The book is concerned to help students communicate better and gain confidence in their writing abilities. The fundamental aspect of this book is to write a sentence that is correctly punctuated without any grammatical error. From the student point of view, this book conveys accurately and clearly information. In formal writing, every sentence has to be grammatically cohesive to be clear and comprehensible the essential skill in writing is the ability to generate a correct sentence that follows the conventions of Standard English in its grammar and punctuation. From the business point of view, employers value students who can write grammatical sentences as well as convey information in a clear and accurate manner. Therefore, some ground rules are required for any sentence to communicate efficiently and they include;
Every sentence needs at least a subject as well as a finite verb
Constructing simple sentences help to avoid common errors
Incorporating subordinate clauses enable sentences to convey more information, expression, and ideas.
Perfect grammar and punctuation develop organizational skills while developing the student’s critical thinking. In the business environment, workforce skills require innovative techniques that help the students improve the workforce. Effective integration of grammar and punctuation help the students retain and obtain employment and acquire significant opportunities in the workforce. Numerous organizations list punctuation and grammar skills as prime requisites for obtaining as well as maintaining employment. These skills are ideally essential since businesses have placed enormous emphasis on the ability to communicate. Communication-based on proper grammar and punctuation promotes personal along with work-related associations. In the business arena, language skills attribute as number one for recruits since basic communication skills are the key to success in the workforce. Potential employees are characterized based on communication skills, and the enormous emphasis is placed on the ability to communicate. Students entering the workforce require excellent communication skills. The idea that sufficient punctuation and grammar are skills needed for the success of the workforce and should be reinforced continuously. These aspects are considered to be essential towards the success of business programs both locally and globally. Writing clearly, evaluating the content as well as synthesizing information is necessary for the success of the firm. Business communication skills comprise business letters, reports, memos just to name but a few. Therefore, some of the positives and negatives include the following;
Positives
Language proficiency can influence customer perceptions based on the company’s credibility and reputation
Language skills help individuals to participate in conversation
It helps people to make decisions and organizational leaders thus evaluating daily dilemmas that occur in the business environment.
Language proficiency contributes to managing teams with diverse characteristics and scrutinizes potential employees effectively.
It creates understanding on how to effectively communicate with people from other countries
The expertise and trend help students meet the challenges of the new economy
Negatives
Errors in punctuation and grammar convey different ideas and different personalities
Improper grammar causes mismanagement of resources in the business environment
Punctuation and grammar evaluate the growth of the students and achievements. Proper language skills offer students the opportunity to achieve learning objectives. These skills are integrated into business education. According to the book, “Quibble, Z.K, 2004 error Identification, Labeling and Correction in Written Business Communication. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal” communication skills are essential for success and provide prospective employers analytical thinking and communication skills of students. The importance of actual writing analyzes the intended audience and makes the message applicable. The book pointed opportunities that explore multiple options as well as perspectives in communication creating a critical thinking culture in business.
In conclusion, these skills are more productive and efficient upon entering the workforce. The ability helps the students to collaborate and integrate into business learning and is crucial for students to examine multiple viewpoints in accomplishing objectives. The skills play a vital role in the success and provide more personal interaction with customers. However, essentially, the skills are valuable to potential employers. An organization that creates a climate of success requires proper grammar and punctuation contribute to creating a successful workforce. Business educators must take the lead in integrating new practices, skills and trends design efficient method delivery in an organization. Therefore, grammar and punctuation are new concepts that promote professional and personal lives.
