When the copywriter has to swallow his pride

The importance of language in business

When it comes to business, the rules for grammar, style and register are not infrequently inverted - novel writers have the freedom to express themselves poetically, should they elect to do so; however, with business and corporate communication, language ought to be structured strictly.

The reason for this strict attention is owed directly to the objective of any business: profit. In order to make a profit, a business must acquire customers; and in order to acquire customers, a business must attract customers.

An immediate and often unconscious repellent is the misuse of language rule in business. A spelling mistake or a grammatical error may indubitably cause the reader (the potential customer) not to think highly of the business. Even a plumber ought to ensure his pamphlets are checked for error.

Evolution in language

Copywriters often need to hold back and reassess the subject of their copy - and with grimace and breath-holding, copywriters everywhere end up using split infinitives.

On this note, split infinitives are now acceptable and a lot of writers aver that it should have been acceptable long ago because of its Latin origin in which a verb doesn't split naturally, whereas in English it does - this one is still up for debate...

Social media has doubtlessly contributed to this evolution of language in which "wanna" and "gonna" are accepted forms of communication, not to mention the disregard for other more complex intricacies of language structure.

Balance in this new system

Notwithstanding media's embrace of 21st Century language, there are still fine points under which businesses must never buckle. Up until the mid nineteenth century, adjectives were found quite comfortably after nouns - e.g. "I have not time enough for this project," in which today language would be structured as "I haven't got enough time for this project."

Certain rules of engagement must therefore be respected - and it is strongly suggested that a professional writer be sought to ensure copy is suitable for the intended audience or readership.

Although, perhaps by the time this receives publication, the rules will have changed.