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Business & Technical Writing/Questions Answered by Expert Alice J. Bogert
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Pleas help me to correct these sentences | 12/7/2009 |
| Q: Please note that the supplier shall reimburse these expenses / expenditure as they sent it to us as ... A: I am happy to help. I don't know what you mean by "...incurable amount..," so I'm taking a leap of ... | |
| Wonder and ever made | 3/19/2009 |
| Q: could you help me with the meaning of the word Wonder and Ever Made in the follwing sentence, ... A: I'm happy to decode the meanings for you. The writer is saying that when he first started trading, ... | |
| Please help edit this paper... | 1/5/2009 |
| Q: Please help me with this letter. I am no good with writing, but I want the EEOC to know that I have ... A: I am sorry. I misread your request and didn't realize you wanted the information you provided put ... | |
| Essay/Speech on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Raw and Looking for Alibrandi | 10/12/2008 |
| Q: I'm in year 10 and I was wondering if you could help me fix up my speech for english. I'd really ... A: I don't do homework assignments. Your teacher gives those assignments to see how much you know, ... | |
| punctuation question | 9/23/2008 |
| Q: In fact some of the other attorneys in our firm actually call him "the commakazie" (wrong sp., I ... A: The grammar rule says to use a comma before and/or after words or phrases that are NOT essential to ... | |
| Grammatical question | 9/4/2008 |
| Q: We are a High School and wondering if in the salutation of a letter to parents, one way is more ... A: There is no grammar rule that says one or the other name should go first. Traditionally, the man's ... | |
| inquiry: How to sell articles to magazines | 5/29/2008 |
| Q: Good day! I need information on the following questions. 1) What is the correct format in writing ... A: I'm happy to give you some resources. However, I cannot answer your article format questions ... | |
| Salutation of a Business Letter | 4/17/2008 |
| Q: My boss and I disagree on how to address a prospective client in our proposal. Wife goes by maiden ... A: I would address it with the husband's name first followed by the wife's name exactly as she defines ... | |
| Peace Corps essays | 4/3/2008 |
| Q: I am soon to be college grad submitting my application for the Peace Corps. To do so I must write 2 ... A: I generally don't edit long writings, particularly those being used for class assignments or ... | |
| GRAMMER | 12/12/2007 |
| Q: IS THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE CORRECT ? IF NOT WHY? THE PROGRAM WILL TARGET BOTH POTENTIAL OIL AND GAS ... A: Yes, technically, it is grammatically correct. However, I would recommend eliminating the words ... | |
| addressing an envelope | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: I would like to know the proper way to address an envelope when the person is a Jr. or a Sr. For ... A: Good question! Only John is the Jr. or Sr., so it would be incorrect to use John and Kate Smith Jr. ... | |
| Business Plan | 5/16/2007 |
| Q: I need to write a Business Plan for a business that my friend and I are going to start. We don't ... A: I don't know of a specific resource. You could search on the web. I typed in "developing business ... | |
| those vs. them | 4/14/2007 |
| Q: The following from a GMAT test prep question poses two alternatives. I think the original is the ... A: I' sorry for the delay; I had a house full of unexpected company over the weekend. I'm a bit ... | |
| plagiarism? | 4/14/2007 |
| Q: How can you and Steve Crain (Grammar Trap) have almost exactly the same answer without attribution? ... A: I understand your concern. However, contrary to what your email indicates, you did not include ... | |
| plagiarism? | 4/14/2007 |
| Q: How can you and Steve Crain (Grammar Trap) have almost exactly the same answer without attribution? A: I don't know of what you speak specifically, so I'm guessing that great minds run in the same ... | |
| Capitalization | 4/11/2007 |
| Q: I know that a salutation is capitalized but is the following sentence capitalized? Example: ... A: You are correct; the salutation is capitalized; i.e., Dear John. In the example you gave, Dear John ... | |
| Writing | 4/4/2007 |
| Q: How do you write a notice of a meeting to be held soon? A: The most efficient way of notifying folks of a meeting is to send a memo letting folks know the ... | |
| "Due to" vs. "because of" | 3/14/2007 |
| Q: Will you please explain the difference between and appropriate usage of the terms "due to" and ... A: Good question with a relatively complex answer. A good rule of thumb is to use "because of" if you ... | |
| letter to request an adviser | 2/28/2007 |
| Q: my subject is quite unclear because i don't know how to call the letter.anyway I am a newly elected ... A: Congratulations on your election to secretary of the school council. I've prepared a sample letter ... | |
| Dividing dates at the end of a line | 2/5/2007 |
| Q: however, this does not answer the original question of where is it OK to have this sentence break at ... A: I'm sorry I didn't answer your question properly. After the month and day, february 20, is a ... | |
| Ellipses and question mark | 1/2/2007 |
| Q: SteveHi, I know that when you use ellipses and the first text is a sentence, you use a period and ... A: In response to the question attached to your feedback remark, my opinion is to put the question mark ... | |
| Ellipses and question mark | 12/30/2006 |
| Q: I know that when you use ellipses and the first text is a sentence, you use a period and three dots. ... A: In response to the question attached to your feedback remark, my opinion is to put the question mark ... | |
| question | 11/19/2006 |
| Q: Could you explain to me, in layman's terms, two business terms such as "libor" and "negative pledge" ... A: I'm not an expert in financial matters, but I will do my best to answer your question. You might ... | |
| Car Parking Fine Letter | 11/11/2006 |
| Q: Could you help me by giving me some advice on how to reply to a Car parking Fine I got when I parked ... A: I will assist you with the rewrite; however, it may not negate the consequences for illegal parking. ... | |
| Voc:Coordination | 10/13/2006 |
| Q: Firstly,, thank you so much for providing this service. I use English as a second language and I ... A: The English language is difficult even for those of us who use it as a first language. One of the ... | |
| How do I type a business letter? | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: I am in 5th grade. I have to write a business letter. I don't know what to do. I showed my ... A: I'm sorry your teacher didn't take the time to tell you exactly what was wrong with your letter. I ... | |
| use of quotation marks | 9/24/2006 |
| Q: I have written an essay on a magazine ad from Nike. When I use their "Just Do It" phrase, do I put ... A: The grammar rule that applies in this case is that material that is quoted or emphasized is enclosed ... | |
| AGM Notice | 8/29/2006 |
| Q: When writing an AGM Notice should you include the word THE Notice is hereby given of the 13th ... A: Actually, neither is an example of good writing, although the first sample you provided is the more ... | |
| Capitalization | 8/29/2006 |
| Q: Bogert, My business partner and I are having a disagreement about recipe titles. I say you ... A: I've researched your question. Capitalization is a "style" issue. Some rules are hard and fast, ... | |
| Appropriate English terminology | 7/26/2006 |
| Q: I am a Japanese and now writing a business report. Supposing Company A had a sales forecast of $5 ... A: Were it me, I would simply state the facts rather than label the current status as progress rate or ... | |
| Correct use of | 7/19/2006 |
| Q: I was an English major and always made A's in grammar throughout grade school and high school. So, ... A: Great question! English grammar can be confusing sometimes for most of us. No need to be ashamed to ... | |
Business & Technical Writing
Answers by Expert:
Alice J. Bogert
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I have taught English grammar to elementary school, high school, and college students for several years in addition to private tutoring for students struggling with writing assignments. I also teach adult writing classes for business professionals in the private sector as well as for various government agencies. I have edited manuscripts and other writings submitted by various authors for publication to magazines and journals
Experience
I have studied English grammar for many years. While employed as a federal probation officer, I wrote hundreds of pre-sentence reports to assist federal judges in making fair and appropriate sentencing decisions. I've written short stories and poetry for publication, and I've helped write policy and procedure manuals for various government offices.
Organizations
National Association of Retired Federal Employees
Writers Guild of America
Professional Women's Assoc.
Publications
"Journal of Juvenile and Family Courts," 1978. "International Library of Poetry," 2003.
Education/Credentials
I have an M.A, Degree in Sociology, and I minored in English.
Awards and Honors
I received three meritorious quality step awards for excellence during my career as a federal probation officer. I was also a nominee for National Probation Officer of the Year in 1986. I am listed in the 1998 edition of "Who's Who in Professions."
Past/Present Clients
California County and State government
Federal government
Various School Districts
Los Rio Community College District
Readers' Digest
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