Emails and Letters
Memos
Grammar
Commonly Confused Words
Vocabulary
100
Is "Dear" too personal a salutation for a professional letter or email? Should you stick to something like "To Whom It May Concern" instead?
No, "Dear" is standard and not stuffy
100
When might you want to use a memo, rather than an email?
When you want the information posted, when you want a more formal tone, or when you have a lot of information that would be clunky in email format
100
What is a fragment?
An incomplete sentence
100
Explain the difference between its and it's
Its=belonging to it; it's=it is
100
Define nonchalant
Appearing cool and collected
200
How soon can you expect a reply for an email? What about for a letter?
Expect an email response in about 24 hours. Letters may take several weeks!
200
How long can a memo be?
As long as it needs to be--often much longer than an email
200
What does a sentence need to contain to be a sentence?
A subject and a verb
200
Explain the difference between sight, site, and cite
Sight=vision; site=place; cite=give credit
200
Define prognosticate
To predict
300
When might you use "reply all" instead of "reply" for an email?
When you want a group discussion
300
Do you double-space and indent the paragraphs of a memo?
No, they should be left aligned, single spaced, with blank lines in between
300
What is a comma splice?
When you try to join two separate sentences with just a comma
300
Fill in the blank: I work for _____ (a/an) NGO, or nongovernmental organization
An
300
Define provenance
History, background
400
What do the conclusions of emails and letters have in common?
They should be short and emphasize action steps--what you want to happen based on the email/letter
400
What information goes in the header block of a memo?
To, from, date, subject, and sometimes copies
400
What is a preposition? Define or give examples
Words that show spacial or temporal relationships
400
Explain the difference between insure, ensure, and assure
Insure=cover with insurance; ensure=make sure; assure=dispel someone's doubts
400
Define perfidious
Untrustworthy
500
What is the difference between "CC" and "BCC" for an email? When do you use them?
CC is carbon copy, whereas BCC is blind carbon copy--the latter allows you to send to multiple people without them knowing it
500
What Latin verb does "memorandum" come from?
Memoro--to remind, mention, or remember
500
What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?
Adjectives modify nouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
500
How can you determine when to use "fewer" and when to use "less"?
Fewer is used for countable nouns, and less is used for non-countable nouns
500
Define hackneyed
Overused, commonplace
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