The featured speaker will address the chemical disposal problem and
how to handle it.
Better? Most people agree that avoiding the issue is the better alternative
in business writing, and the easiest way to avoid the issue is to make
sure that you use “he” only when the reference refers to a singular male.
PUNCTUATE FOR CLARITY
Punctuate to ensure that your meaning is clear. Inserting punctuation
marks consistently helps your reader understand your intent. There are
several rules, but many punctuation issues are a matter of opinion or
style: There is more than one acceptable alternative. By deciding how
you’ll handle these style dilemmas once and for all, you’ll save time
and ensure clarity. Once you know which rules you need to follow, you
are in a good position to make decisions that suit you and to apply
them consistently.
In this section, we’ll discuss the fifth question, How has comma usage
changed since I left school?, as well as clarify other punctuation issues
that frequently arise in business writing.
Use Commas to Separate Units of Information
Commas indicate a pause in the sentence. In business writing, you need
to use commas in the following circumstances:
1. to separate independent clauses
2. to separate dependent and independent clauses
3. to separate a quote from its attribution
4. to set aside intervening, modifying phrases
5. to separate units within a list (sometimes a semicolon is required)
These five circumstances account for most of the comma usage in
business writing. By learning these rules and adhering to them, your writing
will be polished and professional.