{"id":46,"date":"2025-07-28T14:27:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T12:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themes.getmotopress.com\/coachzee-teacher\/?p=46"},"modified":"2025-09-17T12:48:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T10:48:38","slug":"grammar-myths-that-hold-back-your-business-english-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/business\/grammar-myths-that-hold-back-your-business-english-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Grammar Myths That Hold Back Your Business English (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all been there. You\u2019re writing an email, a proposal, or a LinkedIn post\u2014and suddenly, you hesitate.
Can I start a sentence with \u201cAnd\u201d?<\/em>
Is it okay to use contractions?<\/em>
Will someone judge me for ending with a preposition?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business English is full of myths. Some are leftovers from school. Others come from well-meaning advice that\u2019s no longer relevant. And some just make us second-guess ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s clear the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth 1: Never start a sentence with \u201cAnd\u201d or \u201cBut\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The myth:<\/strong> Starting a sentence with a conjunction is grammatically incorrect.
The truth:<\/strong> Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, so<\/em>) can start sentences when used to connect ideas clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

And that\u2019s exactly why we\u2019re expanding the team.
But we\u2019re not stopping there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not lazy\u2014it\u2019s modern.
In spoken English, we do this all the time. Written English is simply catching up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grammar tip:<\/strong> A coordinating conjunction joins two ideas. Starting a sentence with one is a stylistic choice, not a mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth 2: You must always write in complete sentences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The myth:<\/strong> Every sentence must have a subject and a verb.
The truth:<\/strong> Sentence fragments can be effective in business writing\u2014especially for emphasis or rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

No delays. No excuses. Just results.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These are technically fragments, but they\u2019re clear, punchy, and purposeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grammar tip:<\/strong> A sentence fragment lacks a full clause (subject + verb), but if the meaning is obvious and the tone is intentional, it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth 3: Passive voice is always wrong<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The myth:<\/strong> Passive constructions are weak and should be avoided.
The truth:<\/strong> Passive voice is useful when the focus is on the action or when the actor is unknown or irrelevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The report was submitted on time.
The decision was made after careful consideration.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Grammar tip:<\/strong> In passive voice, the object of an action becomes the subject of the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Active: The team submitted the report.<\/em>
Passive: The report was submitted (by the team).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Use it when it helps your message\u2014not when it hides responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth 4: Contractions are unprofessional<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The myth:<\/strong> Contractions make writing informal or sloppy.
The truth:<\/strong> Contractions (we\u2019re, don\u2019t, it\u2019s<\/em>) are widely accepted in business communication, especially in emails, blogs, and presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We\u2019re excited to share the results.
It\u2019s been a productive quarter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

They make your tone more approachable and natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grammar tip:<\/strong> A contraction is a shortened form of two words (e.g. we are \u2192 we\u2019re<\/em>). They\u2019re grammatically correct and stylistically flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Myth 5: You can\u2019t end a sentence with a preposition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The myth:<\/strong> A sentence must never end with a preposition.
The truth:<\/strong> This rule is outdated and often leads to awkward phrasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

That\u2019s the team I was talking about.
Here\u2019s the proposal we agreed on.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Compare that to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

That\u2019s the team about which I was talking.
Here is the proposal on which we agreed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Technically correct? Yes.
Pleasant to read? Not really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grammar tip:<\/strong> A preposition shows the relationship between words (e.g. on, about, with<\/em>). Ending with one is fine if it makes the sentence clearer and more natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

So what\u2019s the takeaway?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Business English isn\u2019t about following outdated rules. It\u2019s about clear, confident communication<\/strong>. If your grammar choices help your message land better, they\u2019re probably the right ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try breaking a few rules this week. You might just find your writing flows better\u2014and connects more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Coming up in Part 2:<\/strong>
We\u2019ll tackle more myths\u2014like whether \u201cI\u201d is always better than \u201cme,\u201d and if you\u2019re really not allowed to split an infinitive. Spoiler: you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading,
Stuart<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all been there. You\u2019re writing an email, a proposal, or a LinkedIn post\u2014and suddenly, you hesitate.Can I start a sentence with \u201cAnd\u201d?Is it okay to use contractions?Will someone judge me for ending with a preposition? Business English is full of myths. Some are leftovers from school. Others come from well-meaning advice that\u2019s no longer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[19,20,21],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business","tag-englishlanguage","tag-grammar"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4502,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/4502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}