Write It Right!

I've mentioned before that proofreading and spellchecking one's resume and cover letter are critical must-do's before candidates hit the "SUBMIT" button as they apply for jobs. We still see a lot of these coming in with all sorts of spelling and grammatical errors and I have several managers who won't consider a candidate further if they see these kinds of mistakes.

One of the folks in our Communications team, Michelle, regularly shares great tips with our employees on the proper use of the English language so I thought I might start sharing them with readers of our Careers Blog. This month Michelle offers up a variety of words and phrases; do you know the right way to use them?


We use these words and phrases every day. See if you're using them correctly.

a lot vs. alot
Write "a lot" as two words. In most cases, "many" is a better choice than "a lot":

The business team has many options. (more succint and professional)
The business team has a lot of options. (more casual, less professional)

all ready vs. already
"All ready" means "fully prepared": "We were all ready to go."
"Already" means "previously": "Some of us have already made the trip."

amount vs. number
Use "amount" to indicate quantities that cannot be counted or expressed in a number: "The proposal required a large amount of work.”
Use "number" to indicate quantities that can (or could) be counted: "A large number of policyholders will be affected."

"between you and I" vs. "between you and me"
"Between you and me" is correct, because the pronouns ("you" and "me") are objects of the preposition "between." However, because the incorrect phrase is used so commonly, the correct phrase may "sound wrong" to some:

"Between you and I, the concept simply won't work." (incorrect)

“I” is a subjective pronoun; in this sentence, the subject is “the concept.” When following the preposition “between,” the objective pronoun “me” should be used.

"Let's keep this between you and me." (correct)

The objective pronoun "me" is correctly used following the preposition "between."

bring vs. take
Use "bring" when an object is being transported toward you:

"Please bring me a copy of the report."

Use "take" when an object is being transported away from you:

"Please take a copy of the report to Mr. Johnson."

cannot vs. can not
These are used interchangeably, and "cannot" has become the more common spelling. But linguists argue that there are subtle differences between the two:

"I cannot attend the meeting today."

This implies that attending the meetings is impossible, or "not an option."

"I can not attend the meeting today."

This implies that attending the meetings is an option, and that "not" attending is a choice that "can" be made.

Keeping these differences in mind, also remember that "can't" should be used as a contraction of "cannot" but not "can not."

"different from" vs. "different than"
"Different from" is correct.

disinterested vs. uninterested
They're not the same. "Disinterested" means impartial or neutral; "uninterested" means bored or lacking interest: "In baseball, a good umpire is disinterested, but not uninterested."

farther vs. further
Use "farther" to indicate physical distance: "He threw the ball farther than his teammates."

Use "further" to indicate an extension of time or degree: "We'll look into it further."