In the same vein, (not vane, we’re not talking about weather, here) the choice of e-mail address should also be considered. A proposal to your boss should not be sent from an e-mail address that reads like a high school yearbook signature. Use your name. Leave catlover@email.com and gr8dancer@email.com for your personal e-mail. It’s just as unprofessional and tacky as wearing a sequined tube-top under your suit jacket, and no one wants to see that, either.
Punctuation
Commas matter. When you use too many, you end up with a sentence that reads like a chopped rutabaga. It’s clunky and tastes bad when it passes through your lips. When you use too few, your meaning becomes unclear.
Commas indicate pauses and separate independent thoughts within a sentence. They are also used within lists of items, and to split up adjectives with similar meanings.
Periods should come at the end of sentences, and two spaces should follow each one. A sentence that says two different things separated with a comma should probably be two sentences, rather than one. Sentences that are too long, or run on endlessly, muddle your ideas in extra words. A straightforward thought is easiest to understand. Skip the extra details and get to the point. The spaces following a period make for easier reading.
Quotation marks should be used when quoting someone directly. They should not be used for extra emphasis on a word. If you must emphasize, use italics. The names of films, books, and other publications should also be in italics, rather than quotation marks.
Misplaced punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence by making it unclear. In any kind of writing, clarity is key. It only takes about two minutes to proofread a page of writing. If those two minutes helps you simplify your sentences, clarify your meaning, or avoid a spelling snafu, they were worth it. One of the fastest ways to leave a bad impression is misspelling the name of a boss, client or coworker, and it couldn’t be easier to avoid.