It’s a great little summary of the most common grammar mistakes that we see being made by native English speakers but, it turns out, not so much by non-native speakers.

Mistakes by non-native speakers can be more elementary than the 15 listed by CopyBlogger. Missing out the definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a) tend to be the ones we see the most. However, they tend to get things like then/then. their/there/they’re and the general use of the apostrophe right.

The difference, I think, comes down to the way we learn languages. Our native tongue is usually learned by listening to others speak it. The most common errors I see with young native speakers these days are spelling words how they sound and not how they are correctly spelled.

When we learn a second language the process is more formalised and, usually, involves more study of the writen language than the spoken. Also, while English teachers in the UK have been told not to teach grammar directly anymore you will tend to be taught grammar when learning a foreign language.

So, I think, this illustrates why English teachers wish their students would read more. It really helps!

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. When it comes to searching for a new job, your cover letter is the first impression you make with a potential employer. A great cover letter will have the hiring manager excited to read your resume. A bad cover letter may mean he or she won’t read your resume at all. The following are six simple ways to write a better cover letter:

1. Start off with a bang. Don’t go for the tried and tired standard opening sentence of so many cover letters, “Please find my resume attached in response to your position.” Instead, be more original, so that you grab the hiring manager’s attention from the very beginning.
2. Make your cover letter specific to the company. Although it may be tempting to use a simple cover letter that allows you to change the name of the company and position title, a better cover letter is specific to the company to which you are applying. Include details about why you’d like to work at that company or some of their recent achievements to further personalize your cover letter.
3. Match your cover letter to the job description. If the job description says the company is looking for qualities A, B and C, make sure you note that you have these qualities (assuming you do). Describe them using wording very similar to that of the job description, so that your cover letter closely matches it. This way, from the beginning, the hiring manager will think you’re a perfect fit for the position.
4. Start tooting your own horn. Although your resume is the place to fully list all of your accomplishments over the years, it is important to cover some of the major and most relevant accomplishments in your cover letter. If possible, use quantifiable results, such as an increase in sales figures or a decrease in costs.
5. Size matters. Your cover letter should not exceed one page in length. Use your normal 12-point font. The goal of a better cover letter is to whet the hiring managers’ appetites, so that they’ll be hungry to read your resume. Don’t make your cover letter so long and all-encompassing that hiring managers feel like they don’t need to review it.
6. Proofread your cover letter before sending it. If you want to write a better cover letter, spend time proofreading it before you send it. Even the most well-written cover letters can be tweaked to be even better. If possible, have a friend or family member read your cover letter to help you spot any errors.

Randall Davidson reviews cover letters and resumes every day, as part of his duties as a co-founder of proofreading services company ProofreadingServices.Us. Randall knows that some of the cover letters he receives could benefit from ProofreadingServices.Us’ document proofreading services.

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Shortly after our initial announcement the price of Bitcoin dropped through the floor and things didn’t look so good. Bitcoin had received quite a bit of press and this had encouraged a lot of new users to try it out. There was also a large number of people getting into Bitcoin mining, lured by the idea of, seemingly, free money. The interest caused the price to rise and the high price encouraged a lot of opportunists to hack websites and individuals in an attempt to get their hands on the loot.

In addition to hacking attacks the larger Bitcoin websites had to deal with extra demands on their servers and expectations of professional services caused by the increased popularity. Some fell by the wayside and others suffered expensive problems and downtime.

Bubbles come and go. Those lured by easy money have, mostly, gone and left the hardcore of Bitcoin supporters still doing what they were doing all along; Mining and trading bitcoins. They, like us, believe in the idea and ideals of Bitcoin and continue to use it whether it is the latest hot thing or not.

It is from this hardcore that we have seen a wonderful response. A large influx of business has appeared from the many sites we are either advertising on or have been listed on by others. Furthermore, not all of these people have paid in bitcoins so it seems that the bitcoin world isn’t as insular or exclusive as some detractors would have you imagine.

So, in summary, our experiment with Bitcoin has resulted in real, tangible work and increased exposure and this is one experiment that we will definitely be continuing!

By Satoshi (http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=64.0)

We at UKcopy are happy to accept payment in Bitcoins. Please Contact Us for a quote or have a look at our Bitcoin Offers.

Those suffering from dyslexia, and other conditions, often find it difficult to communicate by letter or email because they cannot make themselves understood or they’re worried about being judged unfairly.

Our correction service can help to ensure your communications are clear, correct and professional. We work with you to make sure your message gets across and you are taken seriously by those you are contacting.

Contact Us now to find out how we can help you »

What struck us most (apart from how dated some of the sites looked) is that so many of these services are run by non-native speakers. The problem with this is that how can you be sure that your English is being corrected properly if it is being done by someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language?

A lifetime of experience

It seems unfair to suggest that non-native speakers can’t do a good job but the websites we looked at were littered with small errors. Simple nuances can make a huge difference and it takes a lifetime of experience and exposure to English to get things right.

Our Copywriters use English every day of their lives. They are constantly exposed to it in many different settings. From casual conversations to formal written work they are familiar with the conventions that are expected.

However good a non-native speaker is they cannot match this level of exposure and competence.

Don’t risk your livelihood on bad English Copywriting

If you need to communicate in English for your business then please don’t think that just any English Copywriters will do. Poor copy will put off your potential customers. It looks unprofessional and sometimes can even cause confusion.

Non-native speakers cannot match true native English speakers for subtlety and accuracy. If you want to be taken seriously make sure you get native English speakers to do your Copywriting and English Correction.

For too many projects documentation seems to be an after thought but it is still part of the product and it gives customers an impression about the company that produced it. Good documentation is actually a promotional feature. It should be celebrated and announced to anyone who will listen and as much care should be taken over the documentation as the advertising copy.

With software projects the problem is down to who produces the documentation. It is often left to the developers themselves to create it. Developers don’t want to write documentation, they want to code. Also, they may not have the skills to write good documentation. Often the best person to write the documentation is someone new to the project but skilled at explaining things. If they can explore the software and ask the developers any questions they have then they will be able to produce documentation that is valuable to the user. A developer is not a user. They have different needs and expectations.

Many manufacturers, especially in the Far East, are now able to take advantage of the Internet and sell directly to customers would wide. This is either through their own website or via auction and merchant services like Ebay. It is an unfortunate fact that poor English on websites and Ebay adverts severely harms customer confidence and trust. This is especially true on Ebay where customers worry about being ripped off by foreign merchants and being unable to get their money back. To reassure potential customers and to build a professional online presence it is essential that English copy is correct and reads in a professional and appropriate way.

This may sound like it is going to cause a large increase in cost but if you already have your documentation, website, adverts translated into English UKcopy can quickly and cost effectively check and correct your English for you.

We also now offer a $5 Ebay advert correction service so if you are using the same advert multiple times then it is definitely worth getting it checked and corrected.

Contact Us for more information or look at our Prices page.

In addition to standard article promotion like this the directories are also often used by affiliate marketers to drive people to their own ad laden sites or their affiliate adverts on sites like USfreeAds.com.

Content Aggregation

Lately a number of directories have begun cropping up that call themselves Content Aggregators. They not only publish text articles but also audio and video content as well. The real twist is that they offer a proportion of the advertising revenue to the author.

On of our Copywriters. James Elliot, has been trying out a couple of these services recently. You can read a few of his articles about guitar playing here:

• Guitar: Changing Chords Quickly and Easily
• A Simple Exercise to Improve Your Guitar Chords
• How to Take Your Guitar Playing to the Next Level

All of these articles are on Wikinut.com. Why don’t you Sign up and give it a go too?

Copy For Sale

There are also a few sites that allow you to sell your articles to other website owners who are looking for content. www.Constant-Content.com is and good example. They require a high standard of written English along with quality content. Buyers are able to buy the articles on either an exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

So article writing has gone from a means to generate extra traffic to actually generating income directly. The jury is still out on which of the services are the best and whether they can produce a sustainable income for a writer but for the moment they are an interesting side project.

Do you speak or read English?

Silly question really – you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t read English.

English is the most widely spoken and understood language in the world with 43% of people speaking it fluently every day as a first or second language.

Many more people have some knowledge of English, whether from entertainment and news media, the Internet, business, or travel.

When you speak to someone they hear your voice, and see your expression and body language. Surprisingly only nine percent of your message is the words; the rest is sound and vision. When you write, the words are all you have to work with – content is everything. So when you write, the style needs to be compelling; the meaning of your words must be clear and relevant to your audience’s needs.

Sometimes when you write you want people to take note and be motivated to do something. Perhaps you’re asking them to buy a product or service, or to take social action. You could be writing detailed information to guide others. In all cases, your message must be clear and easily understood.

No matter how you learned to speak English, everyone one has to learn how to write it. You speak English daily, but mostly no one has criticised or corrected your writing since you left school or university. Whatever your level of competence, you may not have used the best choice of words, or there is an error of construction, style, spelling, or punctuation.

There are at least a quarter of a million distinct English words, excluding technical words. Choosing the right word is a challenge. Spelling checkers are unreliable as they often substitute alternative spellings as you type. This is particularly true when British spellings differ from American ones. Further problems can arise from matters of idiom, cultural, and gender sensitivity, or knowledge of social customs.

A professional English correction service, where dedicated editors and proofreaders use their detailed and specialised knowledge, can help you produce the best work for your purpose. They can work with you at any point from design through first draft to the finished product. Everyone can also benefit from professional proofreading to find errors in their copy. When you proofread your own work, you see the words you intended to write, rather than the ones on the paper.

Roughly half a million new English books are published each year. Numbers of magazine articles are probably about the same. Google indexes around two billion new web pages in English every month. To attract, hold, and retain an audience in this mass of information, your words need to be clear, concise, and correct. Increasingly, time-poor and fickle audiences will turn away from anything they cannot understand and act on quickly. You can not let spelling or grammatical errors affect the flow of your message. The cost of a professional correction service is a small price to pay to ensure this doesn’t happen.