Writing a Business Report

Master the grammar and structure for clear, professional business reports.

Essential Grammar Rules

Executive Summary Grammar

Use present tense for findings: ✅ "Sales have increased by 15% this quarter." ❌ "Sales increased by 15% this quarter." (unless purely historical)

Active voice is preferred: ✅ "The team identified three key opportunities." ❌ "Three key opportunities were identified by the team."

Be concise and direct: ✅ "Revenue exceeded projections by $2M." ❌ "It is worth noting that revenue has exceeded projections by approximately $2M."

Numbers and Data Presentation

Numbers under 10: ✅ "Three departments reported..." ❌ "3 departments reported..."

Numbers 10 and above: ✅ "15 employees attended..." ❌ "Fifteen employees attended..."

Exceptions - Use numerals for:

• Percentages: "5% increase"
• Money: "$5 million"
• Measurements: "3 meters"
• Dates: "March 5, 2024"
• Page numbers: "page 3"

Consistency in ranges: ✅ "10-15 employees" or "ten to fifteen employees" ❌ "10 to fifteen employees" (mixing formats)

Report Sections Grammar

Headings:

• Use parallel structure
• ✅ "Analyzing Results," "Identifying Trends," "Proposing Solutions"
• ❌ "Analysis of Results," "Identifying Trends," "Solutions We Propose"

Lists:

• Begin each item with same part of speech
• ✅ "Increase efficiency," "Reduce costs," "Improve quality"
• ❌ "Increase efficiency," "Cost reduction," "Quality will improve"

Common Business Report Mistakes

1. Data vs Datum

   • ❌ "The data shows..."
   • ✅ "The data show..." (data is plural)
   • Note: "datum" is singular, rarely used

2. Possessive with Companies

   • ✅ "Microsoft's revenue increased..."
   • ❌ "Microsofts revenue increased..."
   • ✅ "The company's performance..." (singular)
   • ✅ "Companies' performance..." (plural)

3. Between vs Among

   • ✅ "The agreement between Company A and Company B..."
   • ✅ "The agreement among the three partners..."
   • Use "between" for two, "among" for more than two

4. Less vs Fewer

   • ✅ "Fewer employees" (countable)
   • ✅ "Less revenue" (uncountable)
   • ❌ "Less people attended" (should be "fewer")

5. Impact vs Affect/Effect

   • ✅ "The policy affects employee morale." (verb)
   • ✅ "The policy has an effect on morale." (noun)
   • Avoid: "The policy impacts morale." (use as noun: "has an impact on")

Recommendations Section Grammar

Use modal verbs appropriately:

• Strong: "must," "should," "need to"
• Moderate: "ought to," "could"
• Weak: "might," "may"

Examples: ✅ "Management should implement the new system immediately." ✅ "The company must address these issues to remain competitive." ✅ "Teams could consider alternative approaches."

Parallel structure in recommendations: ✅

1. Implement new software
2. Train staff thoroughly
3. Monitor results quarterly

❌

1. Implement new software
2. Staff should be trained
3. Quarterly monitoring

Checklist for Business Reports

• Executive summary is clear and concise
• All data cited with sources
• Numbers formatted consistently throughout
• Active voice used (passive only when necessary)
• Headings use parallel structure
• Lists are grammatically parallel
• Recommendations are specific and actionable
• Professional tone throughout (no slang)
• No first person unless appropriate for memo-style
• Charts and tables referenced correctly in text
• Appendices labeled and referenced
• Proofread for typos and consistency

Style Guidelines

Tone: Professional, objective, analytical Length: Varies by purpose (typically 5-50 pages) Formality Level: High Perspective: Third person preferred, first person plural (we/our) for internal reports

Report Structure Components

1. Title Page

• Report title
• Prepared for: [Recipient]
• Prepared by: [Author]
• Date

2. Executive Summary (1-2 pages)

• Key findings in present tense
• Major recommendations
• Critical data points

3. Introduction

• Background and context
• Purpose and scope
• Methodology

4. Findings/Analysis

• Organized by theme or timeline
• Supported with data
• Objective presentation

5. Conclusions

• Interpretation of findings
• Implications for organization

6. Recommendations

• Specific, actionable items
• Prioritized when possible

Example Corrections

Example 1: Number Formatting

❌ Before: "5% of the three hundred and fifteen employees reported issues, which effected productivity in 2 departments."

✅ After: "Five percent of the 315 employees reported issues, which affected productivity in two departments."

Example 2: Active vs Passive Voice

❌ Before: "A comprehensive analysis was conducted by the research team. It was discovered that significant cost savings could be achieved if new procedures were implemented."

✅ After: "The research team conducted a comprehensive analysis and discovered that implementing new procedures could achieve significant cost savings."

Example 3: Parallel Structure

❌ Before: Recommendations:

1. Implementation of new software
2. Staff should receive training
3. Monitoring progress quarterly

✅ After: Recommendations:

1. Implement new software
2. Train staff thoroughly
3. Monitor progress quarterly

Example 4: Data Presentation

❌ Before: "The data clearly shows that between the 3 departments, there is less employees now than last year, but there making more revenue."

✅ After: "The data clearly show that among the three departments, there are fewer employees now than last year, yet they are generating more revenue."

Related Grammar Rules

• Fewer vs Less
• Affect vs Effect
• Between vs Among
• Data (plural) Agreement
• Apostrophes with Possessives

Formatting Tables and Figures

In-text references: ✅ "As shown in Table 1, revenue increased..." ✅ "Figure 3 illustrates the trend..." ❌ "The table below shows..." (ambiguous)

Captions: ✅ "Table 1: Quarterly Revenue Comparison (2023-2024)" ✅ "Figure 2: Market Share Analysis"

Capitalization:

• "Table" and "Figure" are capitalized when followed by number
• Lowercase when used generally: "the table shows..."

Common Business Phrases (Correct Usage)

Situation	Correct	Incorrect
Comparison	"compared with" or "compared to"	"in comparison of"
Attribution	"according to the data"	"as per the data"
Future action	"will implement"	"shall implement" (archaic)
Possibility	"may result in"	"might possibly result" (redundant)
Causation	"due to" (noun phrase)	"due to" (verb phrase)
	"because of" (verb phrase)

Avoiding Jargon and Wordiness

Be direct: ❌ "At this point in time" ✅ "Now"

❌ "In order to" ✅ "To"

❌ "With regard to" ✅ "Regarding" or "About"

❌ "It is recommended that consideration be given to" ✅ "We recommend"

Numbers in Different Contexts

Financial Reports

• Always use numerals: "$5," "15%," "3.2 million"
• Spell out "million," "billion"
• Use commas: "$1,250,000"

Performance Metrics

• Percentages: "5% increase"
• Ratios: "3:1 ratio" or "3-to-1 ratio"
• Ranges: "10-15 days" or "10 to 15 days"

Time References

• "The quarter ended March 31, 2024"
• "Fiscal year 2024"
• "Q1 2024" or "first quarter 2024"

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Remember: Business reports prioritize clarity, precision, and professional presentation. When grammar serves clarity, the report serves its purpose effectively.