Book excerpt: CommonSense Grammar and Style was written with the business professional in mind. It will help you, the professional, write better letters and memorandums. It will help you avoid common errors, organize your messages, express yourself clearly, and find more information when you need it. It will teach you the basic survival skills. The emphasis in CommonSense Grammar and Style is always on simplicity. When several approaches to a common problem are possible, this book presents the least complicated and the most consistent. If you follow its advice, you will be on safe ground, but you must realize that other good writers may choose other correct solutions. CommonSense Grammar and Style relies on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (called "Merriam-Webster") for the spelling of words and abbreviations. Merriam-Webster is widely recognized as the American standard. In matters of usage, especially business usage, CommonSense Grammar and Style depends heavily on The Gregg Reference Manual (called "Gregg") by William A. Sabin. Careful readers will, however, notice occasional differences between the two. For example, Gregg ignores Merriam-Webster's simplification of abbreviations while this book welcomes it, and Gregg does not object to the use of data as a singular noun. This book does. This book, especially when purchased with the accompanying workbook, will allow you to develop the grammar and style skills necessary to excel in business communications.