Effective writing is key to clear communication, which is especially vital in the veterinary realm, where misconstrued information can have disastrous consequences. As industry writers, the Rumpus Writing and Editing team has an eagle eye for noticing grammatical errors in our daily lives and, sometimes, regretfully, in our own work. Fortunately, our expert editing team keeps us polished and proper.

These same exceptional editors recently rounded up the grammatical errors that they’d prefer to see less often and provided helpful tips on how we, as writers, veterinary professionals, and ordinary, hapless humans, can make that wish a reality.

Dashing all hope: Excessive or inappropriate hyphen use

Who doesn’t love a good hyphen? That innocent little dash seems to fit in anywhere and fill almost any role you can think of but, as with any punctuation, the hyphen’s purpose is explicitly clear. As a rule, hyphens should be used sparingly and only to clarify a compound adjective before a noun, such as:

  • Well-trained dog
  • Small-business owner

In these examples, the hyphen links the words preceding the noun and helps the reader understand that “well” refers to the quality of the dog’s training and “small” refers to the size of the business, not its owner. Note that a hyphen is not needed when the compound adjective follows the noun (e.g., The dog is well trained).

No love for “of”: Inappropriate use of “of”

“Of” is a preposition that conveys a relationship or attribution between two things or people. However, excessive use can reduce the clarity and impact of your message. As you edit your writing, check each “of” to determine whether it’s necessary. Examples include:

  • “The color of the cat’s eyes” becomes “The cat’s eye color”
  • “Outside of the client’s yard” becomes “Outside the yard”

While “of” has its place in written communication, deleting unnecessary uses can make your writing more direct and professional and increase readability.

Who’s on first? Incorrectly ordering a series of events

Recording the correct sequence of events lends credibility to your professional and personal writing and is absolutely vital for documenting patient information (e.g., medical records, referral information) and client communications (e.g., discharge instructions, conversations, or inappropriate client behavior). While some chronology errors will be obvious to any audience (e.g., “The cat died and was critically ill”), others can create misunderstanding and lead to significant consequences. For example, “The dog was paralyzed and fell off a balcony” could leave the reader questioning if the paralyzed dog was seizing when they fell or if the fall resulted in paralysis.

It’s all Greek Latin to me: Confusing i.e. and e.g.

These often-used—and confused—abbreviations have specific meanings and cannot be used interchangeably. Understanding their Latin translations can ensure you never confuse or mislead your reader. 

  • Id est (i.e.) — Id est means “that is,” “in essence,” or “in other words.” Use i.e. when you’d like to clarify veterinary terminology or a complex idea, such as:
    • Do not attempt to induce emesis (i.e., make your dog vomit) without veterinary instruction.
  • Exempli gratia (e.g.) —  Exempli gratia means “for example.” Use e.g. to illustrate your point, such as:
    • Arthritic pets can show subtle pain signs (e.g., lagging behind on walks, or hesitating before jumping up).

Lastly, note the proper punctuation for these abbreviations in text—don’t forget the comma!

Neither here nor there: Overusing “there”

The word “there” is another frequently used word that serves little purpose in communicating your message. While there are appropriate ways to use the word “there” (see what we did?), more often than not it—along with accompanying “to be” verbs (e.g., “is,” “was,” “were,” or “are”) simply make your prose wordy and weak. Try rewriting such sentences to sharpen their meaning and clarity. Examples include:

  • Rewrite “There is a new treatment available for your pet’s condition” as “A new treatment is available for your pet’s condition.”
  • Rewrite “There is a puppy in the isolation ward” as “A puppy is in the isolation ward.”

Agree to disagree? Incorrect subject-verb agreement

Agreement errors occur when the verb(s) in a sentence do not match the subject in number, person, or gender. Generally speaking, singular subjects should be followed by singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs, except for the verb “to be.” For example, writing “The litter of kittens is playful” may seem peculiar because the word litter refers to multiple kittens. However, because litter is singular, the equally singular “is” is correct.

Watch out for other agreement mistakes, including the improper placement of “that” and “which.” When you tell a client that their pet “May show signs that require a veterinary appointment, which include lethargy and diarrhea,” you may actually be suggesting that a trip to your clinic inspires fatigue and digestive upset. Instead, rewrite the sentence so that the clinical signs are accurately attributed to the pet, not the location. (e.g., “Your pet may show signs, which can include lethargy and diarrhea, that require a veterinary appointment”). 

Mastering grammar is crucial for effective veterinary communication. Avoiding common errors will engage your audience and convey your desired message with clarity and style. Clear and precise writing demonstrates professionalism, expertise, and understanding, which helps you build stronger relationships with existing clients, foster trust with new ones, and maintain a healthy rapport with your colleagues.

But, if you’re still at a loss for words—or need help arranging them—the Rumpus Writing and Editing team can help. Contact us to request a consultation.