The Million-Dollar Comma

Yes, incorrect grammar can actually cost a lot of money! Last month, a very interesting story about the expensive consequences of a misplaced comma was widely reported in the mainstream news.

The background of the story is that two companies in Canada entered into a contract and one of the companies wanted to get out of it by relying upon the following clause:

This agreement shall be effective from the date it is made and shall continue in force for a period of five (5) years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five (5) year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party."

Company A wanted to get out of the agreement after five years, and Company B said, "no way--the contract requires that you stay in the agreement for another five years!" After going to court, the judge ruled that the existence of the second comma (right before "unless") means that Company A can, in fact, get out of the agreement early and so Company B ended up losing about $1 million dollars in continued business. However, if that second comma wasn't in there, Company A would have been required to continue with the contract and pay Company B another million bucks.

The moral of the story is obvious: the people who wrote this contract should have used the Essay Institute to help improve their writing and grammar skills!

The Essay Institute & World Domination

Hi, I'm the Essay Institute's head tutor--aka Super Tutor--and thanks for checking out our site! In this blog I plan on providing some insightful pointers on how to write well and will also pass along interesting news and thoughts that students should find helpful.

As you can tell, the Essay Institute is all about helping students--from junior high through college--write well. Being able to express yourself clearly and effectively has always been important (e.g., love poems, lawsuits and literature have been around for centuries) but in today's hyper-connected world where search engines scour everything you write electronically and bloggers wield the ability to bring down governments, writing has taken on a whole new dimension of power.

In sum, the Essay Institute is here to enable you to conquer and dominate the world!... In all seriousness, our company takes great satisfaction from the fact that we are part of a worthwhile and noble cause: helping the next generation of leaders in this world express themselves well, get into the best possible college they can and then go on to excel in whatever career they choose. (And then, of course, to dominate the world).