The following is a letter I wrote for a landlord client, presented here as a sample of my work.

[DATE]

[NAME OF LANDLORD]
[ADDRESS OF LANDLORD]

[NAME(S) AND
ADDRESS OF TENANT(S)]

Dear [NAME OF TENANT(S)],

We hope this note finds you well and enjoying this long-awaited spring weather. As you are aware, your lease of the above property expires on July 31, 2013. While under the lease each party has 30 days to give the other notice of intent whether or not to renew the lease, we are extending you the courtesy of early notice of an increase in rent as follows:

As of August 1, 2013, the monthly rental payment under the lease for the above property will be $1,425, which reflects a modest increase of 3%.

This letter is merely notice to you of the increase in rent. Renewal of the lease will be contingent upon your giving us 30 days’ written notice that you intend to renew; performance by us of an inspection of the home no later than the 24th of July for purposes of updating the statement of condition and the addressing by the relevant party of any items needing maintenance or repair; and the signing of a new written lease by both parties on or a few days before July 31. At this time, we do not anticipate any other substantive change to the lease terms. We hope that you have settled into the home and the neighborhood.

Please indicate your intent below to renew the lease by signing and sending back one copy of this letter in the self-addressed, stamped envelope provided, as soon as possible, but no later than July 1, 2013:

[ ] We acknowledge the rent increase and intend to renew the lease.
The following are potential dates that we would be available for a home
inspection: __________________________________________________________________

[ ] We do not intend to renew the lease and will be vacating the home per the
current lease terms.

________________________________________ _______________________________________
[SIGNATURE OF TENANT ONE]                           [SIGNATURE OF TENANT TWO]

Please use the back of this letter to let us know of any items in the home of which you are aware that need to be addressed. If you are aware of none, please indicate that as well.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE OF LANDLORD]

Noun vs. adjective: A nonprofessional may still give a professional performance, while an unprofessional person does not.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary provides a very helpful list of compound words formed with non- that do not have special meanings and thus “will be understood if ‘not’ is used before the meaning of the base word.” In case you were wondering, the dictionary also states that “a hyphen may be used after ‘non-‘ and is generally used when the base word begins with a capital letter. However, you’d better check with the applicable style guide to see if hyphens are preferred or not in the work you are reviewing.

The word “fewer” is correct when describing an amount of discrete items, or items which may be individually counted, where the number of items has decreased from a previous measurement. “Less” is used when what is being measured is not inherently divisible but has decreased in general. Examples:

Fewer hours equals less time.
Fewer dollars equals less money.
Fewer horses equals less power.
Fewer grains equals less sand.
Fewer gallons equals less water.

Can you think of other examples?

One day, when I was four or five years old, my mother accidentally knocked over a large jar of bright-colored plastic beads she had used for decorating Christmas ornaments. The jar had been left on the kitchen floor, in front of the open basement door. The tiny, shiny circles poured like shot down the wooden cellar-stairs with a sound like thundering rain that quickly dwindled to droplets. I saw the look on my mother’s face, and I realized that I could make things right by gathering the beads and putting them back in the jar as they were supposed to be. Eagerly, I leaped onto the top step, oblivious to the fact that a bead-covered step does not provide the greatest traction. I heard my mother shout a warning and felt her grab for me as my legs shot out from under my body. I sat down hard and felt myself rushing downward, carried like a leaf on a roaring stream, the beads like wheels under me. I scrabbled wildly and tried to brake with my feet but was helpless to stop, and I found myself flying headfirst underneath the board handrail toward the cement floor. I did a somersault in the air and landed on my back, the wind knocked out of me. I had gotten a pretty good knock on the head, but what I felt most keenly was embarrassment at having been brought down by the beads, so I stayed quiet, splayed out on the floor, gathering my wits. My mother hurried as carefully as she could down the stairs, calling my name. She told me later that her father had taught her that if a child cries when he falls, it means he wasn’t seriously injured, so my abashed silence after I hit the floor had frightened her. I hadn’t felt entitled to cry. I hadn’t been able to help.

Folks, the phrase is “first come, first served,” as it is shorthand for “those who get there first will be the first to be served.” I understand that the closing “d” may be dropped by people who have only heard this spoken aloud, so I would like to set the record straight.

Come first, get served first.

I suggest adding hyphens when the phrase is used as an adjective: Tickets will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.