Every November, wordsmiths around the globe take on the ultimate writing challenge—to crank out a 50,000-word novel in just thirty days. The event is called NaNoWriMo (an acronym for National Novel Writing Month), and last year it drew 431,626 participants. Although the format is meant to encourage quick, seat-of-your-pants writing, the words writers churn out during the annual event aren’t necessarily for naught.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Spelling counts: make sure you use these words correctly
Do you know the answer? Read on to find out which one is correct!
There are many (perhaps countless) homophones in the English language. These are words and phrases that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Here are three commonly confused homophones worth knowing:
1. A while vs. awhile A while refers to a period of time. In this construction, ‘while’ acts as a noun.
Monday, December 16, 2013
What’s the Difference Between Grammar Correction and Grammar Trolling?
Prescriptive English grammar seems to be one of those things that either impassions you or inspires some level of dread. Lovers of English grammar and usage are energized by mastering the rules of a messy and disorganized language. For the rest of us, our feelings run the gamut from indifference to loathing as we muddle through a seemingly arbitrary organizational system and apply it to something as individual as language.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Cool Things We Do With Words: Vows, Oaths, and Promises
What is more special than a promise? As children (and let’s be honest, as adults, too) we valued promises highly among our friends and family. The act of promising and the act of being worth promising something to elevates our relationships. It’s a perfect example of how beautiful and powerful words can be.
There are a lot of amazing activities we do with words and language. Few are as sacred or important as the vows or oaths that we make throughout our lives.
Learn Your Homophones: Pear, Pair, and Pare
Pair: two of something, usually that are similar or go together. For example:
Pear: a fruit. For example:
Pare: trim (something) by cutting away its outer edges; cut the skin off of something; reduce (something) in size, extent, quantity, or number, usually in a number of small successive stages.
Friday, December 6, 2013
7 Noteworthy Tips for Your First Week at a New Job
Congratulations on landing a new job!
Do you feel nervous or anxious about your first week? Being prepared will not only help you avoid stress but will also set the tone for the rest of your tenure at your new company. Check out these seven useful tips!
1 Build rapport with your colleagues. Your coworkers will be your allies if you take the time to create positive relationships with them.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
3 Trends That Will Dominate English Writing in 2017
Any way you slice it, 2016 has been a tough year.
We lost beloved novelists like Harper Lee and Gloria Naylor; lyricists like David Bowie, Prince, and Leonard Cohen; and book-character-embodying actors like Alan Rickman and Gene Wilder.
We expressed a dip in mood in our writing online. One study by social media analytics company Crimson Hexagon showed that popular retail holidays like Black Friday experienced a rise in negative sentiment in 2016, despite rosy predictions.