Improving Your Writing Will Improve Your Life

Everyone wants a little taste of the good life, but it’s often difficult to figure out just how to cook it up and savor it. After all, the recipe for success can be more complex than the method behind a Yotam Ottolenghi vegetable dish.

The first challenge, naturally, is identifying the right ingredients. And unless you think the key to a better existence merely opens the door to a Ferrari, you’re most likely part of the crowd that agrees that health, peace of mind, and happiness are critical components.

This trinity has long been at the heart of society’s idea of true richness, and while we can’t guarantee that improving your writing will put each element within easy reach, getting a better grip on grammar, expanding your vocabulary, and showing greater mastery of written communication will put you on the right track.

More specifically:

You’ll be more successful.

At everything, especially when it comes to your career.

According to a 2010 MetLife Survey, 97 percent of executives rate writing skills as absolutely essential or very important. Not to mention, a recent Forbes study found that one of the skills employers most want to see in 2015 graduates is the ability to create and edit written reports.

In a nutshell, writing is a critical part of business communication today, and those who do it well will, at the very least, be viewed as more capable, more valuable employees.

On a similar note, writing has been linked to strong critical thinking and analytical skills, two abilities that form the foundation of powerful decision-making, a trait that goes hand in hand with leadership. Read between the lines here, and you’ll see what we’re getting at: promotion, promotion, promotion!

Finally, even if you’re not part of a traditional business environment, writing well can help you deliver your message clearly and concisely, which will be essential to advancing your ideas, agendas, and proposals.

You’ll be more attractive.

Sure, you could adopt a Jack Kerouac or Donna Tartt look, but that’s not what we’re alluding to. Improving your writing will make you sexier regardless of your style or your practiced ennui.

That’s because it makes you happier and more confident, two qualities that bring in the dates like a dinner bell brings in the laborers at the end of a hard day of farm work.

Our reasoning?

Improving your ability to write expressively, which means jotting down traumatic, emotional, or stressful events, will help uplift your mind and body. At least that’s what social psychologist James Pennebaker found when he asked people to write in this way for three to five sessions of fifteen to twenty minutes over the course of several days.

Taking it one step further, the sense of ease you get from offloading complicated negative thoughts and feelings is an indicator of confidence, which even science has endorsed as one of the most attractive qualities in a person.

Just don’t get so good at expressive writing that your ego overinflates; there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

You’ll have stronger relationships with your family and friends.

Language scientists believe that writing transforms our complex cognitive processing abilities. Putting pen to paper allows us to more clearly think through ideas that were previously difficult or impossible to wrap our heads around.  By extension, it means we can better articulate our notions and feelings even when we’re communicating verbally.

When is this especially useful? When forming and maintaining important relationships, of course.

Interpersonal connections depend heavily on self-expression and our knack for understanding how our own opinions align with those of others. Once you can make sense of the mad jumble inside your own mind, you can engage in a meaningful way with friends and family.

Not to give you any ideas, but it also means your powers of persuasion will likely increase dramatically. What was it that you needed your loved ones to say yes to again?

You’ll have more time to do the things you love.

Improving your writing means you’ll spend less time editing, which means you’ll have more time to look at bugs, go base jumping, or read that classic that’s been gathering dust on your bookshelf for a small eternity.

If the kind of writing you’re doing doesn’t demand editing, that’s even better (then you’ll have loads of time). Jokes aside, writing can make you more productive and more focused. 

As mentioned, your thoughts will have a new clarity, and you won’t need to wade through a tangle of ideas stuffing up your brain.

If you happen to be writing about goals you want to achieve, improving your ability to pinpoint your objectives and your path to reaching them will make you more likely to get results. Clinical psychologist Gail Matthews effectively proved this by conducting a study at the Dominican University of California.

Then you can use your increased attractiveness and your newfound knack for making strong connections to become even more successful! Voilà!

Can you think of an example of when writing helped improve your life? We want to hear it. Tell us about it in the comment section below or via our Facebook or Twitter feeds.

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Stephanie Katz is a San Francisco–based writer who, contrary to the way it may seem, won’t correct your grammar over beers, coffees, or any other normal life interaction. She tells stories about health, history, travel, and more and can be contacted via email at stekatz@gmail.com.

Suppose vs. Supposed—Is There a Difference?

Supposed to is part of a modal verb phrase meaning expected to or required to. Although suppose to crops up frequently in casual speech and writing, it should not be used in that sense. Suppose (without the d) should only be used as the present tense of the verb meaning to assume (something to be true).

When to Use Supposed To

To be supposed to is a common phrase that functions the same way a modal verb does. Modal verbs, also called auxiliary or helping verbs, add meaning to the main verb in a sentence by expressing possibility, ability, permission, or obligation. Supposed to, like have to, can fall into the “obligation” category.

I have to be home by midnight or my coach will turn into a pumpkin.

I am supposed to be home by midnight or my coach will turn into a pumpkin.

It can also be used to indicate what a person (or thing) is likely to do or is reputed to do.

It was supposed to rain today.

She is supposed to be the best poodle breeder in town.

Whenever it is used in either of these senses, supposed to will be preceded by a form of to be and followed by a verb.

He is supposed to turn in his homework on Friday mornings.

Were we supposed to be here so early?

The Verb To Suppose

On the other hand, the verb to suppose means to presume, in theory, that something is the case without certain evidence.

Max isn’t here yet, so I suppose his train was delayed.

The committee supposes that the decline in profits is due to a faulty product design.

As an imperative, it can mean the equivalent of what would happen if.

Suppose my coach really does turn into a pumpkin. What will I do then?

Supposed To, Have To, and Ought To

Some English language learners are easily confused by the modal verbs to be supposed to, have to, and ought to. While all three function similarly in a sentence, their meanings are subtly different.

To be supposed to do something implies that the subject is obligated and expected to do the main verb’s action, although there is a possibility it won’t happen.

The magician is supposed to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

Here, there is an expectation that the magician will be able to perform his trick correctly, but there is always a chance that he won’t succeed. The sentence conveys this expectation and the reader must now wait to see if that expectation will be fulfilled.

Has to means the same as must; it implies that the subject has no choice about performing the verb’s action.

The magician has to produce the rabbit to earn applause.

This sentence conveys that if the magician does not produce the rabbit, there will be no applause. He simply must do it to get the result he wants.

Ought to is more of a suggestion. It conveys what would be best for the subject to do, but the subject is not compelled to do it.

The magician ought to slip his rabbit a carrot before the show.

To ensure that he has a compliant, content rabbit in his hat, the magician should give his rabbit a carrot, although no one requires it of him. It would simply be a good idea.

If you only remember a single grammar factoid about suppose, let it be that you can confidently expunge “I am suppose to…” from your literary repertoire forever. That’s just how it is supposed to be.

Where Do Ninjas, Zombies, and Robots Come From?

English is a language made up almost entirely of other languages. Between the fifth and seventh centuries, tribes from lands that would become Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands showed up in Britain. The languages they spoke developed into Middle English, butted heads with Old Norman (pre-French), and, in Shakespeare’s time, got a dose of Latin and Ancient Greek. Along the way, individual words from a host of other languages were added to the mix.

Nowadays, we use all sorts of words we don’t even realize come from other languages. And with the amount of communication, travel, and migration across great distances happening today, the evolution continues.

Here are ten loanwords—words “borrowed” from other languages and incorporated into English, often with a slightly tweaked meaning—to illustrate the huge amount of non-English in the English language.

1 Aiyo Originating in the Dravidian languages of southern India (that’s Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu), aiyo is one of the newest English additions. It was adopted by the Oxford English Dictionary in October 2016 and defined, simply, as a phrase “expressing distress, regret, or grief; ‘Oh no!’, ‘Oh dear!’.” But according to commentators from southern India and Sri Lanka, where the phrase originates, “Oh dear!” doesn’t come close to capturing the range of meanings it can convey. Many extreme emotions can be expressed with these sounds, from disgust to fear to joy. So many meanings in one exclamation—aiyo!

2 Alcohol In Arabic, al-kohl (الكحل) originally meant a fine powder of certain chemicals, and Latin adopted the word alcohol in the thirteenth century. Since fine powders were thought of as being “distilled” from other things (based on how people thought about alchemy and medicine in the Middle Ages), the meaning merged with other things that had been distilled. The word showed up in English in the sixteenth century, and by the mid-eighteenth century the “spirit of wine” was in full swing.

3 Chocolate Let’s face it: “chock-lit” is easier to pronounce than cacahuaquchtl. That sweetest of sweets came to English by way of Spanish, but started out as an Aztec beverage made of cocoa powder (try saying cacahuaquchtl five times fast) and other spices—not the sugary treat we’re used to today. That’s one theory; others postulate that it comes from Aztec words for “bitter water,” or Nahuatl for “beaten drink,” or that cacahuaquchtl was changed by Spanish conquistadors to combine the Maya word chocol (hot) and Aztec atl (water). Why? Because caca can mean another thick, brown thing in Spanish, and no one wants to be mixing up chocolate with feces.

4 Money The thing that makes the world go round goes way back (understandably). Middle English adopted moneie from the Old French word monoie, meaning “coinage, metal currency.” Even farther back, there’s the Latin word monēta, meaning “place for coining money” or “coin,” which comes from the goddess Juno Moneta, who was worshipped in a temple in or near a mint. There’s proof for folks who think money is divine.

5 Ninja In English (and especially Hollywood), a ninja kicks butt in all black and a mask. But in the original Japanese, a ninja was a spy—not a sneaky martial-arts maniac like we’re used to seeing, but one who was supposed to blend in. Today, “ninja” retains its warriorlike connotation, but it’s also used in a range of situations to imply stealth, cunning, and skill. Just ask a kitchen ninja, tech ninja, or gaming ninja if you don’t believe it.

6 Penguin Most penguins waddle their tuxedo-clad selves around the Southern Hemisphere, but the word “penguin” is believed to come from the Welsh pen gwyn, meaning “white head.” Sure, penguins don’t have white heads, but the name was originally used for the now-extinct great auk, which also didn’t have a white head, but did have white spots around the eyes. When sailors rounded the tip of South America around 1580, they spotted a “foule, which the Welsh men name Pengwin”—that is, a bird that resembled the great auk. It’s still known by the name the Welsh sailors bestowed upon it nearly five hundred years ago.

7 Robot A long time ago, in a galaxy over in Central Europe, robots emerged as the brainchild of a Czech sci-fi writer in the 1920s. Long before C-3PO and R2-D2 roamed the galaxy, Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R.—short for “Rossum’s Universal Robots”—introduced the idea of artificial people created to work for “real” humans. And (spoiler alert) they end up rebelling against humanity. Since robota in Czech means “labor, drudgery,” it’s hard to blame them. And that idea clearly sticks in the imagination, since robots are about as common as warp drives and lightsabers.

8 Schmuck In American English, “schmuck” is an insult; it basically means “fool” or “idiot,” but with a slightly harsher and more Yiddish ring to it. However, it derives from the Yiddish word shmok, which means “penis,” so some Jewish communities consider the word extremely vulgar. In another twist, shmok is believed to come from Old Polish smok, meaning “grass snake, dragon.” Maybe that’s where J.R.R. Tolkien got the name for Smaug, who is definitely a smok in terms of fire-breathing deadliness, but not exactly a schmuck—though Bilbo Baggins might not agree.

9 Uber This originally German word, complete with umlauts (über), traveled a windy road before it arrived at its present-day English meaning. Its literal German meaning: “over.” Figuratively, it implies that something or someone is bigger or better (like the Übermensch, a kind of philosophical Superman). It first got used in English to mean “very, super.” For example, “I’m über excited” or “that party was über cool.” Today, of course, many city-dwellers know it as a way to get a ride with a few taps of a finger.

10 Zombie This one’s origin is a little uncertain—but chances are you’re not going to be pondering etymology if one of them is trying to eat your brains. The word probably comes from a West African language: zumbi means “fetish” in Kikongo, and nzambi is a word for “god” in Kimbundu, but the idea arose—not from the dead, but for the first time—in Haiti during centuries of slavery. The idea was that slaves who committed suicide to save their bodies from the cruelty of their masters would be condemned to wander for eternity, undead. The brain-eating part came later.

English has borrowed plenty from other languages, but it’s a two-way street: words like le weekend in French, párking in Spanish, and intānetto (Internet) in Japanese are becoming increasingly common around the world. Whether you see language evolution as uber cool or something to cry aiyo! about, understanding how linguistic borrowing takes place can make you a real language ninja.

Alright or All Right—Which Is Correct?

People are often surprised to learn that alright is not an accepted spelling of all right. Although the one-word spelling of alright is seen in informal writing, teachers and editors will always consider it incorrect. To use the expression with impunity, it is best to spell it as two words: all right.

It’s possible that you stared at your paper in wonder the first time your English teacher marked alright as an incorrect spelling. It is equally possible that your English teacher saw nothing wrong with the spelling alright and that you are reading this because a coworker or editor has challenged you on it for the first time. So how did it come to this, and how did you manage to live your whole life to this point without knowing that alright is not all right?

Spelling Evolves Over Time

If you ever want to delve into a subject that is completely engrossing, read about etymology, which is the study of the origins of words and how they have changed through history. Words evolve in spelling and meaning over time, and in the case of the adjective/adverb all right, the accepted spelling is currently in flux. It can take hundreds of years for a variant spelling of a word or a two-word compound like all rightto take root sufficiently before it is considered correct. Alrightseems to have begun to appear in the late 19th century (Mark Twain used it, for example) and slowly became more common in informal communication–both in fiction and reality. This is true in both British and American English.

A good prediction would be that alright will eventually become accepted. Other English compounds beginning with “all” have dropped one l and contracted into one word, such as already, although, altogether, almost, and always. Of course, some of these words changed slightly in meaning, post-contraction, and alright remains perfectly synonymous with all right—for the moment.

Can I Ever Use Alright?

The quick answer is no, for two reasons.

The first is simply that no established dictionary fully accepts alright as a correct spelling. At worst, it is not listed or is flagged as wrong, and at best, as in the Oxford English Dictionary, it is considered a “nonstandard variant.” Respected style guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook forbid its use.

The second reason is that in some contexts, alright will not work, and in all contexts, all right will never fail. Both mean “OK,” “acceptable,” “well,” or “safe,” but all right can have other meanings too.

Chloe’s test answers were alright.

This conveys the sense that generally, Chloe’s test answers were “just acceptable.” But what if that is not what you meant to say?

Chloe’s test answers were all right.

With all right written as two words, the most likely meaning of this sentence is that all of Chloe’s answers are correct, but it could also mean that Chloe answered her questions adequately. Another clarifying phrase would be helpful to resolve the ambiguity, but in either case, the spelling would be considered correct.

Here’s a tip: Thus, use this as your guiding principle: if you use alright in formal writing, you put yourself at risk of being viewed as a below-average speller. If you always use two words, you can never go wrong.

The battle of alright vs. all right is ultimately a no-brainer, because all right is always all right.

If you use alright informally in emails or texts to friends, however, your recipients will certainly know what it means. But when your writing is being published or evaluated, do yourself a favor and avoid this word completely.

10 Wonderful Words to Learn for Dictionary Day

Happy Dictionary Day!

October 16, 1758, was the birthdate of the American lexicographer Noah Webster. If you’ve ever wondered who decided that Americans should write color while the British write colour, Noah Webster is your guy.

To celebrate our love of lexicography, here are ten wonderful words to add to your vocabulary today:

Antipode n. A direct or extreme opposite. Angelica often gets into heated conversations with Duane, her ideological antipode.

Desiccated adj. Dried out or totally drained of moisture. The kitchen was bare, save for a desiccated old orange peel lying in the sink.

Mellifluous adj. Pleasing to the ear; sweetly melodic. Karl’s mellifluous voice enraptured the entire audience until the end of his aria.

Opprobrium n. Harsh disapproval or criticism, especially by a large group of people. Smith decided not to run for office after an ill-advised tweet earned him the opprobrium of half his followers.

Pelagic adj. Of or related to the open sea. As much as I’ve enjoyed our pelagic adventure, I’m ready to get back to dry land.

Pulchritude n. Physical beauty. Sandra twirled at the end of the red carpet so the crowd could take in the pulchritude of her sequined gown from every angle.

Rhadamanthine adj. Severely or inflexibly strict. (Often capitalized) Our Rhadamanthine camp director sounded the wake-up call promptly at 5 o’clock every morning.

Skulduggery n. Dishonest behavior; trickery. After investigators discovered several secret offshore accounts, the president of the bank finally admitted to being involved in the financial skulduggery.

Susurrus n. The sound of whispering or rustling. Claude heard his own name somewhere in the susurrus coming from the antsy crowd.

Unctuous adj. Greasy or oily feeling; also, excessively flattering or obsequious in a sycophantic way. Sophie was suspicious of the promises made by the unctuous vacuum cleaner saleswoman.

What words do you think people should use more often? Let us know in the comment section or via our Facebook and Twitter feeds!

Comma Between Subject and Verb

With few exceptions, a comma should not separate a subject from its verb.

My friend Cleo, is a wonderful singer.

Writers are often tempted to insert a comma between a subject and verb this way because speakers sometimes pause at that point in a sentence. But in writing, the comma only makes the sentence seem stilted.

My friend Cleo is a wonderful singer.

Be especially careful with long or complex subjects:

The things that cause me joy, may also cause me pain.

The things that cause me joy may also cause me pain.

Navigating through snow, sleet, wind, and darkness, is a miserable way to travel.

Navigating through snow, sleet, wind, and darkness is a miserable way to travel.

Mistaking a dangling participle, laughter was heard anyway.

If the title of this post doesn’t make any sense, it shouldn’t.

This is going somewhere, I promise! Bear with me.

Today, while scouring Tumblr and various forums for “The Best Picture on the Internet,” I came across the following:

I am certain that most people read to the last frame and, caught up in Johnny Carson’s joke, didn’t think twice about whether or not Dean Martin knew what a dangling participle is. Those who did think about it might assume (wrongly) that a dangling participle is when someone confuses ‘can’ and ‘may.’  A very small group of readers may have gotten so hung up on Mr. Martin’s lack of grammar knowledge that they completely missed Carson’s joke. If you are part of this last group, pat yourself on the back and relax, you probably already know what this post is about. For the rest of the world, read on.

Dean Martin doesn’t really know his grammar. 

While Dean was spot on with his correction of Carson’s question, “Can I?”, he should have stopped there. A dangling participle is neither the confusion of ‘can’ and ‘may’ nor is it something that you can cover with a long coat.

So, what is a dangling participle?

It’s really not as painful as it sounds.

Simply, a dangling participle is an adjective ending in -ing (present participle) that does not correspond logically to a noun in the sentence.

For clarity’s sake, let’s have a look at a couple sentences and identify the parts:

Julie walked excitedly to the diving board.  

(“Diving” is the present participle. It is an adjective ending in -ing that is modifying a clear noun, “board.”)

Walking around the pool, Julie heard someone call her name.

(“Walking” is the present participle. “Walking around the pool” is the participial phrase modifying the noun, “Julie”.  That Julie is the one “walking around the pool” makes logical sense. The participle here is not dangling. This is a correct sentence.)

Walking around the pool, a voice called her name.

(Again, “walking” is the present participle, and “walking around the pool” is the participial phrase modifying the subject. However, here the noun “voice” does not make sense. The “voice” is not the one “walking around the pool.” Since it is not clear who or what is “walking,” the participle is left “dangling.”)

Here are more examples of dangling participles:

Incorrect: Turning around quickly, the ground was wet.

(The participial phrase “turning around quickly” does not make sense modifying the noun “ground.”)

Correct: Turning around quickly, Julie slipped on the wet ground.

(The participial phrase “turning around quickly” makes sense modifying the noun “Julie,” who was “turning.”)

Incorrect: Falling into the pool, the splash attracted a lot of attention.

(It doesn’t make sense for the noun “splash” to be “falling into the pool.”)

Correct: Falling into the pool, Julie made a huge splash.

(Again, setting “Julie” as the noun being modified is more clear and logical.)

Fixing dangling participles

When you have a dangling participle in your writing, it’s likely that the intended and correct noun was used as the subject of the previous sentence or is “understood” by context.  However, when the noun following a participial phrase does not clearly link to what is happening in the sentence, it should be changed. Reword these sentences by clearly restating who or what is being modified by the participle.

Incorrect: Julie walked excitedly toward the diving board. Moving around the pool, a voice called her name.

Correct: Julie walked excitedly toward the diving board. Moving around the pool, she heard a voice call her name.

So, as you see, dangling modifiers don’t have anything to do with ‘can’ and ‘may,’ and Dean Martin didn’t really know anything about grammar. No one is perfect. Luckily, Johnny Carson did know a thing or two about comedy, and we all benefited from the gaffe.

Test your skills:

How would you correct the title of this post?

What Is a Relative Pronoun and How Does It Work?

A relative pronoun is a word that introduces a dependent (or relative) clause and connects it to an independent clause. A clause beginning with a relative pronoun is poised to answer questions such as Which one? How many? or What kind? Who, whom, what, which, and that are all relative pronouns.

Relative clauses are also sometimes referred to as adjective clauses, because they identify or give us additional information about the subject of the independent clause they relate to. Like adjectives, these clauses in some way describe that subject. Relative pronouns, like conjunctions, are words that join clauses—in this case, a relative clause to its main clause. The type of relative pronoun used depends on what kind of noun is being described.

Who: Refers to a person (as the verb’s subject)

Whom: Refers to a person (as the verb’s object)

Which: Refers to an animal or thing

What: Refers to a nonliving thing

That: Refers to a person, animal, or thing

The woman who came to the door left flowers for you.

I am not sure whom this book belongs to.

Interpretative dance, which I find a bit disconcerting, is all the rage.

Is this what you were talking about?

She finally visited the coffee shop that had such great reviews.

Possessive Relative Pronouns

It surprises some people to learn that both who and which can take the possessive form whose. Some will argue that of which is a better construction when talking about things rather than people, but this results in unnecessary awkwardness. The truth is that whose has been widely and correctly applied to nonhumans for hundreds of years.

She apologized to the boy whose glasses got broken.

The house whose owner is on vacation has an unsightly garden.

The house, the owner of which is on vacation, has an unsightly garden. (This is correct but cumbersome.)

Compound Relative Pronouns

The term compound relative pronoun sounds complex, but it really isn’t. Simply put, compound relative pronouns apply universally to a number of people or things. They include whoever, whomever, whichever, and whatever.

Please tell whoever may call that I am not available.

Whomever you hire will be fine with me.

Whichever train you take from here, you will end at Charing Cross station.

Carly will be successful at whatever she chooses to do in life.

Grammar Conundrum No. 1: That vs. Which

Two relative pronouns whose functions are easily confused are that and which.

Here’s a tip: The rule of thumb is this: that introduces a restrictive clause, and which introduces a nonrestrictive clause.

A restrictive clause is an essential part of its sentence; if it were taken out of the sentence, the sentence’s meaning would change. Nonrestrictive clauses are just the opposite.

The wardrobe that has the fur coats in it leads to Narnia.

If we were to excise the clause “that has the fur coats in it” from the sentence, the meaning of the sentence would change. We would no longer know which wardrobe leads to a magical land with talking animals, which was the intention of the sentence. This kind of clause gets a that. The word which, on the other hand, should introduce a nonessential clause that can be removed from a sentence without changing the sentence’s meaning.

The wardrobe, which contains several fur coats, leads to Narnia.

Here, “which contains several fur coats” is a parenthetical remark that can be removed without materially altering the sentence. Nonrestrictive (or nonessential) clauses are set off with commas, as shown in the example above.

Grammar Conundrum No. 2: Who vs. That

Not every style guide agrees on whether that is an acceptable relative pronoun to use when referring to people. To some, the following sentence may sound incorrect.

The teacher that gives out candy is always the students’ favorite.

The truth is, this sentence is perfectly fine. Yet you may want to consider that your readers could disagree. Go with the safer bet, who.

The teacher who gives out candy is always the students’ favorite.

Grammar Conundrum No. 3: Keep Pronouns and Antecedents Close

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to. To ensure clarity, place an antecedent immediately before the relative pronoun referring to it.

The park at the end of our street, which is pristine, is a favorite place of mine.

An unnecessary ambiguity is created in this sentence. What is pristine, the park or the street? Reordering the sentence can help, but rewriting it would be even better.

The pristine park at the end of our street is a favorite place of mine.

And that’s the relative pronoun in a nutshell. Relatively painless, wasn’t it?

Grammar Basics: What Is the Perfect Form of “Be”?

Many of the most commonly used nouns have irregular conjugations in the past simple and perfect forms. “To be” is one of these. Learn more about perfect forms.

To learn more about grammar and to help us celebrate National Grammar Day this March, visit our new resource page.

Robots and English

There’s a harsh reality we need to face—a robotic, AI-driven Shakespeare is nowhere in sight. No robot will write verse that influences English the way Bard’s did anytime soon. You won’t find an AI spitting rhymes like Rakim or Nas, either.

But if your standards aren’t too high, there is some AI-constructed poetry you can read today. Take an AI that uses the recurrent neural network language model technique, feed it thousands of romantic novels to learn language from, give it a starting sentence and an ending sentence, instruct it to fill the gap between them, and you’ll get something like this:

this was the only way. it was the only way. it was her turn to blink. it was hard to tell. it was time to move on. he had to do it again. they all looked at each other. they all turned to look back. they both turned to face him. they both turned and walked away.

This AI, designed by Google, Stanford University, and the University of Massachusetts, isn’t supposed to be the world’s first artificial poet—it’s just a side effect. And the AI’s output isn’t even this good a lot of the time. But if you keep in mind that the AI generated all of the sentences except the first and last on its own, it’s impressive that they all make sense and have a common theme. Apps, AI, and robots are very far from understanding language in the same way we do, but the things they can do are amazing.

Parsey McParseface is an English language parser Google built and released earlier this year, along with the code for SyntaxNet, a framework for a syntactic parser. If you put a sentence into Parsey McParseface, it will analyze it, identify the parts of speech, and determine their functions. This isn’t the first parsing algorithm, but it might be the most accurate. According to Google, Parsey does its thing with a 94 percent accuracy rate.

We know that virtual assistants can recognize what we’re saying, most of the time. Good proofreading software can catch more than just spelling mistakes and can have a noticeable impact on a person’s writing. But do you think machines could ever read your lips? If you’ve ever tried it yourself, you’ll know how hard it is, and even people who know how to read lips are only successful half of the time. LipNet, a neural network architecture under development by Oxford University, can achieve up to 93.4 percent accuracy. This can be very helpful to people with hearing impairments, but it can also help all of us communicate with machines better. If for nothing else, than to be sure they understand when we tell them they should stop trying to write poetry.

Which List Should You Use for Your Project? Quiz

List-making can turn your natural talents and passions into superhuman productivity. It’s a skill that needs to be honed, but whatever your project, there’s a list technique for you. If you want to take your list-making game to the next level, take the quiz to find out which list you should use to organize your next project!

What is your favorite kind of list? Which list will you use for your next project?

Anymore vs. Any More

Is anymore one word or two? It depends on how you’re using it. We’re here to set the record straight.

Any more and anymore have related meanings, but they’re not interchangeable. Whether you make anymore one word or two depends on how you’re using it. Any more refers to quantities (Would you like any more tea?). Anymore is an adverb that refers to time (I don’t like tea anymore.).

Any More and Anymore: A Detailed Explanation

When spelled as two words, any more refers to quantities.

Are there any more cookies?

You already ate seven; you don’t need any more!

When spelled as one word, anymore is an adverb that refers to time. It means “at present,” “still,” or “any longer.”

Why doesn’t Mom bake cookies anymore?

She doesn’t bake cookies anymore because you always eat them all and don’t leave any for her!

In certain dialects, some speakers use anymore as a synonym of nowadays.

Cookies are almost impossible to come by around here anymore.

However, this usage is not considered acceptable in formal writing. In fact, it’s a fairly rare usage, so you may want to remove it from your writing altogether unless you’re writing for a very specific audience.

The problem with anymore is the same problem many writers have with words like “anyway”, “anytime”, and “sometime”—each of them can be written as one or two words.

Just remember: If you’re talking about a quantity of something, use any more. If you’re talking about time, use anymore.

What Does Imperative Mean?

Imperative can be one of the following:

• An adjective meaning “completely necessary” or “very important,” but also “commanding.”
• A noun meaning “a necessity” or “something that is not avoidable,” but also “a command.”
• In grammar, imperative is also one of the four main verb moods.

Imperative is one of those words that shouldn’t be thrown around unless there’s a very good reason for it. Not everything in the word is imperative, or an imperative. But if you’re not sure what the definition of imperative is and what it has to do with imperative sentences, you’re in the right place. We’ll explain what imperative means, how to use it in a sentence, and how imperative sentences are different from indicative sentences.

Imperative Definition

When you define the word imperative, you should note that it can be an adjective and a noun. In both cases, imperative has two distinct meanings: one of urgency, necessity, and importance and another of trying to influence other people’s actions.

The adjective imperative means that something is of the utmost importance or necessity. It can also mean that something is commanding. Similarly, the noun imperative means “something of the utmost importance or necessity”—something imperative. It also means “a command.”

What Is an Imperative Sentence?

Imperative can be traced all the way back to the Latin word imperare, which means “to command.” This is the sense in which the word is used today in grammar, and you might have seen it going together with the words mood and sentence.

The imperative mood is one of the four main verb moods in the English language. As opposed to verb tenses, which indicate time, moods indicate states. The imperative mood indicates the state of commanding. Here’s an example of an imperative sentence:

Sit down and eat your lunch.

In this sentence, someone is giving a command. It can be easily distinguished from indicative sentences, which simply state that something has happened:

He sat down and ate his lunch.

In case you’ve noticed that imperative sentences sometimes don’t have a subject, you should know that they do, even if it’s not actually written in the sentence. You is the subject in this case, but since it’s not written, it’s called you understood, and it’s written as (you).

Imperative—How to Use It

If you’re wondering how to use the word imperative in a sentence—simply put it there when you want to describe something as very important. The place of imperative on the scale of adjectives that imply importance is debatable, but it is certain that something that is imperative is more important than something that is nonessential, trivial, unimportant, or optional. These words are the antonyms of imperative. Its synonyms include the words crucial, vital, critical, and pressing.

On the other hand, imperative can also be used to say that something is commanding. So a person who speaks with an imperative tone of voice is probably a person who is used to issuing commands.

As for the imperative mood, you make it by taking the infinitive of a verb and removing to. Use it when you want to issue commands and orders, but also when you want to make requests—just remember to add please to the sentence.

Imperative Examples

In my view, mediamacro and its focus on the deficit played an important role in winning the Conservatives the 2015 general election. —New Statesman

It was “imperative” that the rules ensured bosses could not avoid their responsibilities to pay pensions, they added. —BBC

“Acting East” is no longer just an option but an imperative for Indian foreign policy. —The Japan Times

The need for an honest evaluation of the military’s flaws and failures becomes an imperative for those with a sincere and substantive desire to “support the troops.” —Salon

5 Children’s Books You Should Read As an Adult

Many of us have special memories of books that changed our worlds as children. I’ll never forget snuggling up next to my dad while he read a section of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia to my brother and me each night before bed. Here are five books and series for kids that we recommend re-reading as an adult:

The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder Based on Wilder’s experiences growing up on the American frontier, the Little House series paints an intimate portrait of an exciting time in American history. Read along as Laura and her family encounter bears, battle the elements, and survive in the early American West.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein While this popular children’s book is intended for young readers, adults have found inspiration within its pages, too. The Giving Tree tells the story of a boy growing up alongside a tree and the relationship of give and take between them. It’s a short picture book and worth another read from an adult perspective.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince is one of those rare children’s books that captivates young readers on one level and touches the hearts of adult readers on another. On the surface, it is about a pilot who crashes his plane in the desert and encounters a strange young boy who has traveled from his home on a distant asteroid. At a deeper level, The Little Prince is a story about being present in your own life — about paying attention to everyday pleasures and making time for friends.

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl Many people are familiar with Wes Anderson’s movie adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, but if you haven’t read the book, you’re missing out. Roald Dahl is the author of many other favorite children’s books, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. Pick up Fantastic Mr. Fox to enjoy a fun-filled journey through the animal world.

Daddy’s Little Girl by Peter Wilson Daddy’s Little Girl tells the story of a father’s love for his daughter through the years. The book is short and sweet and guaranteed to bring a tear to most fathers’ and daughters’ eyes.

Which books for children do you recommend rereading as an adult? Share your favorites in the comments!

How to Write Interesting Stories

April 27 is Tell a Story Day, a great time for writers at all levels to finally share the stories that they’ve been keeping to themselves. But, what if the story you want to tell isn’t quite ready for its debut?

We encourage you to find a different story to tell! How, you ask? Read on . . .

Famous writers approached their writing in different ways, but one commonality involved extracting stories from real life experiences. The characters and settings may have received some embellishment, but the premise of their stories mirrored what they experienced during their lives. Hemingway wrote about armed conflicts that he covered as a reporter, Faulkner brought to life the southern culture he remembered from the early portion of the 20th century, and Jane Austin vividly described the scenes of 18th century English society.

Although the ideas for their stories derived from real life experiences, famous writers had different ways of developing story ideas. Hemingway often talked about how he worked out story ideas on the go. Faulkner believed that “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” Only through pushing the boundaries was he able to develop complex story ideas. Austin took the power of observation to another level in the development of her story lines.

Novice writers often complain that their well of story ideas has run dry. They do not have to follow the lead of a famous writer to develop compelling story ideas. Instead, they can stimulate their own creative process by following a few writing tips.

Open Up to New Experiences

Experiencing different cultures, people, and places enriches the idea machine that often lies dormant within your mind. The more you diversify your experiences, the more fertile the idea machine becomes. Try different foods, travel to distant lands, and above all, read the works of authors who cover a wide variety of genres. Famous authors such as Hemingway and Faulkner mention how much reading helped them to develop story ideas. “Writing in the voice of me” helps writers expound on their expanded horizons.

Eliminate Self-Doubt

Writers may represent the most self-critical professionals. The lack of story ideas can turn a once confident writer into someone who begins to limit his or her belief in the capacity to churn out creative story ideas. Writers need to acquire the patience to face the inevitable impasses that derail the story idea development process. Believe in yourself and your story ideas should flow like a graceful river.

Every Idea Counts

Instead of trying to focus on developing great story ideas, strive for quantity over quality. Entertain every story idea until the feasibility of the idea wanes. What appears to be a stupid story line today may be the next best selling story idea of tomorrow. Record all of your story ideas in a notebook or in a computer file and revisit each idea periodically to expand on its premise. Time does a wonderful job of forming some story ideas into powerful novels. Record every idea the moment it pops into your head. Once again, reading a wide variety of writing genres helps you generate story ideas.

Avoid Convention

Famous writers often defied writing convention to bring their unique ideas to life. They thought outside of the writing box by creating characters and developing story lines that appeared to have no chance of gaining popularity. Who would have thought the musings of an illiterate adolescent would make for a powerful story idea in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Obviously, Mark Twain did not follow the writing norm in creating his captivating main character.

Walk a Mile or Two in Your Shoes

The writing process can stagnate whenever you stare blankly at your computer screen and silently curse your current state of writer’s block. You can shake writer’s block and stimulate story ideas by working story lines out as you walk. Too many novice writers sit down and immediately expect story ideas to pop in their heads. Famous writers such as Hemingway walked until they developed the foundation for a story idea. Once you develop the structure of your story idea, the words should fly from your fingertips whenever you decide to sit down to write the story.

Remember that, at times, even the most polished writers have trouble developing ideas for interesting stories. What differentiates them from the novice writer is that they implement strategies to set their creative wheels in motion. Follow the examples set by famous writers and open yourself up to new experiences; entertaining every idea you think of; avoid convention; eliminate self-doubt; and if all else fails, take a walk! You’ll be writing again in no time.

What is your best strategy to counteract writer’s block? Share in the comments!

6 Wonderful Tips on How to Catch Up on Emails After a Vacation

Inbox dread is real.

The last time I took a vacation, I almost didn’t want to leave for fear of what my inbox would look like when I got back. (Hint: it wasn’t pretty.) There’s nothing more groan-inducing on your first day back at work than opening your email client to see you have 1,487 emails waiting.

I’ve worked in jobs where getting a flurry of daily email was the norm, which meant that being away for a week resulted in a digital avalanche. Here’s how I prepared and then dug out.

1 Set up an out-of-office message before you leave.

Having a vacation auto-responder won’t cut down on the number of people who contact you, but it will cut down on the number of follow-ups they send. It’s also good form to let people know when you’re not able to answer them.

Your out-of-office message can be simple. Just let people know you’re unavailable, when you’ll return, and who they should contact with any urgent needs while you’re gone. If you’d like to have a little more fun with your message, here are some options.

Here’s a tip: Some people include a vacation clause in their out-of-office message to warn people that they may miss messages due to an overflowing inbox upon their return. Here’s an example:

I expect my inbox to be bursting at the seams when I return. I’ll do my best to get back to you, but if I should happen to miss your message, please do me the courtesy of following up after [date].

2 Weed out the advertising and other unnecessary stuff first.

When I return to my Gmail inbox to find a gazillion emails waiting, the first thing I do is weed out the junk mail. Advertising, of course, is the first to go. But when you’re trying to get back to inbox zero, even the newsletters you’ve subscribed to can get in your way.

Gmail’s tabs system is handy. When my email messages are already pre-sorted, I can go through the social and promotions tabs quickly and eliminate most of those emails right off the bat by selecting them all, skimming the subject lines to make sure nothing looks important, and then hitting archive or delete.

3 Use filters for high-priority senders.

There are likely a few people on your contact list whose emails you don’t want to miss. I have a Gmail folder called Priority Senders where I store important messages that need more immediate action.

You can use filters to have messages auto-sort to this folder, which is what I do when I’m out of my office for a while. Then, when I get back, I know what to tackle first.

Here’s a tip: If you’d rather not set up filters for your priority senders, you can simply sort your inbox by sender. This will help you quickly identify the messages you’ve received from people you need to respond to ASAP and separate them from the rest of your inbox clutter.

You can also filter retroactively by moving messages to the Priority Senders folder for safekeeping while you sort the rest of your inbox.

4 Make a catch-up folder.

Now that you’ve sorted your high priority email into a separate folder, you can deal with the rest . . . by putting it off. At least temporarily.

Staring at an overflowing inbox on your first day back in the office can bring on enough stress to undo the relaxing effects of your vacation. An empty inbox, however, is bliss! This solution may feel like cheating, but trust me, it’s a great way to alleviate the strain of having hundreds of emails to process and no time to process them.

Create a catch-up folder. It’s as simple as that. You can name it whatever you like, from “Email to Process” to “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” Then, simply Select All and move your vacation email into the catch-up folder. It’ll be out of sight, and instead of feeling like your inbox is a bottomless pit from which you’ll never emerge, you’ll be able to venture into your virtual storage room and sort through those less important emails whenever you have time to spare.

Here’s a tip: Consider putting the inbox zero method into effect before you leave for vacation. Practicing this efficient sorting technique requires a little setup, but once it’s in place it will make your email life infinitely easier.

Odds are good that if you’ve already sorted high priority email messages, nothing in your catch-up folder will be of critical importance. If you’ve accidentally missed something significant (hey, it happens to the best of us) you’re sure to get a follow-up email, at which time you can deal with the issue. If any email remains in your catch-up folder after a month, it’s probably safe to delete or archive it.

5 Practice “last in, first out.”

By now, your inbox should be looking slightly less overwhelming. It’s time to deal with the higher priority messages. Taking a “last in, first out” approach can help.

Some of the email you’ve received has already sorted itself out while you were away. When you read the most recent email first, you can quickly figure out what needs immediate attention and what you can filter into your catch-up folder for later. So start digging into the most recent emails you’ve received, and remember . . .

6 Resist the urge to delay responses.

Once you’ve identified important emails, answer them. Like, now.

We’ve all been there. You’re staring at an email that absolutely needs a response, except that you lack the psychic energy to deal with it in the moment. The temptation to put off those types of emails is intense. Resist! Bothersome emails grow into more powerful monsters the longer you ignore them. When you start going through your urgent emails, make yourself a promise that you’ll deal with each one as you open it. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.

With a little forethought and some organization, you can keep your inbox avalanche from burying you. Now, leave your office email alone until you return, and go enjoy that vacation. You’ve earned it!

Not-So-Sweet 16 Game 6: Total Tardiness vs. The Interrupter

It’s better late than . . . wait, wait, wait. See how annoying that was?

Delaying meetings because of careless tardiness is never fun, but interrupting your coworkers is likely to make you pretty unpopular as well. But which is the most frustrating? Vote below, and leave your stories of rudeness in the comments.

Total Tardiness

Having to stall a meeting or punt other tasks because you’re waiting on another person is the pits. Tardiness, especially the chronic kind, degrades meeting quality and comes off as just plain rude to others.

The Interrupter

This person may have great energy, but they can’t seem to let others finish their thoughts. As soon as someone begins to present a new idea, the interrupter is right there to add their perspective.