How to Consistently Write Better and Faster

In this article, here’s what you’ll discover:

• why distractions are more debilitating than you think (and what to do about them)
• a simple four-step formula to dramatically improve your writing
• how to crank out high-quality content in half the time by optimizing every step of the writing process from first draft to formatting

So let’s get started, shall we?

Why distractions are more debilitating than you think (and what to do about it)

Just how bad are distractions for your productivity?

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology investigated this question—and its findings were shocking. A research team lead by Erik Altmann wanted to see whether short-term interruptions—lasting as little as 2.8 seconds—affected performance. Subjects completed tasks on a computer. While they worked, an interruption appeared on their screens and researchers logged how many errors subjects made when returning to the task.

Researchers found that interruptions averaging 2.8 seconds doubled the number of mistakes; interruptions averaging 4.4 seconds tripled it.

That’s incredible. Even a simple distraction lasting less than five seconds can triple the number of errors you make. So it pays to block distractions at every turn.

But how do you block distractions? While most productivity gurus will tell you to use tools like StayFocusd to block time-wasting sites, I’ll give you something even better.

The “magic word” scientifically proven to reduce distractions by 64 percent

In a study for the Journal of Consumer Research, Vanessa Patrick and Henrik Hagtvedt measured the power of self-talk and how it affected distractions and follow-through.

In the experiment, thirty women attended a seminar on long-term health goals. After the seminar, researchers asked the women to join a program that would help them change their eating habits by changing their self-talk.

The women were divided into three separate groups of ten:

• Group A was instructed to say something like “I can’t eat cupcakes because I’m on a diet” when facing temptation.
• Group B would say something like “I don’t eat cupcakes because I’m on a diet.”
• Group C adopted a “just say no” strategy.

The results?

Eight out of ten women in Group B (“I don’t”) stuck with the program for the full ten days.

Of the women in Group C (“No”), only three completed the program.

And of those in Group A (“I can’t”), only one person completed the program.

Let that sink in. By substituting a single word—don’t for can’t—people were eight times as likely to succeed.

(Note: If you’re into statistics, the p-value in the above experiment was less than 0.001, which means there is only a 1 in 1,000 likelihood the improvement was due to chance. I’ll take those odds any day.)

Bottom line: the next time you’re faced with temptation—whether it’s a distraction or otherwise—tell yourself “I don’t X” instead of “I can’t X.”

Here are a few examples to keep your writing on track:

• Once I start, I don’t stop writing until I’ve written 1,000 words.
• When I’m writing, I don’t browse the Internet, use my phone, stop for snacks, or play with my cat until I have written 2,000 words.
• I don’t eat breakfast until I’ve completed this blog post.

See how simple it is? Try it yourself and enjoy the results right away!

How to write better: a simple four-step formula to dramatically improve your writing

When I began as a copywriter, I copied some of the best sales letters out there. In fact, copywriting legend Gary Halbert recommended you not just copy these pages, but actually write them out by hand to ensure the good writing gets into your bones. (He actually used that phrase; no wonder they called him the Prince of Print.)

So without further ado, follow these four simple steps to dramatically improve your writing:

1 Find a brilliant piece of writing. Start with these. 2 Select 300 to 500 words from that piece, then type—don’t copy and paste!—that writing into a Google Doc. 3 Add comments throughout the piece; note what you like, what you don’t, and how you’d improve it. 4 Rewrite the piece in your own words. Use a completely different topic, but strive to maintain the original’s structure and pace.

Easy, right?

How to write faster (or, how I tripled my writing speed—and how you can, too)

There are four techniques I’ve used to triple my writing speed. Before I used these techniques I averaged about 500 words per hour; now, I average about 1,500 words per hour and occasionally top out at 2,000 words per hour.

Technique 1: Outline everything

An effective outline serves as your “talking points.” These talking points allow you to “talk” through your first draft, which should be done as quickly as possible. It also ensures you’ve thought through your writing and that everything is presented logically for your reader.

Technique 2: Become a dictator (in a good way)

Don’t underestimate the power of dictation. Once you learn to dictate effectively, you can easily double your writing speed.

To get started, use the Google Docs voice typing feature (free) or Dragon Speaking Naturally. (Note: I use Google Docs for everything.)

Don’t “think” about dictating. Instead, pretend you’re speaking to a friend. Sometimes it helps to look in a mirror while you’re talking. This makes you—and therefore, your writing—feel more conversational.

Speak quickly through your first draft. Do not try to edit. Your first draft will be ugly. That’s fine. Speed is important in your first draft; quality only matters in subsequent drafts. Just dump all your ideas onto the page and worry later about cleaning it up.

Technique 3: Track your words-per-hour

Use a spreadsheet to track how many words you write (or dictate) in a twenty-five-minute period. Your goal is to “write” at least 1,000 words per hour. (As I mentioned before, 2,000 is doable—and some people claim to write as fast as 5,000 words per hour!)

Technique 4: Format the fast (and smart) way

Formatting is important but time-consuming if you’re not careful. You can easily waste hours formatting your text, adding images, and including HTML as well as links to further resources.

The simplest way to speed up your formatting is to use Google Docs. Google Docs is online, free, and contains several useful tools.

For example, you can search for links directly within the doc (instead of searching via Google). This makes it very easy for you to add hyperlinks to further resources. It also keeps you away from Google’s search results—which can lead you down a dark road to distraction.

Another useful tool is Image Extractor. This free add-on makes it simple to copy and paste images into your post, then save them all at the very end for publication.

In conclusion, you can improve your writing in three ways:

• Write better
• Write faster
• Format better and faster

By improving these three elements, you create a virtuous cycle. What tips do you have for writing better and faster? Let me know in the comments below!

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Adam Costa—and his wife Darcie Connell—run KeepInspiring.me, a blog dedicated to inspiration and motivation, and 10xToday.com, where you can access free e-courses on how to become ten times better at life. Adam is also the author of 10x Life: A breakthrough system to improve focus, develop productive habits, and maximize willpower-in 5 minutes a day.

Simple Past Tense–Grammar Rules

The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed before now. Imagine someone asks what your brother Wolfgang did while he was in town last weekend.

Wolfgang entered a hula hoop contest.

He won the silver medal.

The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished.

Wolfgang admired the way the light glinted off his silver medal.

You can also use the simple past to talk about a past state of being, such as the way someone felt about something. This is often expressed with the simple past tense of the verb to be and an adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase.

Wolfgang was proud of his hula hoop victory.

The contest was the highlight of his week.

How to Formulate the Simple Past

For regular verbs, add -ed to the root form of the verb (or just -d if the root form already ends in an e):

Play→Played Type→Typed Listen→Listened Push→Pushed Love→Loved

For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of some irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form:

Put→Put Cut→Cut Set→Set Cost→Cost Hit→Hit

For other irregular verbs, including the verb to be, the simple past forms are more erratic:

See→Saw Build→Built Go→Went Do→Did Rise→Rose Am/Is/Are→Was/Were

The good news is that verbs in the simple past tense (except for the verb to be) don’t need to agree in number with their subjects.

Wolfgang polished his medal. The other winners polished their medals too.

How to Make the Simple Past Negative

Fortunately, there is a formula for making simple past verbs negative, and it’s the same for both regular and irregular verbs (except for the verb to be). The formula is did not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction didn’t instead of did not.

Wolfgang did not brag too much about his hula hoop skills. Wolfgang’s girlfriend didn’t see the contest.

For the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. When the subject of the sentence is singular, use was not or wasn’t. When the subject is plural, use were not or weren’t.

The third-place winner was not as happy as Wolfgang. The fourth-place winner wasn’t happy at all. The onlookers were not ready to leave after the contest ended. The contestants weren’t ready to leave either.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple past tense is did + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Did Wolfgang win the gold medal or the silver medal? Where did Wolfgang go to celebrate? Did the judges decide fairly, in your opinion?

When asking a question with the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. The formula is was/were + [subject].

Was Wolfgang in a good mood after the contest? Were people taking lots of pictures?

Common Regular Verbs in the Past Tense

Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

“Have You Reached ‘Dad Goals’ Status?” Quiz

Being a good dad takes a lot of work, love, and sacrifice.

Being a great dad takes something a little extra . . .

. . . a certain humility



. . . and toughness with tenderness.



The best dads aspire to ultimate #dadgoals—like choreographing a routine to “Let It Go,” making Halloween costumes a priority, or being there when things get hard. This quiz mixes fun and honest questions to help you understand if you’ve unlocked the ultimate dad goals status.

What do you think? Did we get it right? Share your reactions in the comments.

You Better Watch Out: Christmas Carols Aren’t as Grammatically Correct as You Might Think

To hear some people tell it, one of the great hallmarks of the holiday season is singing carols–think Jingle Bell Rock, Silent Night, and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. But interestingly, many carolers don’t actually stop to consider the words of these popular holiday songs.

Commonly misunderstood song lyrics can be hilarious or downright confusing–so as word nerds, the Grammarly team decided to take a closer look.

“Silent night, Holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child

Holy infant, so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.”

–Silent Night

“Silent Night” is one of the most popular carols of all time, but many carolers are puzzled by the phrase, “round yon virgin.”  In this case, the lyrics are pretty self-explanatory: “round” in the song just means “around.” “Yon” is a shortened word for “yonder,” meaning “over there.” The lyrics simply state that calm and bright feelings surround the virgin mother and her child. 

“You better watch out You better not cry You better not pout I’m telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town Santa Claus is coming to town Santa Claus is coming to town.”

           –Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Although the song warns listeners, “you better watch out,” grammatically speaking, it should really read, “you’d better watch out.” “You’d” means “you had,” which makes a lot more sense than saying “you better.”

“Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la, la la la, la la la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la.”

           –Deck the Halls

It might be hard to imagine what it really means to “troll … [a] carol,” but apparently this is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. The sixteenth century definition of “troll” means to “sing in a full, rolling voice; to chant merrily or jovially,” and isn’t that what we are all supposed to do during the holiday season? Some carolers change the word from “troll” to “toll,” thinking that a troll is a little fella found under a dark bridge.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year With the kids jingle-belling And everyone telling you “Be of good cheer” It’s the most wonderful time of the year It’s the hap-happiest season of all With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings When friends come to call It’s the hap- happiest season of all.”

           –It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” uses a lot of made-up words and phrases, including “jingle belling” and “mistletoeing.” Maybe it is true that song lyrics roll off the tongue more fluidly when they rhyme. Accordingly, songwriters may make up words for effect. In this song, we benefit from changing nouns into verbs, for example.

Christmas songs are a great way to bring in the holidays. What is your favorite Christmas song?

How to Use “Complement”

Here’s a tip: A complement is related to completion, while a compliment relates to flattering words or acts.

Everybody loves a compliment. Or is it a complement they love? If there is a published list of commonly confused words, complement and compliment are almost certain to appear. However, these two terms don’t have to be on your personal list of befuddling vocabulary! Here’s the breakdown.

Remember to check your understanding with the Compliment vs. Complement Quiz.

Complement Definition

Complement and compliment used to share some meanings, because they derive from the same Latin root word. Complement used to mean “to compliment,” but that meaning is obsolete. Compliment has an archaic meaning also; it used to mean “gift.”

How can you define complement? If you think complement looks a little like the word complete, that can help you to remember some of its most useful meanings. A complement is something that completes or perfects.

Her dress perfectly complements the shade of her eyes.

They make a great couple; their personalities are a perfect complement to one another.

Here’s an example from the web:

In grammar, it’s a word or group of words that completes a grammatical construction: A complement is part of the predicate of a sentence and describes either the subject of the sentence or the direct object. If it modifies the subject, it is called a subject complement. If it modifies or renames the direct object and follows it, it is called an object complement.

—K12Reader.com

In science, the complement system refers to proteins that circulate in your blood. The name of the system derives from its function. Specific proteins match specific antibodies. In other words, the proteins complement the antibodies. Here is a brief explanation from Washington.edu:

The complement system is a set of over 20 different protein molecules always found in the blood. . . . With an infection, this system of molecules is activated, leading to a sequence of events on the surface of the pathogen that helps destroy the pathogen and eliminate the infection.

Complements also appear in mathematics. A complement is an amount added to something to complete it. In geometry, it’s the quantity that an angle or an arc is short of ninety degrees.

Here are some examples from math websites:

If our universal set is the states of the United States, then a possible subset is the set of the New England states . . . {Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont}. The complement of A would then be the set containing all of the other states that are not part of New England.

—Study.com

When two angles add to 90°, we say they “complement” each other. Complementary comes from Latin completum meaning “completed” because the right angle is thought of as being a complete angle.

—MathIsFun.com

In economics, the definition of complementary goods is interesting. These items have little or no value on their own, but they add value to other items. Investopedia gives hot dog buns as a real world example of this concept. Most people don’t use hot dog buns alone, but they love them filled with hot dogs and all their favorite fixings.

Complement as a Verb

As a verb, what does complement mean? In general, it means “to complete, to provide something lacking, or form a complement to.” Here’s one example of complement in a sentence from the web:

“One technology doesn’t replace another, it complements. Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators.” —Stephen Fry

Complement Synonyms

• Addition is a synonym when the amount added completes a whole.
• A companion is a mate or a match. Some Bible versions use “a helper as [the first man’s] complement” to describe the first woman.
• Completion is the state of being whole, fulfilled, or concluded.
• A counterpart is one of two parts that complement or complete one another. In the context of relationships, it often refers to a fitting match.
• Enhancements intensify or raise the value of something. This definition most closely corresponds to a complement good or service.
• Makeweights complete a desired weight on a scale. If you had eight pounds of a substance and you wanted to have ten pounds in total, the two pounds that you add to reach the correct weight are your makeweight.

Compliment Definition

How do you define compliment? It’s is an expression of praise, commendation, respect, or regard. It can be a formal act or as simple as a courteous greeting or wishing someone well. Notice these examples:

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” —George MacDonald

“I take no leave of you, Miss Bennet. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.” —Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Compliment as a Verb

The verb compliment means to praise, congratulate, or say something admiring to someone. It can also include showing kindness. Compliments may come in the form of a friendly gesture or a gift.

“Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses.” —Joyce Meyer

Praise is not the only definition of compliment. Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary helps demonstrate how native speakers might use the phrase “compliments of” with some examples. In the first example below, the phrase identifies the provider of something given at no charge. The second example uses the phrase sarcastically to refer to the source of something unwanted.

We were served free drinks, compliments of the casino. I woke up with a stiff neck, compliments of that uncomfortable mattress in their guest room.

Compliment Synonyms

• Adulation is an excessive form of flattery related linguistically to a Latin word for the way dogs fawn over their masters.
• Flattery refers to favorable comments about a person, but it can also refer to insincere remarks.
• Homage is respect or honor paid to a person, sometimes in a public or formal setting.
• Praise is the act of expressing favor or admiration. Singing someone’s praises is expressing high approval.

Compliment vs. Complement Video Summary

Compliment vs. Complement: Tricks to Remember the Difference

How can you differentiate between compliment and complement? One trick is to give yourself a compliment:

Are you smart, creative, or compassionate? Tell yourself so, and then acknowledge:

I love how smart I am!

When you acknowledge your compliment, you will recall that the letter I is the difference between compliment and complement. These terms are homophones, words that sound alike but have different definitions and spellings. This trick will also help you decide how to spell each word correctly in the proper context. If you are not a fan of tooting your own horn, you could associate the I with insult. An insult is the opposite of a compliment. To remember complement, think of the word enhance when you look at the E. Enhancement is a synonym of complement.

Complimentary vs. Complementary

What about the related words complimentary and complementary? Both of these words function as adjectives. Complimentary means “expressing a compliment” or “favorable.” It can also mean “free” in reference to items or services provided as a courtesy. Complementary refers to enhancing or emphasizing the qualities of another person or thing.

Trump speaks often about harnessing the power of her family name. “The nice thing about the things I’m involved in is that they’re all complementary,” she told the New York Times in 2013.

—Washingtonpost.com

Powell Development Director Dave Betz said the developers behind both projects are “making good headway” toward building complementary projects with a shared-parking agreement.

—ThisWeeksNews.com In medicine, complementary refers to alternative medicine or additional treatment that is administered alongside traditional medicine.

According to a 2012 survey, about 33% of American adults and 11% of children use complementary medicine. Between 2002 and 2012, the usage rates for chiropractors, acupuncture specialists, and yoga classes increased among those lacking insurance coverage.

—PharmacyTimes.com

Compliment vs. Complement Quiz

It’s common to mix up homophones. But homophones with mixed meanings take the cake. Use this quiz to test your knowledge of the homophones “compliment” and “complement.”

Do you love nice compliments? If you are ready to remove compliment and complement from your personal list of confusing words, you deserve one! Good job on mastering two easily confused words!

Grammar Basics: What Is Sentence Inversion?

Besides the question mark, how can you tell a question from a statement? One way is to look for sentence inversion. In statements, the subject usually comes before the verb. Questions invert the subject and the verb. In other words, the verb comes first, as in this example: Are you going to need a ride home from school? Sentence inversion isn’t a foolproof method for identifying a question, however. Statements are sometimes inverted too.

Inversion is common when a sentence begins with an adverb phrase: On the windowsill were her two cats, Penny and Percival.

It’s also common when the sentence begins with and is modified by a negative adverb or adverb phrase: Never had she read such a sad book as The Coldest Tear. No sooner had he closed his eyes than his alarm clock rang.

Sentences are inverted with conditionals that omit the word “if” and use had, were, and, should: Had I arrived five minutes earlier, I wouldn’t have missed the train. Should he ask, tell him the reservations were made for Monday.

Inversion is also common after the preposition “so” + an adjective + that: So hilarious was the comedian that the audience laughed for ten minutes after the show ended.

Sentence inversion distinguishes questions from statements. When used with statements, it adds variety to writing. However, it can sound rather formal or awkward. Use it with caution!

Office Snacks that Will Lead to Better Writing

You may not think about it much, but having a brain and using it requires a lot of energy.

Despite making up just 2 percent of the average adult’s body weight, the brain uses more than 20 percent of the body’s total energy. There’s no 80/20 rule at work here; the human brain is far and away the most energy-consumptive organ in the body.

And that’s not all.

According to brain studies, the amount of fuel needed for your brain is constant, meaning your brain is always hungry.

Despite the significant energy demands of your brain—not to mention the other 98 percent of you—it’s not a given that if you eat enough, you will improve brain function, write better, and take over the world. In fact, poor food choices throughout the day often derail your productivity rather than fuel it. Healthy food choices will do much more than simply feed you and your brilliant brain—they will make it easier for you to concentrate, increase bloodflow to your noggin, boost your mood, and keep you satiated.

There are a lot of scientific reasons that unhealthy food can be so damaging while healthy food can be your gateway to becoming the next superhuman (or something like it). Most of the difference comes down to vitamin and mineral content per calorie and how quickly your body metabolizes the food. We won’t get too much into the science here, but we can give you some guidelines and ideas to take your snacking game—and performance—to the next level.

How to Snack Like a Productivity Genius

Follow these simple guidelines to choose healthy office snacks that will power your creativity and productivity.

• Avoid high carbohydrate foods or simple carbohydrates. To prevent blood glucose and insulin spikes, pass on foods like baked goods, candies, sugar, etc. Peaks and troughs in your blood glucose and insulin levels in the short-term will leave you hungry, craving more, and likely distracted. In the long-term, there’s mounting evidence that sharp fluctuations in insulin levels contribute to the development of a number of metabolic disorders like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even cancers.
• Eat your vitamins and minerals. Whole-food fruits and vegetables of a variety of colors pack a powerful nutritional punch with a small caloric load. Even cooler? Some of these components can improve blood-flow, prevent oxidation, and improve memory in the short-term. Fiber in these foods also keeps hunger in check while boosting happiness. Fiber feeds a healthy gut microbiome, which is responsible for the majority of serotonin production in the body.
• Prioritize quality protein and fat to avoid feeling hungry. Protein and lipid metabolism take longer than carbohydrate metabolism. Combining healthy proteins and fats like nuts, canned fish, or avocado with your snacks and meals keeps hunger at bay. As a bonus, your brain thrives on the healthy fats found in whole-food fish, grass-fed meat, and vegetables.
• Chow down regularly. This doesn’t mean you necessarily need to increase your daily caloric intake. What it means is that you should remember to eat regularly, rather than skip breakfast and lunch in order to get work done. Trust us, your writing and work will improve with food.
• Choose food products with a handful of ingredients. Generally speaking, fewer ingredients is synonymous with health because it often means fewer preservatives, dyes, sugars, and fillers.

• Stay hydrated. Obvious right? Not necessarily. Your body needs to be hydrated to work correctly, and few people actually consume enough hydrating food and drink. Stick to fresh fruit and vegetables along with water or tea to ensure that you’re getting enough H2O.

Insanely Good-for-You Snack Ideas to Try this Week

While there are a lot of unhealthy options disguised as health food, there are some really amazing food products that make nutrition and busy schedules work together—deliciously. From traditional standards like nuts and fruit to new interesting meal-replacement options, we’ve got some brilliant snack inspiration for you.

1Go nuts.

Nuts and seeds are a traditional staple of healthy snacking that remains one of the smartest snack choices you can make, assuming you select carefully. Raw, low-salt options are loaded with healthy fats, fiber, and minerals that will keep you feeling full and deliver a satisfying crunch.

Beware, however, that not all nuts are “healthy” options. Heavily salted varieties, just like a bag of chips, will mess with your hunger signaling and increase the chance of overeating. Additionally, roasted varieties are often roasted in unhealthy vegetable oils that increase oxidation in the body. Wilderness Poets supplies a large variety of seeds, nuts, and nut butters that are raw, organic, and minimally processed.

2Be “berry” productive.

Try replacing some of your sweeter, lower-vitamin fruits—we’re looking at you apples and bananas—with more berries. These amazing fruits of the forest consistently rank as superfoods, taste delicious, and are easily accessible for most Americans.

For example, if we compare apples to blackberries, the difference is impressive. Just 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of blackberries provides 35 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin C, 25 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin K, and 32 percent of your daily requirement of manganese. In contrast, the same weight of apples provides only 8 percent, 3 percent, and 2 percent, respectively.

Wow.

Different berries have slightly different profiles, but they all pack a similar nutritional punch. Raw berries are best, but dried berries without added sugar can be a healthy addition as well. Sunset Valley Organics, for example, supplies clean, simple dried blueberries—the fruit linked to better brain circulation and improved memory! A note of caution, however: many berries require a lot of pesticides (bugs want vitamins too!). When possible, buy wild berries or wash produce thoroughly to limit pesticide exposure.

3Choose quality protein.

Most of your healthy proteins should be in your meals, simply because it’s usually easier. However, there are some decent protein-rich snack options. Personally, I’m addicted to EPIC’s meat bars and snack strips. The meat bars, something between jerky and sausage, are flavorful and several options are sourced from wild or grass-fed stock. Plus, they’re a wonderful blend of fat and protein that keeps me going no matter what.

If chowing down on animals makes you squeamish, have no fear. Quest Bars are a solid vegetarian option. And they don’t kid around. Their bars have 20+ grams of protein while maintaining a low carbohydrate profile (read no blood-sugar spikes), and come in more than twenty-two flavor options. Though these bars fudge the “fewer-ingredients-is-better” guideline, when eaten in moderation they can really help fuel your work without issue.

4Feel “fat-tastic.”

Fat has gotten a bad rap over the years. The demonization of saturated fat took down healthy fats with it. Luckily, appreciation for fat as a health food is starting to pick up; there are a lot of delicious options for snackers looking for lipids. With nine calories per gram, however, fatty snacks add up quickly. Watch your portions so you’re not OD-ing on any one kind of fat.

As always, the best kind of snacks are whole foods. Foods rich in mono- and poly-unsaturated fats make excellent snacks and include raw nuts, avocado, and olives. If you’re brave enough, reach for a tin of cod liver—rich in omega-3s and vitamin D. Just eat it in a ventilated space; it’s quite fishy. Healthy sources of saturated fats include boiled eggs, some cheeses, and coconut.

If something grab-and-go is more your style, try coconut chips, crunchy moon cheese, or even a bulletproof coffee.

5Dig into “performance enhancers.”

And by that we mean: caffeine . . . and friends.

Caffeine in coffee, tea, and dark chocolate helps boost alertness and focus—as long as you don’t overdo it. If you become jittery, agitated, or distractible after consuming caffeine, try cutting back or trying a coffee alternative.

If you and caffeine don’t play well, there are many other healthy substances that help improve brain function, memory, and alertness. Low-caffeine green tea, ginseng tea and ginko tea, are some of the most preferred.

I’ll leave you with one last thought. Feeding your body and mind for success is as much about choosing the right foods as getting rid of the wrong ones. Excessive sugar combined with low-nutrient density foods steals vitality from your body. When choosing healthy snacks, it’s a good idea to try to replace unhealthy options with healthy ones. If you struggle to make the switch, start with one food or food group and use the guidelines above to decide.

What is your go-to healthy snack?

When Do You Use a Comma Before “Because”?

Most of the time, you should not use a comma before because when it connects two clauses in a sentence. Because is a subordinating conjunction, which means that it connects a subordinate clause to an independent clause; good style dictates that there should be no comma between these two clauses. An exception can and should be made when the lack of a comma would cause ambiguity.

Because has a straightforward job to do in the English language. It is one of several words and phrases used to introduce a “clause of purpose.” A clause beginning with because answers the question “Why?” and that clause is automatically subordinate to an independent clause. There should generally be no comma between the two.

Michael went to the forest, because he loves walking among the trees.

Michael went to the forest because he loves walking among the trees.

Mom went on a shopping spree, because I told her I was having a baby boy.

Mom went on a shopping spree because I told her I was having a baby boy.

I can’t make my favorite sandwich, because we are out of peanut butter.

I can’t make my favorite sandwich because we are out of peanut butter.

When to Make an Exception for Clarity

If a sentence will be ambiguous without a comma before because, it is better to insert one and avoid misleading your reader. The most problematic sentences containing because are often those that begin with a negative statement. Take this example:

Alex didn’t win the race because of his level of ability.

This sentence might imply that Alex won the race, but that ability was not the most important factor contributing to his victory. Perhaps Alex has an extraordinary ability to dig deep and persevere over long distances.

Alex didn’t win the race because of his level of ability. He won because he knows how to dig deep and keep running no matter how hard it gets.

Or perhaps Alex is a rascally scoundrel and won for completely different reasons.

Alex didn’t win the race because of his level of ability. He won because he cut across a farmer’s field.

Either way, without a comma before because, it can be implied that there was no relationship between Alex’s victory and his level of ability. However, if your intention is to convey that Alex’s level of ability was the primary factor that secured his win, insert a comma to make the causation clear.

Alex didn’t win the race, because of his level of ability.

With the comma in place, it becomes clear for the first time that Alex was in fact not the winner of the race, and that his ability is probably not at a sophisticated level. This sentence might lead to another sentence supporting the idea that Alex’s running ability is quite low.

Alex didn’t win the race, because of his level of ability. I’m hoping that he will improve with practice and keep trying hard.

See what a difference a comma can make?

10 Words You Need to Know for the GRE

Whether you’re studying for the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations test) or just want to improve your vocabulary, these are ten words you should learn how to use right now.

Replete: filled or well-supplied with something. Our cupboard is replete with canned soup.

Harbinger: A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something. Some people believe that crows are harbingers of death.

Obdurate: Stubbornly persistent, generally in wrongdoing; refusing to reform or repent. She grew increasingly obdurate during her high school years.

Reprieve: To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution; the cancellation or postponement of a punishment. He had resigned himself to his fate but was granted a reprieve at the last minute.

Obfuscate: render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible; to bewilder someone. Sometimes it’s helpful to abbreviate long words. Other times, the abbreviations obfuscate the meanings of the words.

Crepuscular: of, resembling, or relating to twilight. A crepuscular light filled the ballroom, creating an atmosphere of hushed anticipation.

Temper (verb): To moderate or control; to strengthen or toughen a material, especially metal, by heat treatment. He tempered his feelings in order to give a civil reply. After the fire had been extinguished, they discovered that the heat had tempered the metal beams.

Plumage: Feathers, either covering a bird or used ornamentally; finery or elaborate dress. The bird’s plumage was exquisite: red, yellow, and orange feathers that shone like the rays of the sun.

Bolster: To brace, reinforce, secure, or support. She bolstered the team’s mood with a short pep during the break.

Epicure: A person who takes particular pleasure in fine food and drink. He is an avid epicure and tries to go to the opening of every new restaurant in town.

Do you have tips for learning new vocabulary words? Share them in the comments!

Are you passionate about grammar? March forth with us on National Grammar Day!

March 4th is National Grammar Day in the United States. Each year we rally all the grammar-loving troops to raise awareness about the value of proper grammar and about good writing overall. This year we have some exciting initiatives to get everyone thinking about good grammar!

The Grammarly Grammar Nerd Personality Quiz

Every English language lover knows that not every grammar fiend is created equally. Starting from March 3rd, Grammarly will be actively promoting our fun personality quiz to help you find out if you are a pedant’s best friend or a grammatical non-conformist. You don’t have to wait until March 3rd, however; the quiz page is live now!

To share this quiz with your readers, embed this in your blog post by pasting the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this content to grammarly.com/grammar-check.

 

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Extra content to celebrate National Grammar Day

In addition to the quiz, we are encouraging our large, active social communities to talk about grammar more during this week. Starting on March 1st, we’ll be sharing a series of engaging examples of why #GrammarMatters. Along with each post, we’ll ask fans to share images or statuses that show exactly why grammar and proper writing are important. Our goal is to make #GrammarMatters a trending U.S. hashtag on March 4th!

Please attribute this content to grammarly.com/grammar-check.

To embed this image into a blog post, paste the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this content to grammarly.com/grammar-check.

To embed this image into a blog post, paste the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this content to grammarly.com/grammar-check.

To embed this image into a blog post, paste the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Additional information To document our celebration of this fun, educational holiday, we will be tracking social response metrics and summarizing our findings in an infographic during the days following Grammar Day. If you would like to be notified of this infographic, please email your request to nbaron@grammarly.com.

National Grammar Day is a relatively new holiday, having been designated only seven years ago. The day was established by Martha Brockenbrough, founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar.

How did you learn grammar?

This poll is part of a series that Grammarly is running aimed at better understanding how the public feels about writing, language learning, and grammar.

Please take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

Two Underrated Christmas Stories to Read This Season

Welcome to Day Two of LitMas, the holiday for bookworms of all sorts! Yesterday, we gave you one short poem by Longfellow, and today we have another gift to share.

On the second day of LitMas, we’re paying homage to LitMas’s distant cousin, Christmas, with two stories you can read in less than an hour about this fascinating holiday. They’re both old enough to be classics, although neither of them gets as much attention as the “Night Before Christmas” and “Christmas Carol” set.

Read The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus for a Wacky Santa Backstory

In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child.

Did you know that the writer of The Wizard of Oz also wrote a Santa backstory in the same universe? No? Then it’s time to check out this highly fantastical account of Santa’s entire life, complete with woodland fairies, nymphs, and (in the sequel) the same bubbles Glinda uses to travel to Oz. Of course, this Santa saga is far from canon, but it reads like old-timey fantasy fanfic. And who couldn’t love a good alternate universe Santa this holiday season?

Read the full The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus here.

Dive into A Pictorial History of Santa Claus for the Real Santa History

Image Source.

If nonfiction dominates your reading list, we’d recommend you give the Public Domain Review’s image-laden history of Santa Claus a read. Their thorough history of Santa’s look dispels some rumors about the red suit’s origin, such as the popular myth that it was created by a beverage company. Their writers also went deep in the archives to pull old Santa looks, and some of them are downright delightful. Don’t want to know the man behind the red-and-white curtain? You can always check out the history of Rudolph instead. Either way, knowing the history behind these cultural icons is fascinating.

Read the full A Pictorial History of Santa Claus here.

Want to create a new holiday story with us live? Tune in to our Facebook Live broadcast Thursday at 6 p.m. PST / 9 p.m. EST!

Why “the Internet” Shouldn’t Be Stripped of Its Proper Noun Status

Breaking news! Read all about it—The Associated Press, one of the most widely followed authorities on written style, has lowercased the word “internet” in their 2016 style guide.

Starting today, AP uses lowercase internet and web in all instances. #APStyleChat

The decision has sparked much debate in the editorial and technology industries and beyond, but this isn’t the first time that an AP Stylebook change has caused some ripples . . . and perhaps even confusion. Case in point: why in the world is there a hyphen in “e-commerce” but not “email”?

The Evolution of the Term

The word originated as the adjective “internetted,” basically meaning “interconnected” when describing a network of multiple computer networks. “Internet” eventually replaced “internetwork” as the standardized term, evolving from an adjective into a noun.

The Importance of the Word “The”

There’s a distinction here between “an internet,” which simply refers to one of those networks of networks, and “the Internet,” the global network of networks. While “internet” is most commonly used in the context of the latter, many IT professionals and network engineers would be happy to correct you on the important difference a single article makes.

The Argument for Lowercasing

“The Internet” has been a proper noun for quite some time, but due to its prevalence in our daily lives, does it really need to be a proper noun anymore? Many argue that it shouldn’t; in casual use, it most often refers to the global network, and regular people tend not to talk about lesser internets. This means that we should let go of the practice of moving our pinky to the Shift key while typing.

The Reasons It Should Stay Capitalized

Basically, the above argument is silly when you phrase it in a different way: people shouldn’t capitalize things if they’re used a lot. However, we still capitalize “Mom” despite seeing her every day. The capitalization for many moms or even “my mom” is different from “Hey, Mom!” because in the last case “Mom” is a proper noun—the way we make the distinction between an internet and the Internet (even if the latter is used more).

The Internet as a Geo Locale

The first place to look for capitalization conventions should perhaps be in how we treat important places, locations, and landmarks. Unconventionally, the Internet is a sorta kinda place, and many places get capitalized: Paris, the Grand Canyon, Florida, the Empire State Building. “The desert” and “the universe” are not capitalized despite their geographical nature, the reason harking back to the original proper noun vs. common noun debate.

The Internet as a Unique Entity

So what exactly determines whether “the Internet” should remain a proper noun, deserving of capitalization? AP lets “usage dictate style,” but is that the common sense approach? Slate makes the most compelling argument—the Internet is a completely new, unique, and disruptive thing in our lives. If that’s not enough, I don’t know what is.

What are your thoughts: Internet or internet?

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Amanda Edens is an editor and content marketer with a wide range of talents from management to design. Check out her blog at www.askyoureditor.com or follow her on twitter @askyoureditor

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense (also known as the past perfect progressive tense) shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another time in the past. The past perfect continuous tense is constructed using had been + the verb’s present participle (root + -ing).

Unlike the present perfect continuous, which indicates an action that began in the past and continued up to the present, the past perfect continuous is a verb tense that indicates something that began in the past, continued in the past, and also ended at a defined point in the past.

He had been drinking milk out the carton when Mom walked into the kitchen.

I had been working at the company for five years when I got the promotion.

When, for, since, and before are words that you may see used alongside the past perfect continuous tense.

Martha had been walking three miles a day before she broke her leg.

The program that was terminated had been working well since 1945.

Cathy had been playing the piano for 35 years when she was finally asked to do a solo with the local orchestra.

He had been throwing rocks at her window for five minutes before she finally came out on the balcony and said, “Hey, Romeo.”

How Do You Spell the Color Gray?

As a noun, gray usually refers to the color. It can be used as an adjective when we want to say that the color of something is a shade of gray. It can also be used as a verb, for when something turns gray. But regardless of its use, you’ll sometimes find that gray is not spelled the way you think it should be. Or, you might be reading this and thinking “those people at Grammarly really don’t know their spelling—it’s grey.” So, what’s behind the grey/gray dilemma, and is there any difference between them, besides the obvious?

Grey and gray are two different spellings of the same word. Gray is more common in the U.S., while grey is more common in other English-speaking countries. In proper names—like Earl Grey tea and the unit Gray, among others—the spelling stays the same, and they need to be memorized.

Gray vs. Grey—Where Does the Difference Come From?

Does your vowel choice really make a lot of difference in the case of the color gray? It doesn’t.

Here’s a tip: The spelling doesn’t affect the meanings, and both spellings are perfectly fine. However, be sure to use the style appropriate for your geography.

The pronunciation remains the same regardless of the spelling you’re using. In fact, both spellings have the exact same origin.

Both gray and grey come from the Old English word grǽg. Over time, many different spellings of the word developed. The Middle English poem “The Owl and the Nightingale,” which was written in the twelfth or thirteenth century, uses the spelling “greie.” The fourteenth-century translation of the French poem “Roman de la Rose” uses the spelling “greye.” “Graye” can be found in the poem “Piers Plowman” written by William Langland in the second half of the fourteenth century. Examples of the spellings we use today can also be found in Middle English literature.

By the eighteenth century, “grey” had become the more common spelling, even though the legendary lexicographer Samuel Johnson thought that “gray” was a better version. In the nineteenth century, English dictionaries followed Johnson’s cue and prescribed “gray” as the correct version, but to no avail. By the twentieth century, “grey” had become the accepted spelling everywhere except in the United States.

Here’s a tip: Gray is more common in the United States, and grey is more common in the rest of the English-speaking world.

So, you can write:

The thing that stuck with me from the time I spent in London was the gray sky.

But you can also write:

The thing that stuck with me from the time I spent in London was the grey sky.

We use gray/grey as a verb when we want to say that something is becoming gray/grey. Because gray/grey hair is usually associated with aging, we sometimes mention it as a way to show that someone is getting older:

John’s hair started to gray/grey long before he retired.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re using the word “gray” as a noun, adjective, or a verb. You can say that someone’s hair has grayed over a couple of months, but you can also say that it greyed. Things can be greyish, but they can also be grayish.

Grey and Gray—Are They Always Interchangeable?

In common usage, there’s no difference between the words grey and gray. Some people might believe each spelling refers to a different shade of gray, and it’s quite possible you’ll see this in practice when looking at color swatches.

But there are a couple of cases where you really should mind the vowels. One of those cases is greyhound, the dog breed. It should always be spelled with an e, not an a. It’s the other way around for the grayling, a species of fish with a name that’s always spelled with an a.

If Grey is someone’s last name, you obviously shouldn’t change it to Gray to match the way you think it should be spelled. Proper nouns are off limits—the vowels in them cannot be changed. And neither can the vowel in Gray, the unit for food irradiation—it’s always spelled with an a.

Gone vs. Went–Learn the Difference

Went is the past tense of go. Gone is the past participle of go.

Examples:

I go to the store. (present tense)

I went to the store. (past tense)

I have gone to the store. (past participle)

If you aren’t sure whether to use gone or went, remember that gone always needs an auxiliary verb before it (has, have, had, is, am, are, was, were, be), but went doesn’t.

I could have gone to the store yesterday.

I could have went to the store.