Here’s How to Send the Perfect Farewell Message to Colleagues

If you’re leaving your job, you will need to tie up lots of loose ends. Leaving a positive impression on your colleagues is vital. How do you gracefully notify colleagues of your departure? Let’s talk about the perfect farewell message.

The Perfect Timing

Sending farewell messages too early is a bad idea. People will inevitably stop by your office to wish you well face-to-face, and that could interfere with finishing up your last work tasks. After coworkers have said their goodbyes, they may feel awkward when they see you lurking about for another week. On the other hand, if you wait until the last minute, they may not have time to say a proper farewell. When is the best time? A day or two before your last day, when you’ve completed the majority of your duties, is a fitting time to send out a parting email. Then, when your fellow workers bid you farewell, you’ll have a chance to spend a few moments with each one on a personal basis.

The Perfect Words

What should you say in a farewell message? It will set the tone for your entire departure, so it’s essential to get it right. Of course, you’re excited about your future, but harping on how prestigious or lucrative your next position is may create jealousy. However, if you sound bummed about leaving, you will give the impression that your next job is (or will be) a dud. Aim for balance. Tell your workmates where you’re heading, but make the focus of the letter about them. You might express gratitude for individuals who helped to train you, reflect on some of your team’s greatest achievements, and make everyone laugh with an amusing anecdote. Close with a few words of fun advice, such as a quote from a respected expert in your field.

Don’t Forget

For networking purposes, include several ways to contact you. For example, you can include a link to your LinkedIn page, a phone number, and an email address. (You’ll probably lose access to work emails and phone numbers, so personal contact information is best.) If you don’t have your next position lined up already, ask some key players if you can use them as references.

Keep It Short and Sweet

How long should a farewell letter or email be? Do you groan when an extremely long work email shows up in your inbox? Have some empathy! A brief, friendly note will bring feelings of appreciation rather than disgruntled sighs. However, you do want to say enough that your message doesn’t sound flippant. In other words, “See ya!” isn’t thoughtful enough to create the positive vibes you’re aiming for.

An Example Farewell

Whether you send individual or group goodbyes, you can follow the same basic template.

Subject Line: I Bid Thee Well

Adieu to you and you and you,

That line worked for the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music, so I thought I would borrow it to say goodbye to you, my fellows at La Compania.

These past seven years, first as an intern and later as a data scientist, have been fun and challenging. I will always remember when our team won the city baseball tournament! Each time I watch the highlights of that game, especially when Baxter hit that epic home run, I will remember you all with fondness.

My last day will be Wednesday, August 4th. And if I can leave one thought with you, I’d like to borrow the words of James Governor: “Data matures like wine.” I look forward to what we will all accomplish given a few years. I’d love to stay in touch. My contact details are below.

Best Wishes,

Lyn Giles

(555) 555-5555

LynGiles@emails.com

www.linkedin.com/in/LynXGiles

What To Do After Your Letter Is Sent

Don’t forget that actions speak louder than words. Besides writing a nice letter, you want to leave a positive impression with the coworkers you’ll be leaving and the new one who will replace you. Why not spend a moment on your last day to reflect on your work space? How should it look for the next person? After all, your working area says a lot about you and your feelings for the company. Make sure your desk is tidy. Remove all personal items from your work computer and the work space. If you want to go the extra mile, leave a note for your successor to welcome them and give helpful hints so they can jump right into the swing of things.

Leaving a favorable impression when you leave a job is an important loose end to tie. Give high priority to writing a brief, upbeat farewell letter for your colleagues. If you let your colleagues know about your departure gracefully, your transition will be smooth.

Bad vs. Badly—What’s the Difference?

Misusing bad and badly is a common grammatical mistake. The word bad is an adjective and should be used to modify nouns and pronouns. Badly, like most words ending in -ly, is an adverb and is used to modify verbs. The thing that trips most people up is that linking verbs such a to be and to feel take adjectives rather than adverbs.

Why do people use bad and badly incorrectly so often in their writing? The simple answer is that we hear them misused frequently in casual talk. The good news is you can easily determine which to use in your writing by looking at the function of the word bad/badly is describing.

Let’s say, for example, your friend Amanda has just taken a test and you find out that she has not done well on it. The test is something she has done, and to do is an action verb. So it would be appropriate to use an adverb ending in -ly to describe how she has done . . . and unfortunately for Amanda, it is badly.

She did badly on the test.

What would this sentence sound like if bad were used instead?

She did bad on the test.

That expression might occur in casual speech sometimes, but it has no place in good writing.

The tricky part is that if we word our sentence about Amanda’s test experience just a little differently, bad actually can become the correct word to use.

That was a bad test for Amanda.

In this sentence, bad is used because it is an adjective modifying the noun test. If a noun—a person, place, or thing—is what is being described as “not good,” we use the word bad.

This is a bad restaurant.

Mrs. Grumpsalot is a bad teacher.

Bad dog!

If you rewrote these sentences so that verbs were being modified (describing how the verbs were being done), we would use badly instead.

This restaurant cooks badly.

Mrs. Grumpsalot teaches badly.

My dog behaves badly.

An Exception: Linking Verbs

Linking verbs such as to be and to feel can be used with adjectives because they describe a state rather than an action.

My dog is badly.

My dog is bad.

.

Other linking verbs are sense verbs such as feel, seem, look, appear, smell, taste, and sound.

My dog smells bad.

My dog smells badly.

The only circumstance under which the second sentence could be deemed correct is an unlikely one: My dog, due to some kind of infirmity or injury, has a reduced ability to smell.

I feel bad.

I feel badly.

Again, it is far more likely that what you want to express is the negative emotional or physical state you are in (I feel bad). It is possible, but unlikely, that you are trying to describe that you aren’t very successful at reaching out and feeling the things around you (I feel badly).

Commas in Complex Sentences

Complex sentences are sentences that have two clauses. There can be two independent clauses (each having a subject and predicate), or an independent clause and dependent clause (missing a subject or predicate). Whether a comma is used between them depends on the types and positions of the clauses.

An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a sentence.

I have a cat.

It has a nasty temper.

Often, two independent clauses can be joined with a conjunction, such as and, but, or, so, yet, or any other conjunction. A comma is placed right before the conjunction in this type of complex sentence.

I have a cat, but it has a nasty temper.

Although you may have learned in school that you should never, on pain of death, place commas before words like and, this is a myth.

It is important to include a conjunction in the complex sentence above because without it, you will have committed a punctuation error often referred to as a comma splice.

I have a cat, it has a nasty temper.

A dependent clause is a clause that cannot stand as a sentence in its own right, such as before I left the parking lot. When a complex sentence contains a dependent clause like this one, a comma is not used unless the dependent clause comes before the independent clause.

Before I left the parking lot, I checked to make sure my groceries were in the trunk.

If the positions of the clauses were reversed, with the independent clause first, there would be no comma in the sentence.

I checked to see if my groceries were in the trunk before I left the parking lot.

Unnecessary Commas in Complex Sentences

Generally, if the dependent clause comes second in a complex sentence, a comma is not used.

I need to do the shopping, because there is nothing to eat in the house.

I need to do the shopping because there is nothing to eat in the house.

The second clause, because there is nothing to eat in the house, is dependent; there is no need to use a comma between the two clauses.

It makes no sense to study Advanced Pure Math, if the student will not use the math at a later date.

It makes no sense to study Advanced Pure Math if the student will not use the math at a later date.

If the student will not use the math at a later date, it makes no sense to study Advanced Pure Math.

In the last example, the dependent clause was used before the independent clause, so a comma was placed in this complex sentence.

I’ll put the book down and sleep, when I can no longer keep my eyes open.

This sentence contains an unnecessary comma.

I’ll put the book down and sleep when I can no longer keep my eyes open.

Exception: If the sentence is confusing or ambiguous without a comma, one may be used for purposes of clarity.

Louise didn’t call Jeff because she was angry.

There are two ways to interpret this sentence. One possibility is that Louise did call Jeff, and her reason for calling was not that she was angry. The other possibility is that Louise did not call Jeff, and the reason she didn’t call is that she was angry. A comma removes the ambiguity.

Louise didn’t call Jeff, because she was angry.

10 Expert Résumé Tips You Need to Land the Interview

Submitting your application and waiting for a response from employers can be an excruciating process. Especially when you’re not hearing back and wondering if something’s amiss with your résumé. These ten expert tips will help you freshen up your résumé so you can land the interview.

1 Modernize Your Résumé

It’s 2017, and we’re in a job seeker’s market. Employers are competing for top candidates. More than 60% of employers are investing in their company career sites and working on improving employer branding to attract you. It’s time to do some in-house improvements and modernize your résumé. Consider creating a visually engaging résumé that incorporates color, graphics, borders, and call-out boxes that really draw the reader’s attention to important metrics and figures. If you need inspiration, check out these visually engaging 2017 résumé samples.

2 Culture Fit Is the New “It” Thing

Having values and goals that mesh with those of the company you’re applying for makes you a cultural fit. Although we hear the term thrown around all the time now, you rarely hear it mentioned when it comes to résumé writing. Yet, 60 percent of recruiters in the 2016 JobVite Recruiter Nation Survey said the job seeker’s résumé was of high importance in their hiring decision. Your résumé is the perfect place to set the stage for showing that you’re a great culture fit for their organization. Values, beliefs, motivation, management style, and communication style are all attributes that employers use to evaluate culture fit, so bring these up in your résumé.

3 Include Your LinkedIn URL

Include your LinkedIn profile URL at the top of the résumé next to your contact information. If you’re using a networking résumé and not applying via an applicant tracking system (ATS), hyperlink the URL so the hiring manager can go right to your profile. If you’re creating an ATS-optimized résumé don’t hyperlink the profile URL because it will cause some systems to toss the résumé out as spam. Some 87 percent of recruiters report using LinkedIn first when it comes to searching for qualified candidates, so this needs to be the first place you direct the employer to so that they can learn more about your accomplishments and evaluate your culture fit for their company.

Here’s a tip: Before you direct hiring managers to your LinkedIn profile, make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors in it. According to Jobvite’s survey, 72 percent of employers view typos negatively, and it will affect their decision to interview or hire.

4 Use a Snapshot

Instead of using the top portion of your résumé to provide the employer with a generalized summary of your career history, give them a snapshot of your achievements. Numbers speak volumes. It’s hard to argue with metrics because they show the value you create for the employer. Create a quick snapshot of your key career highlights, biggest successes/results, awards, and top value created. Here’s an example.

5 Remove Filler Words

People love to use filler words when writing résumés, but they don’t really offer any insight into what sets a person apart as a top candidate. Words that would be considered filler include: accomplished, professional, results, or success. What represents success for a financial manager is completely different from what it would be for a project manager. Use job titles instead of the word professional, and explain results, successes, and accomplishments using percentages, dollars, or other metrics.

6 Get Rid of Slow Windups

It’s also a good idea to delete the slow windups that we so often find in résumés. Examples of these include:

• History of implementing …
• Hands-on knowledge and understanding of …
• Master at building, growing, and managing …

Instead say:

• Implemented or Implements …
• Software development: Lean, Agile, scrum, mobile architecture …
• Builds, grows, and manages …

7 Experience Comes First

Applicable experience is still the priority when employers review your résumé. Ensure that your résumé includes your most relevant experience for the position you’re applying to. Here are some pointers to help you:

• Determine which experience is most important to the position. Put this information first in each section of your résumé.
• Put the experience you have that is most related to the position in your career snapshot at the top of your résumé.
• Include related accomplishments and experience as bullets; list them first in your career history.
• Select keywords that connect to the experience the employer is seeking and list them at the top of your résumé.
• Quantify when possible, and share examples using challenge, action, result statements.

8 Consider Using Two Different Résumés

I always advise my clients to diversify their job search and not invest all their job search time on job boards. However, if the bulk of your job search is consisting of applying online, I recommend having a modern, visually engaging résumé that is ATS-optimized. You can use one version to get through the applicant tracking system and the other when networking, sending your résumé to someone via email, or tapping into the hidden job market. This way, you can cover both bases—getting past ATS and also catching the eye of the recruiter.

9 Follow Up

In the 2016 Recruiter Nation Survey, 59 percent of recruiters reported that they keep in touch with candidates after they apply. Recruiters want to build their talent pools so that they’ll have great candidates they can reach out to as new opportunities land on their desk. The majority of candidates will never follow up with a recruiter, so it’s to your advantage to do so.

10 Include the Right Soft Skills

Soft skills are personality descriptors that come from your character, values, attitude, and communication skills. LinkedIn’s recent 2017 Global Trends Survey revealed that 35 percent of recruiters stated soft skills assessment will be a leading factor affecting future recruiting trends. Employers are searching for ways to assess soft skills, so it’s important to talk about them on your résumé. I’m not talking about the overused phrases such as “excellent communication” or “team player” either. I recommend you incorporate the related keyword within the context of an accomplishment that demonstrates that soft skill. Here’s an example:

Recovered $2,000,000 missing revenue through attention to detail and meticulous review of 350 customer accounts.

“Attention to detail” and “meticulous” are soft skills, but possessing them enabled this candidate to locate a critical error and recover $2 million in missing revenue. Without her attention to detail, she would have overlooked the hidden error. You can do the same with any soft skill that you possess—simply insert the soft skill within the context of the accomplishment. As you sit down to freshen up your résumé and embark on your job search, consider the tips above to ensure your résumé receives a great response.

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About the Author: Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is President and CEO of Great Resumes Fast, a Certified Social Branding Analyst, and 10-time award-winning executive resume writer. She was named 2017’s Best Resume Writer. You can find her at greatresumesfast.com.

Make Your Writing Clearer: 6 Tips for Rewording Sentences

The author James Michener said, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” If you’re an aspiring author or someone striving for clarity in your professional or academic writing, you appreciate the methodical march of the rewriting process. Each word in a sentence has a job; cut those that do nothing. These six tips will help you achieve clear and concise writing.

Avoid the Passive Voice

The passive voice is flaccid. The subject becomes a helpless thing, acted on by outside forces. In a well-written sentence, the verb is powerful and precise, an active tool at the subject’s command. For example:

• Passive: It is believed by the boxer that the power is there to cause his opponent to fall down.
• Active: The boxer thinks he has a knock-out punch.

Trim the Fat from Flabby Phrases

Some writers use wordy phrases when a single word will do.

Use because instead of:

• Due to the fact that
• In light of the fact that
• Owing to the fact that

Use about instead of:

• Concerning the matter of
• In reference to
• With regard to

Use can instead of:

• Is able to
• Is in a position to
• Has the capacity to

Limit Prepositional Phrases

Use an apostrophe, not a prepositional phrase, to show possession.

• Bad: It was the opinion of the teacher that Susan was ready for third grade.
• Better: In the teacher’s opinion, Susan was ready for third grade.

Don’t use too many prepositional phrases in a sentence.

• Bad: The ultimate point of the discussion with all of the people was to reach a consensus of the group about what to do with the leftover funds from the fundraiser.
• Better: The group discussed options for the leftover fundraiser money and ultimately reached a decision.

Watch for Wordiness

Wordiness is a problem for many writers, whether it’s redundancy, stating the obvious, or packing a sentence with excess detail and unnecessary modifiers.

• Wordy: Imagine in your mind what a caveman from an earlier prehistoric time must have thought about when he originally saw fire for the first time.
• Better: Imagine what prehistoric man thought when he saw fire for the first time.

For precision and clarity, excise these words from your writing:

• kind of
• sort of
• really
• basically
• actually
• generally
• typically
• for all intents and purposes

Edit your writing for redundant pairs such as:

• true facts
• past history
• free gift
• unexpected surprise
• each individual

Combine Sentences

In many cases, you can combine information from two short sentences into one complex sentence without sacrificing clarity. Sentence variety also improves readability.

• Wordy: The house next door is occupied by three widowed sisters. They moved here in 1985 with their three dogs and haven’t left since.
• Better: Three widows and their dogs live next door, their home since 1985.

Avoid Vague Nouns and Noun Strings

All-purpose nouns, such as factor, situation, and area, lead to obscure writing.

• Vague: A college education is an important factor in finding a job in the area of accounting.
• Better: For accounting jobs, a college degree is important.

Writers in a specialty niche such as healthcare or technology often slip into jargon, resulting in noun strings that obscure meaning.

• Vague: The mammography team is working on the radiology technologist radiation protection quality improvement program.
• Better: The mammography team will complete a quality improvement program for protecting radiology technicians from excess radiation.

Writing for clarity requires a ruthless eye for editing your work; it’s helpful to walk away from your composition for a few hours and approach it with new eyes. Then cut the unnecessary, rewrite the unwieldy, and, in the words of Elmore Leonard, “Try to leave out the parts that people skip.”

Do you have any favorite techniques for clearing up your writing?

7 Reasons to Love the English Language

Isn’t English grand?

Even if English has been called “a bastard tongue” by many, I still love it. Complex, creole, and occasionally confusing, English is a language that has borrowed and stolen some of the best elements of other languages to make something all its own. Who couldn’t love the language that gave us hilarious-sounding words like “wabbit” and “nagware”?

And with 1.5 billion active speakers, it’s also one of the most widely adopted languages in history. Because of this, I want to take a moment to honor all of the quirks that make English the cutie nerd of every English-speaking logophile’s dreams. Here are some fun facts I’ve cultivated over a twenty-six-year love affair with everything English.

1 The English language is always growing.

Yes, it’s true. The English language continues to grow at a breakneck pace. Don’t believe me? Check out the OED’s Twitter account to see how many words are added to the dictionary each year.

2 Shakespeare had a hand in its development.

April 23 is Shakespeare’s birthday, as well as the UN’s English Language Day. What a coincidence! It’s almost like Shakespeare is the father of the English language.

3 English spelling is a glorious mystery, even to its native speakers.

Irregular, inconsistent spelling is one of the things that separates English from many other languages. Languages like French and German, which are closely related to English, generally follow a set of rules when forming different verb tenses, for example. English has so many irregular verb forms that they are almost a rule all on their own.

4 English has some pretty long words . . .

via GIPHY

Generally speaking, English is a very efficient language that takes fewer characters than many other Roman-alphabet languages. However, that doesn’t mean English is devoid of lengthy words! Some of the longest words in English might surprise you. For instance, did you know “strengths” is one of the longest monosyllabic (one-syllable) words in English?

5 . . . and some short ones, too.

via GIPHY

On the flipside, English has many one- and two-letter words. Often, these “little words” are articles or conjunctions, but once again, there are a few suprises!

6 There are multiple dialects.

Another spelling conundrum English presents is its obsession with creating different spelling rules for different dialects. Just ask any British, Canadian, American, Australian, Indian, or Nigerian English speaker how to spell “city center.” You’ll get at least two different answers (due to different allegiances to British and American spellings), or possibly three!

7 English is old. Ancient, in fact.

Although Shakespeare is credited with coining a large number of words we now use in English, the language predates him by hundreds of years. In fact, researchers have found that some words in English have remained completely unchanged for thousands of years! Even though it has kept some of these very old words, English has also added new ways to express emotion, meaning, and scientific facts. Clearly, the English language is like a fine wine—it gets better with age.

Did I miss one of your favorite anglophone facts? Let me know below!

7 Books That Will Help You Land Your First Job

Graduation. Ten letters that spell either “opportunity,” or “pure, unadulterated terror,” depending on your plans for after you walk across the stage and officially become a college grad. If you have your post-grad life figured out, congratulations! You’re ahead of the game. Kick back, read a book, and wait for real life to hit you.

But if you have no idea what you’re going to do, or are hustling to land that first gig, don’t worry. We’ve all been there. While career planning can be maddening, you will get through this intermediary period and arise from the ashes of your college career like a glorious, mature phoenix.

You’ve got this.

Since books can often help you get through the slog of job hunting and career planning, we partnered with Textbooks.com to create a reading list for college grads. Here are a few books that will help you land that gig as a designer, engineer, teacher, fortune cookie writer, or whatever it is you’ve decided to be.

1 What Color Is Your Parachute? 2017

Often considered one of the classic job search books, What Color Is Your Parachute? is updated annually to provide the most up-to-date information to job seekers. This book’s combination of current tactics and age-old advice makes this a must-read for anyone engaged in a long or difficult job search.

2 The 2-Hour Job Search

Although Parachute is a classic, it has been criticized for its more traditional approach to job hunting. The 2-Hour Job Search is the exact opposite. This manual for the Internet age of job hunting will help you navigate the online jobscape in a manageable way. Although you may take more than two hours to land an interview, the tips in this book are solid.

3 Welcome to the Real World

Lauren Berger has gained widespread fame as The Intern Queen, and her first work of nonfiction is just as practical and down-to-earth as the section of her blog by the same name. This sizeable tome covers everything from time management to angling for a promotion and will prove invaluable once you land your first gig.

4 Congratulations, by the Way

When you reach the point in your job search where you’ve sent in one too many cover letters, updated your resume for the millionth time, and just need a break, take heart—we’ve all been there. George Saunders’ advice to the class of 2013 can help you push through. His short but powerful speech on kindness can put even the most stressful of life’s transitions in context. Here’s a taste of his refreshing prose:

There’s a confusion in each of us, a sickness, really: selfishness. But there’s also a cure. So be a good and proactive and even somewhat desperate patient on your own behalf — seek out the most efficacious anti-selfishness medicines, energetically, for the rest of your life.

5 Now What?

Not sure what career path you want to take? Check out this manual for finding your passion and pursuing it. Now What? presents a no-nonsense approach to finding your (employable) passion, which can be helpful for recent grads awash in feel-good career advice.

6 The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book

If you need more practical interview tips, this compendium of questions and answers can be your guide. Come for the example questions and answers, stay for the truth bombs about proper interview etiquette.

Here’s a tip: Need help writing emails before and after your interview? We have a guide for that.

7 The Elements of Resume Style

Your campus career services can only take your resume so far. If you need detailed information on resume formats for your field, this Strunk and White–esque guide is where it’s at. Need something a little shorter? We also have a few blogs you can use to get your resume in fighting shape.

Have you read a book that changed your perspective on your career after graduation? Share it in the comments below!

NBA Grammar Power Rankings

Since we launched our NFL Grammar Power Rankings (followed by MLB and college football), sports fans and journalists alike have urged us: “Do basketball next!” Basketball season has finally arrived, so we put NBA fans to the grammar test.

Who’s shooting bricks and who’s getting nothin’ but net when it comes to grammar, spelling, and punctuation? We began by collecting the first five comments posted under articles on each official SB Nation NBA team blog until we’d gathered a total of 100 comments (of 50 words or more) for each team. Using Grammarly’s algorithms, we identified the errors, and then a team of live proofreaders verified and tallied them. We counted only black-and-white mistakes such as misspellings, wrong and missing punctuation, misused or missing words, and subject-verb disagreement.

To avoid skewing the rankings, we didn’t penalize catchphrases like “da Bulls,” Internet lingo, common slang, team nicknames, or stylistic variations like serial comma usage. Finally, we calculated the average number of mistakes per one hundred words by dividing the total word count of the comments by the total number of mistakes for each team.

The Upper Midwest scored a win, with the Minnesota Timberwolves coming in on top and Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Bucks landing at third. The Denver Nuggets pulled in just behind the Wolves at second. The Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Utah Jazz didn’t fare as well, landing in the bottom three.

Despite coming in twelfth overall, Knicks fans had the most diverse vocabularies, using twenty-five unique words per one hundred words. Check out our infographic to find out where your team’s fan base ranked and even learn a few of their favorite words.

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

Please attribute this infographic to https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check

Avoid the 7 Blogging Mistakes That Reduce Your Traffic

When you start blogging, you can almost smell success in terms of your marketing strategies. Blogging can be a powerful way to expand your audience, but if you do it wrong it can work the other way. Below are seven blogging mistakes you may not be aware you are committing.

Instability in blog posting

Be direct and make sure your message is clear.

People are intelligent and capable of determining what they believe and what they do not. Little mistakes, slight inaccuracies, and misunderstandings can easily break their trust. Additionally, blogs that come across as vague make it difficult for readers to understand exactly what your message is.

Wasting too much time writing

How can people read your blog if they never discover it?

Spending all your time writing blog posts may distract you from other important matters, like marketing. Yes, writing blogs—especially if you want to create valuable ones—can become time-consuming, but if you spend too much time writing, it may defeat the purpose of the blog you spent all your time on. Leave time to work on marketing your blog and finding effective distribution channels for your articles.

Keyword stuffing

Too many keywords in a post can signal to Google that your content is spam. Focus on naturally incorporating long-tail keywords.

Keyword stuffing for new bloggers may not come easy, but it’s not a habit worth cultivating. Stuffing your articles with keywords may lead Google to tag your blog as spam. Rather than overloading your post with keywords, improve your search ranking by using long-tail keywords (specific phrases directly related to your content) together with LSI keywords (latent semantic indexing keywords—peripheral keywords that are related to your long-tail keywords).

Multiple topic blogs

Too many topics in one blog can cause information overload.

Some bloggers think that the more information they write or the more perspectives they share, the more it will help them attract an audience. Here’s the thing: jumping all over the place will not attract a wide audience—it will cause them to lose interest. Make up your mind, focus on a single topic, and progress from there. Do not give your readers a headache trying to figure out the message you want to get across.

No categories or too many categories

A blog that has no heading organization or too many scattered categories is a pain.

Yes, you need to make use of categories or sub headers on your blog. Not having them at all (or having too many categories or sub headers) makes your blog content difficult to navigate and digest. In writing blogs, what you want is to give readers just enough of the information they need.

Disregard visitors

Check blog comments and respond promptly.

You are writing blogs to invite visitors. But failing to give them attention may discourage readers from returning. Attending to their comments or inquiries as soon as possible is a must. A visitor who is left hanging will feel unimportant and less likely to come back. They may even tell their friends about the bad experience they had with you.

Miscalculating SEO

Read a bit about SEO and make sure you’re tracking your efforts correctly.

There are many ways to make your blog rank, but if you are benchmarking your SEO poorly then you might as well say goodbye to traffic. If word density, blog structure, categories, and subcategories are not properly tracked and benchmarked, your SEO will suffer.

What are some mistakes you have made on your blog? What other tips would you give to bloggers to improve their traffic?

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Vincent Hill writes on different categories like starting a blog, content writing, blog design, and much more. His writing is not only descriptive but also meaningful. He loves to share his ideas on different categories.

Capitalization After Colons

Capitalization: First Word After a Colon

In British English, the first letter after a colon is capitalized only if it’s a proper noun or an acronym; in American English, the first word after a colon is sometimes capitalized if it begins a complete sentence.

Here are some quick tips for using colons properly:

• When a colon introduces a list of of things, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun.
• When a colon introduces a phrase or an incomplete sentence that is meant to add information to the sentence before it, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun.
• When a colon introduces a complete sentence, you may capitalize the first word after the colon according to some style guides. Read on for details.

When’s the last time you used a colon in your writing? Many writers avoid this punctuation mark because they’re unsure how to use it properly. Colons can be quite useful, though. Not only do they introduce lists, but they also alert the reader to an explanation of the previous sentence. Colons provide a way of expounding upon information in such a way that connects the ideas in two or more sentences.

Capitalize After Colon? (APA Style)

One of the tricky issues many writers deal with when it comes to colons is whether or not to capitalize the word following the colon. As with so many things in the English language, capitalization with colons can be complex, and many times, it’s more of a style issue than one of correctness. According to APA Style, the first word after the colon is capitalized only if it begins a complete sentence. Consider the examples below:

It’s been snowing for three days straight: the roads around here aren’t very safe for driving.

It’s been snowing for three days straight: The roads around here aren’t very safe for driving.

Capitalize After Colon? (The Chicago Manual of Style)

The Chicago Manual of Style has a slightly different perspective on whether to capitalize after colons. In their view, the word following a colon should be capitalized only if there are two explanatory sentences following the colon. Look at the examples below:

Maggie wears a brimmed cap at all times: Strong light often gives her a headache.

Maggie wears a brimmed cap at all times: strong light often gives her a headache.

Maggie wears a brimmed cap at all times: Strong light often gives her a headache. She also likes the way it looks.

Never Capitalize After Colon When Introducing a List

Both style manuals agree on one thing, though. It is never ok to capitalize the word after a colon when the word introduces a list. The following sentences illustrate this hard-and-fast rule:

Jan needed a few more items to complete her job application: A resume, cover letter, and references.

Jan needed a few more items to complete her job application: a resume, cover letter, and references.

Top 10 Student Writing Mistakes: Finals Edition

The Grammarly Editor has reviewed thousands of essays, term papers, and short stories from students of all ages. As a result, we’ve been able to collect data on the most common types of mistakes that student writers are making. As finals season approaches, take a look at the errors on the list below to brush up on your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Good writing habits will not only serve you well in school, but written accuracy benefits professionals throughout their careers.

1Spelling mistakes

Many spelling mistakes occur when incorrect homophones (words with the same pronunciation, such as “right,” “rite,” and “write”) are used in a sentence.

Watch you’re words! Spell-check may not sea words that are miss used because they are spelled rite!

Watch your words! Spell check may not see words that are misused because they are spelled right!

2Run-on sentences (no comma before a coordinating conjunction)

A coordinating conjunction connects two clauses that could be sentences on their own. You can use the acronym FANBOYS to remember the most common coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Unless the clauses are very short and closely related, you need a comma before the conjunction. If you forget to put a comma before the conjunction, it becomes a run-on sentence.

My dog barks at the mailman but she’s too lazy to chase him.

Solution: Check to see if the clauses before and after the conjunction could be sentences on their own. If so, insert a comma before the conjunction.

My dog barks at the mailman, but she’s too lazy to chase him.

3Sentence fragments

A sentence fragment is a sentence that’s missing a subject (the thing doing the action) or a verb (the action).

An epic all-nighter!

Solution: Add a subject or verb to the fragment, as needed.

I pulled an epic all-nighter!

4No comma after an introductory phrase

An introductory phrase provides some background information and is usually followed by a comma. The comma is optional when the phrase is very short.

While a Thanksgiving commercial played on the TV she was at the library trying to study for her final exams.

While a Thanksgiving commercial played on the TV, she was at the library trying to study for her final exams.

At long last I made it home. OR: At long last, I made it home.

5Wordiness

A sentence is wordy if it uses more words than necessary to convey meaning. Wordiness often makes writing unclear.

Jessica ended up having to walk all the way home due to the fact that she missed the last train leaving Central Station.

Solution: Identify long phrases that can be replaced with a single word. Eliminate words that have the same meaning. Eliminate weak words, such as “basically” and “sort of.” Eliminate nonessential information.

Jessica walked home because she missed the last train.

6Comma splicing

A comma splice occurs when you use a comma to connect two clauses that could be sentences on their own.

He bought back-to-school clothes, his mom bought a scarf.

Solution: Add a coordinating conjunction (remember: FANBOYS) after the comma, or change the comma to a period, semicolon, or colon.

He bought back-to-school clothes, and his mom bought a scarf. OR: He bought back-to-school clothes. His mom bought a scarf.

7Comma misuse (inside a compound subject)

A compound subject uses a conjunction to connect more than one noun phrase.

My roommate, and his brother, went to see a movie.

My roommate and his brother went to see a movie.

8No commas around interrupters

Interrupters are phrases that break the flow of a sentence to provide additional detail. Put commas around interrupters.

It was unfortunately the end of winter vacation.

It was, unfortunately, the end of winter vacation.

9Squinting modifiers

A squinting modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that could modify the word before it or the word after it.

Students who study rarely get bad grades.

Solution: Put the modifier next to the word it should modify.

Students who rarely study get bad grades. OR: Students who study get bad grades rarely.

10Subject-verb agreement

Singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Michael study at the library every day.

Michael studies at the library every day.

There you have it: the top ten student writing mistakes, just in time for finals. The writing skills that come from identifying common errors will help you make clearer points in your writing now and in the future. I encourage you to print out this post and take it to class with you next semester. You never know when a teacher might assign you a back-to-school essay on the first day. Happy writing and stay tuned for more tips designed to take your writing to the next level!

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs—What’s the Difference?

A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether it requires an object to express a complete thought or not. A transitive verb is one that only makes sense if it exerts its action on an object. An intransitive verb will make sense without one. Some verbs may be used both ways.

The word transitive often makes people think of transit, which leads to the mistaken assumption that the terms transitive and intransitive are just fancy ways of describing action and nonaction. But these terms have nothing to do with whether a verb is active or not. A better word to associate when you see transitive is transfer. A transitive verb needs to transfer its action to something or someone—an object. In essence, transitive means “to affect something else.”

Once you have this concept committed to memory, spotting the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs is quite easy.

How to Identify a Transitive Verb

Transitive verbs are not just verbs that can take an object; they demand objects. Without an object to affect, the sentence that a transitive verb inhabits will not seem complete.

Please bring coffee.

In this sentence, the verb bring is transitive; its object is coffee, the thing that is being brought. Without an object of some kind, this verb cannot function.

Please bring.

Bring what, or who? The question begs itself because the meaning of bring demands it.

Here are some more examples of transitive verbs and their objects.

The girls carry water to their village.

Juan threw the ball.

Could you phone the neighbors?

I caught a cold.

She loves rainbows.

Lila conveyed the message.

Each of the verbs in these sentences have objects that complete the verbs’ actions. If the objects were taken out, the results would be illogical and questions would be raised in the mind of the reader; for example, Lila conveyed. Conveyed what?

How to Identify an Intransitive Verb

An intransitive verb is the opposite of a transitive verb: it does not require an object to act upon.

They jumped.

The dog ran.

She sang.

A light was shining.

None of these verbs require an object for the sentence to make sense, and all of them can end a sentence. Some imperative forms of verbs can even make comprehensible one-word sentences.

Run!

Sing!

A number of English verbs can only be intransitive; that is, they will never make sense paired with an object. Two examples of intransitive-only verbs are arrive and die. You can’t arrive something, and you certainly can’t die something; it is impossible for an object to follow these verbs.

Transitive or Intransitive? Some Verbs Can Be Both

Many verbs can be classified as both transitive and intransitive depending on how they are used in a sentence.

Urged by the others, she sang.

She sang the national anthem at the hockey game.

After he cleaned up, he left.

He left the gift on the table.

To decide whether the verb is being used transitively or intransitively, all you need to do is determine whether the verb has an object. Does she sing something? Does he leave something? The verb is only transitive when the answer is yes.

When in doubt, look it up. In the dictionary, verbs will be listed as transitive, intransitive, or both right under the pronunciation key, and any possible differences in meaning between the two uses will be given as well.

Phrasal Verbs and Transitivity

Phrasal verbs can also be classified as transitive or intransitive.

Cindy has decided to give up sweets while she diets.

I hope Cindy doesn’t give up.

Give up is just one of many phrasal verbs that can be transitive or intransitive. Whether give up has an object or not will alter the meaning it conveys. The first sense of give up means “to forgo something,” whereas the second sense means “to stop trying.”

If we refuse to learn about transitivity, the Grammar Police will blow up our building.

When the Grammar Police confronted her about her verbs, she blew up.

The first sense of to blow up means to explode, whereas the second sense means “to express rage.”

Transitive or intransitive is just one of the many classifications a verb can have. Perhaps you will be inspired to read about more about the fascinating qualities of verbs.

Four Ways to Read More Over the Holidays

Holiday season is fun, but it’s also hectic. You may get a few days off from work or school, but with all the parties, family gatherings, feast cooking, gift shopping, and other celebratory goings-on, there may not be much time left over. What’s a bookworm to do? Get creative, that’s what! Here are four ways to sneak some reading time into even the busiest holiday schedule.

1 Share the Joy

For many, the holiday season is an opportunity to gather loved ones together and spend quality time with each other. Why not turn reading into a bonding activity? Find a funny or heartwarming short story to read aloud to your family. Who knows? It may just become a beloved holiday tradition. If nothing else, it’s a good way to keep little ones entertained and out from underfoot—your hosts will thank you.

2 Carve Out Alone Time

We get it, though. Part of the reason many of us enjoy reading is the quiet alone time. We’re not suggesting you actually hide from your friends and family over the holidays, but there’s nothing wrong with turning down an invitation in favor of a quiet night in. And if there’s still holiday prep-work to be done (gift shopping, meal planning, travel arranging), get it out of the way today. With all that done, you can spend your precious holiday time reading instead of frantically trying to cross things off your to-do list.

3 Keep Your Book Handy

Be prepared to seize any opportunity. Will you be stuck in the car for an hour traveling to Aunt Miriam’s house? Don’t waste that transit time staring into space—bring your book along! After a lovely holiday dinner, you may find yourself surrounded by happily dozing friends and family—you might have time for a whole chapter. And if you really just need a break to peruse a page or two, you can always try that age-old introvert trick: pretending you have to go to the bathroom.

4 Explore New Ways of Absorbing Books

One reason to love ebooks is that you can carry your whole library around with you on an e-reader or even your mobile phone (see no. 3 for ways to take advantage of this). But don’t forget about audiobooks. If you’ve never listened to one, give it a try. Scrubbing down the kitchen before guests arrive isn’t such a tedious chore when you can also listen to a thrilling novel.

What are your strategies for making time to read during the holiday season?

Pronoun Reference Rules

Pronouns are words that stand in for a noun in a sentence. Whenever pronouns are used, it should be unmistakably clear which noun the pronoun is standing in for. A faulty pronoun reference will result in a muddled sentence and a confused reader.

A pronoun is like an actor’s double on a movie set: it is a simplified version of the noun it is standing in for.

The mother called the daughter.

The mother called her.

Her is a pronoun representing the daughter in a simple construction that causes no confusion. Consider this more complex sentence, however:

The mother called the daughter back to clean up her mess.

Did the daughter forget to do her dishes? Was the mother a slob who thought her daughter should clean up after her? Which person does the pronoun her refer to? This faulty pronoun reference can be easily corrected:

When the daughter made a mess, the mother called her back to clean it up.

Even with two pronouns, the references in this sentence are clear. Here is another example of a faulty pronoun reference.

Separate Daniel and Alexander and then give him a detention for fighting.

Here it is unclear to whom the pronoun him refers. Who is to be punished for fighting? Using the original noun will clarify things for the reader.

Separate Daniel and Alexander and then give Daniel a detention for fighting.

Poor Daniel; he appears to be the guilty party in this encounter, but at least the sentence is clear.

13 Professional Writers to Follow on Facebook

After a delightful meal, have you ever sent your compliments to the chef? Finishing a great novel can leave you with the same urge to congratulate the brilliant mind behind it. Did you know you can leave a message for your favorite author on Facebook? Besides messages, Facebook offers you the opportunity to discover a lot about your favorite writer. Let’s look at the pages of thirteen professional writers!

Insider Information

Khaled Hosseini

You might already know that Afghani-American author Khaled Hosseini practiced medicine before writing his three bestsellers—The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and The Mountains Echoed. But do you know which humanitarian organization he actively supports?

Kazuo Ishiguro

Why did Ishiguro take a ten-year pause from writing? Not only will you find the answer in a video post from the author, you’ll also learn about the setting of The Buried Giant.

Michael Chabon

In reference to Moonglow, the New Yorker described Michael Chabon’s writing as “a scale model of the broken world.” His stories feature gender and race issues, and his Facebook page hosts some controversial comments from fans and non-fans. His page also features pictures from his early life, including an interesting one from 1978.

Join the Club!

Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks’s novels, such as The Notebook and Dear John, transitioned perfectly to the silver screen. It’s always fun to anticipate when his next novel or film will be released. Subscribe to his official mailing list via his Facebook page, and you will be among the first to get the news.

John Irving

John Irving’s assistant maintains his account, but promises “regular commentary from Mr. Irving himself.” Do you have questions about The World According to Garp or praise for The Cider House Rules? If you express yourself on his wall, you just might get a reply!

Quotes

Cormac McCarthy

“If trouble comes when you least expect it, then maybe the thing to do is to always expect it.” Do you agree with this quote from The Road by Cormac McCarthy? Compare your opinion with the rest of this Pulitzer Prize winner’s fan community.

Reading Guides and Summaries

Toni Morrison

Talk about teachable moments! Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s Facebook offers summaries and reading guides for many of her thought-provoking novels. Whether you’re teaching a class or trying to make the grade, this page is a must-see!

Jodi Picoult

You’re a capable nurse, but your patients don’t want you treating their newborn because of the color of your skin. Later, the baby goes into cardiac distress. Do you perform CPR? In Small Great Things, you’ll find out what the nurse decides. And on Picoult’s Facebook page, you can access a reading guide guaranteed to spark plenty of discussion about this moral dilemma.

Collaborations and New Projects

George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin is famous for the Song of Ice and Fire series, but don’t think that he limits his creative process. Check out his latest posts about a project in collaboration with Nnedi Okorafor and HBO.

John Green

John Green, of The Fault in Our Stars fame, is releasing something new—Turtles All the Way Down. He plans to broadcast live shows on Facebook when he signs copies of his new book. You can pre-order a copy or catch a first glimpse of its cover on his page.

Beyond Their Books

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (e.g., Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun) are available in thirty languages. She splits her time between the United States and her native Nigeria. Her page is a wealth of information on relations between Nigeria and other countries.

Joyce Carol Oates

What does an esteemed author think of the writing of others? Joyce Carol Oates posts her published reviews of literary works, such as If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, as well as updates of her tour schedule.

John Grisham

John Grisham has written thirty novels, many of which are now motion pictures. Does he ever get a chance to read? Yes, he’s “plowing his way through” the books of a certain author. Find out whose writing he says is “just as as difficult now as it was [when he was] in high school.”

Do these Facebook author pages whet your appetite? Why not visit the page of your favorite writer today?