How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty (at All!)

No is one of the shortest words in English, but also it’s one of the most difficult to say. The problem isn’t pronunciation. Many people feel guilty when they have to turn down a request—especially one from a friend, colleague, or family member.

How can you decline a request without those pesky feelings of guilt? Let’s look at some scenarios you might face at the workplace. Why is saying no the right thing to do in each situation?

Sue wants to learn to use a new software program. You’re proficient, but you don’t enjoy teaching others.

Why It’s Okay to Say No

Is providing tech training part of your job description? If not, you have no obligation to do it. Sue would learn best from a willing teacher. If you politely refuse, you’ll avoid doing her a disservice, and she’ll be free to find a teacher committed to her success.

How to Say No Without Guilt

Thank your colleague for complimenting your abilities. Point out that while you are familiar with the program, you are not much of a teacher. Suggest another way for her to accomplish her goal. For example, you might send her a link to an online tutorial that helped you or encourage her to ask the boss to arrange training for everyone who needs support.

Your boss needs someone to work this Saturday. Weeks ago, you arranged to have the day off for a special event in your life. Even though he approved your request, now he is asking if you’ll rearrange your schedule to work an extra shift. You declined, but you just received another email from him asking you to reconsider.

Why It’s Okay to Say No

Mental health experts encourage a healthy work-life balance. If work always crowds out your other interests, you’ll soon experience burnout that will prevent you from working at your highest potential. In this case, saying no will set a precedent for your work relationship in the future. Your boss might never respect your “no” if you weaken and give in to his request. If the special event is important and you’ve followed company procedures, you shouldn’t feel bad about taking time for yourself.

How to Say No Without Guilt

When dealing with authority, you might propose a compromise. “Thanks for inviting me to work on the project! Though I won’t be available to reschedule my commitments Saturday, I cleared my schedule to work on the project as soon as I return to the office. I will report to you first thing Monday to see what you need me to do.” A tactful, yet firm response will show your boss that while you’re not a pushover, you are still a team player.

You spent all night writing an article for the company newsletter. The copy editor sends the article back to you for review—full of corrections and deletions. Some of her comments are spot on, but you disagree with one of them. How do you reject a writing edit while preserving good relations?

Why It’s Okay to Say No

An editor’s comments are suggestions for improvement. You, as the person whose name is on the article, will be the one to take the credit for successes and the fall for any mistakes. If your research or experience moves you to reject the advice, you can do so with the confidence that editors aren’t infallible.

How to Say No Without Guilt

Focus on how saying no will benefit your colleague. For instance, you might include a reference to the issue in the most recent style guide. Often, posing your challenge in the form a question will help you show respect. “I thought that the 2017 Chicago Manual of Style discouraged the use of singular they (in place of he or she) in formal prose? Can you check on it and get back to me?” You can also choose to ignore the suggestion without an explanation. Doing so might cause your editor to do a little investigating of her own and save herself the embarrassment of receiving a correction from you.

Practice Makes Perfect

Does the thought of saying no still put you on edge? You’re not alone! Psychologist Marsha Linehan suggests practicing in unimportant daily situations. Smile and shake your head the next time someone offers you a free sample at the mall. Delete the next email for a volunteer work project. In time, you’ll lose the feeling that you always have to say yes.

Why does saying no have to be a negative experience? Remind yourself why saying no is the wisest course. Then, use a little tact as you explain why you’re declining. If you offer an alternative means to support the person, they will feel better and so will you.

What Are the Best Ways to Show Skills on Your Resume?

“All you need to land an interview is a good set of skills.”

If only that were true! Besides possessing skills, you have to present them in a way that gets noticed and shows that you are right for the job. Which skills should you showcase? What are the best ways to show skills on your resume? Let’s find out now.

What Skills to Put on a Resume

Would you say that you should list all your capabilities on your resume?

Lydia Frank, the editorial director of PayScale, told Money magazine that there are some skills you should avoid mentioning: generalized job functions. How will typing set you apart (unless you are a typist)? Abilities such as filing or copying won’t impress an employer. According to Frank, “it’s implied knowledge.” This is especially true if you have advanced capabilities—if you are an expert in advanced web programming, you don’t need to list basic web design. Save the space for your best qualities.

Alesia Benedict, a certified professional resume writer, warns that recruiters are also turned off by an onslaught of skills. “Recruiters do not have time to wade through a resume loaded with irrelevant information such as hobbies, ancient work history, out-of-date skills, or reasons for leaving prior positions.” Therefore, even though you might be proud of how good you are with tongue twisters, it probably doesn’t belong on your resume for an accountancy position.

How do you decide which of your various talents are relevant? Resume expert Natalie Severt suggests getting the information directly from the employer. No, you don’t have to call or email the company. The key skills, the most valuable qualities to the hiring manager, are usually embedded in the job description.

Take a look at some of the items listed in the qualifications section of this job listing for an educational administrator:

• Knowledge of MS Office programs (especially PowerPoint)
• Comfortable with Google Docs
• Tech-savvy and quick to learn new programs; experience with Learning Management Systems is ideal
• Passion for education and ability to connect with students
• Excellent written communication skills
• Experience with electronic file keeping and reporting
• Highly organized, but able to adapt as needs and programs evolve

Can you see all the clues provided by the potential employer? If you have technology skills, written communication skills, or organizational skills, you should highlight them if you want a good chance at being hired for this job.

How to Present Your Skills on a Resume

In most cases, job seekers set aside a section of the resume for their skills. You can simply label the section “Skills.” However, if a particular aptitude is valuable in your trade, you could be more specific. For instance, if you’re a computer technician, you might focus on technical or computer skills. If you’re applying to an out-of-country position, you might list relevant language skills.

Using the job listing from earlier, can you think of some ways to show your computer skills?

Extensive experience with Microsoft Office products

Familiarity with cloud-based apps, including Google Docs

Knowledge of OpenOffice

Besides these phrases, you might try “expert with,” “able to,” or “proficient at.”

Now that you know which skills to feature (i.e., those that are directly related to the position to which you are applying), where on your resume should they appear?

Not every resume expert agrees on the exact placement of this section, but most of their advice centers on one fact: The resume skills, along with the summary, should be the most visible parts of the document. If you use a template, find one that puts qualifications in a place that will get noticed. You might also get some feedback from friends. Ask them, “Which heading of my resume does your eye go to first?”

How to Prove Your Skills

Expert is a strong descriptor. You should support your assertions with solid evidence. The Huffington Post shared at least two ways to demonstrate that you can do what you say you can.

1 Mention tools that you know how to use in the skills section or elsewhere in your resume.

Project Management with Basecamp

2 Share completed certifications

Fluent in French DELF-certified Level B2

If you don’t present your skills well on a resume, it won’t matter how talented you are. Are you showing your skills in their best light? The job requirements provided by employers can help you decide which skills belong on your resume for each opening. If you tailor your resume today, a perfect job might be waiting for you tomorrow.

Conjunctions

Without conjunctions, you’d be forced to express every complex idea in a series of short, simplistic sentences: I like cooking. I like eating. I don’t like washing dishes afterward.

What Are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together.

I like cooking and eating, but I don’t like washing dishes afterward. Sophie is clearly exhausted, yet she insists on dancing till dawn.

Conjunctions allow you to form complex, elegant sentences and avoid the choppiness of multiple short sentences. Make sure that the phrases joined by conjunctions are parallel (share the same structure.

I work quickly and am careful.

I work quickly and carefully.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions allow you to join words, phrases, and clauses of equal grammatical rank in a sentence. The most common coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so; you can remember them by using the mnemonic device FANBOYS.

I’d like pizza or a salad for lunch. We needed a place to concentrate, so we packed up our things and went to the library. Jesse didn’t have much money, but she got by.

Notice the use of the comma when a coordinating conjunction is joining two independent clauses.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together. Some examples are either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also.

Not only am I finished studying for English, but I’m also finished writing my history essay. I am finished with both my English essay and my history essay.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions join independent and dependent clauses. A subordinating conjunction can signal a cause-and-effect relationship, a contrast, or some other kind of relationship between the clauses. Common subordinating conjunctions are because, since, as, although, though, while, and whereas. Sometimes an adverb, such as until, after, or before can function as a conjunction.

I can stay out until the clock strikes twelve.

Here, the adverb until functions as a coordinating conjunction to connect two ideas: I can stay out (the independent clause) and the clock strikes twelve (the dependent clause). The independent clause could stand alone as a sentence; the dependent clause depends on the independent clause to make sense.

The subordinating conjunction doesn’t need to go in the middle of the sentence. It has to be part of the dependent clause, but the dependent clause can come before the independent clause.

Before he leaves, make sure his room is clean.

If the dependent clause comes first, use a comma before the independent clause.

I drank a glass of water because I was thirsty. Because I was thirsty, I drank a glass of water.

Starting a Sentence with a Conjunction

Many of us were taught in school that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction, but that rule is a myth. As mentioned above, a subordinating conjunction can begin a sentence if the dependent clause comes before the independent clause. It’s also correct to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. Often, it’s a good way to add emphasis. Beginning too many sentences with conjunctions will cause the device to lose its force, however, so use this technique sparingly.

Have a safe trip. And don’t forget to call when you get home. Gertie flung open the door. But there was no one on the other side.

List of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Correlative Conjunctions

both/and, either/or, neither/nor, not only/but, whether/or

Some Subordinating Conjunctions

after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, by the time, even if, even though, if, in order that, in case, in the event that, lest , now that, once, only, only if, provided that, since, so, supposing, that, than, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, whether or not, while

Adverbs

What Do Adverbs Modify?

An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.

Tom Longboat did not run badly.

Tom is very tall.

The race finished too quickly.

Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom’s win.

It’s easy to identify adverbs in these sentences.

Adverbs and Verbs

One of the things adverbs do is modify verbs. This means that they describe the way an action is happening.

Phillip sings loudly in the shower.

My cat waits impatiently for his food.

I will seriously consider your suggestion.

The adverbs in each of the sentences above answer the question in what manner? How does Phillip sing? Loudly. How does my cat wait? impatiently. How will I consider your suggestion? Seriously. Adverbs can answer other types of questions about how an action was performed. They can also tell you when (We arrived early) and where (Turn here).

That cake looks good.

My elderly neighbor looks well.

These two descriptive words are a little more difficult to identify as adverbs. Even though good is usually an adjective, it’s modifying the look of the cake (How does the cake look? It looks good.) so it’s an adverb. We can’t answer the question “what is the cake” because we haven’t tasted it yet, so we don’t know if it’s good cake or bad cake. Well in the second example is tricky because it’s one of the adverbs that doesn’t follow the typical adverb -ly spelling.

Most of the time, it’s pretty straightforward. However, there is one type of verb that doesn’t mix well with adverbs. Linking verbs, such as feel, smell, sound, seem, and appear, typically need adjectives, not adverbs. A very common example of this type of mixup is

I feel badly about what happened.

Because “feel” is a verb, it seems to call for an adverb rather than an adjective. But “feel” isn’t just any verb; it’s a linking verb. An adverb would describe how you perform the action of feeling—an adjective describes what you feel. “I feel badly” means that you are bad at feeling things. If you’re trying to read Braille through thick leather gloves, then it might make sense for you to say “I feel badly.” But if you’re trying to say that you are experiencing negative emotions, “I feel bad” is the phrase you want.

Adverbs and Adjectives

Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs. Often, the purpose of the adverb is to add a degree of intensity to the adjective.

The woman is quite pretty.

This book is more interesting than the last one.

The weather report is almost always right.

The adverb almost is modifying the adverb always, and they’re both modifying right.

“Is my singing too loud?” asked Phillip.

My cat is incredibly happy to have his dinner.

We will be slightly late to the meeting.

This bridesmaid dress is a very unflattering shade of puce.

Adverbs and Other Adverbs

You can use an adverb to describe another adverb. In fact, if you wanted to, you could use several.

Phillip sings rather enormously too loudly.

The problem is that it often produces weak and clunky sentences like the one above, so be careful not to overdo it.

Adverbs and Sentences

Some adverbs can modify entire sentences—unsurprisingly, these are called sentence adverbs. Common ones include generally, fortunately, interestingly, and accordingly. Sentence adverbs don’t describe one particular thing in the sentence—instead, they describe a general feeling about all of the information in the sentence.

Fortunately, we got there in time.

Interestingly, no one at the auction seemed interested in bidding on the antique spoon collection.

At one time, the use of the word hopefully as a sentence adverb (e.g., Hopefully, I’ll get this job) was condemned. People continued to use it though, and many style guides and dictionaries now accept it. There are still plenty of readers out there who hate it though, so it’s a good idea to avoid using it in formal writing.

Degrees of Comparison

Like adjectives, adverbs can show degrees of comparison, although it’s slightly less common to use them this way. With certain “flat adverbs” (adverbs that look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts), the comparative and superlative forms look the same as the adjective comparative and superlative forms. It’s usually better to use stronger adverbs (or stronger adjectives and verbs) rather than relying on comparative and superlative adverbs.

An absolute adverb describes something in its own right:

He smiled warmly A hastily written note

To make the comparative form of an adverb that ends in -ly, add the word more:

He smiled more warmly than the others. The more hastily written note contained the clue.

To make the superlative form of an adverb that ends in -ly, add the word most:

He smiled most warmly of them all. The most hastily written note on the desk was overlooked.

Placement of Adverbs

Place adverbs as close as possible to the words they are supposed to modify. Putting the adverb in the wrong spot can produce an awkward sentence at best and completely change the meaning at worst. Be especially careful about the word only, which is one of the most often misplaced modifiers. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

Phillip only fed the cat. Phillip fed only the cat.

The first sentence means that all Phillip did was feed the cat. He didn’t pet the cat or pick it up or anything else. The second sentence means that Phillip fed the cat, but he didn’t feed the dog, the bird, or anyone else who might have been around.

When an adverb is modifying a verb phrase, the most natural place for the adverb is usually the middle of the phrase.

We are quickly approaching the deadline.

Phillip has always loved singing.

I will happily assist you.

When to Avoid Adverbs

Ernest Hemingway is often held up as an example of a great writer who detested adverbs and advised other writers to avoid them. In reality, it’s impossible to avoid adverbs altogether. Sometimes we need them, and all writers (even Hemingway) use them occasionally. The trick is to avoid unnecessary adverbs. When your verb or adjective doesn’t seem powerful or precise enough, instead of reaching for an adverb to add more color, try reaching for a stronger verb or adjective instead. Most of the time, you’ll come up with a better word and your writing will be stronger for it.

Prepositions

• Prepositions indicate relationships between other words in a sentence.
• Many prepositions tell you where something is or when something happened.
• Most prepositions have several definitions, so the meaning changes quite a bit in different contexts.
• Ending a sentence with a preposition is not a grammatical error.

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What Is a Preposition?

“Vampires! Zombies! Werewolves!” “Where?!” “Behind you!”

Thank goodness for prepositions. Imagine not knowing where the danger lay….

Prepositions tell us where or when something is in relation to something else. When monsters are approaching, it’s good to have these special words to tell us where those monsters are. Are they behind us or in front of us? Will they be arriving in three seconds or at midnight?

Prepositions often tell us where one noun is in relation to another (e.g., The coffee is on the table beside you). But they can also indicate more abstract ideas, such as purpose or contrast (e.g., We went for a walk despite the rain).

Types of Prepositions

Prepositions indicate direction, time, location, and spatial relationships, as well as other abstract types of relationships.

Direction: Look to the left and you’ll see our destination.

Time: We’ve been working since this morning.

Location: We saw a movie at the theater.

Space: The dog hid under the table.

Preposition Examples

Unfortunately, there’s no reliable formula for determining which preposition to use with a particular combination of words. The best way to learn which prepositions go with which words is to read as much high-quality writing as you can and pay attention to which combinations sound right. Here are a few examples of the most common prepositions used in sentences.

I should rewrite the introduction of my essay.
Sam left his jacket in the car.
Did you send that letter to your mother?
We’re cooking for ten guests tonight.
Dan ate lunch with his boss.

You can also use tools like Google Ngrams to see which prepositions most commonly occur with particular words—but remember, this tool can’t explain the difference in meaning between different prepositional phrases like “pay for” (to purchase) and “pay off” (to bribe). For that, you may want to refer to a list of prepositions that includes the meanings of common combinations.

Ending a Sentence With a Preposition

The old claim that it’s wrong to end a sentence with a preposition has been utterly debunked. It’s not true and it never was true. Writers who always insist that a preposition can’t end a sentence often end up with stilted and unnatural sentences:

There’s no one else to hide behind. (Grammatically correct and natural)
There’s no one else behind whom to hide. (Grammatically correct, but unnatural)
Where did you come from? (Grammatically correct and natural)
From where did you come? (Grammatically correct, but unnatural)

That said, it is sometimes more elegant to move a preposition to an earlier spot in a sentence, especially in very serious and formal writing. But if you do move the preposition, remember to delete it from the end.

This is something we must meditate on.
This is something on which we must meditate.
This is something on which we must meditate on.

Unnecessary Prepositions

One of the most common preposition mistakes is adding an unnecessary at to the end of a question.

Where is your brother at?

Although this is common in some English dialects, it’s considered an error in writing. You can fix the problem by simply deleting the at.

Where is your brother?

On the bright side, if you’re not sure which preposition to use, sometimes you can just get rid of it altogether. In fact, you should always get rid of unnecessary prepositional phrases. Too many prepositions can be a sign of flabby writing. Look at how many prepositions appear in the sentence below:

For many people, the reality of an entry into a new area of employment is cause for a host of anxieties.

Getting rid of the prepositions forces you to tighten up the sentence. The result is shorter, more direct, and easier to understand:

Changing careers makes many people anxious.

Here’s another example:

Alex hit the baseball up over the fence.

Get rid of the up. You don’t need it:

Alex hit the baseball over the fence.

9 Best Grammar Resources for Teachers

How do teachers motivate students to embrace good grammar 365 days of the year and not just on World Teachers’ Day? These ten grammar resources might be just what you need.

1 Visual Aids

If students visualize how grammar works, they will be able to understand sentence structure. For example, an infographic on Copyblogger.com explains what a dangling participle is. Here’s their example sentence: “After rotting in the cellar for weeks, my brother brought up some oranges.” The illustration of a zombie holding an orange helps students see that sentence structure matters. In fact, it’s the difference between life and death! If you don’t have wall space for a poster, take advantage of the following grammar resource.

2 Online Courses

According to its website, the Grammar Challenger helps students “master fifty of the trickiest . . . grammar, punctuation, and word usage” concepts. A pictorial explanation accompanies each grammar point. There are also four hundred practice questions. Whether you choose this online course or another, make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for students to practice what they learn.

3 Interactive Whiteboard Activities

Interactive whiteboards project your computer screen on a dry-erase whiteboard. Students can view and interact with the images, play games, type, or do other computer tasks. According to the National Education Association, “The technology allows teachers to integrate multiple information streams into a coherent lesson individualized for their students. Interactive whiteboards provide an extraordinary opportunity to create classroom environments where students with different learning styles can engage and learn from each other.”

4 Games

What if students could learn and play at the same time? One game on the British Council website teaches how to form sentences using present simple and present continuous tenses. A ticking timer measures students’ speed as they attempt to put a sentence in logical order. Teachers take note: Some British English grammar conventions are different from American ones.

5 Lesson Plans

If you are looking for an effective way to teach a grammar point, other teachers are happy to share what works for them. Ask around at your school or search for lesson plans online. One website where teachers share ideas is TeachersPayTeachers.com. Though some teachers sell their lesson plans and worksheets, there are many free items.

6 Gap-Fill Activities

Did you ever do Mad Libs? A partner tells you the part of speech missing from a paragraph. You provide a noun, adjective, etc. Because you don’t know what the text is about, your random verbs and nouns make for funny reading when your partner reveals the paragraph you completed. Gap-fills help students to identify parts of speech and understand how vocabulary works in different contexts. You can find gap-fills on ESL websites, such as ESL-Galaxy.com, or make your own.

7 Songs

Songs make excellent mnemonic devices. Mr. A, Mr.C, and Mr. D are teachers who use modern tunes to teach grammar ideas. The official story on their website is that a giant shoe-shaped spacecraft crashed near their home. They used songs to teach Bertram, the confused alien pilot, about Earth and the English language. Fortunately, they are willing to share their music with human pupils as well, so you can find their catchy melodies on iTunes and SoundCloud.

8 Online Grammar-Checking Software

The brief grammar explanations that Grammarly provides reveal the “why” behind mistakes. Teachers can also use the tool to make sure the handouts and emails they share with their students are error-free.

9 Reference Books

If you are a native English speaker, you may know the right word to use without understanding the grammar behind it. Reference books provide explanations that you can share with your students. The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need by Larry Shea is one of the top-selling titles in its genre on Amazon.

 

Which of these resources will you use on World Teachers’ Day? It might be fun to do a gap-fill activity, sing a song together, or play a game. Whatever you do, help your students to see that grammar can be as fun as it is useful.

Plural Nouns: Rules and Examples

Most singular nouns are made plural by simply putting an -s at the end. There are many different rules regarding pluralization depending on what letter a noun ends in. Irregular nouns do not follow plural noun rules, so they must be memorized or looked up in the dictionary.

Plural Noun Rules

There are many plural noun rules, and because we use nouns so frequently when writing, it’s important to know all of them! The correct spelling of plurals usually depends on what letter the singular noun ends in.

1 To make regular nouns plural, add ‑s to the end.

cat – cats

house – houses

2 If the singular noun ends in ‑s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add ‑es to the end to make it plural.

truss – trusses

bus – buses

marsh – marshes

lunch – lunches

tax – taxes

blitz – blitzes

3 In some cases, singular nouns ending in -s or -z, require that you double the -s or -z prior to adding the -es for pluralization.

fez – fezzes

gas –gasses

4 If the noun ends with ‑f or ‑fe, the f is often changed to ‑ve before adding the -s to form the plural version.

wife – wives

wolf – wolves

Exceptions:

roof – roofs

belief – beliefs

chef – chefs

chief – chiefs

5 If a singular noun ends in ‑y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ‑ies to make the noun plural.

city – cities

puppy – puppies

6 If the singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a vowel, simply add an -s to make it plural.

ray – rays

boy – boys

7 If the singular noun ends in ‑o, add ‑es to make it plural.

potato – potatoes

tomato – tomatoes

Exceptions:

photo – photos

piano – pianos

halo – halos

With the unique word volcano, you can apply the standard pluralization for words that end in -o or not. It’s your choice! Both of the following are correct:

volcanoes

volcanos

8 If the singular noun ends in ‑us, the plural ending is frequently ‑i.

cactus – cacti

focus – foci

9 If the singular noun ends in ‑is, the plural ending is ‑es.

analysis – analyses

ellipsis – ellipses

10 If the singular noun ends in ‑on, the plural ending is ‑a.

phenomenon – phenomena

criterion – criteria

11 Some nouns don’t change at all when they’re pluralized.

sheep – sheep

series – series

species – species

deer –deer

You need to see these nouns in context to identify them as singular or plural. Consider the following sentence:

Mark caught one fish, but I caught three fish.

Plural Noun Rules for Irregular Nouns

Irregular nouns follow no specific rules, so it’s best to memorize these or look up the proper pluralization in the dictionary.

child – children

goose – geese

man – men

woman – women

tooth – teeth

foot – feet

mouse – mice

person – people

Quiz: How Good Are You with Job Interviews?

Job interviews are hard.

The anticipation and anxiety about doing well or messing up can be worse than a first date with a crush.

In our society, we place a lot of importance on job interview performance, which is why it can be surprising to see just how little many people know about interview questions and basic interview etiquette.

To help you understand whether you’re on track, we put together a simple quiz that will test your understanding of good interview habits.

Do you need to brush up on your interview skills? Here are our top interview tips.

This Is How to Write an Effective Research Paper

There are two words that evoke instant anxiety in nearly every academic—research paper. In this article, we’ll break down the steps to writing a research paper.

Here’s a tip: Although the research paper format is fairly standardized, writing guidelines may vary not only among academic institutions but also among individual professors. Pay attention to any how-to handouts you’ve received, and don’t forget to check your university’s writing lab for more resources.

How does a research paper differ from a research proposal?

A research paper is different from a research proposal (also known as a prospectus), although the writing process is similar. Research papers are intended to demonstrate a student’s academic knowledge of a subject. A proposal is a persuasive piece meant to convince its audience of the value of a research project. Think of the proposal as the pitch and the paper as the finished product.

A prospectus is a formal proposal of a research project developed to convince a reader (a professor or research committee, or later in life, a project coordinator, funding agency, or the like) that the research can be carried out and will yield worthwhile results.

—Wichita State University Department of English

Dig into the research process.

Although we’ll focus more on the organization and writing of a research paper in this article, the research process is an important first step. Research will help you in several ways:

• understanding your subject
• formulating ideas for your paper
• developing a thesis statement
• speaking about your topic with authority

Gather resource materials and begin reviewing them. Here are a few good information sources:

• Google Scholar
• Online encyclopedias, almanacs, and databases
• Books and periodicals
• Newspapers
• Government publications, guides, and reports

As you read and evaluate the information you discover, take notes. Keep track of your reference materials so you can cite them and build your bibliography later. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) and other university writing lab websites are excellent resources to help you understand what information you’ll need to collect to properly cite references.

Here’s a tip: Try storing your notes in a spreadsheet. Create columns for elements you want to include in your paper as well as information necessary for your citations/bibliography. Columns can include headings such as Title, Author, Reference link, Page number, and Quotes.

Here’s a tip: Check with your instructor or university writing lab to determine the preferred citation style. Grammarly Premium identifies things that need to be cited and helps you cite them.

Organize before you start writing.

Your research spawned tons of ideas. Great! Now you’re ready to begin the process of organizing your presentation . . . before you begin writing. Don’t skip the organization step—it’s critical to your paper’s success. Without it, your paper will lack focus and you’ll spend much more time in the revision process trying to make sense of your jumbled thoughts.

The Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is a sentence that summarizes the main point of your essay and previews your supporting points. The thesis statement is important because it guides your readers from the beginning of your essay by telling them the main idea and supporting points of your essay.

—Purdue OWL – Developing a Thesis

Most research papers begin with a thesis statement at the end of an introductory paragraph. Even if it’s not a requirement, it’s a good idea to write a thesis statement as you begin to organize your research. Writing the thesis statement first is helpful because every argument or point you make in your paper should support this central idea you’re putting forward.

Most research papers fall into one of three categories: analytical, expository, or argumentative. If you’re presenting an analysis of information, then your paper is analytical. If you’re writing to explain information, then your paper is expository. If you’re arguing a conclusion, then it’s argumentative or persuasive. Your thesis statement should match the type of paper you’re writing.

Invest time in writing your thesis statement—it’s the main idea of your paper, from which everything else flows. Without a well-thought-out thesis statement, your paper is likely to end up jumbled and with an unclear purpose. Here’s more guidance from Purdue OWL.

The Outline

An outline will help you organize your thoughts before you dig into the writing process. Once you’ve developed your thesis statement, think about the main points you’ll need to present to support that statement. Those main points are your sub-headings. Now, organize your thoughts and information under each sub-heading.

Any information that doesn’t fit within the framework of your outline, and doesn’t directly support your thesis statement, no matter how interesting, doesn’t belong in your research paper. Keep your focus narrow and avoid the kitchen sink approach. (You know, the one where you throw in every bit of interesting research you uncovered, including the fungal growth in the U-joint of your kitchen sink?) Everything you learn may be fascinating, but not all of it is going to be relevant to your paper.

Need more help? Here’s an effective outlining strategy.

Writing the Research Paper

The good news is, once you reach this point in the process you’re likely to feel energized by all the ideas and thoughts you’ve uncovered in your research, and you’ll have a clear direction because you’ve taken the time to create a thesis statement and organize your presentation with an outline.

Here are the best elements to a research paper:

1 The Introduction

Here’s where you present the background and context for the rest of your article. Craft a strong opening sentence that will engage the reader. Just because you’re writing an academic research paper doesn’t mean you have to be dry and boring.

Here’s a tip: See Step 4 in our guide to better content writing. Although it’s about writing for the web, it’s relevant here, too.

Explain the purpose of your paper and how you plan to approach the topic. (Is this a factual report? An analysis? A persuasive piece?) Describe how you’ve organized your approach to the topic. Conclude the introductory paragraph with your thesis statement.

The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions:

• What is this?
• Why am I reading it?
• What do you want me to do?
• You should answer these questions by doing the following:
• Set the context – Provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the claims you make and support.
• State why the main idea is important – Tell the reader why he or she should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and convincing essay people will want to read and act upon.
• State your thesis/claim – Compose a sentence or two stating the position you will support with logos (sound reasoning: induction, deduction), pathos (balanced emotional appeal), and ethos (author credibility).

—Purdue OWL

MORE INFO: Starting Your Research Paper: Writing an Introductory Paragraph

2 The Body

Here’s where your outline will come in handy. As you’re writing, remember that your outline isn’t meant to be a prison—it’s a guideline to keep you on track. Your paper may evolve, so keep it fluid, but do remember to stay focused on your thesis statement and proving your points. Don’t let your sources organize your paper! Organize first and use your sources as they become relevant.

Consider the Rule of Three. Find supporting arguments for each point you make, and present a strong point first, followed by an even stronger one, and finish with your strongest point.

MORE INFO: Strong Body Paragraphs

3 Conclusion

Now, it’s time to wrap it up. Most research papers conclude with a restated thesis statement. Present your thesis again, but reword it. Briefly summarize the points you’ve made. Take a moment to explain why you believe those points support your case. If your research is inconclusive, take a moment to point out why you believe this topic bears further research.

MORE INFO: USC Libraries Research Guides: The Conclusion

Checklist for Revising Your Research Paper Draft

Make sure you allow time to revise and edit after you’ve completed your first draft. This part of the process is about much more than just fixing typos and adding or subtracting commas. Here’s a handy checklist to help you make sure your paper is on point.

Developmental Edit

• Is your thesis statement clear and concise?
• Is your paper well-organized and does it flow from beginning to end with logical transitions?
• Do your ideas follow a logical sequence in each paragraph?
• Have you used concrete details and facts and avoided generalizations?
• Do your arguments support and prove your thesis?
• Have you avoided repetition?
• Are your sources properly cited?
• Have you checked for accidental plagiarism?

Line Edit

• Is your language clear and specific?
• Do your sentences flow smoothly and clearly? (Hint: Read your paper aloud to help you catch syntax problems.)
• Have you avoided filler words and phrases?
• Have you checked for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation? (Hint: Grammarly can help!)

Thorough research, thoughtful organization and presentation, and attention to detail in your developmental and final line edit will help you succeed in crafting a winning research paper.

What Was the Best New Word Added to the Dictionary in 2017?

Thanks to the fine folks at Merriam-Webster, our dictionaries continue to get heavier and even more robust than they were twelve months ago.

As language evolves and new words continue to flood our lexicon, it’s good to have more ammunition for any conversation or correspondence you encounter. When new phrases from popular culture get cosigned and introduced into our language, it’s important to recognize the terms that make you stop and think and appreciate our evolving forms of communication.

Both in verbal conversation and in written communication, Grammarly loves to recognize wordplay of all sorts. So with that in mind, let’s look at eight great English words that were added to the record books, or in this case, books of record, in 2017.

Take a look at the new words that achieved dictionary-status and inspired us to diversify our style. Vote for your favorites below and use the comments section to let us know what new words and phrases made waves where you live!

1 Ghost

verb

What it means: To abruptly cut off all contact with (someone, such as a former romantic partner) by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages, etc.

2 Word salad

noun

What it means: A string of empty, incoherent, unintelligible, or nonsensical words or comments.

3 Froyo

noun

What it means: A term used to describe frozen yogurt. Often used before another noun—a froyo shop, froyo flavors.

4 Weak sauce

noun

What it means: Something inferior, ineffective, or unimpressive: something weak.

5 Photobomb

verb

What it means: To move into the frame of a photograph as it is being taken as a joke or prank.

6 Throw shade

verb

What it means: To express contempt or disrespect for someone publicly, especially by subtle or indirect insults or criticisms.

7 Listicle

noun

What it means: An article consisting of a series of items presented as a list.

8 Facepalm

verb

What it means: To cover one’s face with the hand as an expression of embarrassment, dismay, or exasperation.

Apostrophe Rules

Apostrophes can be tricky. Sometimes they form possessives. Sometimes they form contractions. Can they ever make something plural?

Apostrophe Use: Contractions and Omissions

A contraction is a shortened form of a word (or group of words) that omits certain letters or sounds. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters. The most common contractions are made up of verbs, auxiliaries, or modals attached to other words: He would=He’d. I have=I’ve. They are=They’re. You cannot=You can’t.

Some writers use less common contractions when they want to represent a particular style of speech. They might write somethin’ to represent the way people often don’t pronounce the final g of “something” in speech. Occasionally, you might see e’er (instead of ever) in poetry. And, of course, in the American South, you will probably encounter y’all (you all). Decade names are often contracted as well: the ’60s (the 1960s).

Contraction	Uncontracted	Examples
-n’t	not	Isn’t (is not), hasn’t (has not)
-‘re	are	They’re (they are), we’re (we are), you’re (you are)
-‘d	had, would	She’d (she had, she would), I’d (I had, I would)
-‘ll	will	We’ll (we will), you’ll (you will)
-‘s	is	He’s (he is), it’s (it is)
I’m	I am	—
let’s	let us	—

Contractions are usually considered to be relatively casual. If you’re writing something very formal, you may want to avoid using them except in cases like o’clock, where the full phrase (of the clock) truly is rare.

Apostrophes and Possessive Nouns

The rules about forming possessives probably cause the most apostrophe confusion. They vary a little bit, depending on what type of noun you are making into a possessive. Here are the rules of thumb:

For most singular nouns, add apostrophe+s:

The dog’s leash The writer’s desk The planet’s atmosphere

For most plural nouns, add only an apostrophe:

The dogs’ leashes (multiple dogs) The writers’ desks (multiple writers) The planets’ atmospheres (multiple planets)

For plural nouns that do not end in s, add apostrophe+s:

The children’s toys The geese’s migration route

Style guides vary in their recommendations of what to do when you have a singular proper noun that ends in s. Some recommend adding only an apostrophe:

Charles Dickens’ novels Kansas’ main airport

Others say to add apostrophe+s:

Charles Dickens’s novels Kansas’s main airport

No matter which style guide you use, add only the apostrophe to plural proper nouns that end in s:

The Harrises’ house The Smiths’ vacation

Use whichever style matches the style guide you use for your writing. If you don’t have a style guide, it’s OK to just pick one of the methods, as long as you don’t switch back and forth within the same document.

Apostrophes and Possessive Pronouns

Personal pronouns, unlike regular nouns, do not use apostrophes to form possessives. Most writers don’t have trouble with the possessive pronouns my, mine, his, her, and our.  It’s your, yours, hers, its, ours, their, and theirs, that tend to cause the confusion. The relative possessive pronoun whose is also frequently the victim of apostrophe abuse. Note that none of these forms uses an apostrophe. In fact, for some of these pronouns, adding an apostrophe forms a contraction instead of a possessive (see the table above).

Pronoun	Possessive Pronoun	Absolute (Independent) Form
Me	My	Mine
You	Your	Yours
He	His	His
Her	Her	Hers
It	Its	—
We	Our	Ours
Them	Their	Theirs
Who	Whose	—

How to Write Joint Possession

What do you do with the apostrophe when you’re talking about things that belong to more than one person? When one thing belongs to two or more people, make only the final name possessive:

Bob and Jim’s bait shop (Bob and Jim co-own the same bait shop) Ryan, Jessica, and Elinor’s parents (All three share the same parents)

When you’re talking about separate things that belong to different people, make all the names possessive:

Bob’s and Jim’s bait shops (Bob owns one bait shop and Jim owns a different one) Ryan’s, Jessica’s, and Elinor’s parents (Each has a different set of parents)

Using possessive personal pronouns in joint constructions often sounds awkward (You have their and my gratitude). Usually, the best solution is to rephrase the sentence to avoid the joint construction (You have our gratitude or You have their gratitude and mine).

Apostrophes and Plurals

Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. Sometimes, it’s called the grocer’s apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements (3 orange’s for a dollar!). Don’t do it! With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural.

The one notable exception to this rule is the plural form of lowercase letters, which are formed with an apostrophe to prevent misreading:

Don’t forget to dot all your is.

Don’t forget to dot all your i’s.

Apostrophes with Surrounding Punctuation

An apostrophe is part of the word it belongs to, so it should not be separated from the word by periods, commas, question marks, or any other punctuation mark.

Can I ask you somethin’? “’Twas the night before Christmas,” he said.

In the second example, take note of the apostrophe at the beginning of ’Twas. Apostrophes that fall at the very beginning of a contraction are often mistyped as left-hand single quotation marks. Word processors tend to do this by default. Keep this in mind, especially when you are writing about specific decades, such as the ’60s or the ’90s.

When to Check a Style Guide

Sooner or later, you’ll come across a phrase that sounds fine out loud but looks weird on paper because of the apostrophes. Do’s and don’ts? Dos and don’ts? Do’s and don’t’s? For cases like these, it’s best to check a comprehensive style guide, such as the Chicago Manual or the AP Stylebook (it’s do’s and don’ts, according to the AP). A good dictionary may also be able to offer you some guidance. If you can’t find a precedent, it’s probably best to use a different word or phrase; overly creative apostrophe use will inevitably distract your readers.

3 Things You Should Do When Speed Proofreading

We’ve all been there—mortified by the consequences of our own lack of care. Catching typos after you’ve hit send can limit your personal and professional opportunities at worst or be just plain annoying at best. You know that you should proofread but don’t because it requires an English degree (right?) and is time-consuming (right?). Actually, almost anyone can quickly and easily reduce (dare we say eliminate?) post-send mortifications by following these three proofreading tricks.

1. Copy your text into a different editor or change the font. One of the biggest reasons that writing errors make it from draft to sent copy is because your brain is so familiar with the text that it literally auto-corrects the mistakes it sees—making them almost invisible to you. Unfortunately, the longer you work on a text, the more likely this is to happen. Changing the way your text looks helps your brain perceive your writing as something fresh so that it can more easily spot oddities.

2. Read your text backward. If you don’t have time to step away from your writing for a few hours (or, better, a day or more), try this hack. Read the sentences in reverse order. Instead of reading from top to bottom, read bottom to top. This will add novelty to the sentences, making it easier to find errors.

3. Read your text out loud. Even if you’re just whispering away at your desk, reading aloud is a great way to find and spot mistakes, especially missing punctuation or repeated words. As an added bonus, you will likely hear when something doesn’t flow properly or sounds awkward. While not necessarily incorrect, these phrases can be reworded for better clarity.

This is a pared-down version of what we would recommend for more substantial proofreading tasks. However, if you are writing for social media or on a tight timeline, these tips should make a big impact. What is your proofreading process?

How to Write a Thank-You Email After an Interview, According to Experts

Have you ever been in this situation?

You go in for an interview, and after a harrowing two hours, walk out feeling relatively confident that you made a good impression. Your resume was flawless. Your cover letter was witty and showed passion. Your interview outfit was on point. You thought you really bonded with the team that interviewed you. Nothing could go wrong, right?

What went wrong? You forgot a vital (and oft-overlooked) part of the job search process: the interview thank-you email!

Why Should You Send a Thank You Email or Letter After an Interview?

If you think it’s terrifying being interviewed, you’re not alone. But let me tell you, interviews (especially in-person interviews) can be an equally traumatizing experience from the other side of the table.

I kicked off the search for my first hire at Grammarly earlier this year, and when the first on-site interview came around, I was terrified. Sitting there with my list of questions and my notebook, I tried to simultaneously project confidence, follow my company’s values, ask the right questions, make sure my hair didn’t do anything weird, and (attempt to) mask my nerves.

Sound familiar?

Even if interviews are a vital part of the recruiting process, the first round of the interview process can be awkward for everyone. That’s why it’s key to write a thank you note after the interview—often the process has made them just as uncomfortable as you are! That’s why a killer post-interview thank-you note can help you make a great impression and land the job.

But don’t take my word for it! Lily Zhang, a career expert at MIT, put it this way on The Muse:

Think of it this way: Your interview isn’t over until you send a thank you note. You want to move the hiring managers from interview mindset to decision mindset as quickly as possible, so don’t drag it out.

I asked Olivia Seastrom, a recruiter at Grammarly, what she loves about thank-you notes. She said,

I really like thoughtful, sincere thank you notes after interviews, and I always sent them when I was interviewing. It doesn’t have to be formal, just a nice note to express interest and thank someone for their time.

Additionally, a great thank-you note can make you stand out from the crowd. CareerBuilder determined that only 57 percent of candidates send thank-you notes, and 20 percent of hiring managers would be less likely to hire someone without a thank you. That could mean the difference between a job and a rejection.

When to Send an After Interview Thank You Note

With any important piece of writing, planning is half the battle. Should you follow up over email, in a handwritten notecard, or on social media? And what should you write?

There are two vital factors to consider when writing a thank-you note after an interview: speed and specificity. Thank yous are not “better late than never.” In fact, most interviewers expect an email or letter within a day. That means time is of the essence, and you need to work quickly! As one Glassdoor recruiter puts it, “it is vital to send a thank you email to your interviews within 24-48 hours.”

Even though you must write quickly, you also need to personalize each thank-you note to the interviewer. Gone are the days where I would look at a template thank-you note and consider it worth my time to read. As Valerie LeClair, Grammarly’s Director of Recruiting, once described to me,

Write from the heart! If a candidate is going to write a standardized, impersonal note, there is no reason to even send it.

But don’t panic! Take a deep breath and reflect on your interview experience. Now, ask yourself these idea-generating questions:

• How did the interview go? Did anything weird happen?
• Did I flub on a question I know I have a better answer for?
• Did I forget to ask the interviewer one of my questions?
• Is there something additional this interviewer should know about me?
• Did I discuss anything interesting? Find any similarities to my interviewer?

After you formulate a few ideas (either in your head or on paper), it’s time to think format. If you want to make a truly over-the-top impression, consider a handwritten note. If you had many interviewers or know you have more rounds of interviews to go through, you can probably stick with email. No matter what, avoid a public social media follow-up. As Jenny Foss writes on The Muse:

Who are you trying to thank? The interviewer (this is who you should be trying to thank, directly) or the entire corporation and all of its thousands of followers? Seriously.

Planning Your Interview Thank You Note

By now, you should have a format, deadline, and list of ideas for your thank-you note, and it’s time to slap on your writing hat and get to work. Here are the general principles of a great letter or email.

Be your best self, on paper.

Your cover letter and resume were all about representing the best version of your professional self, and this thank-you note should be no different. Don’t resort to overly familiar language just because you’ve met someone in person, but also don’t suddenly become cold and dispassionate. Keep the same tone you would in any other email to the recruiter or hiring manager, and if there’s a place to remind them of your passion for the role, go for it!

The only thing you should avoid in a thank-you is trying to sell yourself once again. You’re writing this note to show you appreciate someone’s time, not to tell them you’re awesome. Remember that.

Keep it short, and mind your structure.

In the same vein, don’t suddenly write a novel about how much you love the company or the person you talked to. You may have many things to tell this recruiter or hiring manager, but try to stick to one main point, question, or fun fact.

Personally, if I’m reading a thank-you email longer than five sentences, I’ve probably started to wonder if the time to read it was worth my investment. Knowing how to write a thank you email after an interview is a valuable skill. Trust me.

How to write a perfect thank you email after an interview: Tips & Templates

I know all of this sounds great in theory, but slamming pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to write a thank you letter after a job interview is a very different matter. Never fear, templates and suggestions are here!

Before I share a general format, I want you to repeat after me: “I solemnly swear not to copy-paste this template into my email.” We’ve already covered why a generic thank you is almost worse than no thank you, but in case you’re not convinced, here’s an infographic to change your mind. That said, a few ideas never hurt, so feel free to steal any of the phrases or sentences below and make them your own! Here’s a great sample thank you email after an interview.

Dear [Interviewer’s Name],

[Opening line thanking them.] [Personalized detail about how you enjoyed meeting them, the hiring manager, and/or the team.] [Sentence that adds value to the discussions you had, and shows your passion for the company and position.]

[Sentence about how excited you are to hear from them, that also sets you up to send a follow-up email later.] [Closing sentence that thanks them again, and offers to provide further information.]

[Sign-Off],

[Your Name]

Subject Lines

• Thanks for Chatting Today – Use something like this if you had a phone screen or video interview.
• Nice to Meet You Today – This works well for interviews that take place on site.
• Thanks, and a Question – Have a nagging, relevant question that shows you’re passionate about the role? Use this email to follow up after your interview!
• Thank You for Your Time – Especially good if it was a long interview.
• Many Thanks – Short, sweet, and classic.

Opening Lines

• It was really nice meet you today.
• Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.
• Thanks for taking the time to introduce me to the team today.
• Thank you so much for your time today.
• Thanks for chatting with me today.

Closing Sentences

• Thank you again for your time, and let me know if there is any further information I can provide to aid in your decision.
• Let me know if there is any more information I can provide. I’d be happy to follow up on any items we discussed today.
• Thanks again for your time. It was great to meet you!
• Thanks again for chatting with me. I am eagerly awaiting next steps.

Sign-Offs

• All the Best,
• Many Thanks,
• Thank You,

• Editing Your Work: A Thank-You Email and Letter Checklist

  I love to edit all sorts of writing, but I know this isn’t true for everyone! Since editing can be a time-consuming step, here are two checklists you can use to make sure your email is flawless: one for real letters and one for emails. Don’t worry, editing shouldn’t take longer than five minutes, so you’ll still get that email out in time!

  If you’re writing a pen-and-paper thank-you note after an interview:

  • Did I format this note correctly? If it’s handwritten, can any average person read my handwriting?
  • Have I addressed the person I’m thanking correctly? Am I spelling their name right?
  • Did I make my point in under five sentences?
  • Did I mention a specific topic, common interest, or question relevant to my discussion with this person?
  • Did I say “thank you” at some point in the note?
  • Did I sign the thank-you letter?
  • Did I proofread the note? (Don’t know how to do this? Check out this blog on proofreading techniques.)
  • No really, is the writing flawless?
  • Have I addressed the envelope, purchased postage, and mailed the letter within 24-48 hours of the interview?

  If you did all of these things, congratulations! You deserve to put your feet up and sip your favorite post-interview beverage (mine’s herbal tea, but you do you).

  If you’re writing a thank-you email:

  • Did I include a relevant subject line? Is everything spelled correctly there?
  • Have I addressed the person I’m thanking correctly? Am I spelling their name and email right?
  • Did I make my point in under five sentences?
  • Did I mention a specific topic, common interest, or question relevant to my discussion with this person?
  • Did I say “thank you” at some point in the note?
  • Are my signature, email name, and email avatar photo all in alignment to project a professional image?
  • Did I use Grammarly to edit this note for correctness, clarity, and word choice? (Don’t have Grammarly? Get the app here.)
  • Did I proofread this email? (Don’t know how to do this? Check out these tips.)
  • Did I hit “Send” within 24-48 hours?

  If you did all of these things, congratulations! You deserve to grab a book and a snack and take a break. The hard part is (mostly) over.

  Need more help following up after interviews? Check back for more insights next week.

5 Helpful Tips on How to Write Emails from Your Phone

Today, 80 percent of Internet users own a smartphone. It’s been predicted that, by this year, eight in ten email users will access their email accounts exclusively from their mobile devices. We’re reading and writing more emails on mobile than ever, so getting it right has never been more important. Getting communication right (in email or otherwise) is the driving force behind Grammarly’s recent launch of a mobile keyboard for iOS and Android. But, although Grammarly will help you write mistake-free messages, it’s combining that polish with style and substance that will inevitably make your written communication effective.

Five Tips for Writing Emails From Your Phone

We’ve all seen the ubiquitous “Sent from my iPhone” email signatures, or sigs along the lines of, “Please excuse the brevity. This was sent from my phone.” These signatures, in part, are meant to excuse the sender from typos, autocorrect slips, and all those other times our thumbs betray us when we communicate via mobile devices.

But just because you wield your thumbs instead of ten phalanges carefully placed on the home row doesn’t mean everything you send from your phone has to look as though it was transcribed by a typing chimpanzee. There’s hope! This article will guide you towards writing clear, concise emails from your mobile device with panache.

1 Put important information first.

Nearly half of mobile readers spend three seconds or less reading an individual email. That is, of course, if you can get them to open your email at all. But let’s assume you send emails that people want to read. Your challenge is to keep those emails brief or risk losing your reader to a very short digital attention span.

That means it’s essential to optimize. Before you put your thumbs to work tapping out your email opus, take a few minutes to figure out the key point you want to get across in your message. Ask yourself If I could have my recipient take just one thing away from this email, what would it be? Use the answer to that question to front-load your email so that the most critical information comes first. If you don’t, your recipient might miss the point of your email entirely, or breeze past it in her haste to move on to her next email to-do.

Hi Jane,

Yesterday, I was talking to Jim and he suggested you would have some good ideas about the upcoming Windy City Widgets marketing campaign. As you know, Windy City is an important client and this marketing campaign is pivotal to our success here at XYZ Advertising Associates. I’m going to be downtown tomorrow afternoon, so I thought we might have lunch at JB’s Sammiches to unpack what the client has told us about their ad needs and deadlines. JB’s is close to your office, so I thought it would be convenient. Does 12:30 p.m. work for you? All the best, Richard

Oy! That email comes in at around a hundred words, and most of them aren’t necessary. Let’s consider all the things this message conveys that it doesn’t have to.

For starters, it’s not necessary to state that Jim suggested talking to Jane. Especially not up front. If Jim’s referral would be helpful in sealing the lunch appointment, go ahead and use it, but consider saving it for later in the email.

It’s also not necessary to reiterate that a client is important. Any time you start a sentence with As you know, you’re probably telling the reader something they actually do already know. Driving home the point with an as you know statement can translate as passive-aggressive. It’s as if you’re saying, “You should know this, but I’ll reiterate just in case you’re not good at your job.” Make sure you don’t come across as talking down to your colleagues.

While it’s nice to consider a lunch location that’s convenient for your colleague, it’s not necessary to point out how nice you’re being. That extraneous information adds words, not impact.

Let’s front-load this email with important information and leave out any unnecessary details.

Hi Jane,

Are you available to meet me for lunch tomorrow at JB’s Sammiches at 12:30 p.m.? I’d like to unpack some of the info Windy City Widgets gave us about their needs and deadlines for the upcoming campaign. Let me know if that would be convenient for you. All the best, Richard

Much better! The message body comes in at a sleek forty-nine words and the all-important ask is straight up front rather than buried in a bunch of unimportant details. We can almost taste those sammiches now!

2 Clean up your wordy writing.

Can you imagine how long it would’ve taken Tolstoy to compose War and Peace on a smartphone? If you want to really feel like a slacker, consider that one novelist wrote a significant portion of his novel on his smartphone while commuting on the subway. (And he did it nearly a decade ago.) When you’re using two thumbs and staring at a small screen to craft your messages (let alone a novel), it pays to know how to keep your writing lean and mean.

First, avoid common filler words and phrases. We already talked about As you know. Now, strike useless phrases like As a matter of fact, For the most part, each and every, and at this point in time from your lexicon. Your readers will appreciate your clear, concise language and you’ll convey your points much better without all the clutter.

While you’re at it, dump most adverbs. These words, which often end in -ly, are unnecessary unless removing them drastically changes the meaning of your sentence. So, don’t bother thumb-typing words like basically, very, usually, extremely, probably, and absolutely.

3 Practice perfect email etiquette.

Your signature may say that your email was sent from your phone, but that doesn’t mean you should bypass the rules of polite email discourse.

When you send email to multiple recipients at the same time, respect everyone’s privacy by masking their email addresses with BCC. Similarly, don’t use Reply All and accidentally share an email with all members of an email chain when your reply was meant only to go to one person. And don’t automatically assume that email is private and confidential. Avoid saying things in an email that you wouldn’t say publicly. Otherwise, that email could come back to haunt you.

Here’s a tip: Don’t email when you’re angry. If you must tap out a strongly worded letter, hold off on hitting the Send button until you’ve had a chance to let it simmer. If you can wait, leave that letter on the back burner and come back to it twenty-four hours later. Were you more hostile than you meant to be in the heat of the moment? Could you have been more diplomatic and gotten your point across just as well? Edit!

4 Dictate it.

Some years back, my friend and I tried having a Messenger conversation by using our phones’ voice-to-text feature, and then sending whatever our smartphone interpreted. The result was hilariously bad. But voice-to-text has come a long way since then.

Most mobile keyboards have voice-to-text functionality. On the Grammarly keyboard, simply long-press the comma key to activate your phone’s voice capabilities and dictate your message. Once dictated, you can quickly edit or correct any misheard words.

Here’s a tip: Speak your punctuation so you don’t have to add it after the fact. Dave, did you remember to file your report? would be spoken as, “Dave comma did you remember to file your report question mark.”

5 Proofread.

You want to make a good impression. Proofreading is one way to ensure you will. We often write hasty notes when we use mobile technology, figuring that others will forgive us because, well, writing on a mobile device has its challenges. But proofreading before you hit send isn’t that complicated. And, if you’re using the Grammarly mobile keyboard, you can simply press the Grammarly button once you’ve finished writing to check your text and make sure your grammar, spelling, and punctuation is pristine. No more excuses just because you sent it from your iPhone!

25 Smart Questions You Can Ask in an Interview

It’s the day of the big interview for your dream job. You’ve been prepping for weeks. You know the company in and out. You know why you’re the best candidate for the job. You’re ready to talk about your skills, weaknesses, ideas, plans, hopes, dreams, and favorite TV show.

And then they ask: any questions for us? And you’ve got nothing.

Don’t be that person. Acing an interview doesn’t just mean knowing all the answers to the questions that get thrown at you: it also involves having a good set of questions to ask them. Having smart questions prepared in advance shows that you’re motivated, that you’ve done your homework, and that you’re invested in learning more and being informed.

Good questions can also show what kind of a thinker you are or demonstrate your personality, giving you an extra boost as that candidate who thinks critically and digs for information successfully.

And most importantly, the answers you get can help you make sure you’re making the right choice in this job you’re applying for. After all, it’s not all about impressing the hiring manager: the company should impress you, too. That’s the difference between a good job and a dream job: making sure that not only does it look good on paper, but that it’s the right fit for you.

These cover the basic categories you might want to know about. Consider this the footnotes version of the kinds of questions you might want to ask.

• What’s life on the job like?
• What kind of training do they offer?
• How is feedback provided?
• What’s the company culture like?
• Who’s on the team you’ll be working with, are they cool, and how does working together work?
• What are the next steps in the interview process? In other words, when are you going to tell me whether I’m hired?

But to get the answers you really want, you probably want to get even more specific in the questions you ask. Sure, you probably won’t have time to ask a full list of twenty-five questions, but the more specific you get, the better informed you’ll be. Especially if there are a few uncertainties about the job niggling at the back of your mind, this is the time to make sure you have the answers you need before making a big decision.

And so, here are twenty-five great questions to ask to impress your potential bosses, find out what you need to know, and set yourself up for success. Pick and choose based on the conversation you’re having with the interviewer and the questions you actually have.

1. Can you describe an average day at the office?

2. What characteristics and abilities does a successful employee here generally have?

3. What are the key responsibilities of this position, and do you expect them to change within the next year or so?

4. What are the upcoming projects I’d be working on during my first few weeks?

5. Are there gaps in the current team’s skillset or experience that my position is meant to fill?

6. Can you describe the company’s objectives and current projects? How does our team contribute to those?

7. What does the training process look like?

8. How long does it usually take for a member of the team to feel fully trained and up to speed?

9. What recommendations do you have for pursuing professional development and advancement at this company?

10. How will my performance be evaluated? Are there both formal and informal feedback processes?

11. Are there plans for the company’s growth or new developments in the pipeline in the next few years?

12. The company’s mission statement emphasizes [fill in the blank]. Can you tell me how that comes across in daily life working here?

13. Can you tell me about the other people I’ll be working with closely?

14. Whom will I be reporting to? And [if you’re applying to a more senior position] who will be reporting to me?

15. In your experience, what are some of the highlights of working here?

16. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had working here?

17. How did you end up here, and how has your role changed since you started?

18. Has the company changed in any notable ways since you started here?

19. Does the work process involve more team collaboration or individual projects, or are there any other formats you use?

20. What other departments does our team most frequently interact with, either on a formal or a casual level?

21. Are there any office traditions or activities you do as a group?

22. Is there a sense of community in the workplace? And does the company contribute to the broader community in any way?

23. If you were starting this job now, what advice would you give yourself?

24. Do you have any final questions for me, or is there anything else that would be helpful for you at this stage?

25. What are the next steps in this process, and when can I expect to hear from you?

These questions can of course be customized based on the job you’re applying for, the company’s focus, and what you want or need to know. But now you’re armed with a solid list to help you make sure you know what you’re signing up for in your potential new job—and that your potential new employers know what they’re signing up for with you, too.

Do You Use Productivity Tools to Work With Your Team?