Adjectives and Adverbs–What’s the Difference?

Many of us learned in school that adjectives modify nouns and that adverbs modify verbs. But as we’ve seen, adjectives can also act as complements for linking verbs. This leads to a common type of error: incorrectly substituting an adverb in place of a predicate adjective. An example you’ve probably heard before 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.

It’s easier to see this distinction with a different linking verb. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

Goober smells badly.

Goober smells bad.

“Goober smells badly” means that Goober, the poor thing, has a weak sense of smell. “Goober smells bad” means Goober stinks—poor us.

The Importance of Providing Books in High Poverty Classrooms

Guest post by Debra Hannula, J. D. Bookmentors.org

As the daughter of two retired public school teachers and an attorney for thirty years working on behalf of and representing the poor, the lack of proper books in high poverty schools is an issue that is near and dear to me.

Research shows that the amount of books students read affects their reading levels and their ability to perform well on standardized tests.

Studies repeatedly affirm that access to print materials directly relates to students experiencing life in a positive way—behaviorally, academically, and psychologically.

There is a constant supply of fantastic children’s and young-adult literature and numerous authors with the creativity to inspire and charm young readers! Yet, many classrooms are relegated to old, tattered, out-of-date books—not ones that students want to read, or teachers want to teach from.

With budget cuts across the country, access to books in high poverty classrooms continues to be a growing problem. The ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is about thirteen books per child, while the ratio of books to children in lower income neighborhoods is approximately one book to 300 children.

Esther Patrick, a close friend, social worker, and BookMentors.org donor, says:

I grew up in nothing but ‘high poverty schools’ with few books at school and none at home. I grew up without the ability to read well, which still haunts me. My home-life was marred by domestic violence as a kid — how I would have loved to escape in a good book, like I do now as an adult.

Some well-intentioned donors and organizations attempt to help the problem by donating piles of used books. However, these used books are often not relevant to the teachers’ curriculums — with new Common Core Standards, teachers often need text sets of related titles, like a whole group of books on the Civil War. They are often also in mediocre shape or worse, and with titles and subject matters that are old-fashioned or unengaging. Schools have come to call these “book dumps.”

New not-for-profit organizations are attempting to remedy this by providing new books chosen by the teachers for their students with titles that are funny and engaging. For reluctant readers, a bright new book, specifically chosen by a teacher for them can make a huge difference to motivation.

One teacher I know hit the nail on the head: “It just takes one just right book to hook a student as a reader for life.”

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Debra Hannula is the co-executive director of BookMentors.org, a site that uses micropatronage to solve book access problems in high-poverty schools. BookMentors connects teachers, librarians, and students in need of books with donors supporting literacy, reading, and education. Debra has worked as a public defender, a Judge Pro Tempore, and as the Director of Legal Services for a battered women’s shelter. She is also the chair of the Kelly Ann Brown Foundation of the Marin Community Foundation.

Most Common GrammoWriMo Mistakes

In November, Grammarly worked with ~300 writers from 27 countries (and 44 U.S. states) to write a group novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). We called the project #GrammoWriMo; and, clocking in at a total of 130,927 unedited words, we are proud to say that our draft was among the 41,940 completed! The infographic below shows which mistakes were the most common in our writers’ first drafts.

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

“Beck and Call” or “Beckon Call”—Which Is Right?

• Beck and call is the correct way to spell this phrase.
• To be at someone’s beck and call means you are ready to obey their orders or commands.
• Beckon call is not the correct way to spell the phrase.

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Even though it’s not a phrase you’ll hear every day, it’s good to know whether beck and call is the correct way to say it, or if it should be beckon call.

Beck and Call vs. Beckon Call—Which Is Correct?

The correct way to write the phrase is beck and call. This phrase is a part of the idiom “to be at someone’s beck and call.” Beckon call is an example of an eggcorn—a slightly misheard (yet still kind of sensical) version of a common phrase.

What Does Beck and Call Mean?

To be at someone’s beck and call means to be ready to react to their commands without a delay. Sometimes the phrase carries a whiff of disapproval. People often use it when the commands seem overly entitled or unreasonable. Beck is a shortening of beckon, which means to signal or issue a command by a gesture. Call is a call, a word we use every day.

Grandma insists that we should be at her beck and call whenever she visits.

The restaurant’s staff must have thought I’m a restaurant critic—they were at my beck and call for three whole hours.

The chef likes his staff to be at his beck and call.

Beck and Call in a Sentence

Celebrities have long championed their up-do—of course, it’s easier when you have a glam team at your beck and call.

Vogue

The sum total of my lifestyle for one month costs about $800, living luxuriously, with Uber at my beck and call, and as much tacos and tequila as I want.

New York Post

Amazon’s Alexa, the brain that powers the Amazon Echo, lets you take a step towards being able to place a computer at your verbal beck and call.

Stuff

Beck and call is not the only phrase in English that’s commonly spelled wrong because people hear it wrong. Foolproof is another one, as is Saint Paddy’s Day, to name just a couple.

Conquering Email in the Workplace

Conquering Email in the Workplace How the right approach is a key ingredient to your future success.

Whether you are just starting your career or simply settling in at a new environment, the initial adjustment period can be a bit tricky. One important discipline that threatens the spirit of many new hires is deciding how to craft their emails appropriately. And by craft, I am alluding to all factors: the length, tone, style, closing signature and even who to copy. The pressure to fit in, collaborate efficiently, and to ultimately prosper can be daunting and anxiety-inducing. And, worst of all, email is one area of socialization in the workplace that typically comes without training of any kind, relying mostly on sink or swim Darwinism.

So, what is the right way to approach work emails and build your clout when joining a new team? While the best practices vary by trade and culture, here are some guidelines to help you sail the seas of corporate communication with confidence:

Step 1. Master the Objective & Avoid the Subjective

When you start a new job, no matter what your title is, you are essentially still in tryout mode, whether you realize it or not. Your number one goal should be to build trust. To this end, focus your energy on what you can control: proper grammar, etiquette and clarity.

Remember that email is intimate, but it is also very much extremely open to misinterpretation and that you are only granted one first impression with everyone you meet. Because of this, try to avoid symbols, all caps, and slang to reduce confusion and potential misunderstandings.

Finally, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or propose a face-to-face meeting if a thread is dragging on. It will show maturity and is a great way to build trust and solve more complex problems.

Step 2. Modestly Inject Your Personality to Build Your Brand

As a general rule, you won’t likely get in trouble for keeping your tone in emails short and a little dry. But you could almost certainly get in trouble for being a little too cheeky, sarcastic, or for making personal references to something that may have occurred outside of work hours.

This being said, life is short, work is hard, and some calculated humor can go a long way towards building your relationships. Some guidelines:

Rule #1: Know your work culture deeply, and use this as your north star. Rule #2: Make sure you know everyone on the email chain if you go with an inside joke. Rule #3: Never insult a team member, client, or anyone else for that matter. (See rule #4.) Rule #4: Remember that emails are essentially permanent and you are always accountable for what you write!

Step 3. Maintain Your Discipline & Save the Spotlight for Other Mediums

In other words, keep repeating steps 1 and 2 with an understanding that email doesn’t have to work harder than any other medium to build your relationships. Being a rockstar in your work emails is not the same thing as being a rockstar in a meeting or phone call. Keep your writing focused, the grammar correct, and the aspirations high, and you’ll build your credibility one day at a time.