Are Seasons Capitalized?

When we write the days of the week, we capitalize their names. We do the same for months. But when it comes to seasons, more often than not you’ll see them written in lowercase. Not that they’re always written that way—once in a while you’ll see them capitalized, which should suggest that there are some capitalization rules that apply to seasons after all. So here they are.

In General, Can You Capitalize Seasons?

The seasons—winter, spring, summer and fall—do not require capitalization. Some people think these words are proper nouns and capitalize them using the capitalization rule for proper nouns. But seasons are general nouns, so they follow the capitalization rules that apply to other general nouns.

Does that seem unfair? We capitalize Monday and February, so why not summer? It’s a valid question. But then again, if we were to always capitalize the names we give to specific periods of time, wouldn’t we then also have to capitalize afternoon or morning? You can debate this as much as you’d like (and please do in the comment section), but as things stand right now, seasons are common nouns, so no capital letters for them.

When Can You Capitalize the Names of Seasons?

There’s one exception that you’ve probably already thought of: when the name of a season is the first word of a sentence, you should capitalize it. Likewise, capitalize seasons when they are part of a proper name or a title, like the Summer Olympics. If your name is Summer, which is great because it’s a lovely name, there’s no reason not to capitalize your own name.

If you’re a poetic soul and you like to think about seasons as if they were people, you can also capitalize their names. If you want to write a verse that describes how summer is caressing you with his warm arms, go ahead and capitalize that “s.” But when you’re done with the poem, remember to switch back to lowercase in your everyday correspondence.

A quick summary:

• The general rule says that seasons should not be capitalized. They are common nouns, not proper nouns.
• But there are a few exceptions that call for capitalization. Capitalize the name of a season when it’s the first word of a sentence or part of a proper noun. If the season is being personified, you can capitalize it then, too.

Examples

This fall, you can cozy up in military-style outerwear, throw on a tartan coat, try out a sweeping cape, or keep the chill at bay with an elevated version of the workaday puffer jacket. —New York Magazine

Southern California is having its smoggiest summer in nearly a decade and hospitals report an increase of people with breathing problems. —ABC News

You could say Rob Connolly’s competent but slight thriller “Edge of Winter” is about extreme roughing it. —The New York Times

Only at the end of spring did they rise above average, the Woodland Trust said. —The Guardian

Three Ways to Avoid Sounding Like a Jerk on Slack

Some types of jerk behavior are obvious. Calling names. Laughing at someone’s ideas. Stealing a coworker’s lunch out of the office refrigerator (come on, are you an animal?).

But it’s also possible to be a jerk by accident, especially in writing. Have you ever found yourself worrying that your two-sentence email will sound cold to the person on the other end? Or are you just now realizing that’s something you should worry about? (You should—warmth may be even more important than competence when it comes to establishing business relationships.)

Chat programs like Slack and Hipchat complicate the etiquette of office communication even further. For those of us arriving in a Slack-centric office after a string of email-only jobs, it can seem downright baffling. Here are a few things to watch out for if you want to avoid rubbing your colleagues the wrong way.

1 Passive-Aggressive Periods

Periods often come off as passive-aggressive or even angry. Is it right? Is it fair? Should everyone just get over it and stop reading so much into an innocent punctuation mark? Maybe, but whether you share this perception of periods or not, it exists among at least some of your colleagues. It’s not going to just disappear, either. To them, there’s a real difference between these two conversations:

Colleague: Have you had lunch yet?

You: No.

***

Colleague: Have you had lunch yet?

You: No

Here’s the translation. “No.” means “No, I haven’t had lunch, but if you were about to invite me, forget it. Also, I want you to leave me alone and I might be mad at you.” “No” (sans period) means “Go on . . . ”

It’s OK to leave out the period at the end of your sentence when you’re texting or using an instant messenger. Even if you think it’s silly, remember that being “right” will only get you so far if everyone thinks you’re a jerk.

2 Too Many Follow-ups

2:05 Hey, can you send me that spreadsheet?

2:07 Hey!

2:10 HEY!!!

Chat clients make real-time communication easy. You can see when colleagues are online. You can chat back and forth instantly without a bunch of one-line responses clogging up your email inbox. In some programs, you can even see when someone else is typing a response. But sometimes people are just busy with other stuff.

Don’t barrage your colleagues with a flurry of follow-ups because they haven’t gotten back to you even though you can see they’re online. If it’s truly that urgent, get up, walk over, and talk to them with your actual mouth.

3 Calling Out Mistakes on Public Channels

Colleague: There’s leftover cake in the kitchen for anyone who want’s some!

You: *wants

Correcting people in public is tricky. Even if you’re just trying to be helpful, you might seem rude or disrespectful, especially if the other person’s mistake was pretty harmless. Correcting someone in a group chat is even trickier because you have the unspoken rules of written communication to contend with.

When someone makes a mistake that could be costly or dangerous, send the person a direct message and give him the opportunity to correct himself to the group. If time is of the essence and you need to correct him on the public thread, be polite and give your colleague the benefit of the doubt.

Colleague: Heads up, the CEO wants our report on his desk by 5:00

You: Did you mean 3:00? That’s what the email said

Misunderstandings will never completely go away unless humans discover a way to read each other’s minds—but at that point we’ll probably be living in a dystopia anyway, so inadvertently offending your deskmate will be the least of your worries. In the meantime, knowing how to communicate effectively with colleagues will remain an invaluable skill.

What are your rules for staying polite and productive in instant messages?

Who Is Your Literary “Father Figure?”

What does it mean to be a father? Dads approach fatherhood in a variety of ways, from overbearing to “wrapped around your little finger,” and everything in between. There’s no formula for the perfect father, but there are some commonalities among father figures in literature that make the concept of fatherhood a powerful one.

In honor of Father’s Day, here are six father figures in literature. Which reminds you of your own father?

King Lear, The “Prideful” Father

The life of the title character in Shakespeare’s King Lear is shaped by his three daughters. When it comes time for him to step down from the throne in his old age, King Lear makes a drastic mistake. Instead of dividing his empire evenly among his three daughters, a final deceit causes him to disown Cordelia. Unfortunately, King Lear doesn’t realize that Cordelia loved him most until it’s too late. Despite this tragic choice, King Lear’s powerful love for his daughters defines his life.

Mr. Bennet, The “Protective” Father

Mr. Bennet may not be the richest character in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but what makes him a memorable father is the constant care and empathy that he shows for his daughters. Given the Bennet family’s financial situation, he feels pressure to marry his daughters off, but instead of focusing on money he keeps his children’s best interests in mind. Throughout the novel, it’s clear how much Mr. Bennet admires his daughter Lizzy, in particular, in the way he uses both his wisdom and humor to guide her through difficult life decisions.

Bob Cratchit, The “Optimistic” Father

The majority of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol focuses on the eternally grumpy Ebeneezer Scrooge and the unfortunate Tiny Tim. The unsung hero here, however, is Tiny Tim’s father, Bob Cratchit. As Scrooge’s employee, Cratchit can’t see much light at the end of the tunnel, and he is perpetually kept cold and underpaid. Instead of giving up, Cratchit makes the best of the situation and dutifully reports to work in order to take care of his beloved son. After a spiritual intervention, Scrooge makes a turn for the better and Cratchit’s persistence and steadfastness pays off.

Atticus Finch, The “Role Model” Father

Despite tough times, Atticus Finch serves as a father figure to admire in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. A widower and lawyer in the Jim Crow South, Finch does his best to be his children’s moral compass. Perhaps the best example of this is the way Finch encourages his children to be who they want to be instead of what their troubled society says is right. Instead of forcing his daughter to be a girly girl, Finch encourages Scout to develop her tomboy personality. He has a challenging road in front of him, but he remains a pillar of strength throughout the novel.

Calvin’s Dad, The “Patient” Father

For years, fans enjoyed Bill Watterson’s funny and sweet comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes. A calm and collected counterpoint to the mischievous Calvin, his dad proves time and time again that patience is a virtue. Throughout many story lines, Calvin’s dad answers his son’s often-obnoxious questions and deals with his many well-intentioned mishaps. Best of all, he loves Calvin through all of his trying moments and troublesome times.

The Man, The “Sacrificing” Father

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a post-apocalyptic novel that remains grim from cover to cover, but one of the shining lights throughout is The Man. This father figure doesn’t have a lot to offer his son, due to their extraordinary circumstances. Instead, he does everything he can to keep his son alive and motivated along their incredibly difficult journey through what seems like the end of the world.

These father figures demonstrate a full range of parenting styles throughout centuries of literature. What unifies them is their dedication to their children and their insistence on placing their kids and their families first and foremost. Which father figure do you find most inspiring?

 

Speak Like Yoda You Can

Whether you’re a diehard Star Wars fan or you’re still a newbie, chances are you know Yoda speak when you hear it. The Jedi master’s method of speaking includes quirky sentence structures, unusual words, and wise phrases. Read on for some theories of Yoda-speak and a guide to talking like Yoda on your own.

Yoda’s East African Roots

If you’ve ever thought that Yoda’s way of speaking sounds almost primeval, you’re not far off. A language study spearheaded by Stanford University focused on the unique subject-object-verb (SOV) agreement in Yoda’s language. Since this structure preceded subject-verb-object (SVO) agreement, it almost certainly has roots in ancient languages. Stanford researchers determined that the structure of Yoda-speak is based on very early East African languages that influenced the development of the languages we know today.

Yoda’s Old English Roots

SOV agreement also appears in Old English. A side-by-side comparison of Yoda’s statements and some of Shakespeare’s famous lines reveals similarities. Both tend to feature the subject at the beginning of the sentence and the conjugated verb at the end of the sentence. Thus, Yoda’s quirky but profound English statements also borrow from its ancestor, Old English.

It’s also worth noting that even though Yoda’s sentence structure may appear odd when compared with modern phrasing, his statements are still recognizable as English. Altering word order to the extent that Yoda does wouldn’t be possible in many other languages, let alone understandable.

Yoda’s Yiddish Roots

Linguists have compared Yoda speak to Yiddish-influenced English as well, prompting interesting results. Yiddish-influenced English often plays with word order, placing verbs at the end of sentences. This frequently results in witty, whimsical phrasings, which moviegoers can observe in Yoda’s speech.

Why Yoda Speaks the Way He Does

Some Star Wars experts point out that Yoda’s sentence structure can be inconsistent. While his speech may lean toward SOV agreement, he often inserts object-subject-verb (OSV) statements into his lexicon as well. Other more rare statements reflect the SVO agreement we’re used to in modern English.

Experts theorize that Yoda deploys his various phrasings purposefully. Since his SOV statements tend to make him sound wise, profound, and clever, it’s likely that he uses them strategically. On the rare occasion that he doesn’t have an important message to deliver, he may slip back into standard modern English.

As Grammar Girl explains, though Yoda’s speech is memorable, it’s not completely unusual in the world of Star Wars. Many of the movie’s characters are immigrants from lands far away, and their speech also includes numerous oddities. Like any immigrant, Yoda incorporates his own phrasing into the language of the land.

How You Can Talk Like Yoda

Yoda speak may be quirky, but it’s certainly possible to imitate. To talk like Yoda, start by thinking of something wise to say. This can be as simple as a short, poignant statement. Next, change around the word order of your statement. Place the subject and the most important phrase first. Any negatives in your statement should go to the end.

Be sure to reaffirm your statements or questions. If you’re making an affirmative statement, add “yes” at the end. If you’re asking a question, add an inquisitive “hmm?” at the end. Including these will help emphasize the context of your statement and provide Yoda speak newbies with the clues they need to communicate with the wise one.

Try incorporating some Yoda speak into your daily life and see how well you’re able to communicate with those around you. Does your language sound profound, witty, or both?

I Before E Except After C: 9 Helpful Spelling Rules

Learning spelling conventions can help you write with confidence. Which of the following rules are new to you?

S or ies?

To make a noun plural, you usually add S. However, you might have noticed that some words that end in Y deviate from the norm. For example, babies is the plural form of baby. How do you know when to change Y to ies? Look at the letter before the Y to find out. If it is a vowel, then add S.

essay → essays ploy → ploys key → keys

If there is a consonant before the Y, replace the y with ies. daisy → daisies sky → skies

V doesn’t…

No English words end with the letter V. If you do see a word that ends in V, you can assume that it’s an abbreviation, acronym, or foreign word. If there is a V sound, the word will end in E. Think of glove, gave, sieve, or mauve. There’s another thing V doesn’t do—double. What about skivvies, a word used to refer to cotton undergarments, and divvy, a verb meaning to distribute or share? Dictionaries categorize them both as informal words. With rare exceptions, you also can’t double the letters K, J, W, or X.

Q is never alone.

Have you noticed that Q seems to have a constant vowel companion? In English, the letter Q is always followed by U. That’s not the case in Arabic and other languages, so borrowed words like Qatar, the name of a country along the Persian Gulf, don’t follow the English pattern.

Is this E a keeper or not?

When the noun fate becomes the adjective fateful, you add -ful to the end without dropping the E. On the other hand, the noun love loses its final E to become the adjective lovable. When do you omit the E? It depends on the suffix. You keep the final E when adding suffixes that begin with consonants. Suffixes that begin with a vowel, such as -able, require you to eliminate the final E.

Adding -ing Do you need to double the final letter of a verb when you add the -ing ending? For certain verbs, like stop, the answer is yes. For others, like go, the answer is no. The determining factors are the number of syllables and whether the last letter of the verb is a vowel or a consonant. If the verb has only one syllable and a consonant at the end, you must double the consonant before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. These suffixes include -ing, -ed, -er, and -est. This is called the 1-1-1 rule because you double the final consonant of verbs that contain one syllable, one vowel in the middle, and one consonant at the end. If music helps you to memorize information, listen to the 1-1-1 Spelling Rule song featured on the Garden of Praise website.

All aboard?

When adding all- as a prefix, you usually shorten it to al-. All + together → altogether all + ready → already You might want to read up about all right and alright; the controversy is quite interesting.

Specific Words

If one particular word gives you trouble, you might want to search for a mnemonic device. Chances are, you are not the only person who has trouble with that word. For example, lots of people find it difficult to master the c’s and s’s of “necessary,” If you remember the phrase “one coffee, two sugars,” it will remind you that there is one c and two s’s, and that they appear in that order. If you can’t find a suitable mnemonic, make up your own! Rhymes and acronyms work well.

Consciously or unconsciously, you probably use this spelling rule: “I before E, except after C.” Because of this mnemonic, you spell words like achieve, receive, and believe with ease. English language textbooks are full of helpful rules to help people learn to spell. But even native speakers find some words challenging. It doesn’t have to be that way. Why not boost your spelling prowess by using a few of the useful principles you read about today?