Why Do We Say ’Tis the Season?

If you’ve seen the classic holiday movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, then you’ll probably remember this scene. Family man Clark Griswold stands at the lingerie counter of a large department store chatting up the pretty sales girl. After bumbling through the conversation and making a fool of himself, he smiles and says, “‘Tis the season to be merry!”

But where did ’tis the season, a phrase we use during the festive build-up to the end-of-year holidays, originate?

The history of ’tis the season

’Tis the season evokes the quaint, archaic language we associate with holiday stories like A Christmas Carol. Although Ebenezer Scrooge suggested that anyone who went around wishing others a Merry Christmas should be “boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart” (geez, dude—chill!), he may not have had an opinion of ’tis the season. It’s possible the phrase first appeared in a song written around 1862, nineteen years after A Christmas Carol was published.

’Tis the season is most often recognized in the lyrics to the classic holiday song, Deck the Halls. Go ahead and sing along with us!

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

‘Tis the season to be jolly

Fa la la la la, la la la la . . .

Whenever you carol about donning your gay apparel, you’re singing lyrics written by Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant. They’re sung to the tune of a Welsh winter folk song called Nos Galan. Believe it or not, the Nos Galan (which means “New Year’s eve” in 18th century Welsh) was a competitive New Year’s Eve drinking song.

Where does the word ’tis come from?

‘Tis (pronounced tiz) is a contraction of it is, similar to it’s. The word is much older than Oliphant’s holiday song, however. Its origins probably date back to the 1500s.

Here’s a tip: Because ’tis is a contraction, it requires an apostrophe. Make sure your word processor doesn’t automatically add a single left quotation mark instead!

‘Tis is also known as a proclitic, which is a word that’s closely connected in pronunciation with the word that follows it. When we don’t take time to enunciate the two separate words it and is, we get a word like ’tis that just sort of rolls off the tongue. Proclitics work especially well when singing an up-tempo song or when cutting a syllable to fit a poem’s meter.

According to Google Ngram, ’tis first appeared in writing in the early 1600s but peaked in popularity a hundred years later in the early 1700s. You’ll find the word in everything from the works of Shakespeare to Monty Python.

• “If it were done when ’tis done, then ‘twere well. It were done quickly.” —Shakespeare, Macbeth
• “Anger as soon as fed is dead; ‘Tis starving makes it fat.” —Emily Dickinson
• ”Susan, ’tis Phoebe he loves, ’tis me, not Livvy!” —J. M. Barrie “Quality Street”
• “’Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.” —George Washington
• ”’Tis a flesh wound!” —The Black Knight, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

If you’d love to revive colorful (if archaic) contractions such as ’tis, you might consider adding ’twas to your vocabulary. That’s a contraction of it was. It’s also the first word of the popular poem A Visit From St. Nicholas. You know, the one that starts with “’Twas the night before Christmas.”

This Is How to Effectively Plan for Second Interview Questions

You’ve been invited to a second interview—well done! But don’t get too comfortable just yet. If you’ve been asked to interview a second time, you’re likely up against the company’s top few candidates. That means the stakes are higher than ever, and you need to prepare to give the interview all you’ve got.

Why Second Interviews Are So Important

Think of the first interview as the getting-to-know-you phase. The interviewer assessed whether your skillset checked off all the right boxes and you seemed like a good cultural fit. In the second interview, the hiring manager who chose you gets to show you off. “Look! Here’s one of my top picks for this position.” You’ve got to make him look good by proving him right.

It’s also essential to realize that you’re almost certainly not the only person interviewing a second time. You’re going to be up against another candidate or two with qualifications that closely match your own. You may even be a little bit behind the curve for one reason or another. Perhaps you’re an amazing cultural fit, but you fall a bit short on experience compared to another candidate.

For these reasons, it’s essential to pull out all the stops in preparing for your second interview. You need to go in ready to make an impression that will earn you a job offer.

In the second interview, the hiring manager who chose you gets to show you off. “Look! Here’s one of my top picks for this position.” You’ve got to make him look good by proving him right.

What Happens in a Second Interview

Chances are, your second interview will be with the person who interviewed you, plus another stakeholder or two, such as a manager or department head. Although you’ll be introduced to new people, and you may be asked some of the same things you were asked during the first interview, you should be prepared for some more in-depth questions.

Second interviews typically include more detailed questions about your qualifications and your ability to handle the job. Prepare to be asked how you’d handle various on-the-job situations. Where first interview questions are often more general, expect second interview questions to become more specific and targeted toward the job you’re applying for.

Examples of Common Second Interview Questions and Answers

What challenges are you looking for in a position?

This is a good time to talk about skills you’d like to advance. If you’ve recently received education or a certification, you might discuss how eager you are to apply what you’ve learned.

Why are you interested in working for this company?

Hopefully, by now you understand the requirements of the job very well. Use this question to reiterate how having skills that match those requirements makes you excited to take on a new challenge.

What do you know about this company and what we do?

Research! Take notes as you’re exploring the company website, social media profiles, and the LinkedIn accounts of key players and people you’ll likely be talking to. Being able to talk about what you’ve learned shows enthusiasm and passion.

Why are you the best person for the job?

Again, this is a great opportunity to reiterate your skills and accomplishments and how well they match the requirements for the position. If you’ve already addressed these things, talk about soft skills like your work ethic, adaptability, or willingness to take on new challenges.

Why do you want to work here?

This question will make your research pay off yet again. Talk about how your goals align with the company’s objectives.

What are your salary requirements?

It’s important to know what you should be earning, so advance research will help you negotiate. Begin by saying that you’re open, based on the requirements of the position and the overall compensation package. Wait to see what’s offered and negotiate from there. If you’re forced to give a number, be prepared to show research that supports your salary request.

Preparing for a Second Interview

In some respects, second interviews are easier—you already have a good idea about the things you said in your first interview that sold the hiring manager. Now, your job is to expand on them and show the company why hiring you would be a sound business decision.

Build on your first interview.

Pay attention to the hiring manager during your first interview. She’s likely to give subtle (or not-so-subtle) tells when something piques her interest. She may nod her head, lean forward, smile, ask clarifying questions, or show other signs of enthusiasm.

What responses did the interviewer react positively to? These are some of the same things you should drive home in your second interview.

Do your homework . . . again.

You probably researched the company for your first interview. That knowledge helped you become a leading candidate. Now it’s time to dig in again and find out all you can about the company, the requirements of the position, and the people you’ll be talking to.

Scour the company website and social media accounts. Do a Google search to see if they’ve been featured recently in the press. You’ve probably already noticed major themes, like whether the company values innovation or has a more traditional structure. Now is a good time to home in on details. Knowing more about the company will enable you to relate your skills to the company’s needs.

Expect the unexpected.

When you’re offered the second interview, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask what you should expect and who you’ll be talking to. Knowing the names and titles of the people you’ll be interviewing with, as well as other details about the process, will help you prepare.

If your job is such that you can build a portfolio of samples, prepare one and bring it. Even if you showed them at your first meeting, the new person or people that you meet with will also benefit from seeing them.

You’ll likely meet several people, so consider scripting a brief elevator pitch to introduce yourself, your skills, and your experience. Rehearse your spiel so you can recite it easily when the time comes.

The stakes may well be high with a second interview—although you’ve garnered attention, that job offer’s not in the bag yet. But taking the time to prepare will enable you to walk in with a level of professionalism and confidence that’s sure to impress.

Monday Motivation Hack: Set an Intention

“Set your intention.”

How does that make you feel? Inspired? Or did the flash of a pseudo-spiritual yoga sesh make you cringe?

You will be happy to know that intention-setting isn’t just for yoga buffs and the meditative among you. Observationally, psychologists have found evidence of greater levels of achievement when daily intentions are set and revisited.

Likewise, it’s important to understand that intentions are different things for different people. Some people set intentions as they would goals, while others set intentions that work more like guiding principles. All people set intentions to stay focused in their day-to-day lives.

Think of intention as a focal point for living—a goal or quality that you want to structure your life around.

How to Set an Intention

Many people who set intentions for their day do so during exercise, meditation, or a daily routine. You can choose to set your intention however you like, but it’s important that you take some time to carefully consider your intention and dedicate a few moments of focus to it.

To set an intention for your day,

1. Figure out what you stand for. It can be tempting to dive right into intention-setting without a lot of thought. However, taking a little time up front to understand your unique perspective in the world will go a long way to helping your intention resonate. It’s important here that you try not to compare yourself to others, but focus on bettering yourself against yourself. Good daily intentions set your focus around your personal values and as such are inspirational and motivating for you. First, however, you have to know what you value most and what you want to get out of life.
2. Decide when and how you will routinely set your intention. Mornings—the sooner after you wake up the better—are preferable for many as this helps set the tone for your day. Also consider whether you will write your intention down, muse on it to kick off your day, share it with a friend, or something else.
3. Clarify your intention. Now that you have an idea of what you want to center your focus on and know how you want to make it part of your daily life, decide what your intention actually is. Intentions can be short sentences or simply words that embody where you want your focus to be, such as “Live fully,” “show compassion,” “speak confidently,” or simply “Peaceful” or “Tenacious.” These words should embody for you something specific, some set of behaviors, so that when you state your intention, you understand what achieving your day’s intention would look like. Try to keep intentions positive. “Build community” is better than “Stop being shy.”
4. Set your intention. Declare. Write. Speak. Internalize. The day’s intention should be something that you come back to often in your thoughts and that can help guide your decisions and behavior throughout the day.

If you are struggling to get started on setting your intentions, Mindful Minutes has a helpful post that can help you get inspired.

Remaining Accountable to Your Intentions

It can be easy to go through the motions when it comes to little daily routines. It’s one thing to set your intention daily, but how do you live it?

As it turns out, intention-setting—like goal-setting—benefits greatly from feedback. This doesn’t necessarily have to be feedback from others; usually it’s a feedback loop you construct for yourself. Some people build an intention check into their evening routine: “Did I make progress on today’s intention?” This follow-through helps to hone your intentions and improve their quality over time.

Similarly, some people use associations to remind themselves of their intention throughout the day. For example, maybe you associate the intention “Confidence” with the color red. You can wear a red pin or red tie to help you stay mindful every time you look in the mirror or simply note confidence anytime you see the color red. Such mini check-ins will remind you to exude your intention while also forcing you to think about how well you’ve followed your intention until that point. It can also give you a sort of marker to track how often your thinking comes back to your intention throughout the day.

Do you set daily intentions? How did you get into it and how do you make it work for you?

Embrace Your Geekness With the Character Sketch

You are a writer. You enjoy what you do, and you do it well. So, what do you love most about writing? Could you pick one specific thing? Are we speaking of fiction, nonfiction or poetry? Essays maybe? Where does editing fit in here? Be careful, it quickly becomes a complicated question.

If we parse out all of the elements of writing, there are literally thousands of specific mechanics from which we could choose. So, which one draws you back to the keyboard? The words, the phrases, the syllables? Perhaps you love a perfect metaphor, delivered like a soft kiss. Or is it the lilting sound of iambic pentameter in poetry that gets your ink flowing?

Each writing element presents a unique delight to the literary aficionado. However, one of our favorites here at Grammarly is the character sketch. A character sketch has the ability to stretch our collective imagination and serves as a literary witch’s cauldron – magically producing endless places and characters for use in fiction writing and poetry.

The term “character sketch” has its origins in portraiture. It was later nabbed as a literary term during the infancy of the English novel. Painters would often do a quick pencil sketch, or charcoal, of a subject. Using this sketch as a physical reminder, the painter could later elaborate upon it, transferring the subject to a larger canvas with much more patient skill.

The theory is the same for a literary sketch. Jotting down a few notes, or even a paragraph or two, the writer captures the unique essence of a character. The sketch then becomes a gestalt from which the writer can design a more in-depth literary portrait. It is a type of literary shorthand.

An easy technique to learn, the character sketch has become a staple of fiction writing. Many novelists begin a new work with an idea, then flesh out that idea by writing a sketch for each of their main characters. The process becomes a creative machine that breathes life and depth into each of their heroes and supporting cast. Many of the sketches spring forth from characters who people the writer’s imagination.

Try it sometime. To begin, you can always use subjects from real life. This removes any stress from the exercise and alleviates the pressure of performance. You don’t have to be Charles Dickens here, working on Sketches by Boz. Just think of it as an act of reporting, which indeed it is. Take a notebook with you the next time you go to a restaurant. Jot down what you notice about your server, or another person eating at a booth across from you.

“He is young man with blonde hair. His hair is longer in the back. His uniform is brown and gold. There is a yellow seal embroidered at his left breast. He is tall and lanky. His uniform does not fit well. His shoes are black. He walks hesitantly. There is a cloth belt wrapped around his waist.”

This is a basic character sketch. It contains all of the essential elements needed to give the reader a brief glimpse of this particular character. Using this thumbnail, a writer can then elaborate upon it as much as he or she wishes. Try writing a few of them and see how many unique characters your imagination can conjure.

“The windows in the restaurant did little to let the light in. A thin film of grease covered each one. The wan sunshine fell over each table lazily, as if it were too tired to try. The blonde man’s name was Zach. I saw the letters stitched on the front of his brown uniform. It hung off his tall frame like a scarecrow’s sack-suit. The embroidery was dull with grime and too few visits to the drycleaners.  He walked with a limp, some old injury perhaps, and his black shoes clunked. The chaotic swing of his server belt caught my eye like a pendulum. It was tied on too loosely and threatened to slide down to his knees with each step.”

Intrigued? July 13 is “Embrace Your Geekness” day. Try it with a character sketch!

Is formal writing too formal?

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

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

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