How to Write a Cover Letter: Parts, Process, and Pro Tips

It doesn’t matter whether you’re just testing the job market or eagerly searching for your next gig—knowing how to write a great cover letter is an essential skill. We’ll talk about the whys and hows of cover letters, offer some examples of what to say (and what not to), and provide a few etiquette dos and don’ts. Read on to rev up your job-seeking game!

Why You Should Write a Cover Letter

Hunting for a job is hard. Completing online applications can be frustrating. Who needs to add a step to an already tedious process?

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We totally get it. And yet . . . cover letters are important. Even if you’ve got a killer résumé, even if you think your experience speaks for itself, writing a cover letter is a step you ignore at your peril. Unless, of course, you don’t really want that perfect job you’re applying for.

The only time you should ditch the cover letter is when an employer specifically asks you not to include one or the application process doesn’t allow for one. At all other times, consider it a requirement.

Cover letters do what résumés can’t—they tell a story that sets you apart from your competitors. Your résumé is a formal, fact-based listing of your experience and achievements; a cover letter allows you to showcase why those things make you uniquely suited for the job. It also conveys subtle insights into your personality that a résumé can’t. Think of it as an opportunity to promote yourself.

How to Write a Winning Cover Letter

A great cover letter should be as brief as you can possibly make it yet comprehensive enough to convey your potential for awesomeness. Your intent isn’t to provide a prospective employer with a recap of your work history (your résumé should accomplish that), but to intrigue the hiring manager enough to offer you an interview and, hopefully, a job.

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Ask anyone who’s ever been in charge of hiring—most cover letters are generic and dull. A few are amusing only because they’re so hilariously bad. If you want your cover letter to stand out, put energy into making it not only unique but also geared toward the company and position you’re applying for.

Let’s look at the components of a great cover letter step by step.

1Find and greet the right contact

Here’s a cold hard fact: it’s difficult to impress a prospective employer when you begin a cover letter with Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Prospective Employer. Of course, many job listings provide no contact information and offer nothing more than a catch-all email address like hiring@domain.com. Helpful? Not so much.

Whenever possible, address your correspondence to a real person. That may mean doing a bit of detective work. Let’s say you’re applying for an email marketing associate position at Stellar Widgets, Inc. No contact name was provided with the listing. Here’s what you can do:

• Read the job listing carefully. If you scanned it in your rush to apply, slow your roll! Many potential employers, intentionally or otherwise, embed important information in the depths of a job listing. Some may even ask you to include a word or phrase in your cover letter to make sure you were paying attention.
• Scour the company website. Look for a Contact or About Us page. Do you see the hiring or human resources manager listed by name? Bingo!
• Make a phone call. If you can track down the company’s phone number, simply make a call and ask for the hiring manager’s name.

Here’s a tip: If the company doesn’t have a hiring manager, address your cover letter to the head of the appropriate department. If there’s no hiring contact for that email marketing associate job at Stellar Widgets, you could track down the marketing manager instead.

• Check social networks. LinkedIn is a great resource. Simply search with the company’s name to find out who works there and what title they hold.

Once you’ve gone to the effort to track down a name, check and double-check to make sure you’ve spelled it properly. A typo could make you seem as though you lack attention to detail.

Here’s a tip: In business communication, it’s customary to open with “Dear [Mr./Ms.] [Last Name].” If you don’t know the gender of the person you’re contacting, use Dear [First Name] [Last Name]. If you happen to know that the person holds a PhD, use Dear Dr. [Last Name].

If you must use a generic greeting, make sure it’s in keeping with modern standards. The Balance reports that 40 percent of employers surveyed preferred “Dear Hiring Manager.” The second most popular salutation was “To Whom It May Concern,” preferred by 27 percent. Or, if the company strikes you as particularly edgy, you could try spicing it up with something like “To the Marketing Gurus at Stellar Widgets.”

2Open with a strong hook

It’s important to write a few sentences explaining who you are and what you’re applying for, but don’t make it boring. A yawn-inducing opener like “Enclosed please find my résumé, tendered in application for the email marketing associate position at Stellar Widgets” could get your application shuffled to the bottom of the pile, destined to receive a templated “thanks but no thanks” letter. Oh, and “best of luck in your future endeavors,” champ!

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Be direct, but don’t forget to be personable and show excitement. Your goal is to craft a couple of punchy sentences that say who you are, what position you’re applying for, and why you think it’s a good match for your talents.

When I was eleven years old, I created The Carver Elementary Gossip. It was a humble newsletter that I wrote and edited, then printed on my mom’s old Epson. I sold copies for 50 cents and even sold classified ads for a dollar. I’d made 85 bucks before the principal found out and shut me down, but not before she complimented me on my ingenuity and creativity. That hunger to create and innovate never left me, and it’s with that drive for success that I come to you with my application for the email marketing associate position at Stellar Widgets.

The Balance offers some excellent examples of powerful opening lines. The Muse has even more.

3Show them what you can do

There’s a sales idiom that says if you want to sell steak you should sell the sizzle. Your cover letter is a sales pitch for your talents and skills. Many job seekers make the mistake of writing a pitch that says “Here’s why I want to work for you.” If you’re going to win the job market, you need to take a different approach: “Here’s why you want me to work for you!”

Your objective isn’t to express your desire to work for the employer—everyone who applies wants that. Instead, demonstrate why you’re the perfect person for the job. Consider these winning ways to sell yourself:

• Highlight a major accomplishment. If there’s something you’ve accomplished that aligns with needs the company expressed in the job listing, highlight it.
• Focus on keywords. Larger companies use keyword tracking to help them sift through applications. Identify keywords from the job listing and make sure you let them shine in your cover letter.

Here’s a tip: Find keywords that are important to the hiring manager by using a word cloud generator like Wordle or VocabGrabber.

• Leverage your networking skills. if you were referred by someone who already works for the company, mention them. Don’t just name-drop, call attention to why your contact thought you’d be a fit for the job.

Here’s a tip: If possible, get a feel for the company’s culture. Bigger companies might have a Careers page that will offer valuable insight. Even a company blog can provide clues. Are they businesslike and formal? Hip and edgy? Mirror their style in your cover letter.

Remember, this paragraph isn’t for rehashing your résumé, it’s for highlighting your strengths and accomplishments. Focus on what you have to offer the employer. What needs do they have that you’re eager and qualified to fill?

Here’s a tip: Trick your mind into helping you write confidently by telling yourself that your potential employer already likes and respects you, and that you have nothing to prove. Even if the employer has never met you, pretending you’re winning the game can have a powerful effect on your subconscious. There really is value in faking it till you make it!

Although your cover letter is no place for modesty, it’s important to put your money where your mouth is. Give concrete examples of your successes. Don’t just say you’re great at writing marketing copy, show it.

I’ve always been fascinated by what it takes to hook people with compelling writing and brand storytelling. I’ve worked as an email campaign copywriter at Grizzly Gadgets for the past two years, and my most recent campaign earned a whopping 62 percent open rate and a 23 percent click-through rate. My efforts contributed to a team that exceeded its ambitious customer engagement goals by 220 percent last quarter.

4 Show off your skills

It’s best to keep your cover letter on the short side—what a great way to demonstrate that you can focus your thoughts without rambling!—but if you have any skills that are essential to the position you’re applying for, this is the place to call attention to them. For that email marketing job with Stellar Widgets, you could point out your experience with bulk email platforms and design tools.

Here’s a tip: Look for skills keywords in the job listing. If the employer states that experience with Adobe Illustrator is desirable, and you’ve got those chops, make sure your cover letter states so.

Keep it relevant—don’t brag about your 120 wpm typing speed unless you’re applying for a gig where typing speed is crucially important. Mention things like specialized certifications only if they make you better qualified to do the job you’re seeking.

Not only do I love words, but I’m also enthralled by design. I’ve worked hard to learn the necessary skills to give the campaigns I craft a compelling message and an eye-catching visual style. I’m a wizard with Adobe Illustrator, if I do say so myself. I know my way around bulk email platforms like Constant Contact and MailChimp, and I’m also a quick study with platforms that are new to me.

4 Close with enthusiasm and passion

It’s tempting to wrap things up by saying something like “I look forward to hearing from you,” but resist the urge to do it. You’ve put in too much effort to write a cover letter that doesn’t sound canned to blow it now!

Your close should reflect your enthusiasm for your career. What do you love about the work? What are you fascinated by learning? Here’s the place to express it and show the employer that you’ve got drive and passion.

And, of course, here’s where you ask for the interview.

In my tool kit, I’ve got writing chops, an eye for visual design, and the drive to figure out what makes customers tick through data-driven analysis and A/B testing. I’m excited to meet with you to discuss how my skills and talents could play a vital role in the Stellar Widgets email marketing strategy.

Here’s a tip: Wondering whether you should sign off with Sincerely, Regards, or Best Wishes? Here’s some advice.

A Few Dos and Don’ts

Here are a few things to remember as you’re custom-crafting your employment opus.

• Do focus on what you could do for the company. Remember that you’re not begging them to hire you, you’re showing them why they need you.
• Don’t be overly formal. In most cases, it’s best to come off as personable and real rather than stuffy.
• Do consider asking someone else to read your draft to make sure you’ve struck the right tone and that everything is stated clearly. Try Tone Analyzer if you need some extra input.
• Don’t use the same cover letter for every job you apply for—customize it! It’s okay to start with a template, but make sure you customize parts of your cover letter to align it with the employer’s stated needs and interests.
• Do read your cover letter to yourself out loud. If you find yourself stumbling over anything, consider rewriting for clarity.
• Your cover letter is arguably the most important part of the application process, so be sure you invest time in writing one that shows off your skills in a way that a hiring manager can’t ignore. Demonstrate why the employer needs you on their team and you’re sure to score the interview.

8 New Movies and Shows That Creatives Must Watch

Creative work can be especially fun and rewarding, but after a long day of writing, designing, composing, crafting, coding, building, imagining . . . it’s good to relax and recharge.

And what better way to kick back than with a movie or show that refuels your creative energy?

We’ve entered a golden age in US television, where creators are forging into new territory and bringing diverse ideas and voices to the forefront. Novel storytelling, daring visuals, and innovative formats are breathing new life into film and TV—and providing plenty of inspiration for us fellow creatives to tap into our own creative genius.

So take a break, and dive in with these eight exceptional movies and TV shows that will entertain, engage, and spark your creativity!

1Master of None

You can try your best to not fall in love with Master of None, Aziz Ansari’s brilliantly subversive Netflix rom-com, but be warned—you will probably want to binge-watch it in one sitting. This show is heartbreakingly poignant, hilarious, and insightful, and it relentlessly pushes the envelope.

Some of the most powerful and surprising episodes turn the camera’s focus away from the lead character altogether, rocketing to the forefront the viewpoints of characters rarely seen or celebrated in pop culture.

Oh, and did we mention the editing and aesthetics are on-point? (Season 2 is basically a love letter to classic Italian films.) Explore some innovative storytelling by watching Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.

.@azizansari‘s #MasterOfNone is the Summer’s top TV show by #Tomatometer! https://t.co/Dq4IEroVyk pic.twitter.com/k5cNYFqEQV

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 30, 2017

2Sense8

Need to feed your imagination? Try soaking in the sumptuous, stunning visuals of Sense8.

This sprawling and ambitious work of art from the Wachowskis follows eight strangers around the globe as their senses become mysteriously linked, allowing them to share experiences, knowledge, and emotions—all while keeping one step ahead of the evil corporation that’s hunting them.

With rich storytelling, exotic locations, and a talented and diverse cast, it’s the perfect sci-fi adventure to get your creative wheels spinning again. Watch Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.

”I said hey, what’s going on?” #Sense8 pic.twitter.com/eY9l3MRSq8

— Movie Graf (@MovieGrafTR) September 5, 2017

3Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the dark rom-com musical you didn’t know you needed until it twirled into your life belting “West Covinaaa!” on full blast. Relentlessly subversive, unbelievably zany, and at times painfully relatable, this show digs deep into the neuroses of obsession. Also, it has fantastical song and dance numbers that would make Flight of the Conchords proud. Watch Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.

My dad sent me a picture from West Covina last night just to set me up to text him #CrazyExGirlfriend lyrics. �� @Racheldoesstuff pic.twitter.com/xBEt4UvpC6

— Lex (@thelexlutz) August 24, 2017

4Kubo and the Two Strings

This exquisite stop-motion fantasy has astounding visuals at every turn. The story is built around a hero’s journey as our protagonist searches for identity, while also dealing with heavier themes of loss, grief, and healing. Stream it on Netflix.

Watched this tonight.. For me a piece of movie perfection.. Beautiful animation, with a big heart.. #KuboandtheTwoStrings pic.twitter.com/L5YLUjgU1n

— Paul Stringfellow (@techstringy) August 19, 2017

5Insecure

Game of Thrones takes the prize for most popular HBO show this summer, but Season 2 of Insecure wins “Best in Show.” Issa Rae’s binge-worthy comedy-drama boasts razor sharp writing, a brilliant cast, and a bumping soundtrack that will have you clicking over to Spotify for more.

The show engages us with complicated (and deeply human) characters exploring love, relationships, infidelity, and the messy aftermath that ensues. But what’s truly radical is how it portrays the Black experience in down-to-earth ways seldom seen on television. Insecure reveals the power that comes from staying true to your viewpoint and experiences. Stream Seasons 1 and 2 through HBO.

Kelli’s one liners on #insecurehbo literally ALWAYS have me in tears �� pic.twitter.com/MY5wKJJOwn

— Joshua Hunt (@donthuntjosh) September 4, 2017

6BoJack Horseman

What if we told you one of the most realistic and honest explorations of mental health in the media today is an animated show starring an anthropomorphic horse?

At first glance, Bojack Horseman may register as a silly sitcom satire, but as you travel down the rabbit hole, things gradually go from wacky to profound, to reveal a deeply existential show that stays with you even when you stop watching.

Designed by genius illustrator Lisa Hanawalt, the world of BoJack is a riot of pastel colors and hilarious background details—a deceptively cheerful setting for a hauntingly sad and sometimes dark story. Seasons 1-4 are on Netflix.

I just want to cry! This scene is so beautiful but full of sorrow.#BoJackHorseman pic.twitter.com/udLi65gdTr

— D8 (@dang8600) August 27, 2017

7Moonrise Kingdom

Set on a quaint New England island, Moonrise Kingdom tells the tale of two twelve-year-old runaways and the all-star cast of adults searching to find them before an oncoming storm. It’s a poignant depiction of young love, and though possibly the most stylized of Wes Anderson’s films, it somehow turns out to be one of the most relatable and emotionally touching. The fairytale aesthetic—complete with breathtaking set pieces—perfectly complements the story itself. Stream it on Netflix.

A poetic movie by Anderson, balanced between realism and surrealism, with terrific character performance. 10/10. #MoonriseKingdom pic.twitter.com/lQCmv3cWUa

— Alessandro Capriolo (@CaprioloOrdnas) September 2, 2017

8Abstract: The Art of Design

No matter what type of creative work you engage in, this Netflix docu-series is guaranteed to nourish your inner muse. Abstract profiles a diverse set of eight world-renowned designers, including Es Devlin (stage designer for the likes of Beyonce and U2), Ralph Gilles (head of design for Fiat Chrysler), and shoe designer Tinker Hatfield (of Air Jordan fame).

The series takes an intimate look at the life and career ascent of these creatives who are masters in their field. The insights and perspectives shared on the creative process are pure gold. Watch Season 1 on Netflix.

This an incredible, must-see series for those in the creative industries which recently aired: #abstractnetflix pic.twitter.com/LqDDAbkgHu

— Jamie Smith (@smithstock24) March 13, 2017

5 Cell Phone Etiquette Tips

Cell phones hit the free market 30 years ago, but Americans still haven’t internalized a complete set of social rules for cell phone usage. If you’re not sure what’s acceptable in the world of cell phone etiquette, check out these five tips in honor of Cell Phone Courtesy Month in July.

Keep Private Conversations Private

When you’re engrossed in a phone conversation, it’s easy to fool yourself into believing that no one can hear you except the person on the other end of the line.

In truth, anyone within 10 feet can hear your half of the conversation, and whether they mean to or not, they’re bound to follow along. It doesn’t matter if you’re wandering the aisles of the grocery store or huddled inside your work cubicle; others’ ears perk up at the hint of a private exchange. If you don’t want the other patrons of Starbucks to hear about your recent dermatological exam, don’t call your mom with the details as you’re waiting for your morning latte.

Avoid Toilet Talk

Data suggests that up to 87 percent of all people have texted or chatted on the phone while sitting on the toilet. While it may be acceptable to do this in the privacy of home, it’s just plain rude to talk on the phone in a public bathroom. People visiting the lavatory expect privacy. Wielding your cell phone while others answer nature’s call is like filming an impromptu movie in a public locker room. You wouldn’t bring a live mic into a bathroom stall. Don’t bring your cell phone, either.

Exercise Caution With Text-Speak

Texting is still a seedling technology, and society hasn’t adopted a definitive consensus as to what’s acceptable yet. However, if you suspect a person might feel annoyed or inconvenienced by your texting language, you might want to mind your p’s and q’s.

If you need to text a boss, coworker, or professional acquaintance, don’t use the same language and abbreviations you would use when texting a friend. Though “text speak” (K, LOL, etc.) is quick and easy, you sacrifice professionalism and credibility when you use it for work purposes.

Though it is occasionally acceptable to throw an “OMW” or “SMH” into your daily texts, you should practice using correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar when texting. After all, you don’t want to confuse Grandma with your trendy text speak or offend anyone when you say “LMFAO.”

Don’t Dial and Drive

In certain areas of the country, driving with a cell phone in hand is illegal. Even if you live in a state where the cops can’t arrest you for it, dialing and driving is considered rude by plenty of people.

Why do some people frown upon dialing and driving? Perhaps it’s due to the fact that distracted driving claims the lives of at least nine people per day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. To these folks, talking on the phone while driving is akin to saying, “My phone call is more important than your life.”

Indeed, that’s rather rude.

Don’t Text and Drive

While driving and dialing might fall into a gray area of acceptability, driving and texting is never okay. It doesn’t matter how careful and coordinated you are; texting removes your hands from the wheel, your eyes from the road, and your mind from what you’re doing.

In fact, “driving while intexticated” has grown into a national epidemic. Some claim that it’s a cinch for them to text and drive. However, these people may not realize that texting causes over 1 million crashes per year – and the trend isn’t improving.

In the majority of social situations, norms guide behavior. However, with cell phone usage, norms are still evolving. Are you guilty of breaking any of these rules of cell phone etiquette?

Do You Understand the True Bard or the False? Some Shakespeare Etymologies

Guest post by Annie Martirosyan

There are a number of words in Shakespeare’s plays and poems which are deceptive to modern ears. They may seem familiar words but, in fact, camouflage a quite different meaning lost to modern English. In Linguistics, these words are called False Friends. A False Friend is a word which has kept its form but has strayed from its original sense (or was a completely different word) so that the modern English word is false when compared to the original sense or word. Shakespeare likes to extend the wordplay further by often deliberately using words in their older senses. Here are some False Friends to keep an eye on:

Bootless Now: without large shoes Shakespeare’s use/meaning: useless, making no better Historically, there were boot (1) and boot (2). Boot (1) as shoes dates back to the 13th century. Boots (2) is an older usage that first occurs in Beowulf in the sense of remedy, improvement, advantage. In Shakespeare, we encounter boots (2). So, when in Sonnet 29, the poet troubles ‘deaf heaven with [his] bootless cries’ or the Fairy tells us how Puck ‘bootless make[s] the breathless housewife churn (Midsummer Night’s Dream, II.i.37), we should read bootless as useless, in vain.

Doubt Now: hesitate Shakespeare’s use/meaning: not only hesitate, but also be afraid of, dread Usage of doubt in the sense that is predominant in Shakespeare’s works can be traced back to as early as 1200s. However, the meaning of hesitate was there in the ultimate Latin source dubitāre and related to dubious, hence the influence on the English loan word. In some Shakespearean contexts, these two close senses can be interpreted as contrary to each other. For example, when Bastard says, ‘Conduct me to the King; I doubt he will be dead or ere I come” (King John, V.vi.43-4), he fears the King will be dead before he arrives.

Excrement Now: waste matter discharged from the body Shakespeare’s use/meaning: broadly applying to any substances pushed from the body Now, that’s a naughty one! The word excrement is registered from 1533 in the sense we know today. But Shakespeare, the king of filthy puns, uses it in a completely new sense. Before you give vent to your imagination, when Armado brags regarding the King’s liking to ‘with his royal finger thus dally with my excrement’ (Love’s Labour’s Lost, V.i.98), he is referring to his growth of hair. Sounds filthier? Armado himself clarifies it in his next line, ‘my mustachio’ (V.i.99).

Happily Now: joyously, gaily Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, perhaps Happy is first recorded in Chaucer’s House of Fame in the sense of fortunate, lucky, from the English hap — chance, fortune. The modern sense, again, derives from Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales). In most of Shakespearean contexts, we need to be aware of the sense of “hap” in happily, as Shakespeare uses it synonymously with “haply”. When Queen Margaret says to York that had he been the Regent in France, instead of Somerset, York’s fortune ‘might happily have proved far worse than his’ (Henry VI, Part 2, III.i.306), she is not being mean. Not yet.

Lover Now: someone you are in a sexual relationship with, usually illicitly Shakespeare’s use/meaning: friend Lover as friend precedes the modern meaning by a little over 100 years, with both dating back to the Middle English period. Shakespeare, however, punster that he is, uses lover almost exclusively in the old sense. If you do not know what he means, some Shakespearean situations can sound pretty awkward, to say the least. Lorenzo, for example, fervently puts a plug in for Antonio to Portia as ‘a lover of my lord your husband’ (The Merchant of Venice, III.iv.7). He means friend, whatever you make of Antonio. . .

Friend Now: a person you know well, love and regard Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, lover Friend is an Old English word which appears in texts as early as Beowulf; it derives from the Proto-Germanic frijōjanan and is cognate with the verb to free. It started with the sense we know today, with a slightly extended application to someone we hold in regard or a relative. This generalized sense, too, is encountered in Shakespeare and creates a pun or two… Now that you know what Shakespeare has in mind, you are clued in when Lady Capulet tells Juliet to stop crying, ‘So shall you feel the loss, but not the friend / Which you weep for’, and Juliet replies that she is weeping for her beloved — not the relative, ‘Feeling so the loss, I cannot choose but ever weep the friend’ (Romeo & Juliet, III.v.74-7).

Merely Now: only Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, completely, utterly Mere appears in English in late 1300s and ultimately derives from Latin merus — pure, clear. Shakespeare uses mere(ly) largely in its now obsolete sense of entire(ly) (1443) which a little over a century later was overtaken by the modern sense. The two senses can be quite conflicting in Shakespeare, unless you take into account the context. It is the old sense we should read in Rosalind’s famous ‘Love is merely madness’ (As You Like It, III.ii.383) or in Portia’s firm ‘He [Shylock] shall have merely justice and his bond’ (The Merchant of Venice, IV.i.336).

Sad Now: unhappy, upset Shakespeare’s use/meaning: serious; indifferent; sorrowful Sad dates back to the early Middle Ages in the sense of sated or tired and developed the more intense sense of sorrowful shortly afterwards. It was a short step from here to the sense of serious, through semantic associations. These senses are lost to modern English. What we should keep in mind is that sad in Shakespeare’s plays and poems has a more emphatic meaning than we assume. It is not for want of a better word that Richard II calls his jailer a ‘sad dog’ (V.v.70), i.e. indifferent, blank-faced. The sense of seriousness lies in the expression ‘in good sadness’, as in Baptista’s ‘Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio / I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all’ (The Taming of the Shrew, V.ii.63-4). And for the sense of intense upset, look out for Queen Margaret’s sharp tongue: ‘Farewell, York’s wife, and Queen of sad mischance! / These English woes shall make me smile in France’ (Richard III, Iv.iv.114-5).

Wink Now: briefly close the eyes to signal a meaning Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, close the eyes Wink in the sense of close one’s eyes appears in around 1200s. Interestingly, the modern meaning — which is absent in Shakespeare — is first recorded about 1100. Shakespeare uses wink mainly to mean close eyes or sleep, the latter surviving in the modern idiom ‘to take forty winks.’ It is not difficult to guess what the enamored Goddess means: ‘Art thou ashamed to kiss? then wink again, / And I will wink; so shall the day seem night’ (Venus & Adonis, 121-2).

Learn Now: gain knowledge, information Shakespeare’s use/meaning: teach, inform This is one of the oldest English words of Germanic origin and was initially used in the sense we understand today. Learn is a fascinating example of a conflicting semantic development. The modern meaning is absent from the canon but the syntax of the sentence is usually a good cue for the reverse meaning of learn in Shakespearean contexts, as when Claudio thanks Don Pedro: ‘Sweet Prince, you learn me noble thankfulness’ (Much Ado about Nothing, Iv.i.28). And, unlike the spirit of this article, here is Caliban venting at Prospero: ‘[…] The red plague rid you / For learning me your language!’ (The Tempest, I.ii.364-5.1).

The list is not, of course, exhaustive. There are some hundred or so False Friends in Shakespeare. Reading Shakespeare with any medium size etymological dictionary (e.g., Chambers) or a good Shakespeare glossary (e.g., Shakespeare’s Words) at hand, would be no bootless task but befriend you with Shakespearean False Friends, merely!

Looking for more Shakespearean fun? Celebrate the Bard’s birthday with us by checking out our Shakespearean English quiz!

 

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About the Author Annie Martirosyan is a linguist and Shakespeare researcher, with a PhD in Philology. She has taught English language at university level and is a freelance translator, editor and reviewer. Annie has passion galore for Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, languages, words, words, words, literature, English churches and cathedrals, philosophy, etymology, folklore, British history and every single book of David Crystal who is her lifelong inspiration. She still reads fairy tales before bed.

Can’t Sleep? Here are 3 Books You Should Read in Bed

For many book lovers, reading in bed is one of life’s greatest pleasures. In order to enjoy the experience to the fullest, it’s important to choose the right book for the right time. Here are three books we recommend reading in bed.

When you want to stay in bed longer: His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman Although this series is written for children, it’s a pleasure to read as an adult. Let Pullman’s writing transport you to a magical world that parallels our own. Talking animals, daring adventures, epic battles—this series has it all. Stay in bed for a few extra hours and enjoy this magical series.

When you want to fall gently asleep: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Don’t get me wrong—this novel is anything but boring. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is a beautifully layered masterpiece. But the cadence of the language and the dry, dusty expanse of the scenery make for a soothing read that will lull your brain into a sleep-ready state.

When you want to induce a dreamlike state: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami Murakami’s novel blends sci-fi and existentialism to create a dreamy, modernist experience. If you have trouble sleeping, read a few pages of this book and find yourself transported into a state that feels like dreaming but is still grounded in reality. Lean back against the pillow, pull that blanket up, and enjoy.

What’s your favorite book to read in bed? Share your thoughts in the comments!