How to Write the Perfect Thanksgiving Message to Colleagues

Sure, Thanksgiving is about feasting, but let’s not forget its other main theme: gratitude.

This is the perfect time to show your appreciation for the awesome people in your life— especially those patient folks you spend your days working alongside!

Consider taking a few minutes this holiday season to write your favorite coworkers a Thanksgiving message letting them know how much you appreciate them.

Whether it’s your goofy friend who cracks you up during meetings…

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…or the teammate who keeps you motivated (no matter how absurd office life gets)…

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…or the coworker who seriously came through for you, helping you finish that important project when you were struggling…

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…everyone appreciates a word of thanks.

So give it a try—read on to learn our favorite tips for how to write the perfect Thanksgiving message to your colleagues!

1Know Your Audience

How do you and your coworkers usually communicate? Do you chat it up on Slack? Text on the reg? Email like it’s 1999?

If GIF-offs with your office BFF are the norm, writing a ten-page essay extolling his or her excellence might seem a little odd. Sending a fun note with a GIF or meme via your normal communication channel will be the better plan.

On the other hand, if a relationship with a colleague is more formal, a thoughtful email or handwritten note may be well received.

2Make It Personal

The perfect Thanksgiving message will highlight something specific you appreciate about your colleague. We all struggle with imposter syndrome, so it can mean a lot to someone to know they really are seen and valued!

Let them know how their sunny (or sour!) disposition helps you get through the day, how their fashion style is an inspiration, or how their copywriting skills are wondrous to behold.

Thank them for ruthlessly keeping meetings as short as possible, for having your back in office politics, or for their amazing work on the last team project.

3Short and Sweet: How to Write a Quick Thanksgiving Note

Want to send a quick thank you note to your colleague? Make it funny, sweet, or encouraging (whatever the recipient will enjoy the most) and send via the usual channel (email, Slack, text, Facebook, etc.).

BONUS: Include a GIF or meme they’ll find entertaining, or a photo of a fun office memory together.

Here are some examples of quick Thanksgiving notes:

Linda, thanks for always having my back, telling it like it is, and sharing your secret stash of snacks with me. Office mates forever!

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Is it too much to say “you keep me sane”? Thanks for being an incredible colleague and human being!

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Thanks for always shaking things up. Here’s to another year of office shenanigans!

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It’s safe to say we’ve been through a lot together. : ) Thanks for always knowing how to put things into perspective (and for having way more chill than me). I’m so thankful to have you on my team!

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It’s been a crazy year, but you’ve risen to the challenge with aplomb! We could not have pulled off the product rebrand without your expertise—I feel truly lucky to work with you. Thanks again for going above and beyond!

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4Formal and Heartfelt: How to Write a Thanksgiving Message

A more formal message may be appropriate for a superior, a subordinate, or someone who seriously came through for you. You can email this type of message or preferably handwrite it in a card.

Here are some examples of how to structure a thank you message:

Dear [Name],

This year has been a wild ride, and I want to let you know just how much I appreciate your work on [project or tasks]. You’ve done an incredible job, and your support has been a huge part of our success. I’m so thankful to have you as a teammate and look forward to working with you in the new year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Your Name]

Dear [Name],

Since Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to say “thank you,” I want to let you know how much your guidance and support has meant to me this year. I truly appreciate how you’ve taken the time to invest in me, and how your encouragement has helped me grow into my new role. Thank you for being an amazing mentor.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Your Name]

Other Fun Ways to Thank Your Colleagues

• Bring Goodies: Show your appreciation by bringing in treats your crew will love (donuts, cupcakes, fruit kebabs, bacon).
• Make a Thank You Wall: Decorate a whiteboard or wall in your office and invite your coworkers to post their Thanksgiving messages using sticky notes.
• Treat Them: If a coworker really came through for you this year, take them out to lunch (or coffee, or drinks, or ice cream!).
• Out-of-Office Message: Thank everyone, colleagues and clients alike, by setting up a fun Thanksgiving-themed auto-responder.

What will you do to thank your colleagues this Thanksgiving?

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Main Verbs: Definition and Examples

The main verb is also called the lexical verb or the principal verb. This term refers to the important verb in the sentence, the one that typically shows the action or state of being of the subject. Main verbs can stand alone, or they can be used with a helping verb, also called an auxiliary verb.

Helping verbs do just what they sound like they do—they help! Different helping verbs help or support the main verb in different ways. For instance, they can show tense (which indicates when an action happened), ability, intention, or possibility. The primary helping verbs are to be, to do, and to have. To better understand how helping verbs support main verbs, consider the examples below:

I am driving to the beach.

Here, the auxiliary verb “am” (a form of to be) lets the reader or listener know that the main verb in the sentence—in this case, “driving”—is happening continuously in the present. Different forms of to be could be used as a helping verb to explain when the driving is occurring (e.g., was driving, will drive, or had been driving).

I did empty the trash.

In this sentence, the helping verb “did” (a form of to do) emphasizes the main verb, which is “empty.” For instance, if your mother instructed you to take out the trash and you already did it, you wouldn’t likely say, “I emptied the trash.” Instead, you would say, “I did empty the trash!”

I had seen the movie before.

Here, the auxiliary verb “had” (a form of to have) is used to express the past perfect tense, which indicates that the action of the sentence occurred at an earlier time in the past. For example, if someone told you they “saw” a movie, you may think they just finished watching it. If they say they “had seen” it, however, you would know that they went to the movies at some earlier time.

Main Verbs as Linking Verbs

As mentioned previously, main verbs aren’t always action verbs. Sometimes they simply express a subject’s state of being. In these cases, the main verbs are referred to as linking verbs since they link the subject to information concerning its state of being (referred to as a subject complement). Consider the examples below:

As a toddler, Susan was adorable.

Note that the main verb “was” does not express Susan’s actions but her state of being (i.e., adorable).

Jennifer is a nurse at the local hospital.

Here, the main verb “is” links the subject (Jennifer) to its complement, “a nurse.”

Linking Verb Tip: It may be helpful to think of a linking verb as an equal sign. If you can substitute an equal sign for the main verb in a sentence, and it makes sense, then the main verb is a linking verb.

Transitive and Intransitive Main Verbs

Main verbs can be transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs take a direct object while intransitive verbs do not. Transitive verbs require direct objects to receive their action. Intransitive verbs, however, can express action without a direct object, and as a result, they can end a sentence without the sentence sounding incomplete. Consider these examples:

Transitive Verbs:

• They attended the party.
• Jenny fed the cat.
• Fred loves cake.

Intransitive Verbs:

• The wind blew.
• John laughed.
• The keys disappeared.

Since intransitive verbs do not take a direct object, they are often found at the end of a sentence. In many cases, however, an intransitive verb may be followed by another part of speech, such as an adverb or prepositional phrase. Look at the sentences below for an illustration:

The wind blew fiercely.

Here, “fiercely” is an adverb that describes how the wind blew.

John laughed for what seemed like an hour.

In this sentence, “for what seemed like an hour” is a prepositional phrase that explains how long John laughed.

The keys disappeared yesterday.

Here, “yesterday” acts as an adverb that describes when the keys disappeared.

Some main verbs can be transitive or intransitive depending on how they are used. Look at the sentences below.

The teenage boy eats voraciously.

The teenage boy eats five meals a day.

In the first sentence, “eats” acts as an intransitive verb and is followed by “voraciously,” an adverb that describes how the teenage boy ate.

In the second sentence, “eats” acts as a transitive verb and is followed by the direct object “five meals,” which explains what the teenage boy ate.

Understanding the different types of main verbs and how they function makes identifying them in a sentence much less challenging.

Did your writing skip a grade?

Today we celebrate some of the most important people in our society—teachers!

On National Teacher’s Day, it’s customary for younger students to bring their teachers apples or more modern gifts. Of course, the best way to thank teachers is by using the information they’ve taught us. As is evident from the show Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader?, we are still occasionally missing the mark.

In honor of National Teacher’s Day this year, let’s revisit some of the most important writing lessons we learned in elementary school.

Pronoun agreement

The basic rule here is that pronouns must agree in number with the noun to which they refer.

Sometimes sticking with this rule is easy because the pronoun and the noun are close together in the sentence and the usage is clear: Jane forgot her lunchbox. But sometimes, things aren’t so simple. Indefinite pronouns like neither, anyone, or all sometimes tempt us to use a plural when we should use a singular.

Let’s look at an example: “Neither of the girls remembered her lunchbox.”

It’s tempting to use the pronoun their instead of her, because the closest noun is girls. But the true antecedent is actually the indefinite pronoun neither, which should be treated as a singular whenever possible.

At times, it’s not possible to treat neither as a singular. For example: “Neither Jane nor David remembered their lunchboxes.” In this case, you can’t use the singular his or her because neither pronoun applies to both Jane and David. Some writers will use the plural pronoun they in sentences like this, but many readers still consider it an error. It’s often better to rewrite the sentence to avoid the awkward wording: “Jane and David both forgot their lunchboxes.”

“Me” vs. “I”

We were all trained not to say things like “Jill and me went to the store.” We know the correct usage is “Jill and I went to the store.” The problem here is that we tend to overuse “I” instead of “me” in places where we don’t need to.

Have you ever heard something like, “Please save a seat for both Jack and I”? Does this sound correct to you? If so, you might be one of the frequent offenders. Here’s a quick and easy trick to make sure you always get this right. All you have to do is look at the noun (in this case, “Jack”) and the pronoun (“I” or “me”) individually. Try temporarily removing each one from the sentence.

“Please save a seat for Jack.” “Please save a seat for … ”—what sounds right here? Yep, it’s “me.” So the correct usage above is “Please save a seat for both Jack and me.”

For a more complete but still simple explanation, check out the eLearn English Language website.

That vs. Which

These two words may both be used to introduce an independent clause. The rule comes down to whether the clause is essential to the sentence. If it’s essential, use “that;” if it’s nonessential, use “which.” When you use “which,” it should always make sense to set off the clause with commas. When you use “that,” it should seem awkward to add a comma because the clause is essential.

For example: “I organized all of the books that were in the blue box.”

If you tried to use “which,” remember that “which” requires a comma: “I organized all of the books, which were in the blue box.” The sentence no longer says what it said to start, right? We’ve changed the meaning, so “which” is incorrect.

Another example: “I went to my first class, which was a good decision because we had a pop quiz.” Here, the comma makes sense, so “which” makes sense. You get the picture.

In this article on Lit Reactor, the author gives 20 examples of common mistakes that we all need to start getting right, including “That vs. Which.”

In looking at your writing, do you find that you missed a grade?

If not, thank a teacher.

Quick Tips: Using Contractions Correctly

Contractions are useful in both spoken and written language. They save time, use fewer letters than full words, and help us to sound less formal when the situation calls for it. Contractions are combinations of two words and, in most cases, the apostrophe indicates where letters are omitted. Here’s a handy list of contractions.

Common contractions Do + not = Don’t (The apostrophe tells us that a letter, O, has been removed.) Are/is + not = Aren’t/isn’t They + are = They’re It + is/has = It’s Could/Would/Should + have = Could’ve/Would’ve/Should’ve Could/Would/Should + not = Couldn’t/Wouldn’t/Shouldn’t We + are = We’re Will + not = Won’t (This is the slight exception to the rule that the apostrophe replaces the dropped letters. With this contraction, the spelling changes completely.)

Less common contractions Shall + not = Shan’t Might + not = Mightn’t You + all = Y’all (slang) Am/is + not = Ain’t (slang)

When to Use Contractions We use contracted words all the time in speech. This is natural because these habits help us to communicate quickly. Unfortunately, habits and tendencies that are common in speech are not always optimal in writing, especially when writing for formal situations. For this reason, we encourage our users to avoid using contractions when writing for work, school, and/or any formal environment.

What Is a Collective Noun?

A collective noun is a word or phrase that refers to a group of people or things as one entity. One common error that arises from using collective nouns is subject-verb disagreement: writers often become confused about whether to treat a collective noun as singular or plural. While collective nouns are mostly treated as singular, there are exceptions.

Collective nouns represent more than one person or thing in a class. It isn’t possible to have just one lion in a pride, and a single flower does not make a bouquet. Thus, a collective noun always describes a plurality of one kind or another.

This mental image of “multiple” sometimes causes us to choose the wrong verb tense with a collective noun.

The choir are singing to a sold-out hall for the third time in a row. They are performing A German Requiem by Brahms tonight.

The choir is singing to a sold-out hall for the third time in a row. It is performing A German Requiem by Brahms tonight.

From the example above, we can see that the choir, though composed of many people, is a singular unit. One can assume that they will perform the Brahms requiem as one. It is possible that each singer will start the piece and proceed according to his or her own speed, resulting in a cacophony. But that would be unlikely. That is why our choir uses the singular verb is rather than the plural verb are. It is also why the choir takes the pronoun it rather than they.

The past tense affords a wonderful respite from this subject-verb agreement problem. We get this break because in the past tense, first-person and third-person verb forms are the same.

The singer was singing to a sold-out hall for the third time in a row.

The choir was singing to a sold-out hall for the third time in a row.

Are Collective Nouns Singular or Plural?

The team is or are? The audience is or are? There are times when we use collective nouns that would normally require a singular verb, but because of the context in which they are used, a plural verb fits better. This happens when members of the group stop acting as a cohesive unit and begin acting as individuals.

Today, the committee decides the fate of John’s proposal.

In this example, the collective noun “committee” is a group that has a unified purpose today: deciding the fate of John’s proposal.

John’s proposal is so unusual that the committee are scratching their heads and furtively glancing at each other in surprise.

In this example, the committee are acting as individuals; it is extremely unlikely that they are scratching their heads and glancing at each other in unison, like an odd game of Simon Says. Therefore, the committee now gets the plural verb “are.”

Similar decisions must be made when we write about animals.

The herd is grazing quietly in the meadow.

Now that they have seen the wolf, the herd are bolting off in all directions.

The act that is performed as a unit gets a singular verb, while the other gets a plural one.

It is interesting to note that when a decision needs to be made about whether a collective noun is singular or plural and the answer is ambiguous, American English will almost always default to a singular verb, while British English writers will often choose a plural. At the top of the list of contentious collective nouns is family.

My family is predominantly blond-haired.

(American English)

My family are predominantly blond-haired.

(British English)

Some Collective Nouns That Are Always Singular or Plural

Everyone, everybody, no one, and nobody are always singular.

Everyone are entitled to an opinion.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

No one want to hear John’s crazy ideas for waste recycling.

No one wants to hear John’s crazy ideas for waste recycling.

For reasons that can only be explained by tradition, “police,” when used as a collective noun, is always plural in both American and British English.

Police are investigating a suspicious death on Reaper Street.

The Grammar Police plan to arrest three individuals involved in a subject-verb disagreement.

However illogical it may seem, “police force” is singular—again, traditionally speaking.

The Toronto police force is exquisitely disciplined.

Collective Nouns for People and Animals

Collective nouns for groups of people, fish, and other animals are diverse and numerous, and each term comes with its own fascinating history. Many terms for groups of animals were first recorded in The Book of St. Albans, published in 1486, and their use flourished among hunters. The terms for groups of people are equally interesting. For instance, did you know that according to Merriam-Webster, the term “a panel of experts” evolved from pannelus, a diminutive Latin word for a piece of cloth, and that this term was once used to describe pieces of parchment on which jury lists were written?

Such collective nouns have such individual origins that there is no way to learn them all except to look them up. Three cheers for the internet!