5 Puns That Will Make You Laugh out Loud on April Fools’ Day

Looking for a laugh on April Fools’ Day? At least one of these puns is sure to make you giggle.

Share your favorite pun in the comments section!

Why You NEED to Write Every Day

Alzheimer’s, dementia, and severe memory loss affect memory, thinking, language, and behavior—even beyond expected decreases in function from the typical aging process. But according to a recent study by the Medical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology, there are some strategies to help you avoid this type of cognitive decline that you can begin working on now. First and foremost: Be a bookworm!

Scientists have found that people who are consistently engaged in mentally stimulating activities–like reading–throughout their lives have a significantly slower decline in memory loss.

Methodology:

Scientists examined 264 people around 89-years-old, following them for a total of six years. Each person was given memory tests each year throughout the study. The participants were also surveyed on the number of mentally stimulating activities they participated in throughout their childhood and adult life.

Following the death of each participant, scientists autopsied their brains for physical evidence of dementia–like brain lesions and tangles. The collective results of the surveys, memory tests, and brain autopsies found that the rate of decline was reduced by 32 percent in people with frequent mental activity in late life.

Aside from reading, what are some easy, stimulating activities that you can do to slow down the process of memory loss? At Grammarly, we believe that writing tops the list! It’s a great way to process personal thoughts or dilemmas, and to engage in critical thinking.

Here are some ways that you can encourage yourself to write on a daily basis:

• Write letters to your future self. Try drafting one letter per month and opening it one year later during that same month. In the letter, describe the goals you hope to accomplish during that month, what your challenges were, and what you are hoping will transpire by the same time next year. Also use this exercise as a motivation to check things off of your personal “bucket list.”
• Start a blog. Find a topic you are passionate about like gardening, politics, or fashion, and write about it. Set a personal goal to post a new blog entry at least once a week. Challenge yourself to write more informative, engaging articles that don’t just interest you, but will also educate your potential readers.
• Write a book about your life story. Not only will this boost your memory of things that happened in the past, but documenting your life may also serve as a helpful resource in the future. Or, if writing about the past is too challenging, try starting a diary or a journal to document life’s activities moving forward.
• Write articles about hot topics. Watch news programs and then write a story to support what you’ve watched. This will help you recall facts and important information, not to mention to become more informed about what’s going on in the world today.

There are many other activities outside of writing that can also boost brain activity. Many people use memory games, crossword puzzles, and other word games to continuously challenge their minds. The best combination of cognitive stimulation includes a healthy lifestyle and a commitment to lifelong learning. Combined, these two elements can help to keep your mind active well into your golden years.

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!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

Program vs. Programme–What’s the Difference?

In American English, program is the correct spelling. In Australian English, program and programme are both acceptable. In British English, programme is the prefered spelling, although program is often used in computing contexts.

Decades ago, program appeared in American and British writing. In the nineteenth century, the Brits started to favor the French way of spelling it—programme. However it’s spelled, it means a plan of actions, activities, or procedures, usually for a specific purpose. Alternatively, it can refer to a list of acts or performers associated with an event, such as a theatrical play or a concert. Program can also function as a verb. It means to set, regulate, or modify to produce a specific result. When referring to writing code, both British and Americans use program as the preferred spelling.

The school started a morning breakfast program before classes.

The computer whiz programmedhis computer to wake him up thirty minutes after sunrise.

The backup dancer cried when she realized her name was not included in the program.

Examples

Program in the US

“By age 18, children not served by the Chicago CPC program were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime,” he said. “And, by age 24, those who were served by the program were 20 percent less likely to have served time in a jail or prison. By age 27, children not served by the Perry Preschool program were five times more likely to be chronic offenders, with five or more arrests.”

Downtown Express

Among the gadgets is Code-A-Pillar, a caterpillar-shaped robot comprised of interchangeable segments, each of which adds a different movement command to the overall contraption, allowing the stripling scholars to program its behavior as they work out a pattern that gets the bot from Point A to Point B.

Arkansas Matters

Program and Programme Outside the US

An accomplished dancer and part of the academy’s professional training program, she recently placed third in the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) of dance in the senior classical ballet category.

Victoria News

Libratus, an artificial intelligence program developed at Carnegie Mellon University, was trained to play a variant of the game known as no-limit heads-up Texas hold ’em

BBC News

An Irish scientist will feature in a BBC television programme on Wednesday night, to discuss the apparent health benefits of eating fermented foods.

Victoria News

Do you find it easy to tell the difference between program and programme? It’s fun to discover the differences between American and British English. Why not check out this article about the past tense of the verbs learn and label?

What is the Difference Between ‘Used to Cook,’ ‘Used to Cooking,’ and ‘Got Used to Cooking’?

Guest Post By Akmal Akbarov at EnglishClubPro.com

Have you ever wondered about the difference between “I used to cook every morning,” where we don’t add –ing to the verb ‘cook,’ and “I am used to cooking every morning”?

If you’re confused about the difference, I am going to explain everything in detail. I am sure you will be able to get the hang of it. ��

Let’s go!

‘Used to + verb’ for past events

Whenever you talk about events that happened a long time ago but don’t normally happen now, you should use this formula. For example:

I used to play football all day long when I was a child.

This means that you played football all day long when you were a child, but now you are much busier and you have no time to play football for such a long time. If you do play, it usually lasts for only one or two hours. Here is another example:

I used to smoke when I was in the army.

When you were in the army you smoked, but later you realized that it was very harmful to your health. So you gave up.

If you understood why and when we use the ‘used to + verb’ form, let’s now talk about three different ways to use it.

Positive form: I used to smoke when I was in the army.

Negative form: I didn’t use to smoke when I was in the army. (Pay attention, it is ‘use’ not ‘used’)

Question form: Did I use to smoke when I was in the army? (Pay attention, it is ‘use’ not ‘used’)

‘Used to + verb + ing’ for habits

Next, you use this form whenever you talk about your present habits. For example, you might say:

I am used to getting up early in the morning.

This means that it is your habit to get up early in the morning. You always get up early.

So now let’s discuss the three ways to use this construction.

Positive form: I am used to running every morning. (Notice: to be + used to + verb + ing)

Negative form: I am not used to running every morning. (Notice: to be + not + used to + verb + ing)

Question: Am I used to running every morning? (Notice: to be + subject + used to + verb + ing)

‘Get used to + verb + ing’ for new habits

All right, now let’s talk about this one. This form is almost the same as the previous one. However, if we compare …

I am used to running every morning.

with

I am getting used to running every morning.

…then we can see that ‘I am getting used to running’ means that you are only learning how to run in the morning. It was not your habit before, but now, because you are running every morning, it is becoming normal and habitual for you. Let’s another example.

Imagine that I am in China. I have never used chopsticks to eat my meals. But now I am using them every day and it is becoming a normal thing for me. Actually, now I prefer eating with chopsticks rather than with spoons or forks. So I say:

I am getting used to eating my meal with chopsticks.

Now let’s see the three ways we can use it.

Positive form: I am getting used to listening to music while I read a book.

Negative form: I am not getting used to listening to music while I read a book.

Question form: Am I getting used to listening to music while I read a book?

---

Hi, my name is Akmal. I’m an English language enthusiast, blogger, writer, and entrepreneur. In addition to being the founder of EnglishClubPro.com, I’m also a teacher of English with more than ten years of experience. I love helping aspiring English learners to master their English.

Post adapted from original post.

Thru vs. Through—Which Is Right?

• Through can be a preposition, an adjective, and an adverb.
• Through is the only formally accepted spelling of the word.
• Thru is an alternate spelling that should be used only in informal writing or when referring to drive-throughs.

---

As if all the confusion over the words through and threw wasn’t enough, modern English has piled on yet another homophone: thru.

Through vs. Thru

Through can be used as a preposition, an adverb, and an adjective. It has several meanings, including “from one side to the other,” “from beginning to end,” and “during an entire period”:

He rode his bicycle through the door and onto the street.

You have to read the book through if you want to be prepared for class.

We were dancing all through the concert.

Through is the only acceptable way to spell the word in a formal situation. In informal situations, and especially when texting or instant messaging, the form thru is becoming increasingly popular:

Did you come thru with the tickets?

Come to my place, we’ll go thru all the episodes of Firefly.

There is one occasion when thru might be an acceptable choice even in formal writing. The word drive-through is commonly spelled with the shortened form of through:

The bank opened its first drive-thru on Monday.

Through vs. Thru: Examples

The management of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has canceled orchestra concerts through Dec. 5.

Pittsburg Post Gazette

The traffic pattern will be similar to last year and motorists should allow extra time to get through the area during shift changes.

WRIC

Over 100 people got married or renewed their vows in “run-thru” weddings on Sunday during the Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon.

New York Daily News

On Tuesday afternoon, she is the second person to pull into Drive-Thru Prayer at Tyner, an event that has taken place on the first Tuesday of each month since September.

Times Free Press

Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses—What’s the Difference?

A restrictive clause modifies the noun that precedes it in an essential way. Restrictive clauses limit or identify such nouns and cannot be removed from a sentence without changing the sentence’s meaning. A nonrestrictive clause, on the other hand, describes a noun in a nonessential way.

The terminology in this area of grammar can be confusing, so let’s get that out of the way. Because restrictive clauses provide key, identifying information, they are often referred to as essential clauses, and nonrestrictive clauses are also called nonessential clauses for the opposite reason. They are both types of relative clauses because the information they provide relates to the subject of another clause.

As if that weren’t enough, both function as adjective clauses, because they describe their noun antecedents.

Aren’t you glad we cleared that up?

Restrictive Clauses Narrow Things Down

Restrictive clauses are usually introduced by the relative pronouns that, who, whom, or whose. A restrictive clause can have an identifying function.

The astronaut who first stepped on the moon was Neil Armstrong.

The restrictive clause in this sentence is who first stepped on the moon. If we stripped it from the sentence, we would be left with this:

The astronaut was Neil Armstrong.

There is nothing grammatically wrong with this Spartan sentence. However, it does not have the same intent as the former example, which was to identify the person who first set foot on the moon’s surface.

A restrictive clause can also have a limiting function.

Children who eat vegetables are likely to be healthy.

If the restrictive clause who eat vegetables were removed from this sentence, the intended limits on the noun children would be no more.

Children are likely to be healthy.

Obviously, our intention with the first sentence was to point out which children, from among the world’s multitudes, perform a behavior likely to sustain their health. Thus, who eat vegetables is an essential element of that sentence.

Nonrestrictive Clauses Give Bonus Info

Nonrestrictive clauses provide additional but optional descriptions that can be excised from a sentence without altering its meaning or structure.

Kaylee, who just graduated from high school, is an accomplished figure skater.

While the nonrestrictive clause who just graduated from high school offers a good description of the subject of this sentence, Kaylee, the sentence retains its meaning without it.

Kaylee is an accomplished figure skater.

Commas and Relative Clauses

A broad rule you can apply to relative clauses in order to punctuate them correctly is that restrictive clauses are never offset by commas, whereas nonrestrictive clauses are. One way to remember this is that nonrestrictive clauses are removable, and commas mark the removable part of the sentence. Restrictive clauses, on the other hand, are essential; they need to blend with their sentences seamlessly, without commas.

Would you lend me the book, that you recommended last week?

Would you lend me the book that you recommended last week?

Oliver Twist which was Dickens’s second novel is a classic.

Oliver Twist, which was Dickens’s second novel, is a classic.

Deciding between That and Which

Confusion about when to use that and which has arisen for good reason: British and American English have different rules for them. In American English, that is used to introduce restrictive clauses, and which introduces nonrestrictive clauses.

The lamp, which was given to me by Aunt Betsy, is on the bedside table.

The lamp that Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

In British English, it is often acceptable to substitute which in restrictive clauses.

The lamp which Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

Of course, that could also be used acceptably in British English, which makes it safer, by default, to follow the American rule when in doubt. It also makes it easier to decide whether to insert commas, because if you follow the American rules, you can remember that commas should not precede that, but they should precede which.

A third option for the last example would be to rewrite it to omit all relative pronouns. If you can do that successfully, the clause is definitely restrictive.

The lamp Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

Now that you have taken the time to learn these important rules, one thing has no restrictions at all: the limits of your writing.