How Well Do You Know Your Literary Characters?

8 Ways to Show Gratitude at Work

As published in Glamour magazine, a little thankfulness can make you more successful at work. How so? The article reports that a study by the email scheduling app Boomerang identified three email sign-offs that result in the best response rates—thanks in advance, thanks, and thank you. If a simple email signature has such a profound effect, just think of what you can achieve with a genuine act of appreciation! Here are eight ways to show your colleagues how grateful you really are.

Say It Aloud

Saying thank you will make your coworkers feel nice, but they aren’t the only ones who will reap benefits from a kind word or two. A study from the John Templeton Foundation reported that almost all of the 2,000 participants reported that saying thank you to fellow workers made them feel a sense of happiness and fulfillment. Yes, saying thank you is as important as hearing it at work. The same study reported that only 40 percent of these same workers expressed gratitude at work more than once a year. Why don’t you change the trend today? Reflect over the past few months. Who deserves a sincere thanks?

Friendship

What’s the highest motivator to “go the extra mile” at work? According to Laura Troyani, an employee engagement expert, the majority of employees make an extra effort if they are friends with their colleagues. A Globoforce study suggests three benefits of workplace friendships—improved productivity, higher rates of employee retention, and happier workers. What can you do to encourage social interaction at your workplace? Why not host a social event? Whether it’s a simple lunch out on the town or a company mixer, coworkers might enjoy getting to know each other if you can create a warm, relaxed atmosphere at your gathering.

Pay Increases

Almost everyone would agree that the economy has had its ups and downs. Even full-time workers sometimes complain about how hard it is to make ends meet. In a research study of what high-performing workers want at work, competitive compensation and bonuses topped the list of desirable rewards. Periodically, company leaders should compare how their salaries compare to their competitors. In high-profit quarters, they can consider sharing some of the bounty with the valuable people behind the scenes.

Flexibility

In the same study mentioned above, high achievers also ranked flexibility high on their wish list. To have the flexibility to take their vacation time when they want to is essential to some employees. Others would prefer flexibility in their work hours or in their work location. The only way to find out what appeals to your colleagues is to ask! And if you are an employee, don’t hesitate to make your desires known to your boss. If you prove that it will increase your productivity, they just may be motivated to make all your dreams come true.

Create a Space for Recognition

If you desire to show or receive more recognition for your hard work, you can rest assured that you are not alone. One company gets together regularly for “hatitude.” In a biannual ritual, workers take turns wearing a silly hat during a business dinner. The hat-wearer gets showered with thanks for all the great things they did in the last six months. All it takes is a bulletin board and a few post-it notes to encourage coworkers to acknowledge each other’s strengths and successes. If you are short on space or work in a virtual environment, you can still use technology to spread the spirit of gratitude. A periodic email newsletter or a designated channel of your group’s messaging tool can accomplish the same purpose.

Gifts

Nothing says “I appreciate you” like gifts. More than 75 percent of companies provide gifts for high-achieving team members via recognition programs, according to an article in Time magazine. What kinds of gifts are popular? Workers receive office supplies, watches, and even computer software through recognition programs. Some companies allow workers to select from a catalog of gifts while others offer gift cards redeemable at stores and restaurants. The same article quotes the Aberdeen Group: “Being able to track the effectiveness of engagement and recognition efforts can help organizations better align engagement with business objectives and improve performance.” In other words, companies learn from following the proportionate increases in employee production and morale.

Time and a Listening Ear

Though it might be tempting to eat your sandwich at your desk or run out the door the minute the clock reaches closing time, staying a few extra moments is a way to express appreciation. How’s that? Showing that you have time to listen to others indicates that you appreciate their opinion. Spending time with colleagues during free time demonstrates how much you value their company.

Food

Did someone help you out at work? A tasty lunch is a excellent way to express your thanks. To thank a large group, bake cookies, muffins, or a cake for the break room. If baking isn’t your forte, you can easily pick up a box of donuts or a vegetable platter on your way to work. To avoid triggering allergies, display an index card with the ingredients for any homemade treats. Or better yet, send out an email with the recipe.

From email closings to ice cream socials, showing gratitude is an easy and beneficial thing to do. Not only will you make fellow workers feel appreciated, but also you will feel more positive yourself as you actively look for the good in others. How will you display your appreciation for your hard-working associates? You are only limited by your creativity.

Congradulations or Congratulations—Which Is Right?

• Congratulations is correct.
• Congradulations is a common misspelling.

---

When something important and meaningful happens to someone, it’s nice to acknowledge it. But before we do, we need to double-check our spelling.

Congradulations vs. Congratulations—Which Is Correct?

There’s just one way to spell it, and that’s congratulations, with a T. This word came into English from Latin, where it was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning “with,” to the root gratulari, meaning “give thanks” or “show joy.”

Congradulations, with a D, or congraduation, for that matter, is plain wrong:

No need for congradulations just yet—Paul still has some tough exams to pass before he graduates.

I think that congratulations are in order.

Jenny got promoted yesterday; we should text her congradulations.

Congratulations, you won a free weekend at the spa!

I sent a congradulations card, but I think I made a spelling mistake.

When we give congratulations, we are taking part in someone else’s happiness.

Example

Congratulations go out to Carter, as well as the faculty who helped him along, and best wishes for continued academic successes in the future.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Former India cricketers Anil Kumble and Mohammad Kaif extended their wishes and congratulations to Yuvraj Singh on his upcoming wedding with model-actress Hazel Keech.

The Indian Express

There’s nothing wrong with making a spelling mistake here and there, as long as you notice it and correct it in time. And there are plenty of chances to make mistakes, so make sure you brush up on the spelling of other commonly misspelled words, like “occurred,” “separate,” and “forty.”

Good vs. Well–How Should I Use Them?

A common English error is to misuse the words good and well. The rule of thumb is that good is an adjective and well is an adverb. Good modifies a noun; something can be or seem good. Well modifies a verb; an action can be done well. However, when you’re talking about health, well can be used as an adjective.

All you need to remember when you are pondering whether good or well is best for your sentence is that good modifies a person, place, or thing, whereas well modifies an action. If you’re having a good day, then your day is going well.

Did you do good on your exams?

Did you do well on your exams?

I can’t believe it! I did good on the test.

I can’t believe it! I did well on the test.

Here, we have a clear action verb: to do. Do should be modified with well, not good.

This is well lasagna!

This is good lasagna!

Lasagna is a noun—a thing—that should be modified with good. Nonaction verbs, like to be, to look, to seem, and to feel can also take good, the adjectival form.

Today, at last, life is good .

An Exception to the Well/Good Rule: Health and Wellbeing

When we refer to a person’s health or wellbeing, well is customarily used as an adjective.

She asked about David’s illness, and I told her he is good now.

She asked about David’s illness, and I told her he is well now.

When you tell someone “Be good!” you are talking about the behavior of that person. However, to say, “Be well!” is to express a wish for their good health.

3 Charles Dickens Characters You Don’t Want to Meet

The great English writer Charles Dickens is known for his well-crafted characters. While some of the characters we meet in Dickens’ novels are endearing heroes, others are sinister villains. Here are three Dickens characters you would never want to meet.

Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist A career criminal, violent abuser, and murderer, Bill Sikes is at the top of the list of characters to avoid. This is how Dickens describes him: “…a stoutly-built fellow of about five-and-thirty, in a black velveteen coat, very soiled drab breeches, lace-up half boots, and grey cotton stockings which enclosed a bulky pair of legs, with large swelling calves—the kind of legs, which in such costume, always look in an unfinished and incomplete state without a set of fetters to garnish them. He had a brown hat on his head, and a dirty belcher handkerchief round his neck: with the long frayed ends of which he smeared the beer from his face as he spoke. He disclosed, when he had done so, a broad heavy countenance with a beard of three weeks’ growth, and two scowling eyes; one of which displayed various parti-coloured symptoms of having been recently damaged by a blow.”

Daniel Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop Daniel Quilp is a sneaky manipulator who uses secrets as currency. A condescending liar, Quilp can’t be trusted. If you met him on the street, it would be wise to keep your head down and walk the other way.

Miss Havisham in Great Expectations Although her cruelty stems from the deep pain of betrayal and rejection, Miss Havisham is cruel nonetheless. She meddles in both Pip and Estella’s lives, encouraging love in one and brutal indifference in the other. Miss Havisham succeeds in hurting everyone close to her and ruins the lives of others as a consequence. She’s destructive, manipulative, and cruel. Watch out!

Which Dickens character is your favorite villain? Let us know in the comments!

Are You a Word Nerd?

Grammar is cool now (it’s still cool, right?) so it’s okay to wave your red pen in the air like you just don’t care. Take the quiz below and find out just how much of a word nerd you really are. Give yourself a point for each statement you agree with.

• You correct the lyrics to pop songs as you sing along. It’s the “one who got away,” Katy Perry.
• The “ten items or less” sign at the grocery store still sends you into a rage after all these years.
• You have a favorite style guide and will defend it to the death.
• You’ve written “stet” in the margins of a paper at least once.
• You know when to hyphenate a compound modifier.
• You’ve lost at least one friend over the use of the Oxford comma.
• You have a favorite punctuation mark.
• You have a favorite font.
• The misuse of “decimate” or “enormity” makes you disproportionately mad.
• You’ve traded your proofreading services for beer and/or pizza.
• You text in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
• You have a print copy of a dictionary. (Give yourself a bonus point if it’s the Oxford English Dictionary.)
• It doesn’t matter how many people use it wrong; you’ll never say “literally” when you really mean “figuratively.”
• You know when to use “i.e.” and when to use “e.g.” in a sentence.
• Grammar on Twitter gives you hives.
• You were really excited when Facebook started letting you correct your posts.
• You’ve corrected a grammar mistake on a public sign.
• You know what “nonplussed” means and have used it in a sentence.
• The use of apostrophes to indicate plurals makes you weep for the future.
• You’ve spent way too long at The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks or Apostrophe Catastrophes.
• When reading aloud, you say “bang” whenever you encounter an exclamation point.
• You pity the fools who use “whom” incorrectly in an attempt to sound smarter.
• You take grammar quizzes online for fun.
• You’re actually not great at Scrabble/Words With Friends because you’d rather spell the coolest word possible than the one that gives you the most points.
• You follow Grammarly on Facebook.

Scoring:

1-6: Sorry, but you’re not a grammar nerd. Study The Elements of Style and get back to us in a month.

7-12: Although you know your way around a sentence, you don’t diagram them for fun.

13-18: You have a red pen on your person at all times.

19-24: You sleep with a thesaurus under your pillow so you can dream new of new words.

25+: You are the ultimate word nerd. May all lesser word nerds bow before you.

What did you rate? Share your score below!

Grammar Basics: What Is Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement?

Pronouns need antecedents. That means that the thing (or person, or place) that the pronoun refers to needs to have been mentioned already by name somewhere earlier in the sentence or paragraph. If it’s not clear which thing the pronoun refers to, the reader can get quite confused.

Learn more about pronoun-antecedent agreement.

To learn more about grammar and to help us celebrate National Grammar Day this March, visit our new resource page.