How do you beat the midweek slump?

The Essentials of Conditionals

You only have to observe a dog rooting around in the trash can to realize that dogs don’t understand what could happen if they eat spoiled food. Humans, on the other hand, have the power of reason. Rotten meat is dangerous. They can imagine various possible consequences—a tummyache, a trip to the hospital, expensive prescriptions, and so on. Conditional sentences reflect humans’ capacity to hypothesize. What are conditional sentences? How can you use them? How are they useful? Let’s explore the answers to these three questions.

Conditional sentences, sometimes called if-clauses, refer to hypothetical situations and their projected consequences. The if-clause presents a particular condition that must be in place for an action in the main clause to occur.

The Zero Conditional

Zero conditionals refer to general truths or real, possible situations in the present tense.

If water reaches a temperature of 212℉, it boils. Water always boils at 212℉, so this statement is a general truth. In fact, you can replace if with when: When water is heated to 212℉, it boils.

You can also use the zero conditional to give commands that are contingent on a certain circumstance:

If the dog goes outside, make sure he doesn’t get into the trash. If it rains, bring an umbrella.

Conditional Type 1

Zero conditional sentences discuss what happens in general. You will need the Type 1 conditionals to discuss what will happen in the future. Since the future is not entirely predictable, these sentences are not absolute truths but instead likely possibilities.

If I fall asleep, I will miss my favorite show. I will arrive late if my car doesn’t start soon.

Conditional Type 2

You can use the second conditional to talk about things that are unlikely to happen but theoretically possible.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in Manarola. She would pass the class if she had a tutor. If the company mailed the check on time, he should get it on Monday.

Conditional Type 3

The third conditional talks about things that are impossible.

I would have gone to the party if I had known about it. (The party is already over, so it is too late to attend.) If humans could fly, they would crash into each other in midair. (Humans don’t have wings, so this condition is impossible to fulfill.)

Mixed Conditionals

English speakers often mix these four basic types of conditionals to talk about the present hypothetical results of past events that may or may not have happened.

If mom had let my buy a goat, I wouldn’t be mowing the lawn right now. If she were going to pass the class, she would have attended the final exam.

If you can identify this sentence as a conditional, you are doing well. Beyond the classroom, you may never need to know whether it is a Type 1 or Type 2. However, you do need to know how to use conditionals in order to put your reasoning power to best use. Conditionals enable you to talk about all the possibilities, such as what will happen if your dog eats garbage or how you would spend a million dollars. You can also talk about impossibilities, such as what humans would do if they had wings or what you should have done that you didn’t. Nothing limits you but your own imagination.

Is It Favorite or Favourite?

It is sometimes said that the United States and the United Kingdom are two countries separated by a common language. Despite the fact that English is the most widely used language in both countries, a distinction is often made between the English used in the United States—American English—and the English used in the United Kingdom—British English. The differences between the two varieties of English are usually subtle, but they exist nonetheless, particularly around spelling.

Favorite and favourite are both correct spellings, depending on whether you use American or British spelling standards. Favorite is preferred in American English, while favourite is preferred in British English. Sometimes, favorite or favourite can be used and the correct form depends on which style guide you follow.

Learn more details about these spelling differences below.

The Correct Way to Spell Favorite

The answer to that question might depend on where you are. If you’re in the United States, you would hear that “favorite” is the correct spelling. If you were pretty much anywhere else in the world where English is spoken, you would hear that “favourite” is the spelling you should use. “Favourite” and “favorite” mean the same thing, are pronounced the same way (FAY-vuh-rit or FAY-vrit), and are both correct spellings.

Definition of Favorite

“Favorite” (or “favourite,” if that’s the spelling you favour) is a word that can be used both as a noun and as an adjective.

When used as a noun, “favorite” can have two meanings. When we like someone or something more than other people or things, we can use the word favorite to let the world know:

I had many toys when I was a child, but the fire truck was my favorite.

Favorite is also a word that pops up frequently in relation to competitions. We call the person most likely to win the competition “the favorite”

Although he’d entered the tournament as the favorite, he still had a couple of tough matches in front of him.

We mentioned that favorite can also be used as an adjective. When we use it like that, favorite has only one meaning—“most liked” or “preferred”:

Blue is Peter’s favorite color. He likes red, too, but not as much as blue.

The Origins of the Two Spellings of Favorite

“Favorite” and “favourite” share a common backstory with other words in the English language. The word “color,” for example, is spelled with an “-or” ending in American English, while in British English it’s spelled “colour.” There are plenty of other examples: “flavor” and “flavour,” “honor” and “honour,” “rumor” and “rumour.” The list could go on and on.

For a long time, there was no consensus on how words ending with -or or -our should be spelled in Britain. We know that Samuel Johnson, the famous British lexicographer, had a strong preference for the -our versions of words, as is evident from his 1755 dictionary. On the other side of the pond, an equally famous American lexicographer, Noah Webster, wanted to make the English language used in America truly American. So, his 1828 dictionary recommended the -or spellings of the disputed words. To this day, Webster gets a lot of credit for influencing the way Americans write English.

Favorite vs. Favourite: Examples

The easiest way to notice the difference in spelling and its national character is by looking through different national publications or international editions of media outlets.

For the first time in four years, TJ’s did not earn the title of favorite supermarket in America, despite its cult following.”

The Huffington Post, US edition

To help kick off the delicious cake feast, top chefs and cooks have shared their favourite (and easy to make) recipes.

The Huffington Post, Australian edition

To celebrate HuffPost Canada’s fifth anniversary, we’ve compiled some of our favourite splashes.

The Huffington Post, Canadian edition

Current odds are making Russia’s superstar Sergey Lazarev the hot favourite, with the UK’s Joe and Jake coming in at a respectable seventh place in the bookies’ list of favourites.

The Huffington Post, UK edition

Have you discussed grammar with educators?

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.

Grammar Basics: What Are Commonly Confused Phrases in English?

Are there certain phrases in English that you can never quite remember? Chances are, others have the same difficulty. Here are some of the most commonly confused expressions in English.

I couldn’t care less So you do care! That’s what you’ll be saying if you say what many others mistakenly do: I could care less.

By accident If you say this wrong, you might have learned it from a native speaker. Plenty of them say “on accident.”

First come, first served The ones who come first don’t serve, they are served.

Should have, would have, could have Of is a preposition with many meanings, none of which make sense with should, could, or would. The confusion might stem from how people hear the pronunciation of contractions like should’ve (should have). Admittedly, they do sound like “should of, could of, would of.”

You have (got) another think coming Almost no one gets this one right. The expression started as a clever rebuttal. If a friend says, “I think so-and-so would make a great president,” you could reply that she has another think coming. You’ve got another thing coming sounds ominous. It implies that something once came and another thing is on its way. But what thing is that?

For all intents and purposes Though some purposes intensify, this expression is not “for all intensive purposes.” It means for every practical reason.

If you are confused about an expression that is not on the list, visit Grammarly Answers. Hundreds of people are asking questions about phrases that puzzle them. As a matter of fact, you might find questions about an expression you learned about in this article. Share your newfound understanding or ask a question of your own.

Writing the “Great American Novel?” Here Are the Top Three Mistakes You’ll Make

According to an oft-quoted 2002 article from The New York Times, 81 percent of Americans believe they have a book in them – and that they should write it.

In November, 41,940 participants in National Novel Writing Month did just that when they successfully wrote 50,000 words in 30 days. At the same time, because not all novelists-to-be have the time to write a solo-book, the Grammarly team organized a group of authors to collaborate on one novel. Clocking in at a total of 130,927 unedited words, around 300 writers from 27 countries (and 44 U.S. states) participated in the group writing project.

And now, we’re editing.

As part of the editing process, Grammarly ran the text of the group novel through our automated grammar checker to analyze spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Here are the top three mistakes that our GrammoWriMo writers made, and that you’re probably making in your own writing.

Missing comma

While unnecessary commas can turn straightforward sentences into twisting labyrinths of syntactical confusion, missing a critical comma can change the entire meaning of your sentence. Missing commas often mean the difference between politely requesting that your friends continue to have a good time (“party on, friends”) and actually throwing a soiree on your friends (“party on friends”).

Run-on sentences

Many writers neglect to use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (“and,” “but,” “or,” etc.) – making their sentences long and confusing. However, run-on sentences are often a stylistic choice for novelists. Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner both won The Nobel Prize in Literature, yet they are both known for their long, run-on sentences – as is James Joyce. Contemporary writers like Cormac McCarthy and Tim O’Brien also have literary love affairs with the run-on sentence. Would their writing be so beautiful if they didn’t?

Comma splice

If you try to use a comma to do the work of a semicolon, you’ve created a comma splice. Comma splices may sound vaguely dangerous, but all they are is the misuse of a comma to hold two independent clauses together. Independent clauses are complete thoughts consisting of a subject (at its simplest, a noun) and a predicate (at minimum, a verb). If you want to string two independent clauses together you need either a semicolon or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

Now that the holiday season is winding down, you’ll probably have more time to edit that “Great American Novel” you’ve been working on. Pay attention special attention to the comma and run-on sentences!

Are you writing a novel? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Monday Motivation Hack: Treat Yourself

Mondays are hard.

But they don’t have to be.

In our Monday Motivation series, we’re set on helping you make the start of your week—and maybe the entire week—something you look forward to. This week we’re diving into something that might seem pretty obvious, but is often overlooked:

Give yourself something to look forward to, something that will make you feel successful.

Rather than wallow in the misery of Monday, why not make Monday a special day? Not only does this strategy make good common sense, but it’s also scientifically shown to help you be more caring, more productive, and happier. Here’s how.

How Taking Care of Yourself Makes You a Better Person

No. Taking time for yourself is not selfish.

If your personal needs are not met often or consistently enough, bad things start happening—you feel tired, stressed, annoyed, abused, or something else—eek! In this state, you just can’t perform at the top of your game. Your reserve of awesomeness gets drained and willpower suffers.

If you’re feeling low, how are you going to find the patience, joy, and passion to invest in other people, problems, and projects?

With difficulty.

Self-care means you fill your own cup. Your needs are met and you become less dependent on external satisfaction and more able to invest in others.

Cheryl Richardson, author of The Art of Extreme Self Care, explains it this way:

“. . .when we care for ourselves deeply and deliberately, we naturally begin to care for others—our families, our friends, and the world—in a healthier and more effective way.”

Sounds good, right?

How Taking Care of Yourself Makes You More Productive

It can be easy to think of self-care as an incentive for good behavior—if I get up early, I can have a fancy latte. Unfortunately, if you want to really make progress on your goals, incentives don’t work. They work well for short-term changes, but for consistent behavioral improvement, they don’t cut it.

In order for self-care to help boost your productivity, it has to be part of the goal itself. You want to tap into the progress principle—this idea that you have made meaningful progress toward a goal. For example, if you aim to be alert and active in your afternoon meetings, and you understand that you feel better and more energized after a walk, the walk shouldn’t serve as a reward but rather part of your strategy for success. (Incidentally, this helps to take away some of the feelings of guilt associated with self-care.)

Here’s a tip: Don’t think about self-care as an incentive. Thinking of it as progress on changing attitudes and behaviors that will bring you closer to your goals.

So how does this shift in thinking work? Here are some examples:

• “I’ll get the latte because I woke up early” becomes “I’ll get a latte because it makes me happy and starts my day off positively.”
• “I got that project done so I can go out with friends after work” becomes “Going out with friends is important for me to clear my mind and complete my work with fresh eyes.”
• “I didn’t eat sweets all week so I can have this cake now” becomes “Having some cake once in a while makes me happy and reminds me how much better I have become at balancing food choices.”

In each case, you shift the focus from treating yourself because of your good behavior toward how the behavior marks progress toward your objectives. This shift not only frames self-care itself as a kind of productivity, but it also actually helps restore motivation and determination, which have direct effects on your success. Just be careful that this doesn’t become a form of veiled procrastination.

How Taking Care of Yourself Makes You Happier

In the Harvard Business Review, Teresa Amabile and Steven J. Kramer discuss how happiness at work (and generally) is at the heart of productivity and success.

. . .[I]n the realm of knowledge work, people are more creative and productive when their inner work lives are positive—when they feel happy, are intrinsically motivated by the work itself, and have positive perceptions of their colleagues and the organization.

In her research, Amabile has found that happy moods are most highly correlated with “steps forward.” In fact, on 73 percent of good days, people reported making progress.

But why is progress so important to happiness?

Amabile’s “small wins” are basically a kind of positive feedback on a given goal. Regular useful feedback toward a goal can inspire states of flow, which, through the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, have been linked to greater levels of happiness.

Although self-care itself may not induce flow—unless it’s a particular kind of activity that gives continuous feedback, like writing or sport—it does improve your outlook and emotional bandwidth, which can contribute to these states in other areas of life, such as work.

Building self-care into your definition of progress immediately gives you the kind of positive feedback that improves your level of happiness.

Simple Tips for Self-Care and How to Treat Yourself

The key to getting the “treat yourself” mentality to work for you is to understand a few key guidelines.

Self-care is highly personal. Taking a generic out-of-the-box activity and trying to adopt it as your own doesn’t often work well. If you pick something that doesn’t work well for your needs and preferences, treating yourself starts to feel like a chore.

1. Self-care is the fun stuff.There is a lot of playfulness surrounding taking care of yourself (#treatyoself). This is largely because self-care should be fun. Effective activities are going to be those things that are a delight to you and recharge you. If it’s not fun, look for something else.
2. Don’t over analyze it.This is particularly true for you control-lovers out there. Don’t over-organize it or over-plan, otherwise you’ll kill it. For example, self-care doesn’t work as well if you commit to practicing it once every two hours for sixty to ninety seconds and once every four hours for ten minutes and again once a week for three hours. . . the schedule itself becomes burdensome.

Here’s a tip: Listen to your needs, take a timeout when you need it, and do something genuinely enjoyable.

If you are not sure what kinds of activities you might want to try, Greatist put together a helpful list that accommodates various time investments.

It’s time to make Monday a day of progress and happiness, and it starts with you.

What are you going to do to “treat yourself” today?