From Pens to Speech: How Writing Tools Have Evolved

As technology improves, it’s faster and easier than ever to get words from brain to screen. We’ve progressed from dipping utensils in ink to using speech recognition software to dictate an entire Slate article. Here’s the evolution of writing tools at a glance.

Pens

Writers initially used reed or bamboo pens, feather quills, ink brushes, or dip pens, all of which were dipped into ink and then placed on papyrus or paper. These were notoriously messy, which prompted the creation of a reservoir pen in 1636, which was made from two quills. One quill was sealed with a cork and held the ink, which was squeezed through a tiny hole. In 1827, a patent was issued in France for a fountain pen with an ink chamber in the handle.

The first patent for a ballpoint pen, or a pen that has a tiny moving ball in a socket in the pen tip, was issued in 1888. Then came the invention of felt-tip pens in the 1960s, rollerball pens in the 1970s, and erasable pens in 1979.

Typewriters

In 1868, the first commercially successful typewriter was invented. Mark Twain typed the following letter to his brother in 1875:

The machine has several virtues. I believe it will print faster than I can write. One may lean back in his chair & work it. It piles an awful stack of words on one page. It don’t muss things or scatter ink blots around. Of course it saves paper.

Initially, some people insisted that only two fingers be used to type while others said eight would be better and that typists should stare at the buttons, while still others argued it would be better to stare at the page. The QWERTY keyboard arrangement, on the other hand, was agreed upon by most and has barely changed since the invention of the typewriter.

Ever wonder why we have the QWERTY keyboard? It was arranged by Christopher Latham Sholes, inventor of the typewriter, who originally placed letters in two rows ordered alphabetically. The flaw in this system was that letters that were combined most often, such as “st” and “th,” were hit close together and caused the keyboard to jam. Thus, Sholes collaborated with Amos Densmore, an educator, and rearranged the keys according to their popularity to prevent jamming. This caused initial confusion for typists because they couldn’t find the keys, but it proved to make typing faster, because the keys wouldn’t jam.

Computers

Typewriters were widely used until computers advanced to the point that the average consumer could use them. In the late 1970s, Apple, Radio Shack, and Commodore began manufacturing keyboards for their computers. For a throwback, watch this Radio Shack commercial for the TRS-80.

Mobile Phones

Typing on mobile phones started with multi-tap approach on alphanumeric keys (1=abc, 2=def, and so on), as used by the 1989 Motorola MicroTAC 9800X. By 1993, however, we had the IBM Simon, the world’s first full QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen. The Nokia 9000 Communicator was launched in 1997 with the first QWERTY push-button keyboard and a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard. Now, many smartphone users only use QWERTY keyboards on-screen, although physical keyboards may be making a comeback.

Speech Recognition Software

Speech recognition first appeared in the 1950s to 1960s with Bell Laboratories’ “Audrey” system, which could recognize spoken digits. In the 1990s, Dragon released the first consumer-targeted speech recognition product, called Dragon Dictate, for a whopping $9,000. By the 2000s, speech recognition plateaued at about 80% accuracy, until very recently. In the last two to three years, speech recognition has improved thanks to Apple’s and Google’s speech-recognition capabilities. Typing by voice is now easier and faster than typing on screen; it’s also necessary as wearable devices like Google Glass and Apple Watch and products like Amazon fire TV come into the fray. The software parses your words from ambient noises, then analyzes the linguistic context to decipher what you’re probably saying.

The Future of Writing

Is handwriting becoming obsolete? In a study by Docmail, one-third of the 2,000 respondents said they hadn’t written anything by hand in the last forty-one days. Also, handwriting is receiving less emphasis in schools. Students in the U.S. are taking notes on laptops and cursive writing has been eliminated from the Common Core curriculum standards. American children have been required to know how to use a keyboard since 2013. Typing “allows us to go faster, not because we want everything faster in our hyped-up age, but for the opposite reason: we want more time to think,” said Anne Trubek, associate professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. Do you think pen and paper will be replaced by speech recognition? Will handwriting ever be obsolete?

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65 Powerful Words to Take Your Resume to the Next Level

Do you consider yourself a hard worker? A team player? A people person? Whatever you do, don’t tell that to the person reading your resume. Why not? Because if they hear about one more of those, they’re going to tear the resume into itty-bitty shreds.

As good as certain terms might seem, they’ve been on a few billion too many resumes to mean anything to potential bosses. When you’re updating your resume, make your accomplishments stand out by using words that are powerful and descriptive rather than stale and clichéd. Resume power words are important.

And it’s not just about the specific word: it’s also about paying attention to the company’s buzzwords and focusing on skills related to the job. Read on to get the nitty-gritty on those important steps, or jump straight to the suave and sexy synonyms that will make your resume words pop and let you ditch the duds like “dedicated,” “leader,” and “manage.”

Capitalize on Company Keywords

First things first: whether you’re applying to be a CEO or an intern, tailor your resume and your cover letter to the company you’re applying to.

This is important not just to get the attention of the person reading your resume, but also to ensure that a person does read your resume. Some companies automate the hiring process with applicant tracking systems, which screen for resumes that use specific keywords—and if you don’t have the keywords, you don’t get the interview.

But whether the company uses an applicant tracking system or has a human reading resumes, including words related to the company’s mission shows that you did your homework and would be a good fit for the team. Here are a few examples:

• If you’re applying for a job involving writing, don’t just write “wrote.” Use words like published, reported, investigated. If possible, include page views, social shares, or the circulation of your pieces.
• If you’re applying for a job in education or one that involves helping people, use words like mentored, trained, cultivated, or facilitated.
• If you’re applying for a job in finance or business, use words like enhanced, expanded, developed, yielded. Any specific numbers on gains or savings you’ve produced for previous employers will also give you a boost.
• If you’re applying for a job at a startup, use words like innovated, disrupted, spearheaded.
• If you’re applying to a job involving customer service (whether in a store or UX research), use words like reached, served, communicated, aided, and experience.

That doesn’t cover every job out there, but it shows how you can shape your resume based on what you’re applying to. In general, it’s a good rule of thumb to read the company description or the “About us” page on their website and go from there. Use some of their words—without copying language verbatim—and you’re more likely to get your foot in the door.

Showcase Resume Power Words Related to the Job

Obviously, you wouldn’t throw in the phrase “user experience” if you’re applying to be a teacher. It’s also important to focus on skills that you’ll be using if you get the job you’re applying for. In other words, no matter how great a camp counselor you were in high school, that probably won’t seem relevant when you’re applying to business school.

Look very closely at the job description of your desired position for hints about what they want. For example, a list of responsibilities on a job description might include a line like this: “Analyze, create, and document business and system processes through the use of templates and process flows.”

In your resume, take a similar work experience you’ve had and tweak it to mirror, but not exactly match, the language in the job description. For example: “At previous company, created template for documenting analytic process and streamlining business flow.” Takes the language, tweaks it, and makes you look like you’ll fit right in.

Resume Power Synonyms to Make Your Accomplishments Pop

Based on the specific achievements and accomplishments you want to highlight, here are lists of power words that will make your resume stand out from the crowd. Trust us: these look impressive whether you’re applying for your first job or trying to land a CEO gig.

“I wrote stuff, created something, or did things”

If you’re at an entry-level position or are shooting for something new, you may not have accomplishments like “headed company” or “raised $2 million.” But you can still showcase what you’ve done in a way that will highlight your ability to rise to bigger challenges.

• Produced (articles, reports, spreadsheets)
• Coordinated (your own project, a group effort)
• Created (a process, program, venture)
• Founded (a student club or organization)
• Organized (an event or group)
• Fundraised (money, and how much)
• Designed (a website, poster, method)
• Analyzed (a spreadsheet, lab project, data set)

“I led or managed a team”

Here are some ways to communicate that you were in charge of a group of people and wore your leadership mantle well. Whether it was a student group or a company of thousands, these words will make you look the part.

• Headed
• Oversaw
• Steered
• Coordinated
• Orchestrated
• Oversaw
• Directed
• Cultivated
• Facilitated
• Guided
• Mentored
• Mobilized
• Supervised

“I came up with or was in charge of a project”

Regardless of the position you’re applying for, you likely want to demonstrate that you can think critically and come up with solutions to the types of problems your potential company might face. These are great words to show that you’re a responsible leader and a thoughtful problem solver.

• Developed
• Engineered
• Implemented
• Established
• Formalized
• Initiated
• Instituted
• Launched
• Spearheaded
• Organized

“I made something better”

Maybe you improved a process, or you helped increase your company’s sales, revenue, or efficiency. These words are an improvement on “improve.” And remember to back up your claims with numbers if you can. Words can take you far, but it’s hard to beat an applicant who gives evidence with hard facts.

• Accelerated (a process)
• Boosted (sales, efficiency, experience)
• Amplified (output, readership, response rate)
• Delivered (results—and be specific)
• Expanded (audience)
• Generated (revenue)
• Stimulated (sales, innovation)
• Sustained (growth)
• Transformed (a system, structure, method)
• Expedited (a process, a set of outcomes)
• Maximized (success—but again, be specific)

“I fixed something”

Here are ways to say that you came up with an idea and implemented changes. As you can see, there’s nothing like a “re” word to show that you took something good and made it great.

• Customized
• Overhauled
• Strengthened
• Updated
• Upgraded
• Refined
• Redesigned
• Replaced
• Restructured
• Revamped

“I saved my company money”

You found waste, and figured out a way to get rid of it. In other words:

• Conserved (money—how much?)
• Reduced (expenditures)
• Deducted (overhead)
• Yielded (savings)
• Diagnosed (a problem—how big?)

“I dealt with difficult people”

Here’s where tactfulness really comes in. Whether you were herding kindergarteners or managing relationships with finicky clients, this is an area to emphasize your impact without sounding bitter about the tough folks you had to face

• Navigated (a situation)
• Negotiated (a solution)
• United (disparate individuals or groups)
• Arbitrated (an issue)
• Resolved (a problem)
• Consulted (a company)
• Forged (a relationship)
• Secured (a deal)

Where are the synonyms for “hard worker” and “team player,” you ask? If you picked the right power words to showcase your skills in a meaningful and evocative way, those qualities will come across all on their own.

So, now you’ve got all the words down, but are you still thirsting for more tips on what a good resume looks like? Check out Grammarly’s resume template, tips for streamlining your resume, specifics on resume writing for writers, and why you shouldn’t skip proofreading your resume.

Grammar Basics: What Are Antecedents?

When a pronoun replaces a noun, the noun is called an antecedent.

On Michael’s first day of work, he was a little nervous.

Michael is the antecedent and he is the pronoun. The antecedent doesn’t have to go before the pronoun, but putting the pronoun first can make long or complex sentences harder to follow.

On his first day of work, Michael was a little nervous.

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

Capitalization

At first glance, the rules of English capitalization seem simple. You probably know you should capitalize proper nouns and the first word of every sentence. But you also (sometimes) capitalize the first word of a quote. Usually you don’t capitalize after a colon, but there are exceptions. And what do you do when you’re not sure whether something is a proper noun?

English Capitalization Rules:

1 Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence

This one’s easy. Always capitalize the first word of a sentence.

The cat is sleeping.

Where did I put that book?

Hey! It’s great to see you! How have you been?

2 Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns

You should always capitalize people’s names.

My favorite author is Jane Austen.

Tom and Diane met at Judy’s house.

Have you met my dog, Boomer?

Names are proper nouns. The names of cities, countries, companies, religions, and political parties are also proper nouns, so you should capitalize them, too.

We experienced some beautiful Southern California weather last fall when we attended a Catholic wedding in San Diego.

You should also capitalize words like mom and grandpa when they are used as a form of address.

Just wait until Mom sees this!

But

My mom is not going to like this.

3 Don’t Capitalize After a Colon (Usually)

In most cases, you don’t need to capitalize after a colon.

I have one true passion: wombat racing.

There are a couple of common exceptions. One is when the word following the colon is a proper noun.

There is only one place I want to visit: New York City.

The other exception is when the words following the colon form one or more complete sentences.

Maggie wears a brimmed cap at all times for these two reasons: Strong light often gives her a headache. She also likes the way it looks.

4 Capitalize the First Word of a Quote (Sometimes)

Capitalize the first word of a quote when the quote is a complete sentence.

Mario asked, “What is everyone doing this weekend?”

Stacy answered, “My sister and I are going to the water park.”

Don’t capitalize the first word of partial quotes.

Gretchen said she was “way too busy” to join the gym.

Mr. Thompson described the rules as “extremely difficult to understand if you don’t have a law degree.”

5 Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons

The names of days, months, and holidays are proper nouns, so you should capitalize them.

I hate Mondays!

Tom’s birthday is in June.

Oh no! I forgot about Valentine’s Day!

The names of seasons, however, are not proper nouns, so there’s no need to capitalize them.

I hate winter!

Having a summer birthday is the best.

6 Capitalize Most Words in Titles

The capitalization rules for titles of books, movies, and other works vary a little between style guides. In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositions—however, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters.

Sense and Sensibility is better than Pride and Prejudice.

The first movie of the series is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

7 Capitalize Cities, Countries, Nationalities, and Languages

The names of cities, countries, nationalities, and languages are proper nouns, so you should capitalize them.

English is made up of many languages, including Latin, German, and French.

My mother is British, and my father is Dutch.

The capital of Botswana is Gaborone.

8 Capitalize Time Periods and Events (Sometimes)

Specific periods, eras, and historical events that have proper names should be capitalized.

Most of the World War I veterans are now deceased.

In the Middle Ages, poor hygiene was partly responsible for the spreading of bubonic plague.

Middle school students often enjoy studying the social changes that took place during the Roaring Twenties.

However, centuries—and the numbers before them—are not capitalized.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, England blossomed into an empire.

10 Habits Today’s Writers Share

Whether you realize it or not, you’re a writer.

It’s hard not to be one in the information age, when writing is essential, if not inescapable. Maybe you’re keeping up with old friends and upcoming assignments. Or perhaps you’re trying to impress a hiring committee or a hot date. We’re constantly dashing off notes and status updates with a regularity that would’ve been the envy of anyone in the era of telegrams and typewriters, let alone the cloistered monks who hand-copied ancient scrolls by candlelight.

It’s easier than ever to hammer out reams of words on all manner of gadgets that can go just about anywhere. The act of writing is hardly confined to the monastery, er, office; we do it in coffee shops, on the train, and in bed. We send text messages and respond to emails when we’re half asleep, when we’re getting a ride home, or maybe having just stepped out of the shower.

At Grammarly, we help legions of writers just like you get their ideas down clearly and in ways that will help them look sharp. We also learn a lot about what writers are like – from what programs they use to what time of day their prose usually comes out looking its best. After proofreading and analyzing more than a billion words, here are a few of the patterns we’ve found particularly interesting about how you tend to write:

1 The average writer cranks out roughly a thousand words per week.

Among U.S. Grammarly users, the weekly average is 980 words, to be precise. Multiply that by 52 weeks, and you’re mashing out 50,960 words each year. That’s about equivalent to a light summer novel – enough of a read to last through several lazy days at the beach, at least.

2 That’s mostly in emails, according to user data, along with programs like Microsoft Word – but plenty of writing also happens online in social media and blogs.

Hundreds of thousands of new statuses and comments appear on Facebook every. single. minute. (Rules of punctuation trampled here for emphasis.) This is to say nothing of the perhaps dozens of text messages you might send back and forth each day. Frequent texters can crank out thousands of words per month, just in their preferred messaging app.

3 Most of the mistakes you make in emails are misspelled words.

Users averaged around a dozen mistakes per every hundred words – and more than half of those were spelling errors.

4 You’re especially prone to making gaffes on social media – nearly three times as likely as anywhere else you write.

This may not surprise you, as such platforms tend to be more casual and invite lots of slang and abbreviations, tbh. Here, we found an average of close to 40 mistakes in every hundred typed words.

5 What time of day you write has a clear impact on how often you make mistakes.

We found a decided difference between the patterns of early birds, who write from 4 to 8 a.m., and night owls, who work from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. As you might guess, one seems clear-headed and fresh, while the other is a bit more more muddled. Indeed:

6 You tend to do your best writing early in the morning – before 8 a.m.

Across platforms, early birds averaged 13.8 mistakes per 100 words – 3.2 fewer than the night owls’ 17.

7 Those writing for blogs make the fewest mistakes after lunch, between 1 and 5 p.m. Even so, early birds still outperformed night owls, with the 4 to 8 a.m. crowd averaging 5.6 mistakes per 100 words, compared to the night owls’ 9.1.

8 Still, good writing can happen at any time.

It’s worth noting there is some evidence that staying up late to work may be an evolutionarily advantageous behavior associated with high intelligence – even if folks who do it need to be extra mindful of their writing.

9 Apostrophe mistakes were the most common source of errors.

A common example is let’s vs. lets. The former is a contraction of “let us,” while the latter means “allows,” as in “this lets us avoid similar errors.” (Of course, you can always brush up on sound apostrophe usage right here.)

10 Too vs. To was next down the list, followed by Everyday vs. Every Day

Rounding out the most common mistakes were such mix-ups as than vs. then, there vs. their, and of vs. off. As ever, you can find tips on our blog – answers to such questions and more are right there.

As we wrap up, there’s one more fun observation we’d like to share about writers online, which applies more broadly, not just to folks using Grammarly:

11 Bonus – Writers on the web may be using more and more languages, not just English.

English enjoyed something of a head start among early Internet users and was once regarded as the default language of the web. As the British linguist David Graddol wrote two decades ago in his paper “The Future of English?”:

The system has its origins in the academic and, in particular, scientific community, which is the longest connected community of all. English is deeply established among scientists as the international lingua franca and, from this beginning, English appears to have extended its domain of use to become the preferred lingua franca for the many new kinds of user who have come online in the 1990s…

In a reflection that looks increasingly prescient, Graddol goes on to note that at the time, some 90 percent of the computers online were connected through English-speaking countries, suggesting that in the years since, as the technology has grown ever more global, it’s gotten easier and easier to communicate in other languages.

Indeed, some estimate that now just over half of all content on the web is in English, but it’s not easy to track precisely; other experts believe it’s below 40 percent. Notably, in China, hundreds of millions of users blog and post updates in Chinese to social media sites like Renren and Sina Weibo.

Whatever your preferred language, platform, or time of day to work, it’s always worth a second look to make sure your writing is radiant and clear.

Comma Splice

• When you join two independent clauses with a comma and no conjunction, it’s called a comma splice. Some people consider this a type of run-on sentence, while other people think of it as a punctuation error.
• Here’s an example of a comma splice: Koala bears are not actually bears, they are marsupials.
• There are three ways to fix a comma splice. You can add a conjunction, change the comma to a semicolon, or make each independent clause its own sentence.

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What Is a Comma Splice?

A comma splice is particular kind of comma mistake that happens when you use a comma to join two independent clauses. Here’s an example:

Koala bears are not actually bears, they are marsupials.

How can you tell that’s a comma splice? Look at the group of words before the comma.

Koala bears are not actually bears

Did you notice that this group of words can stand by itself as a complete sentence? That means it’s an independent clause.

Now look at the group of words after the comma.

They are marsupials

This group of words can also stand by itself as a complete sentence. It’s another independent clause.

When you have two independent clauses, a comma is not strong enough to glue them together.

How to Fix a Comma Splice

There are three common ways to fix a comma splice. Let’s look at a new example:

I am not angry with you, I am not happy with you, either.

Fix #1: Add a Conjunction

One way to fix a comma splice is to add a conjunction immediately after the comma. With most comma splices, the conjunction you’ll want to add is probably and, but, or so.

I am not angry with you, but I am not happy with you, either.

Fix #2: Change the Comma to a Semicolon

If adding a conjunction doesn’t seem to work, you can change the comma to a semicolon instead. Unlike commas, semicolons are strong enough to glue two independent clauses together.

I am not angry with you; I am not happy with you, either.

If you decide to use a semicolon, make sure there is a close, logical connection between the two independent clauses.

Fix #3: Make Separate Sentences

If adding a conjunction doesn’t seem to work and using a semicolon feels too stuffy, you can fix a comma splice by simply making each independent clause a separate sentence.

I am not angry with you. I am not happy with you, either.

More Examples of Comma Splices

Are you getting the hang of it? Here are a few more examples of comma splices and possible corrections.

I’m thinking of skipping English class, it’s really boring.

Adding a conjunction like and or but after the comma in the sentence above doesn’t really make sense. But there does seem to be a close, logical connection between the first independent clause (I’m thinking of skipping English class) and the second independent clause (it’s really boring). This is the perfect situation for a semicolon.

I’m thinking of skipping English class; it’s really boring.

You could also break those two independent clauses apart and make them separate sentences.

I’m thinking of skipping English class. It’s really boring.

Let’s try another:

Dan was late, we left without him.

In this case, the conjunction so fits the bill.

Dan was late, so we left without him.

Or you could use a semicolon.

Dan was late; we left without him.

Or you could make two sentences, especially if you want to sound blunt.

Dan was late. We left without him.

Are Comma Splices Ever OK?

Yes! You should avoid comma splices in formal writing, but now that you know the rule, you can sometimes break it in more artistic types of writing.

In fiction, for instance, you might use a comma splice to convey a character’s racing thoughts or observations.

She was beautiful, she was gorgeous, she was ravishing.

Comma splices can also create a sense of grandeur in rhetoric, but only if they’re used sparingly.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

And in poetry, of course, the rules are even more relaxed. Sometimes, a comma splice creates just the right rhythm.

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day…

That’s it! Now you’re ready to get out there and use your commas with confidence.

Comma After Introductory Clauses

Introductory clauses are dependent clauses that are often found at the beginning of the sentence (although they can be moved to the end of the sentence, too, without confusing the meaning of the sentence). After a dependent introductory clause, we use a comma to separate the introductory clause from the independent clause. Consider the examples below:

As the man was walking into the store he came face to face with his childhood sweetheart.

As the man was walking into the store, he came face to face with his childhood sweetheart.

Because the rain was torrential the day’s Little League games were postponed.

Because the rain was torrential, the day’s Little League games were postponed.

As with many other rules in English grammar, the comma-after-introductory-clauses rule comes with an exception. When the introductory clause is short, the comma may be omitted as a matter of style. See the example below:

Grabbing her umbrella, Kate raced out of the house.

Grabbing her umbrella Kate raced out of the house.

Since the introductory clause consists of only three words, the comma separating the introductory clause from the main clause may or may not be used.

Introductory Clauses with Dates

Although it is not strictly required, it is considered good style to follow introductory dependent clauses containing dates with a comma. This is true whether the date given denotes a century, a year, a month, or even a day.

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed.

On Tuesday, I received my first paycheck.

In the seventeen hundreds, the minuet was a popular dance style.

In March, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

But if the date does not appear as an introductory clause, no commas are necessary.

The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

I received my first paycheck on Tuesday.

The minuet was a popular dance style in the seventeen hundreds.

We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in March.