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.
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.
Do you know what a dord is? No? Well, don’t try looking it up in the dictionary, unless the dictionary is Webster’s Second New International Dictionary of 1934. This strange little word appeared only in that one edition, and it spent a whole five years there, happily, before being discovered as a fake. You see, “dord” isn’t a real word, even though it appeared in a dictionary. It was the result of someone misreading a note written by Austin M. Paterson, Webster’s chemistry editor at the time. The note said “D or d, cont./density,” and it referred to the uppercase letter D (or lowercase d) being used as an abbreviation for density. “D or d” became “dord,” a word that meant “density,” and the best-known example of a ghost-word—a word that, in fact, isn’t a word at all.
The Oxford Dictionary defines ghost word as “a word recorded in a dictionary or other reference work which is not actually used.” Merriam-Webster says a ghost word is “a word form never in established usage.” The term was coined by Professor Walter William Skeat in 1886, well before dord came into existence. In a yearly address to the London Philological Society, Skeat took the opportunity to call out several erroneous words. These included abacot, the misspelling of “a bycoket” (a type of headwear); kimes, which came about as the misspelling of “knives”; and morse, which was a misspelling of “nurse.”
Ghost words existed even before Skeat pointed the phenomenon out. Phantomnation appeared in the 1864 Webster’s Dictionary. It was described as a rare word meaning “appearance of a phantom, illusion,” and it was attributed to the poet Alexander Pope. Pope did indeed have something to do with it, as his Odyssey contains the verse “all the phantom nations of the dead,” but it was a man named Richard Paul Jodrell who, in his practice of solidifying two-word phrases into one (he also coined the word “islandempress,” among many others), made “phantom nation” into a single word and published it in his 1820 book Philology of the English Language.
The 1755 Johnson’s Dictionary defined the word foupe as “to drive with a sudden impetuosity” and noted that the word was out of use. And it was out of use, because it never really existed—it was a product of misreading the word soupe, written with a long s. And soupe was a rare word indeed—it meant “swoop.” The same dictionary also had an entry for adventine, which was a misprint in a Francis Bacon work—the actual word was “adventive.”
Sometimes, ghost words appear in dictionaries on purpose, even though in that case they are called by another name: nihilartikel. Esquivalence is such a word—it was a false entry in the New Oxford American Dictionary. The word was invented by Christine Lindberg, one of the NOAD editors, who defined it as “the willful avoidance of one’s official responsibilities.” The whole thing was part of the dictionary’s strategy for copyright protection. And nihilartikel is a nihilartikel itself—the word originated in a false entry in the German-language Wikipedia. Talk about wordception.
By Sophorn Chhay
Just because you have room for 160 characters in your texts doesn’t mean you should use them all.
In fact, texting experts seem to agree that an ideal text should be short and sweet, especially in a business environment, where the name of the game is brevity. Essentially, focus on quality, not quantity.
This can sometimes be a challenge for people who enjoy being verbose. But keeping your message under 160 characters can be good practice—and it’s still easier than beating Twitter’s 140-character limit.
For those interested in crafting professional messages that get to the point but are also well written, try these strategies:
1 Figure out a reason. To directly promote a sale or event? Build your database? Ask recipients to join a loyalty club or complete their membership profile? Alert your audience to something new in your company or site? Unlike social media, where it’s OK just to say hi or put up a fun picture, professional texts need to have a purpose. Since people are likely to check out a text within a few minutes of it arriving, it needs to get their attention and justify them taking the time to read it.
2 Identify yourself. Even if someone has given approval to receive texts from you and your business, they may not recognize your phone number or name and could immediately reject it as spam. So in the first few lines, identify yourself, either personally or by your company name. It also can help your recipients decide if they want to keep reading or go on to the next text, based on their past experience with your texts.
3 Make it personal. You may be sending the same note to thousands of subscribers, but you can still make it sound like you’re talking directly to each recipient. Try something like “We have a deal we’re sure you’ll enjoy” or “You need to come check this out.”
4 Extend an invitation. If you want customers to come buy from you, invite them to your store or your site. It could be more meaningful for recipients to read “We have a sale we’re sure you’ll enjoy” rather than a general “We’re having a big sale.”
5 Include a link. The link could send people somewhere on your site or to a special landing page for this particular promotion. But send them somewhere—they can receive more details, and you can get useful info about click-throughs.
6 Vary your voice. You can have a general voice for your “everyone” list of recipients. You also can have different categories in your database—maybe “users who like ___ product,” “members of our loyalty club,” or “super shoppers.” If you send separate notes to these groups, use slightly different language—maybe something more casual or informal.
7 Be enthusiastic but professional. You’re not a fifteen-year-old and your audience probably isn’t either, so there’s no reason to go bonkers with exclamation points!!!!! But you can throw in adjectives like “exciting,” “very cool,” or “amazing” to convey how appealing your message or special offer is.
8 Appeal to your customers’ need to improve their lives. You may already be including this lure in your marketing materials, but do it faster here. “Come and save money!” “Get a haircut and look your best!” “Plan ahead!” “Prepare to fall in love with our new dessert menu.” Various studies show that saving money is a prime reason that people join loyalty clubs —supporting a brand is nice, but what’s nicer is helping the budget.
9 Be direct. Sound confident and convincing in your invitation. Instead of saying, “We think you’ll like this,” try “We know you’ll love it.”
Looking at this list, it might seem like quite a lot of instructions and suggestions to keep in mind when you have only 160 characters to work with. The good news is that you’re allowed to practice—the more you write and the more your database grows, the more opportunities you’ll have to nail these.
Sophorn Chhay is an inbound marketer specializing in attracting targeted visitors and generated sales qualified leads. Through Trumpia’s SMS and marketing automation solution, he helps businesses and organizations communicate effectively with their customers or members. Trumpia is offering a free Mobile Marketing Success Kit, so don’t forget to grab your free copy.
Guest post by Erik Bowitz
Grammarly is widely known in the United States as an extremely useful tool for writers looking to quickly and easily write error-free prose. However, there is an even larger, and much less talked about group of writers who are equally enthusiastic about the opportunities Grammarly’s automated proofreader provides: English as a Second Language (ESL) writers.
ESL writers are hungry for writing assistance.
There has always been a large demand for ESL services, mostly revolving around speaking and listening education, but also including reading and writing. While speaking and listening is more easily practiced in a classroom or on the street, it is very much a group-focused activity that happens over the course of daily life. Perfecting writing skills, on the other hand, is a solitary activity that can be very difficult without the right learning aids.
Enter Englist.tw, an organization I founded to provide creative, technical, and English editing services to the island of Taiwan, my second home for the last five years. Being an American living in Taipei, I find myself constantly helping friends and colleagues with small English-related questions – from simple phrasing to more involved grammar correction. This was the catalyst behind starting a full-service English writing service.
Still, for some of those little questions, a contract-based human English editor really isn’t necessary, and that is why I have been a happy affiliate of Grammarly’s this year.
Without native-English speaking friends, many Taiwanese are at a loss as to how to improve their writing quality without spending large amounts of money for professional editors. Microsoft Office doesn’t cut it, and looking up individual words in a dictionary takes forever. So, when people contact Englist.tw looking help with small editing and proofreading tasks I usually recommend them to Grammarly because I know it is a quicker and more financially prudent option for them.
Grammarly works perfectly for ESL writers because it can accompany them everywhere online, from writing papers, editing and sending emails, and even updating their English Facebook statuses (Taiwan has the highest per capita Facebook usage in the world). Because of it’s cross-platform functionality, Grammarly quickly becomes an ESL writer’s constant companion – or at least from what I’ve observed in Taiwan.
In the end, I’ve found that when I recommend Grammarly’s services, everyone wins. Besides receiving generous affiliate commissions from Grammarly referrals, my company builds its reputation in the Taiwanese market as a thoughtful and solutions-oriented service – thanks largely in part to the effectiveness of Grammarly’s tools and the satisfaction of its ESL users.
About the Author
Erik Bowitz is the founder of Englist.tw, Taiwan’s leading provider of flexible professional writing services. In addition to running Englist.tw Erik enjoys immersing himself in Haruki Murakami novels and cycling.
I want to put a ding in the universe.
—Steve Jobs
You don’t have to be a fan of iEverything to recognize the tremendous impact Apple has had on technology and business. Steve Jobs led the company he co-founded in 1976 with charisma and an insatiable drive to innovate and succeed. When Jobs died in 2011, he left a legacy that will continue to shape our world for generations. Here are sixteen pieces of advice inspired by his words to help you make your own dent in the universe.
You have to trust in something; your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever, because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart.
Jobs believed in going where inspiration led him. Those leaps of faith require us to trust that things will work out as they should. Even when taking risks leads you to unexpected or even undesirable outcomes, knowing you’ll be able to tackle those outcomes inspires the confidence necessary to take chances on big ideas.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.
When your work is also your passion, it doesn’t feel like work. Jobs believed in the importance of following your bliss.
I’ve always been attracted to the more revolutionary changes. I don’t know why. Because they’re harder. They’re much more stressful emotionally. And you usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you’ve completely failed.
Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.
The world sees Steve Jobs as a success story, but his successes didn’t come without failures. Want to talk about a blow to the ego? Consider how Jobs must have felt when he was dumped by the company he co-founded. Apple ousted him in 1985, then hired him back in 1997 when the company was struggling financially.
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
Jobs often said that being fired ultimately inspired him. While separated from Apple for more than a decade, he bought Pixar (then known as Graphics Group) for $5 million and played a major role in turning it into the multi-billion-dollar studio behind blockbuster movies like Toy Story (the first ever computer-animated feature film) and Finding Nemo.
via GIPHY
I’m as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.
Jobs realized that saying no plays a big role in the creative process. Choosing which paths not to follow is as important as choosing the one to take. He celebrated the role saying no played in the decision-making process.
Anyone who’s ever watched an Apple product unveiling understands that Steve Jobs was a masterful corporate storyteller. Broadcasting your message isn’t enough—tell a story. In business, as well as in life, people are moved by those who don’t just present but rather inform, enlighten, inspire, and entertain.
Things don’t have to change the world to be important.
Jobs said that things didn’t need to change the world in order to be important. He realized that small shifts and minor wins can create a ripple effect and advocated embracing them all. When progress seems slow, celebrating minor victories can help maintain your energy and even build momentum.
I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.
Scoring a win is amazing, but it’s how you react after the win that matters. Jobs didn’t rest on his laurels following a success, but quickly put the gears in motion to figure out what his next innovation would be. Everyone needs to take a moment after completing a major project to take a breath and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. But when that moment’s over, it’s time to put that positive energy back to work.
Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.
Anyone who’s ever tried to write a 250-word bio or distill the essence of an article into a two-sentence blurb knows that just because a task seems simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. Practicing the sort of clear-headed, logical thinking required to accomplish small but significant feats can become a hugely beneficial life skill.
Arguably, Steve Jobs’ most famous quote is “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” He believed that the key to accomplishing big things was to nurture big dreams, dreams that might even seem too crazy to be within the realm of possibility. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,” he said, “are the ones who do.”
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Jobs was never satisfied by maintaining the status quo; he wanted to accomplish big things. He learned that life is too precious to waste by spending time doing things that aren’t gratifying.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
It’s important to be able to accept and grow from feedback, but Jobs knew that it’s equally important to be able to listen to yourself and, ultimately, be your own decision maker.
Have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Being a leader and innovator means being perceptive enough to tune in to your own intuition and bold enough to venture where it leads.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
Facing death and being told to get his affairs in order helped Jobs realize that time is our most valuable commodity. His 2005 Stanford commencement speech echoed those sentiments, reminding us that life is short, and every minute needs a purpose, whether that purpose is to achieve, dream, create, or just relax.
Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Oh, wow.
—Steve Jobs’ final words
Although the meaning of his last words remains mysterious, it’s clear that Steve Jobs’ sense of wonder and curiosity was a force that propelled him. Remember to take time to have a look around, be amazed, and say, “Oh, wow!”
You’re not likely to count emailing as one of your top ten favorite pastimes. But you might change your mind after you read this article! Here are eight amazing ways to make your email experience enjoyable.
According to Chess.com, the very first correspondence chess game might date back to a competition between the Byzantine emperor and the caliph of Baghdad in the ninth century. If chess isn’t your thing, you can play almost any game by email. Simply email the starting move to all of the players. All the players adjust their boards (virtual or physical) to reflect your move, and the next player sends notice of his move with by using the “reply all” feature. Just keep adjusting the boards and taking turns until someone wins! Back in the days of correspondence chess by mail, it might have taken weeks or longer to receive a reply. Nowadays, email is a great way to quickly and easily play games with your buddies no matter where they are. Who’s up for a long distance game of Jenga?
Pixelation is a bad thing unless it’s intentional; then, it’s retro chic! Amaze your friends with an abstract design or a simple object. To create a design, you can sketch it on graph paper or in draw it in Photoshop using the slice tool. Next, code the pattern in HTML. For detailed instructions, visit DigitalBlock.com.
Do you like a clean inbox? If so, you may not be completely happy to see flagged emails cluttering up your screen. Wouldn’t it be nice to put the email away until you are ready to deal with it without the danger of forgetting it? A new Chrome extension, Gmail Snooze, makes it possible. As easily as hitting the button on your alarm, you can now schedule emails to reappear in your mailbox at a date and time convenient for you.
Themes are like art for your inbox. Most email programs come preloaded with themes from basic patterns to stunning natural imagery. You can even customize your own theme by uploading your own picture. A side benefit is added security. No matter which computer you use, you will always recognize whether or not you’ve logged in to your account because of your custom theme.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is an animation worth? According to Windows Central, a gif “can express exactly the mood, tone, and expression you are looking to share with someone.” Gifs are basically short looped animations. You can really spice up a message with these types of images. For example, if you are emailing a baby shower invitation, you can include a gif of a dancing baby to make your guests smile. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you can add GIPHY to your email account at the Office Store.
After a conference, you may end up with a handful of business cards and little recollection of which card belongs to whom. Now, you can use the Rapportive app to view information about the person you are emailing. You’ll be able to see their public social network profiles, pictures, and a history of your chats after you’ve made contact. You can also send an invitation to network via LinkedIn without leaving your Gmail account.
If you are passionate about something, subscribe to a blog! Blogs are a simple way to stay current about a topic. The Email on Acid blog, for example, will keep you abreast of new and innovative ways to use your email account to its fullest capabilities. You may also try your hand at writing your own blog. Share travel stories, hobbying tips, or the latest news about your interests.
Ecards are a sweet way to keep in touch, but be careful to choose a reputable company to avoid viruses and spam. The article “Send and Receive E-cards Safely” gives some useful pointers. For instance, some companies allow you collect ecards from their websites rather than clicking on a link in an email message. You could also make your own electronic greeting. Design a colorful greeting card in a software program that allows you to save files in PDF format. Then, send it as an email attachment as a personal surprise to family and friends.
Life hacks help you solve problems or save time in surprisingly novel ways. Now you can even hack your email with fun and practical apps, integrations, and ideas. Now that your imagination has ignited, what will you do to level up your next email?
