List-making can turn your natural talents and passions into superhuman productivity. It’s a skill that needs to be honed, but whatever your project, there’s a list technique for you. If you want to take your list-making game to the next level, take the quiz to find out which list you should use to organize your next project!
What is your favorite kind of list? Which list will you use for your next project?
Is anymore one word or two? It depends on how you’re using it. We’re here to set the record straight.
Any more and anymore have related meanings, but they’re not interchangeable. Whether you make anymore one word or two depends on how you’re using it. Any more refers to quantities (Would you like any more tea?). Anymore is an adverb that refers to time (I don’t like tea anymore.).
When spelled as two words, any more refers to quantities.
When spelled as one word, anymore is an adverb that refers to time. It means “at present,” “still,” or “any longer.”
In certain dialects, some speakers use anymore as a synonym of nowadays.
However, this usage is not considered acceptable in formal writing. In fact, it’s a fairly rare usage, so you may want to remove it from your writing altogether unless you’re writing for a very specific audience.
The problem with anymore is the same problem many writers have with words like “anyway”, “anytime”, and “sometime”—each of them can be written as one or two words.
Just remember: If you’re talking about a quantity of something, use any more. If you’re talking about time, use anymore.
Imperative can be one of the following:
Imperative is one of those words that shouldn’t be thrown around unless there’s a very good reason for it. Not everything in the word is imperative, or an imperative. But if you’re not sure what the definition of imperative is and what it has to do with imperative sentences, you’re in the right place. We’ll explain what imperative means, how to use it in a sentence, and how imperative sentences are different from indicative sentences.
When you define the word imperative, you should note that it can be an adjective and a noun. In both cases, imperative has two distinct meanings: one of urgency, necessity, and importance and another of trying to influence other people’s actions.
The adjective imperative means that something is of the utmost importance or necessity. It can also mean that something is commanding. Similarly, the noun imperative means “something of the utmost importance or necessity”—something imperative. It also means “a command.”
Imperative can be traced all the way back to the Latin word imperare, which means “to command.” This is the sense in which the word is used today in grammar, and you might have seen it going together with the words mood and sentence.
The imperative mood is one of the four main verb moods in the English language. As opposed to verb tenses, which indicate time, moods indicate states. The imperative mood indicates the state of commanding. Here’s an example of an imperative sentence:
In this sentence, someone is giving a command. It can be easily distinguished from indicative sentences, which simply state that something has happened:
He sat down and ate his lunch.
In case you’ve noticed that imperative sentences sometimes don’t have a subject, you should know that they do, even if it’s not actually written in the sentence. You is the subject in this case, but since it’s not written, it’s called you understood, and it’s written as (you).
If you’re wondering how to use the word imperative in a sentence—simply put it there when you want to describe something as very important. The place of imperative on the scale of adjectives that imply importance is debatable, but it is certain that something that is imperative is more important than something that is nonessential, trivial, unimportant, or optional. These words are the antonyms of imperative. Its synonyms include the words crucial, vital, critical, and pressing.
On the other hand, imperative can also be used to say that something is commanding. So a person who speaks with an imperative tone of voice is probably a person who is used to issuing commands.
As for the imperative mood, you make it by taking the infinitive of a verb and removing to. Use it when you want to issue commands and orders, but also when you want to make requests—just remember to add please to the sentence.
In my view, mediamacro and its focus on the deficit played an important role in winning the Conservatives the 2015 general election. —New Statesman
It was “imperative” that the rules ensured bosses could not avoid their responsibilities to pay pensions, they added. —BBC
“Acting East” is no longer just an option but an imperative for Indian foreign policy. —The Japan Times
The need for an honest evaluation of the military’s flaws and failures becomes an imperative for those with a sincere and substantive desire to “support the troops.” —Salon
Many of us have special memories of books that changed our worlds as children. I’ll never forget snuggling up next to my dad while he read a section of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia to my brother and me each night before bed. Here are five books and series for kids that we recommend re-reading as an adult:
The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder Based on Wilder’s experiences growing up on the American frontier, the Little House series paints an intimate portrait of an exciting time in American history. Read along as Laura and her family encounter bears, battle the elements, and survive in the early American West.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein While this popular children’s book is intended for young readers, adults have found inspiration within its pages, too. The Giving Tree tells the story of a boy growing up alongside a tree and the relationship of give and take between them. It’s a short picture book and worth another read from an adult perspective.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince is one of those rare children’s books that captivates young readers on one level and touches the hearts of adult readers on another. On the surface, it is about a pilot who crashes his plane in the desert and encounters a strange young boy who has traveled from his home on a distant asteroid. At a deeper level, The Little Prince is a story about being present in your own life — about paying attention to everyday pleasures and making time for friends.
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl Many people are familiar with Wes Anderson’s movie adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, but if you haven’t read the book, you’re missing out. Roald Dahl is the author of many other favorite children’s books, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. Pick up Fantastic Mr. Fox to enjoy a fun-filled journey through the animal world.
Daddy’s Little Girl by Peter Wilson Daddy’s Little Girl tells the story of a father’s love for his daughter through the years. The book is short and sweet and guaranteed to bring a tear to most fathers’ and daughters’ eyes.
Which books for children do you recommend rereading as an adult? Share your favorites in the comments!
April 27 is Tell a Story Day, a great time for writers at all levels to finally share the stories that they’ve been keeping to themselves. But, what if the story you want to tell isn’t quite ready for its debut?
We encourage you to find a different story to tell! How, you ask? Read on . . .
Famous writers approached their writing in different ways, but one commonality involved extracting stories from real life experiences. The characters and settings may have received some embellishment, but the premise of their stories mirrored what they experienced during their lives. Hemingway wrote about armed conflicts that he covered as a reporter, Faulkner brought to life the southern culture he remembered from the early portion of the 20th century, and Jane Austin vividly described the scenes of 18th century English society.
Although the ideas for their stories derived from real life experiences, famous writers had different ways of developing story ideas. Hemingway often talked about how he worked out story ideas on the go. Faulkner believed that “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” Only through pushing the boundaries was he able to develop complex story ideas. Austin took the power of observation to another level in the development of her story lines.
Novice writers often complain that their well of story ideas has run dry. They do not have to follow the lead of a famous writer to develop compelling story ideas. Instead, they can stimulate their own creative process by following a few writing tips.
Open Up to New Experiences
Experiencing different cultures, people, and places enriches the idea machine that often lies dormant within your mind. The more you diversify your experiences, the more fertile the idea machine becomes. Try different foods, travel to distant lands, and above all, read the works of authors who cover a wide variety of genres. Famous authors such as Hemingway and Faulkner mention how much reading helped them to develop story ideas. “Writing in the voice of me” helps writers expound on their expanded horizons.
Eliminate Self-Doubt
Writers may represent the most self-critical professionals. The lack of story ideas can turn a once confident writer into someone who begins to limit his or her belief in the capacity to churn out creative story ideas. Writers need to acquire the patience to face the inevitable impasses that derail the story idea development process. Believe in yourself and your story ideas should flow like a graceful river.
Every Idea Counts
Instead of trying to focus on developing great story ideas, strive for quantity over quality. Entertain every story idea until the feasibility of the idea wanes. What appears to be a stupid story line today may be the next best selling story idea of tomorrow. Record all of your story ideas in a notebook or in a computer file and revisit each idea periodically to expand on its premise. Time does a wonderful job of forming some story ideas into powerful novels. Record every idea the moment it pops into your head. Once again, reading a wide variety of writing genres helps you generate story ideas.
Avoid Convention
Famous writers often defied writing convention to bring their unique ideas to life. They thought outside of the writing box by creating characters and developing story lines that appeared to have no chance of gaining popularity. Who would have thought the musings of an illiterate adolescent would make for a powerful story idea in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Obviously, Mark Twain did not follow the writing norm in creating his captivating main character.
Walk a Mile or Two in Your Shoes
The writing process can stagnate whenever you stare blankly at your computer screen and silently curse your current state of writer’s block. You can shake writer’s block and stimulate story ideas by working story lines out as you walk. Too many novice writers sit down and immediately expect story ideas to pop in their heads. Famous writers such as Hemingway walked until they developed the foundation for a story idea. Once you develop the structure of your story idea, the words should fly from your fingertips whenever you decide to sit down to write the story.
Remember that, at times, even the most polished writers have trouble developing ideas for interesting stories. What differentiates them from the novice writer is that they implement strategies to set their creative wheels in motion. Follow the examples set by famous writers and open yourself up to new experiences; entertaining every idea you think of; avoid convention; eliminate self-doubt; and if all else fails, take a walk! You’ll be writing again in no time.
What is your best strategy to counteract writer’s block? Share in the comments!
Inbox dread is real.
The last time I took a vacation, I almost didn’t want to leave for fear of what my inbox would look like when I got back. (Hint: it wasn’t pretty.) There’s nothing more groan-inducing on your first day back at work than opening your email client to see you have 1,487 emails waiting.
I’ve worked in jobs where getting a flurry of daily email was the norm, which meant that being away for a week resulted in a digital avalanche. Here’s how I prepared and then dug out.
Having a vacation auto-responder won’t cut down on the number of people who contact you, but it will cut down on the number of follow-ups they send. It’s also good form to let people know when you’re not able to answer them.
Your out-of-office message can be simple. Just let people know you’re unavailable, when you’ll return, and who they should contact with any urgent needs while you’re gone. If you’d like to have a little more fun with your message, here are some options.
When I return to my Gmail inbox to find a gazillion emails waiting, the first thing I do is weed out the junk mail. Advertising, of course, is the first to go. But when you’re trying to get back to inbox zero, even the newsletters you’ve subscribed to can get in your way.
Gmail’s tabs system is handy. When my email messages are already pre-sorted, I can go through the social and promotions tabs quickly and eliminate most of those emails right off the bat by selecting them all, skimming the subject lines to make sure nothing looks important, and then hitting archive or delete.
There are likely a few people on your contact list whose emails you don’t want to miss. I have a Gmail folder called Priority Senders where I store important messages that need more immediate action.
You can use filters to have messages auto-sort to this folder, which is what I do when I’m out of my office for a while. Then, when I get back, I know what to tackle first.
You can also filter retroactively by moving messages to the Priority Senders folder for safekeeping while you sort the rest of your inbox.
Now that you’ve sorted your high priority email into a separate folder, you can deal with the rest . . . by putting it off. At least temporarily.
Staring at an overflowing inbox on your first day back in the office can bring on enough stress to undo the relaxing effects of your vacation. An empty inbox, however, is bliss! This solution may feel like cheating, but trust me, it’s a great way to alleviate the strain of having hundreds of emails to process and no time to process them.
Create a catch-up folder. It’s as simple as that. You can name it whatever you like, from “Email to Process” to “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” Then, simply Select All and move your vacation email into the catch-up folder. It’ll be out of sight, and instead of feeling like your inbox is a bottomless pit from which you’ll never emerge, you’ll be able to venture into your virtual storage room and sort through those less important emails whenever you have time to spare.
Odds are good that if you’ve already sorted high priority email messages, nothing in your catch-up folder will be of critical importance. If you’ve accidentally missed something significant (hey, it happens to the best of us) you’re sure to get a follow-up email, at which time you can deal with the issue. If any email remains in your catch-up folder after a month, it’s probably safe to delete or archive it.
By now, your inbox should be looking slightly less overwhelming. It’s time to deal with the higher priority messages. Taking a “last in, first out” approach can help.
Some of the email you’ve received has already sorted itself out while you were away. When you read the most recent email first, you can quickly figure out what needs immediate attention and what you can filter into your catch-up folder for later. So start digging into the most recent emails you’ve received, and remember . . .
Once you’ve identified important emails, answer them. Like, now.
We’ve all been there. You’re staring at an email that absolutely needs a response, except that you lack the psychic energy to deal with it in the moment. The temptation to put off those types of emails is intense. Resist! Bothersome emails grow into more powerful monsters the longer you ignore them. When you start going through your urgent emails, make yourself a promise that you’ll deal with each one as you open it. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.
With a little forethought and some organization, you can keep your inbox avalanche from burying you. Now, leave your office email alone until you return, and go enjoy that vacation. You’ve earned it!
It’s better late than . . . wait, wait, wait. See how annoying that was?
Delaying meetings because of careless tardiness is never fun, but interrupting your coworkers is likely to make you pretty unpopular as well. But which is the most frustrating? Vote below, and leave your stories of rudeness in the comments.
Total Tardiness
Having to stall a meeting or punt other tasks because you’re waiting on another person is the pits. Tardiness, especially the chronic kind, degrades meeting quality and comes off as just plain rude to others.
The Interrupter
This person may have great energy, but they can’t seem to let others finish their thoughts. As soon as someone begins to present a new idea, the interrupter is right there to add their perspective.
