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!
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You know what to call a group of cows or sheep, but do you know the names for groups of animals in the ocean? Why neglect your friends under the sea? Learn which animals congregate in a cast today!
Attention! Most fish swim in schools, but herring swim in armies.
Buried in the sand of the ocean floor or on the beach, you can find a bed of oysters. Clams, too, are found in beds. Is that why they are so famously happy?
A cast sometimes refers to the actors who work on a television show. At the beach, the only cast you are likely to see is a cast of crabs.
According to one commenter on Yahoo Answers, when it comes to octopuses, “two is company, and three’s a crowd.” Octopuses tend to go solo unless they pair up to mate.
Gam is an archaic word for a social party. Its origin is unknown, but it may come from a nautical term referring to a meeting of whaling ships at sea for the crews to exchange news. Is that why whales, being the social creatures they are, are sometimes called a gam when they meet up together?
People who keep aquariums may have several seahorses, which they might call herds or schools. However, because seahorses don’t really hang out together in the wild, they don’t have an official group name.
Most people remember that dolphins swim in pods. According to Dolphins-World.com, if food is abundant in an area, several pods of dolphins join together to form a super pod. Pod may also refer to groups of whales or seals.
Most rafts are made of wood, but it you see a furry one, it may be made up of a group of sea otters. They like to float on their backs as they chow down on tasty mussels and abalone.
A group of jellyfish is called a smack. Ocean currents determine where jellyfish drift, so if there is a strong breeze, thousands of jellyfish may be blown into the same area. That huge group is a bloom.
A group of sharks is a shiver, and that’s what you might do if you see one of them swimming near you. But don’t worry, they prefer to eat other sea creatures. If a group of them eats together, it’s a frenzy.
What about the little guys? A group of krill is called a swarm. Just in case you’re wondering, krill are the shrimp-like crustaceans that whales love to eat.
Not every sea creature swims. Some of them prefer to promenade with their friends. Sea snails move pretty slowly, which is why we call groups of them walks.
How many of these did you know? It’s cool to learn about animal collective nouns, isn’t it? Why not learn about the names for adorable baby animals next?
The main verb is also called the lexical verb or the principal verb. This term refers to the important verb in the sentence, the one that typically shows the action or state of being of the subject. Main verbs can stand alone, or they can be used with a helping verb, also called an auxiliary verb.
Helping verbs do just what they sound like they do—they help! Different helping verbs help or support the main verb in different ways. For instance, they can show tense (which indicates when an action happened), ability, intention, or possibility. The primary helping verbs are to be, to do, and to have. To better understand how helping verbs support main verbs, consider the examples below:
Here, the auxiliary verb “am” (a form of to be) lets the reader or listener know that the main verb in the sentence—in this case, “driving”—is happening continuously in the present. Different forms of to be could be used as a helping verb to explain when the driving is occurring (e.g., was driving, will drive, or had been driving).
In this sentence, the helping verb “did” (a form of to do) emphasizes the main verb, which is “empty.” For instance, if your mother instructed you to take out the trash and you already did it, you wouldn’t likely say, “I emptied the trash.” Instead, you would say, “I did empty the trash!”
Here, the auxiliary verb “had” (a form of to have) is used to express the past perfect tense, which indicates that the action of the sentence occurred at an earlier time in the past. For example, if someone told you they “saw” a movie, you may think they just finished watching it. If they say they “had seen” it, however, you would know that they went to the movies at some earlier time.
As mentioned previously, main verbs aren’t always action verbs. Sometimes they simply express a subject’s state of being. In these cases, the main verbs are referred to as linking verbs since they link the subject to information concerning its state of being (referred to as a subject complement). Consider the examples below:
Note that the main verb “was” does not express Susan’s actions but her state of being (i.e., adorable).
Here, the main verb “is” links the subject (Jennifer) to its complement, “a nurse.”
Linking Verb Tip: It may be helpful to think of a linking verb as an equal sign. If you can substitute an equal sign for the main verb in a sentence, and it makes sense, then the main verb is a linking verb.
Main verbs can be transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs take a direct object while intransitive verbs do not. Transitive verbs require direct objects to receive their action. Intransitive verbs, however, can express action without a direct object, and as a result, they can end a sentence without the sentence sounding incomplete. Consider these examples:
Since intransitive verbs do not take a direct object, they are often found at the end of a sentence. In many cases, however, an intransitive verb may be followed by another part of speech, such as an adverb or prepositional phrase. Look at the sentences below for an illustration:
Here, “fiercely” is an adverb that describes how the wind blew.
In this sentence, “for what seemed like an hour” is a prepositional phrase that explains how long John laughed.
Here, “yesterday” acts as an adverb that describes when the keys disappeared.
Some main verbs can be transitive or intransitive depending on how they are used. Look at the sentences below.
In the first sentence, “eats” acts as an intransitive verb and is followed by “voraciously,” an adverb that describes how the teenage boy ate.
In the second sentence, “eats” acts as a transitive verb and is followed by the direct object “five meals,” which explains what the teenage boy ate.
Understanding the different types of main verbs and how they function makes identifying them in a sentence much less challenging.
Romeo and Juliet, peanut butter and jelly. . . some combinations just seem to go together. Deadlines and exhaustion, on the other hand, are a pair that no one likes to experience. What do you do when you are confronted with that undesirable duo? Put up a fight with these seven motivating tactics.
If someone told you to do an online search for a blueprint for a house, you would skip off to your computer without a care in the world. However, if you were asked to build a house, you might exclaim “I can’t do that!” Why is searching for a blueprint less intimidating than building a house? After all, finding the right design is the first step of construction.
In 1981, Albert Bandura and Dale Schunk tested two groups of children. Researchers told one set of children to finish forty-two pages of math problems in seven sessions. The second group’s instructions suggested they complete six pages of math problems each session for seven days. What were the results? Not only did the children with smaller subgoals complete their problems faster, they also answered correctly 40 percent more frequently.
Subsequent studies replicated the same results with adults. What do you learn? Thinking about the whole project is overwhelming, but you can boost your confidence and get more done if you divide the task into manageable chunks.
Okay, you’ve broken your project down into substeps. What now? Psychologists have long agreed that writing down goals helps people to accomplish them. Recently, Dr. Gail Matthews of Dominican University in California wanted to know how effective goal-writing is. She tested hundreds of participants. The findings indicated that writing down goals increases your likelihood of achieving them by about 42 percent.
According to author Michael Hyatt, there are at least five benefits of writing down your objectives:
In this digital age, telling others about your plans with others is easy. Share your goal on social media. Provide regular status updates, including your struggles and setbacks. Likely, your family, friends, and colleagues would welcome a chance to celebrate your advancements and give you advice on how to overcome setbacks. If you are serious about your goal, you will appreciate it when they hold you accountable for your promises. Just knowing that the people who are important to you are rooting for you can motivate you to keep trying.
One Australian psychologist wanted to know if visualization could help basketball players improve their game. He measured how many free throws each player could successfully score in a brief period of time. Then, he divided the players into three groups. One group had to practice throwing free throws for twenty minutes each day. Another group only visualized themselves sinking free throws; they weren’t allowed any real practice. A third group didn’t practice or visualize free throws.
In a real-life trial, players who only visualized improved almost as much as the group who practiced! Why does visualization work? Brain imagery shows the same neuron action in the brain when someone creates mental images and when someone performs a task. When you feel tired, take a few moments to picture yourself completing all of the steps of your project. View the scene in detail—the sights, the smells, the feeling of pride. What positive outcomes will result at the project’s end? How will you celebrate? You should start to feel better in no time.
As reported in Psychology Today, listening to music changes your perception of the world. Studies indicate the music “engages a wide range of neurobiological systems that affect our psychology.” To illustrate, researchers played either happy or sad music to test subjects. While listening, the subjects had to identify emoticons as happy or sad.
What happened when researchers presented a neutral face (without a smile or a frown)? Amazingly, subjects listening to sad music identified the ‘neutral’ faces as sad and subjects listening to happy music identified the same face as happy. If you want to affect your mood, why not play some upbeat, energizing music while you work or during your break?
Slumping exhausted in front of a television screen does not count as taking a proper break. What appeals to you most—a power nap, a day trip to the mountains, or a relaxing dinner with your mate? It doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is that you truly relax by doing something that refreshes you. When you return to work, you will be ready to press on.
Aromatherapy is the use of plant extracts or essential oils to improve health or relaxation. According to an article in Entrepreneur, of all our senses, smell is particularly effective in influencing brain activity. Beverly Hawkins, owner of the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, explains that olfactory bulbs “are part of the limbic system and directly connect to the areas of the brain that process emotion and learning.” To benefit, all you have to do is put a small amount of essential oil on a cotton ball. Then, take a sniff or two when you feel tired. However, any old smell won’t do. Hawkins recommends one of six scents—lemon for increased concentration and relaxation, lavender for stress relief, jasmine for lifting your mood, rosemary for fighting physical and mental fatigue, cinnamon for focus, or peppermint for energy.
If you’re feeling exhaustion, it may seem impossible to continue working. Don’t give up. If you take a moment to motivate yourself with one of these seven methods, you will be back in the swing of things before you know it. Which technique will you try first?
Yesterday, Selection Sunday marked the start of the frenetic sports season many like to call March Madness. Today, we’re launching a bracket like the one you may have filled out yesterday, but our March MADness tournament contains only the most infuriating, enraging work communication pet peeves. These annoying office habits keep you from understanding—or, sometimes, liking—your coworkers, and we’re trying to find the worst habit you can form at work. Over the next month, we’ll be asking our community to vote for the worst habit, ultimately crowning the March MADness Champion on _____.
Below are descriptions of the four “conferences” for March MADness, as well as a list of all the “teams.” Have a pet peeve we missed? Comment below with your work communication pet peeve.
These are the Slack, Google Hangouts, HipChat, and other work chat program sins we all commit. While many of the office instant messenger programs have made work life easier, they have their dissenters. Those folks probably hate these chat behaviors.
1 Gifs that keep on giffing
2 Emoji overload
3 The one-word line
4 The never-ending message
5 Early-morning chatters
6 Late-night chatters
7 Giant group chat
8 Blowing up the group chat
Ah, email. As the default business communication method, email has been used, overused, and abused for decades. Every professional tries to escape “email jail” (the constant state of reading and responding to emails), with varying degrees of success. Even if your inbox has been tamed, these obnoxious email habits make email jail into email hell.
9 CC overcrowding
10 Boss CC sneak attack
11 Over-forwarding
12 The “+1” response
13 Email scheduling hell
14 Email autonotification hell
15 Should’ve messaged
16 No subject line
Interruptions, introductions, dropped calls. We all know the perils of conference calls and video chats. Even if they’re necessary for connecting with remote team members and other offices, calls can strain even the best work relationships. And if you experience these call habits, you’ll probably feel more than strained.
17 Background noise nuisances
18 Call distractions
19 Should’ve emailed
20 Should’ve spoken IRL
21 Eternal introductions
22 Total tardiness
23 The long talker
24 The interrupter
Of course, sometimes your coworkers will irritate you in real life. These smaller, more subtle bad habits may not ruin your day, but they can add up to something more enraging over time. Even if you work with angels, you’ve probably experienced one of these horrible office habits.
25 Passive-aggressive notes
26 Whiteboard woes
27 Temperature wars
28 Loud music
29 Early morning chatters
30 Close talkers
31 “But . . .”
32 “Well, actually . . .”
Want to start participating now? The polls for the first matchup between X CC overcrowding and the boss CC sneak attack, as well as the second matchup between gifs that keep on gifing and emoji overload are live. Vote for your least favorite!
Would you like more time for family, recreation, and rest? It’s easier than you think to find time to do the things you enjoy most. Let’s talk about ten oft-ignored ways to save time every single day.
1 Keep track of your time.
“What gets measured gets done.” Though experts debate who wrote this old adage, few disagree with its wisdom. By measuring your time, you can evaluate whether you’re spending it wisely. Otherwise, how could you identify areas that need adjustment? Focus on your time-wasters one by one. Once you get over the shock of how many minutes you waste, you can reappropriate where it will do more good. As you check your progress regularly, your steady improvement will motivate you to eliminate even more time-wasting practices. According to bestselling author Kevin Daum, you will benefit from measuring your time for as short a period as a week or a day.
2 Amp up your downtime.
Do you commute on a form of public transportation? Do you find waiting rooms boring? If you have a smartphone, you can use this unoccupied time to your advantage. Think of your shortest daily tasks. When you have a long wait ahead of you, such as a doctor’s appointment, come prepared. Take what you need to work while you wait, and you will be free for other activities later.
3 Dedicate a distraction-free zone.
One super-productive overseas plane ride inspired Bryan Guido Hassin, CEO of a global technology startup, to incorporate “plane days” into his schedule. He puts his phone and laptop on airplane mode, disabling the network connections. He lets his coworkers know that he will be as unavailable as if he were out of the office. Then, he tackles his highest priority work. You may not have the luxury to make each day a “plane day,” but surely you can turn off your phone and shut your office door to gain a few uninterrupted moments.
4 Do one thing at a time.
Multitasking will cost you 40 percent of your productivity, according to behavioral psychologist Susan Weinschenk. The problem is, you think you’re doing two activities simultaneously, but you’re actually switching rapidly from one activity to another. Switches last a fraction of a second, but over the course of a day, those seconds add up to a significant loss of time. You also make more errors and inhibit your creativity when you multitask. Instead, block off an hour or two to concentrate on your most important task. Can’t sit still for an hour? Set a timer for fifteen minutes, then force yourself to focus until it sounds.
5 Learn from the best (and the worst).
Experience is a great teacher, but you can learn from other people’s successes and failures as well as our own. Rather than lose hours in research, ask friends for the pros and cons of services or products that they’ve bought. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel or the flying saucer camera. It’s simple; copy the methods of successful people and avoid the ways of the unsuccessful.
6 Avoid unnecessary meetings.
Meetings are responsible for a lot of wasted hours. First, let’s address the meeting setters. Is a conference necessary? Would an email serve the same purpose? Does the entire team need to attend (because they play significant roles) or only certain members? If you are an employee, it might be difficult to avoid meetings, but your boss might understand if you point out a potential conflict of priorities. You might say something like, “The meeting today about the dress code falls during the time I scheduled for Project Urgent. Since we are on a tight deadline, would you prefer me to work through the meeting and review the notes later?”
7 Hire someone to do it for you.
Are you the only one who can do this job well? If you’re in a leadership position, delegate some duties to other responsible employees. Even if your work is not managerial, you can still explore the possibility of hiring a virtual assistant or a freelancer. If the undertaking doesn’t require a personal touch, you can save time by hiring someone else to do it while you prioritize other duties. Or, you can always use the time to relax. Such a step might even make you feel happy. As a Harvard researcher reported to The New York Times, “People who spent money to buy themselves time, such as by outsourcing disliked tasks, reported greater overall life satisfaction.”
8 Finish what’s almost done.
To continue an ongoing project, you must review what you already accomplished, get out all your tools, and decide what you will do next. If a project is almost complete, why not finish immediately? Sure, you might stay a half-hour overtime, but you will complete it in less time than if you put everything away to start again tomorrow. Set aside time at the end of the day to wrap up short assignments. The more things you conclude, the less time you’ll spend worrying about them.
9 Buy helpful gadgets.
Some tools are time-wasters in disguise, but others will increase your productivity. Imagine life without cell phones, microwaves, or other modern conveniences. A vintage typewriter may look cool in your apartment, but would you write faster and more accurately with a laptop?
10 Say no.
It’s difficult to tell colleagues that you don’t have time to help them, but it’s necessary. Once they realize that you respectfully decline requests that cut into your personal or work time, they’ll soon stop asking.
The average recruiter spends about six seconds looking at your resume, and you’ve got to make every one of them count. Do resume objectives help or hurt you?
A resume objective is a short statement that outlines your career direction. Objective statements were once the standard on every job-seeker’s resume. A decade or so ago, you wouldn’t have sent out a resume without one. But times change, and what recruiters look for in a standard CV has changed, too.
It’s important not to waste space on a resume. Since keeping your resume to one page should be your goal, everything you include needs to work for you. In many cases, an objective is nonessential, which makes it little more than filler.
Many career experts argue that resume objectives are outdated, and some suggest that they should never be used. Think of it this way—besides you, who really cares about your career goals? Busy recruiters and hiring managers want to know what you can do for the company, not what you’re looking to get out of your next job.
A hiring manager is looking at your resume and thinking What’s in it for this company?. Objective statements are at odds with that, because they’re essentially saying “Here’s what I hope is in it for me.”
Although you’ll get different answers from different resume experts, the consensus seems to be that resume objectives are out of style. What should you use instead?
A Summary Statement
Rather than using valuable space on your resume to declare what sort of work you’re looking for, try summarizing yourself. Think of your summary statement (sometimes called Competencies or a Summary of Qualifications) as something similar to a LinkedIn summary, but with one exception—it needs to be short.
The goal of your summary statement is to answer the hiring manager’s “What’s in it for this company” question. It needs to be brief (about fifteen words or so) and carefully written for maximum impact. You should make every word count in your summary. Avoid filler words and phrases. Use strong verbs.
What an abysmal example! It’s redundant. (A writer with “experience in writing”? Who knew?) It uses a filler phrase (“as being”). It includes a weak, overused adjective (“good”). And, finally, other than listing years of experience, it doesn’t say what sets the candidate apart from all the other writers who may be applying for the same job.
Let’s give it another try.
Much better. Now, our candidate isn’t saying she’s a “good content creator”; she’s confident that her fifteen years on the job make her an expert. She’s demonstrated her communication chops by making sure that her statement uses powerful language, with nary a weak verb in sight. And she’s included an important insight—the content she’s written has been top-performing.
Nothing At All
Even though summary statements are almost always better than resume objectives, both types of statements take up valuable space. And much of the time, the work experience you outline will do the talking. If you’re an experienced professional who needs to tie years of experiences together with a common thread, then a summary statement may be helpful. Otherwise, save the space and add some extra bullet points under the key roles you outline in the experience section of your resume.
There is one case to be made for objective statements—they’re useful when you’re making a major career change. According to the experts at The Muse:
If you have, say, five years of experience in business development and you’re now interested in marketing, your resume probably isn’t selling you as the best candidate for the gigs you’re applying to.
In this case, you could definitely benefit from having an objective statement to clearly explain that you’re making the switch and show how your skill set aligns with this new career path.
According to Monster.com, objective statements are also helpful for those seeking targeted entry-level positions. Keep in mind, though, that often your objectives are laid out in a cover letter.
Recruiters and hiring managers are more likely to focus on your education and relevant experience than anything else on your resume. If space is at a premium, it’s almost always safe to forego the objective statement and make sure your relevant work experience shines instead.
