Bear vs. Bare—What’s the Difference?

Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently. People often confuse homophone pairs, and bare and bear are no exception. Which phrase is correct—bear with me or bare with me?

The Difference between Bear and Bare

Besides being the name of a big furry animal, bear functions as a verb. It means to tolerate, to carry something, or to endure.

The grizzly bear seemed friendly, but we wisely kept our distance.

She could hardly bear the thought of selling her beloved vintage car.

It is too cold to go outside with bear arms.

Bare functions as an adjective or a verb. As an adjective, it can mean minimal, naked, uncovered, or without supplies. The verb bare means to reveal or open something to view.

The cupboard was bare.

Darlene had no idea why she began to bare her heart to the stranger.

The backpack weighed thirty pounds, a heavy burden to bare.

How to Remember the Difference

To forbear means to be patient despite annoyance or provocation. Encapsulated in the word forbear is the verb bear. If you associate bear with the meaning and spelling of forbear, you will never confuse it with bare.

Commonly Confused Phrases With Bear or Bare

Here are some phrases that contain bear or bare. These phrases might have confused you before, but you should easily understand them now. For instance, is it bear with me or bare with me?

Bear with me means “be patient with me.” My husband bears with me even when I am grumpy.

Bear in mind means “keep in mind.” Bear in mind that the forecast calls for rain today.

Bear the cost (or expense) means “to pay for something.” The company considered hiring additional staff, but it couldn’t bear the cost.

Bare minimum means “the least possible.” Keep costs to a bare minimum.

Bear weight means “support.” The builders designed the structure to bear weight.

Bear the pain means “endure the pain.” Ask for an aspirin if you can’t bear the pain.

To bear fruit means “to have positive results.” Studying really bears fruit on exam day.

Examples

Words dazzle and deceive because they are mimed by the face. But black words on a white page are the soul laid bare.

Guy de Maupassant

Do you think I am an automaton?—a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup?

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

I have decided to stick to love . . . Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

MLB Fans and Grammar: A Whole New Ball Game

As Major League Baseball gears up for the All-Star Game, Grammarly teamed up with The Wall Street Journal once again to see which team has the most grammatically correct fans. We looked at all 30 official MLB team sites and analyzed the top 150 comments for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Each team had an average of over 10,000 words.

The Cleveland Indians hit a home run making the fewest mistakes (just 3.6 mistakes per 100 words) while the New York Mets strike out making 13.9 mistakes per 100 words. Take a look at the scorecard below to see how your favorite team stacked up.

To share this infographic with your readers, embed this in your blog post by pasting the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this infographic to https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check.

How to Stay Focused on All Your Tasks

We’ve all found ourselves distracted from things we should be doing. A 2014 study found that a whopping 87 percent of high school and college students are self-professed procrastinators. Odds are good that you’ve found yourself distracted when you know you should be focused on a task. Is there a cure? Let’s take a look at how to avoid the pitfalls of common distractions.

When the Internet Interferes with Your Productivity

Distractions are everywhere, and the Internet doesn’t help. My article deadline is approaching and I still have a long way to go. I’m a perfectionist—I wouldn’t dare slap something together just to have it done—so that means either finishing soon or facing the indignity of asking for an extension. Ugh.

I stare at the cursor. Blink. Blink. Blink.

Maybe I’ll scroll through my Facebook feed. (Hush, conscience! There may be inspiration there. You never know.) Is that an ad for a meal delivery service? Sounds interesting. I like cooking. Cooking requires electricity. I wonder if I paid the electric bill. Maybe I’ll check my personal email account for the receipt. Hmm, Amazon emailed to see if I’d be interested in a panini maker. Would I use that? I’d like a panini for lunch. Ugh! This article won’t write itself. I need to get my ducks in a row.

I don’t have ducks. There is no row. I think what I have is more like over-caffeinated squirrels run amok.

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3 Internet-Blocking Productivity Apps

Fortunately, there are apps for that. If you have the self-discipline to use them, they can help you keep your eyes off social media and other time-wasting sites that lure you away when you’re trying to work. Here are a few:

• Self Control is an open-source Mac app that blocks time-waster sites that you specify. Simply add your most frequent offenders to the blacklist, set a timer, and run the app to keep distractions at bay, even if you restart your computer.
• Freedom helps over 100,000 users block out Internet distractions (and even the entire Internet for those who want to get some reading or other non-digital work done). Although it costs $29 for a one-year plan, the program is robust and works across Mac, Windows, and iOS platforms. The downside? They don’t have an Android app and currently have browser plugins for Chrome only.
• Forest helps you keep your hands off your Android or iOS device by gamifying the process. Start the app to plant a virtual tree. As long as you keep your paws off, the tree grows. When the tree matures (which takes a half hour) you can add it to a grove that eventually becomes a forest. Bonus: users can spend virtual coins they earn in Forest to plant real world trees.

When the Real World Gets You Off-Task

The Internet is a significant distraction, but it’s not the whole picture. The Internet has been with us for only a short span of human history, but distractibility has probably been a thing since that one guy, we’ll call him Trogg, first wandered away from his tribe of hunter/gatherers in search of something shiny he spotted on a distant hillside.

Sometimes, a little structured procrastination can actually help you regain your focus. But more often, it represents the things you do when you really should be doing something else. The more focused I’m supposed to be on an article, the more inclined I am to get up and make a cup of tea or decide that the dog needs walking. Office environments pose a different problem, because workplace distractions abound. What to do?

4 Ways to Increase Your Focus

• Focus on habits over goals. Think of goals as the overarching theme. (I want to stay focused and finish my articles before their deadline.) Goals are fine, but failing to reach them is a recipe for feeling bad about yourself. That’s where habits come in. By creating habits, you break your goals down into manageable steps. (I’ll research and outline in the morning, write in the afternoon, and finalize and edit in the evening.) Plus, those good habits become ingrained and, hopefully, stay with you for life. Win!
• Allocate time to plan your day. As you can see above, I have a strategy for researching and writing articles that works with my own schedule. If you spend a few moments in the morning allocating your time, you’ll be less likely to let the day slip away before you’ve finished your tasks. My schedule might look like this: 9-11 a.m. research and outlining; 1-2 p.m. answer email; 2-4 p.m. write 800 words; 9-11 p.m. finish writing and editing.
• Take a stand against pesky coworkers. When I work in an office setting, I tend to become the office “social worker.” Everyone comes to me with their problems, or their desire to share their life story. (It’s a gift, albeit a questionable one.) I once had a boss who was the worst offender. She’d sit in my office for hours talking about her personal life, and then complain when I wasn’t finished with my tasks at the end of the day. If you find yourself constantly subjected to office chatter, disengaging can be as simple as standing up when an eager-to-talk coworker enters your workspace. Your unwelcome guest will find the idea of sitting down while you’re standing awkward and will be less likely to overstay their welcome. Voila!
• Make to-do lists. Start your morning (or end your day) by creating a to-do list. We tend to stay more focused on tasks when they’re laid out for us and we can prioritize. Posting a written list can provide a useful bit of visual incentive as you gleefully cross off the tasks you’ve accomplished. It really is that simple!

We’re distractible people, and the world is a distracting place. To make matters worse, technology is all up in our business 24/7. But with a little planning, and maybe even some help from technology itself via productivity apps, we can shut out the noisy world and get things done.

Do you have trouble staying focused? Share a story and your favorite way to stay on task in the comments.

Stationary vs. Stationery—What’s the Difference?

• Stationary means “fixed,” “immobile,” or “unchanging.”
• Stationery refers to paper, matching envelopes, and writing implements.

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At a glance, stationary and stationery look very much alike. But they couldn’t be further apart in meaning and function. So confusing them—and they’re often confused—is a noticeable mistake.

What Does Stationary Mean?

When something is fixed, immobile, or not subject to change, we can use the adjective stationary to describe it:

I don’t care much for the stationary bike; I prefer riding a real one.

It stands in the square as a stationary reminder of the march of history.

What Does Stationery Mean?

Stationery refers to the collection of papers, envelopes, and other things you’d use to write letters or cards:

The hotel offered complimentary stationery to guests who wished to write letters.

She wanted to write a letter, but the drawer where she stored her stationery was empty.

Examples

When you go to the gym and hop on the stationary bike you’re literally spinning your wheels.

Forbes

Is there a fate worse than having to host a pirate-themed stationary cruise?

A.V. Club

At the “Left & Write” stationery store you can purchase a variety of unique and stylish cards that cater to the season and the occasion.

The Review

So how has Smiggle, the colourful, kid-friendly stationery retailer founded in Melbourne 13 years ago, turned into a global powerhouse?

NEWS

The Post-Vacation Blues: Is There Any Way to Beat Them?

You’re getting your tan on at the beach. You’re living your Lord of the Rings fantasy on a mountaintop. Maybe you’re just catching a snooze on a couch. What matters: you’re on vacation.

But then, with a sudden jolt, the freedom you briefly tasted is snatched away. Jetlag ensues. The alarm clock goes off. You’re back under the fluorescent lights of your office. How do you bounce back?

Beating the post-vacation blues isn’t an easy task. But try these tricks and self-reminders and you’ll be well on your way.

Newsflash! Feeling weird after vacation is normal

Post-vacation blues, post-vacation depression, having trouble getting back into your routine, or even crying after vacation are all very common phenomena. Don’t believe us? Just ask Psychology Today or WebMD. They’re doctors.

The main cure is time, but with a few extra boosts, you can shrink that time down and be back to waking up with a smile on your face every morning.

Okay, we can’t totally promise that. But you’ll at least get rid of that nasty feeling of wishing you were somewhere else.

Plan to beat your blues before they start

It sounds painful: all you want to think about is the glorious vacay that awaits, not the possibility that it could ever end. But do some prep, and your post-vacation self will thank your pre-vacation self.

Plan for your return before you leave

Planning for getting back can be as simple as making a list of the projects you were in the middle of before you left and first tasks to tackle once you’re back. It’s easy to push everything out of your head while you’re away, so even a gentle reminder can help you get back on track.

Come up with a recovery strategy

If jetlag is involved, plan for extra sleep, or different hours if you have time zones to acclimate to.

If thousands of emails are involved, set aside some time on your calendar to trudge through those. (And make sure you write them clearly and assertively, no matter how bleh you feel.)

If you think you might be sad when you get back from your vacation, leave yourself positive notes. If you write them while you’re still in anticipation mode, the good vibes will rub off on your future self when it’s in grieving mode.

And if you feel like grieving: grieve. It’s all part of the recovery.

Allow yourself a mourning period

What’s the point of beating yourself up about being sad about being back from vacation? Acknowledge your need to wallow for a few days. And wallow well:

Give yourself leeway

Maybe you allow yourself that chocolate bar or just stare at the wall until your brain returns to solid form. Let yourself be sad for a bit. But give yourself a deadline, and then decide to feel better.

Have methods for cheering yourself up

Candy. Music video breaks. Animal pictures. Whatever gives you comfort, get it.

Hold on to your vacation

That is, hold on to the positive memories, but don’t cling to them for dear life. Here, as in everything, it’s important to find balance.

Be grateful for your vacation

Every time you catch yourself thinking “It sucks to be back,” change your mindset: think about your favorite memories from the trip, and remind yourself how happy you were at that moment.

And no, don’t sink into the pit of thinking how happy you were then compared to how miserable you are now. Just picture that great memory, and force yourself to feel some gratitude.

Integrate your trip into your regular life

That doesn’t mean pack your bags and move to Berlin, or make backpacking Peru your day job. It means you tack a picture of your favorite spot to the wall by your desk. Or learn how to cook the best dish you discovered while away. Or take a language class so next time you go to that place, you’ll be able to have a real chat. There are lots of ways to bring your vacation spot home with you.

Suck it up and let it go

Didn’t we just say “hold on to your vacation,” and now we’re all “let it go”? They’re not as different as you think. After all, you’ve done your mourning. You ate the chocolate and revisited your favorite ’90s vids. But at a certain point, you’ve got to stop wallowing and dive back in.

Find the fun in your routine

That morning cup of extra-special coffee. The coworker who always has something nerdy and unexpected to say (weird ideas for celebrating Star Wars Day, for instance). The sense of satisfaction when you wrap up an important project.

Sure, those aren’t as fun as exploring the lake region of Uganda or the Martian landscape of Iceland, but there’s a lot to be said for appreciating the little things.

And if you truly need help getting back in the groove, here are tips to stop procrastinating, take productive breaks, get inspired to write, beat writer’s block, and clean up your writing.

Start thinking about your next vacation

Sure, it’s not the healthiest if you’re just living one trip to the next and existing as a business-casual zombie in between. But having something to look forward to can add an extra dose of motivation to where you are in the time being. Whether you start looking at flights or just do some image searches of potential spots, the daydream factor can give you a boost.

Live it up where you are

A good way to make sure you’re not just counting down the days until your next trip is to find new and exciting things in your own time zone. Crazy idea: fun and familiar things will do the trick, too.

Maybe there’s a pretty hike people have recommended, or a restaurant you haven’t tried, or a part of town you’ve never explored. On the familiar end of things, you can binge on your favorite TV show, make a reservation at a restaurant with your preferred comfort food, or schedule visits with all the friends you missed while you were away.

If you fill your calendar with things to look forward to, you could discover whole new worlds in your own backyard. Or on the flipside, find out that your yard is a pretty comfy place to be. The busier you are, the sooner you’ll get back into your routine—and actually start enjoying it again, too.

Remember Dorothy’s words of wisdom

That’s right: there’s no place like home. It’s certainly a thrill to get off the airplane and think “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” but there’s a lot of comfort in coming back to familiar surroundings. Notice the ones that make you happy, and savor them. Reminding yourself to appreciate your home can make even black-and-white reality seem like a Technicolor adventure.

Punctuation Standards in British English

There are certain punctuation standards in British English that are important for a writer to understand. Even the most insightful article might be dismissed by readers because of punctuation errors, even if they have nothing to do with the merit of the content. Some mistakes crop up time and time again, making them understandable, but all the harder to excuse. Consider these punctuation pitfalls in British English that often trap the unwary.

The misaligned quotation mark.

This problem arises from a difference between American and British English. Writers mistakenly put full stops and commas inside quotation marks (the American way) when they should be outside (the British way). Further confusion arises from the fact that British English does follow the American format in fiction, when characters are speaking. For example:

Correct in British non-fiction: The gentleman said “good morning”, which was pleasant. Correct in American non-fiction: The gentleman said “good morning,” which was pleasant. Correct in British fiction: “Good morning,” said the gentleman.

Note that question marks and exclamation marks are placed inside the quotation marks if they are part of the text being quoted. They go outside if they are part of the entire sentence.

The errant apostrophe.

This tiny symbol can make or break a piece of writing, simply by being one space to the left or right. To academics and many employers, a misplaced apostrophe sticks out like a sore thumb. The confusion arises with the difference between the plural and possessive. For example:

A word can be made plural by adding an s, as in Davids, meaning more than one David. A word is made possessive by adding an apostrophe before an s, as in David’s, meaning belonging to David. A plural noun is made possessive by adding an apostrophe after the s, as in Davids’.

The treacherous its vs. it’s.

This problem catches many writers, because it doesn’t quite follow the usual rules of apostrophes. The confusion comes from the fact that it’s is not possessive but rather a contraction. The apostrophe and s replace is or has. Meanwhile, its is not plural; it is the possessive form of it. For example:

Make it possessive with an extra s, as in ‘This building had its opening last year’. Use it’s to indicate a contraction of it is or it has, as in ‘It’s not your fault’ or ‘It’s been cold this winter’. When in doubt, try inserting is or has into your sentence after it and seeing whether the sentence still makes sense.

The confusing comma.

Many writers misplace commas, largely because they think of comma placement asa stylistic choice, not subject to any hard rules. This is not quite true, because misused commas can make text very difficult to read. For example:

Too few commas result in an unwieldy block of text: To place your commas consider the points in a sentence where you would naturally stop for breath or pause for effect when the sentence is read aloud that way the sentence will read much better.

The example above is missing a crucial comma. It also runs two sentences into one.

To place your commas, consider the points in a sentence where you would naturally stop for breath or pause for effect when the sentence is read aloud. That way, the sentence will read much better.

The suspect semicolon.

The problem with the semicolon is that it often gets used where a colon or dash would be better. People can generally spot a place where one of these punctuation marks is needed, but they may not know which one to select. A semicolon does not perform the same function as a colon, and the two are not interchangeable. For example:

To merge two clauses or sentences into one sentence, use a semicolon: Brian chose to buy a blue sweater; it matched his new trainers. To begin a list, use a colon: Brian bought several items: a blue sweater, blue trainers, and a top hat. The dash and colon are broadly interchangeable, but the colon is more formal and the dash is more like a dramatic pause, used more aptly in fiction.

The frustrating full stop.

Known in American punctuation as the ‘period’, the full stop is fairly straightforward. Nevertheless, there is one circumstance when it’s very easily misplaced, which again refers to a distinction between the rules of American English and British English.

The circumstance in question is the placement of a full stop after an abbreviated title, such as ‘Mr’, as an abbreviation of ‘Mister’. British English punctuation does not require a full stop after an abbreviated title, so long as the last letter of the abbreviation matches that of the full word. When this is not the case, a full stop is added. For example, ‘Dr’ ends in an ‘r’, which is the same as the last letter of ‘Doctor’, so no full stop is needed. American English requires a full stop, or period, after all abbreviated titles. For example:

Correct in British English: ‘Mister’ is abbreviated to ‘Mr’ without the addition of a full stop. Correct in American English: ‘Mister’ is abbreviated to ‘Mr.’ with the addition of a full stop. Correct in British English: ‘Professor’ is abbreviated to ‘Prof.’ with the addition of a full stop.

4 Memorable Quotes from Larry David That Will Make You Think

Comedy lovers rejoice! After a six-year hiatus, Larry David’s acclaimed comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm is returning to HBO on October 1 for its much-anticipated ninth season.

Not familiar with the irascible Larry David? Larry got his start doing stand-up in the 1970s and was briefly a writer for SNL. But he’s best known as the true genius (and head writer and executive producer) behind the beloved ’90s sitcom Seinfeld, one of the most successful shows of all time.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (in which Larry plays a fictionalized version of himself) has also enjoyed its share of accolades, including two Emmy Awards (out of thirty-nine nominations), and a Golden Globe Award (with five nominations).

We’d say that’s pretty, pretty, pretty good.

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So today we’re celebrating the return of Curb with some creative wisdom from Larry David himself.

1Prioritize Your Own Standards

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To be honest . . . I think the only thing that really worked in my favor, is that right from the beginning I really didn’t [care] whether or not [Seinfeld] was a success. That’s not to say I didn’t want to do good work, but I wasn’t about to let myself be judged by network standards. When you’re not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom.

Despite pressure from NBC to play it safe, Larry chose to stay true to himself and his vision and make the art he wanted to make. Instead of pandering to the bureaucratic overlords, he chose to create something that he was personally proud of, regardless of its reception.

By removing the pressure to achieve, and setting his creativity loose, he was able to create something which brought joy to hundreds of millions of viewers.

2Don’t Be Afraid To Go There

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On some viewers’ surprising response to Curb Your Enthusiasm:

. . . people told me after the show started airing that they had to leave the room for some scenes because they were cringing and they couldn’t bear to watch — it was like a horror movie — I had no idea it was having that effect on people.

That was a complete surprise to me, and I liked it. I liked that they couldn’t see it. But I never really gave it that much thought. I was just trying to do funny shows. I never felt I was going too far. I felt I was doing what I wanted to see.

If you’ve seen Curb, you’ll know just how painfully cringeworthy some scenes are. But even after Larry discovered his show was having this effect on people, he didn’t tone down what he was doing to make his audience more comfortable; he continued to push the envelope.

Not everyone will understand, appreciate, or be comfortable with the art you make—and that’s okay. Do the work you want to do. Your audience is out there!

3Push Your Creative Boundaries, Even When It’s Hard

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When I drove home every day, because we were improvising it, I’d think, “Would this scene be better if I’d written it?” And 98 percent of the time, I’d thought “No.” It was better improvised. You could just get to places that you couldn’t get to writing.

But the editing is really hard. Compared to a written show, where you’re doing two to three takes and they’re all the same. For this show, every take is different.

The dialogue of Curb Your Enthusiasm is mostly improvised by the actors (instead of scripts, Larry writes outlines for the show), and the results are hilarious. The process of getting to the final product may be difficult, but it’s absolutely worth it.

4Your Perspective Can Be a Game Changer

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On Larry’s conversation with Jerry Seinfeld where they came up with the idea for Seinfeld:

We were in a grocery store and talking about the different products on the shelves. And we were making each other laugh. Then we both realized that this is the kind of dialogue we never really heard on television, or even movies, for that matter.

Chances are many of your favorite TV shows and movies have dialogue that sounds natural, and may even sound similar to how you talk with your friends. But before Seinfeld hit the airwaves in 1989, that was rarely the case, and a show celebrating the minutiae of everyday life was unthinkable.

Just like Larry and Jerry realized there was something missing in entertainment, you might also see gaps in your field that no one else has filled before. You may feel like an outsider because of your perspective, but this can also be your strength if you’re willing to act on it.

Need to catch up on Curb? The first eight seasons are available to stream on Amazon Prime!

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