A mixed construction is a sentence with incompatible elements that begins with one type of structure and shifts to another type of structure. In these sentences, the speaker sets out to say one thing and abruptly switches to something else, resulting in confusion.
A sentence that is logical has a subject and a predicate. When a subject is introduced in a sentence, an expectation is set up about the grammatical direction the sentence is going in, and when that expectation is not met, the sentence does not sound right. Take this mixed construction example:
Teachers, a noble profession, involves a lot of patience.
Teachers is not a profession; teaching is. When teachers was introduced as the subject of the sentence, it created the expectation that the rest of the sentence would describe something teachers do or are. The predicate involves a lot of patience takes the sentence in a different grammatical direction, making it a faulty predicate. We could rewrite the mixed sentence this way and it would be grammatically correct:
Teachers have a lot of patience.
However, the original sentence clearly intended teaching, as a profession, to be the subject, and the predicate was intended to show that teaching does indeed require a lot of patience.
Teaching, a noble profession, involves a lot of patience.
Teaching is a noble profession that involves a lot of patience.
Of course, it would also be correct, if a little less elegant, to simply divide the sentence in two.
Teaching is a noble profession. Teachers have a lot of patience!
Sentences with mixed constructions can often be found in first drafts of writing; the writer sets out with a stream of ideas that sound misconnected on a second reading. This is just one of the reasons reading over and editing your writing is always a great idea.
That typo or grammar goof you just made in an email might make a bad impression. It could signal that you lack attention to detail. At worst, it could make you seem less intelligent, conscientious, and trustworthy.
Although email typos happen to everyone, they happen less frequently to those who take a little extra time to proofread. Here’s a foolproof step-by-step guide to getting it right before you hit send.
1 Get your contact’s name right.
Did you spell your contact’s first and last name correctly? It’s important. And, if you doubt that, think of the last time you got an email from someone who got your name wrong. At the very least, you probably groaned or rolled your eyes. We get annoyed when people misspell our names because we assume they don’t care enough about us to pay attention to that basic detail.
If you’re uncertain about the spelling of your contact’s name, do a little research to see if you can come up with it via Google or social media. If all else fails, use a generic greeting like “Hi there” that doesn’t use a first name.
Here’s a tip: Make sure you’ve spelled business and website names correctly, too. It’s even a good idea to double-check how the name is formatted. Is it Buzzfeed, Buzz Feed, or BuzzFeed? (Hint: It’s the last one.) Little details do matter.
2 Check your tone.
Does your email sound cold or terse? It might. Often, what sounds fine in our heads doesn’t come across well in text. When you don’t stop to review and proofread your email before you send it, you risk being misinterpreted.
The trick here is to apply some empathy. Clear your head and imagine you’re receiving your email rather than sending it. Does anything you’ve written sound negative or even hostile? There’s a big difference between “I’m looking forward to chatting with you” and “I’ll be expecting your call.” One is friendly and positive; the other sounds as though you’re saying “You’d better call or else.”
3 Make sure you’ll be understood.
Make sure your recipient has enough details to understand what you’ve written. Remember that you and your recipient may not have all the same information—the things you understand aren’t necessarily things your recipient will know. Reread your email with this in mind and fill in the blanks as needed.
Here’s a tip: If you find yourself giving too much background information, take a step back and rethink your strategy. You may want to start with a simple “just the facts” approach that leads into a more involved discussion. For instance, instead of breaking down a multi-step plan in a long, complex introductory email, you might first write a quick summary and ask your contact whether they’d like you to share more details.
4 Check for clarity.
Make sure what you’ve written reads smoothly and conveys your precise meaning. Look for unclear pronoun references.
Scan your emails for words like it or they and then make sure your text conveys what those words refer to. If not, rewrite to replace those pronouns with something concrete.
When we hold it directly after the keynote, it always has good attendance.
Hold what after the keynote? What has good attendance?
When we hold the copywriting workshop directly after the keynote, the workshop always has good attendance.
Better. But we can rewrite to simplify the sentence and avoid repeating the word workshop.
The copywriting workshop always has good attendance when we hold it directly after the keynote.
Keep your sentences simple and direct. Emails written at a third-grade reading level have significantly better response rates. Long, complex sentences and big words can make your text more challenging to read for a busy person who’s rushing through emails. Do consider your audience, however. If you’re writing to a doctor of sociology to ask for an interview, go ahead and use lush language and more complex structure. Otherwise, make “simple is better” your default.
5 Watch out for wordiness.
Part of simplifying your text involves streamlining it. Eliminate filler words and phrases. Get rid of adverbs and use stronger verbs. (Instead of incredibly happy, try overjoyed, thrilled, or ecstatic. Instead of ran swiftly, how about dashed or sprinted?)
Consider George Orwell’s six rules of writing:
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figures of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.*
*About Orwell’s rule #6, see our rule #2.
Here’s a tip: Grammarly Premium will help you find overused words and filler words. As you become more aware of your use of filler words, you’ll automatically use them less often. Win!
6 Proofread carefully.
Up to this point, we’ve been talking about proofreading in the broader terms of a developmental edit. Now, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty and proofread line-by-line. Have you spelled everything correctly? Did you use the proper homonyms? (Did you type “There going to the festival” when you meant to type They’re?) Is your punctuation on point?
An app like Grammarly will help you catch and fix your errors. But keep in mind that it’s a tool to enhance your proofreading ability, not replace the need for proofreading altogether. The advantage of using a proofreading app is that every mistake the app catches will teach you something about your writing and ultimately make you a better writer.
7 Sit on it.
Some emails need a while to simmer, especially if they’re sensitive. Let’s say you have to write an email to report the inappropriate conduct of a coworker, or you have to draft a performance review for someone whose performance hasn’t exactly been stellar. Emotion can make you write things you’ll later regret.
Draft your email in your word processor rather than your email client so you’re not tempted to send it impulsively before you’ve given it a thorough review. If you’re able to hold off for a bit, sit on that email for a day before sending it. When you reread your email in the light of a new day, you’ll often find things to revise, especially in terms of tone and clarity.
Here’s a tip: When it’s critical to deliver an error-free email that won’t be misunderstood, it may be helpful to have someone else (particularly someone impartial) look over your draft.
At the very least, make sure the unsend feature is enabled in your email client. (Here’s how to do it in Gmail.) The few seconds of time it will buy after you’ve hit Send will occasionally rescue you from being owned outright by a glaring typo. I once received an email with the subject line “This learning toy made my child crap with glee!”
Email has transformed the way we communicate. However, just because it’s easy and quick like many other kinds of digital communication doesn’t mean you should skip all forethought about how your message is received—literally and figuratively.
Email etiquette matters, especially as email increasingly becomes our more formal mode of communication. Take this quiz to find out whether you’re a master of email manners or you have some schooling left!
Do you need to brush up on your email manners? Here are our top email tips.
When you have a case of writer’s block, you’d take anything, any progress to get the creative juices flowing again. But it can seem like the well’s run dry.
Overcoming a creative block is a process. Sometimes the fog suddenly lifts, but more likely you will have to work until the sun shines again. It will take some willpower. Part of that process is understanding what causes writer’s block and the scientific ways it can be improved.
What Is Writer’s Block and Why Is It Happening to Me?
Creative blocks of all kinds are prolonged periods of being unable to create or being deeply unsatisfied with the quality of your creative output.
These difficult periods are usually temporary, often reflect emotional or mental state changes, and are characterised by unhappiness, lack of motivation, and limited creativity. Research by Michael Barrios and Jerome Singer, two Yale University psychologists, showed that writer’s block derives from four mental roots: anxiety/stress, interpersonal frustration, apathy, and anger/disappointment. The logic works out this way:
Writers blocked by anxiety or stress are usually hampered by self-criticism.
Writers blocked by interpersonal frustration worry about the comparison with others—good or bad.
Writers blocked by apathy seem to have truly run out of ideas and are unable to find inspiration.
Writers blocked by anger or disappointment most often are searching for external motivation or reward.
Now with this understanding, you might be balking at the idea that there is some deep-seated emotional trauma you need to work on or that writers suffering from a creative block must schedule time with a therapist.
It’s not like that at all.
First, writer’s block can pop up during times of change and doesn’t necessarily reflect a profound mental or emotional crisis. Second, further research by Barrios and Singer showed that while mental and emotional states seem to block creativity, creativity unblocks such states. Art itself can be therapy.
So, what can you actually do about writer’s block? It turns out that science and experienced writers have come to the same conclusion:
Focus on creative exercises of all kinds to get your writing mojo back.
Activities to Boost Creativity and Stop Writer’s Block
1 Just write.
Experts agree that one of the best things you can do to unblock your writing is to keep writing, even if it’s painful and terribly boring stuff.
“When one feels writer’s block, it’s good to just keep putting things down on paper—ideas, knowledge, etc.”
—Scott Barry Kaufman, Wired to Create
Maya Angelou said the same:
“What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’”
—Maya Angelou
In fact, many professional writers insist on writing No. Matter. What.
2 Try something else creative.
Just because you’re blocked in one creative art doesn’t mean you can’t stimulate your brain with other artistic ventures. Art can serve as a form of therapy, so why not try your hand at something new? Drawing, building, and singing are all easy ways to get inspired. Inc.com has compiled a helpful list of creative outlets for you to try in thirty minutes or less.
Go ahead. Try something. We’ll wait.
“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people’s words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.”
—Hilary Mantel
3Get moving.
Creative output nearly doubles when you’re walking versus sitting. It’s still not clear whether it’s the increased blood flow that helps or the change of scenery. Nevertheless, physically getting out can help get your mind out of the box.
4 Build your creative confidence.
Increased confidence is particularly helpful for people who are concerned with criticism—their own or other people’s. David Kelley has some helpful thoughts for silencing the critics (or at least turning the volume down) and learning to trust yourself again.
. . .When we track them down and ask them what’s going on, they say something like, “I’m just not the creative type.” But we know that’s not true. If they stick with the process, if they stick with it, they end up doing amazing things. And they surprise themselves at just how innovative they and their teams really are.
—David Kelley
In fact, TED, has a great creativity playlist to wake your inner creative genius and unblock your writing.
Regardless of the cause of your writer’s block, all writers can succeed with some creative development and a dose of determination.
What kind of writing block do you identify with? What techniques help you write more and be more creative?
Get out the pruning shears: a big part of good writing is good editing. And a surefire way to give your writing a confidence boost is to eliminate words that weigh down your writing and make you sound uncertain.
We call these weasel words. Like weasels, they’re not necessarily bad on their own. In fact, they’re kind of cute. But weasels are known for escaping situations (ever heard of someone “weaseling out” of something?). Plus, if you’re a rabbit, they’re deadly.
Weasel words won’t kill you (or rabbits). But you’ll still be safer if you avoid them. So give your writing a confidence boost with these tips for cleaning up your writing.
Get rid of these dirty habits
1Weasel words Specifically, weasel words are qualifiers that might make you sound sort of like you’re not sure of yourself. Or maybe like you’re trying to create a little wiggle room. For example:
Like
Sort of, kind of
Maybe, perhaps
Might, can
Let’s try that again. Weasel words are qualifiers that make you sound unsure of yourself, like you’re trying to create wiggle room.
Don’t get us wrong: in some cases, you need these words. But if you want to convey an idea or make an argument, remove words that make your readers think of slimy politicians trying to avoid stating something directly. Maybe it can make a difference.
No, really: it makes a difference.
2Adverbs Like weasel words, adverbs aren’t evil on their own. They’re like seasoning: a little goes a long way. Who wants pasta with more pepper on it than cheese?
Stephen King wrote in his book On Writing:
The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
We’re not going to bring devils and brimstone into the picture, but we do strongly recommend that you seriously think about taking out the adverbs, unless you actually need to significantly modify an idea.
Oh look, it happened again. Here’s that sentence without the padding: we recommend taking out the adverbs unless you need to modify an idea. Stronger, right?
Here are some of the most common do-nothings in the adverb world:
Actually
Basically
Currently
Presently
Really
Suddenly
Very
Seriously
When you catch yourself using one of those words, read the sentence to yourself without it. If it doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence in a significant way, axe it.
3“There is” and “there are”
There is nothing more boring than a sentence that starts with “there is.” In other words, sentences that start with “there is” are boring. In other words, write interesting sentences. Constructions that start with words like “it,” “here,” or “there,” followed by a form of the verb “to be” fall into the category of empty filler words.
Instead, try to start with yourself or a subject—or better yet, a verb—to focus on the action and the idea. After all, there are so many interesting writing styles out there. Er, that is, emulate interesting writing styles to keep your prose powerful.
Replace these signs of weakness
1Excessive Punctuation
Sure: sometimes a colon, semicolon, or other fancy punctuation—dashes, for example—can help you get a point across; it’s elegant and convincing.
But often, shorter sentences are better. If your writing feels weighed down by long sentences crammed with lots of punctuation, try taking out some of the extras in favor of sentences that are short and sweet.
2Too many negatives
Yes, that goes for your mood, but it also goes for your writing. If you’re finding lots of instances of “shouldn’t,” “can’t,” “don’t,” and other variations of “not” in your writing, try to diversify by picking a verb that doesn’t require the word “not.”
For example:
You shouldn’t use negatives in your writing.
Vs.
Use positive words in your writing.
Now there’s a boost to your writing style and your mood.
3Excessively fancy words
Fancy words are fun. They make us feel smart. They remind us that we took the SAT, and despite the tribulations of the egregious experience, passed with equanimity and aplomb.
It’s a bit much. Sure, a 50-cent word here and there can help you convey ideas precisely—for example, “with equanimity” is a lot more specific than “doing a good job and staying calm.” But don’t just toss in the big guys to make yourself sound smart. Your writing will be clearer and more powerful if you use them sparingly. After all, you can have too much of a good thing.
4The word “thing”
Really, just destroy that thing.
Pretty much every time you use the word “thing,” you could pick another word that is more specific and precise.
Take these examples:
I’m trying to strengthen my writing with things that sound better to an audience.
Vs.
I’m trying to strengthen my writing by gearing my style toward a target audience.
See? Rewriting can be a powerful thing.
Follow these key rules
1Make verbs stronger
In other words, strengthen your verbs. That just about covers it.
2Think about icebergs
You know, the tip of the iceberg. It’s an idiom that means a small or visible part of a much bigger issue, and it’s how Ernest Hemingway thought about writing as a whole. Here’s the idea in his words:
If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg [sic] is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.
The metaphor: the dignity of writing is also due to slashing what you want to say down to what you need to say. Maybe one-eighth sounds extreme, but even if you have a different fraction, the rule stands: show, don’t tell, and if you’re showing, show it in a shorter way. Whether you’re writing fiction, nonfiction, or something that defies definition, it’s a good rule of thumb.
3Listen to George Orwell
In an essay called “Politics and the English Language,” he defined six rules of writing. If they worked for the author of 1984 and Animal Farm, they may just work for you. Here they are now:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
There you have it: keep your writing simple, brief, active, free of clichés, and to the point.
But Orwell gives you a little bit of leeway: if something sounds “outright barbarous” (in simpler terms more in line with his own rules: brutal, uncivilized, or bad), you might just have permission to break these rules. Which leads us to our final guideline:
4Use your own best judgment
These rules will help you maintain clean, clear prose that argues, convinces, or portrays efficiently and powerfully. But there are always exceptions: sometimes a grandiloquent word best serves your purposes, or the word “thing” really comes in handy. You don’t have to treat these rules like a religion, but if you keep them in mind when you’re polishing your writing, you’re likely to have a more powerful product. Even the weasels can’t argue with that.
During your job interview, your prospective employer is likely to ask you some behavioral questions. Unlike job-related questions that focus on past performance, behavioral questions help the employer get a better feel for who you are and how you’ll carry yourself on the job.
Here are some of the common behavioral interview questions you can expect, with advice and examples to help you answer them.
Ability to Work and Play Well With Others
1Tell me about a time you had to work closely with someone whose personality or work style clashed with yours.
It’s okay to be honest here, but don’t bash your former colleague. It’s important to show that you can be flexible and overcome challenges.
“I had a supervisor who was ultra-creative, and so he had a creative person’s impulse-driven approach to projects. I need more structure, so we worked together to develop an Asana project where he could add creative input when inspiration struck, and I had a central place for project notes to keep me on task.”
2Talk about a time when you made a mistake that affected a colleague. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?
The employer wants to see that you own your mistakes rather than mounting a defense or deflecting blame. Admit something you did, and explain how you corrected the mistake.
“I contacted a lead that my colleague was already working with and ended up taking his sale. When I caught the error, I realized that I’d forgotten to check the client database before reaching out to the lead. I apologized to my colleague and split the commission with him. Then I put some measures in place so that I’d always remember to check the database before getting too enthusiastic about client outreach.”
3Let’s say you need something important from a coworker and that person isn’t responding. How would you deal with this?
It’s important to show that you’re persistent and able to follow through. Just be careful not to give the impression that you’d be unreasonable or belligerent.
“Things fall through the cracks sometimes. I’d follow up with my coworker by email or Slack, and if that didn’t work I’d check in with him personally. If the problem grew to a point where it was going to be detrimental to the project, I’d ask a supervisor for an assist.”
Time Management Chops
4Tell me about a time when you had to manage multiple responsibilities. How did you handle that?
If you’re a great multitasker, you may be tempted to brag. Resist the urge. Instead of trying to make yourself sound like a superhero, try showing your capacity to learn.
“My partner left for a new job right in the middle of a major project and her responsibilities fell to me. It was a huge challenge! I spent a day prioritizing the project steps and created a timeline for keeping everything on track. I ended up putting in some extra hours, but the project was completed by deadline.”
5Let’s say you’re working on a major project and you’re in the weeds. How do you find your way out?
We all end up in the weeds now and then, so don’t blow off this question by saying it’s never happened to you. Even the most productive rockstar can think of a time when things went south.
“I’ve worked hard to get good at time management, so I’m usually in good shape. But I did once get overwhelmed when I was working on my department’s annual report. I had too much information to compile, and I was overthinking it. I called in a couple of my colleagues to help me sort and prioritize, and we got the report finished on time.”
Professionalism and Client-Oriented Skills
6Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer service.
Saying that you go above and beyond every day is a cop-out. Think of a story you can relate here that will demonstrate how much you care about providing great customer service.
“We were preparing to give a video presentation to a potential new client when I learned that someone on their team was deaf. The presentation was scheduled for the following morning, so I stayed late captioning the video so she’d be able to experience it. The client was impressed by our attention to detail and we landed the account.”
7We all deal with difficult customers from time to time. Tell me about a challenging client-facing situation and how you handled it.
The employer wants to see that you can keep a calm head when difficult situations arise, so share a narrative that shows your ability to resolve conflicts.
“We had a customer who complained frequently and was becoming hostile toward customer service reps. I did some investigating and discovered that our CS agents were repeating the same templated scripts to him and he felt as though his complaints weren’t being heard. I helped devise an escalation system so that this endless CS loop wouldn’t happen again. Then I contacted the customer personally to apologize and thank him for helping us find and fix a glitch in our process.”
Flexibility
8Sometimes we have an all-hands-on-deck situation that may require everyone to work extra hours. How would you handle that?
Like it or not, we’re working more hours these days. Although you don’t want to become a slave to the office, if your prospective employer has asked you this question, you can be sure she’s going to need you to be a team player.
“I try to keep a good work/life balance, so I’d do my best to help my team meet project goals during working hours. That said, crunch times happen. I’m dedicated to putting in the extra hours when they become necessary.”
9Everyone starts somewhere. Talk about a time when you were new on the job and had a lot to learn. How did you manage that?
Here’s your opportunity to show that you’re eager to learn and keep learning.
“I love being a newbie! It’s exhilarating to learn new things. When I was new to marketing, I immersed myself in the many great blogs, video presentations, and books available about current trends. In fact, I still do that. Things change rapidly in this industry, so I make a point to stay informed.”
Aspirations and Values
10I’m interested in how you recharge when you’re not working. What do you do with your downtime?
Try to mesh your leisure activities with the company’s values, which you will have researched before your interview. Let’s say the company has an active, energetic culture. Talk about your most active leisure pursuits. If the company has more traditional values, talk up things like volunteer activities.
“I love to recharge with a good long hike on the weekends. Your company culture webpage said that your company went on a team-building kayaking excursion last year. I’d definitely be on board for something like that!”
11Give me an example of how you set goals for yourself.
The employer wants to know that you’re focused on goals and what process you use to achieve them. Prepare an example that illustrates the steps you took to accomplish something in your career.
“When I wanted to move from staff writing to content management, I started by breaking that goal down into manageable steps. I looked for an entry level position where I could learn the ropes for a couple of years. I worked hard, went to workshops and conferences, and was promoted in my department within the first year. Now I’m here, ready to take it to the next level!”
A colon introduces an element or series of elements that illustrates or amplifies the information that preceded the colon. While a semicolon normally joins two independent clauses to signal a close connection between them, a colon does the job of directing you to the information following it.
Many people are confused about using colons, but their function is actually quite straightforward. Think of it as a flashing arrow that points to the information following it. When a colon appears in a sentence, it usually gives the silent impression of “as follows,” “which is/are,” or “thus.”
There are three types of muscle in the body: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.
The colon in this sentence signals that you are about to learn the names of the three types of muscles the sentence already mentioned. We might silently read the sentence this way.
There are three types of muscle in the body (and they are): cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.
Colons are often used with lists, as in the example above. They can also be used to signal further clarification.
We have two options here: stay and fight, or run like the wind.
One might silently read this as:
We have two options here (and they are as follows): stay and fight, or run like the wind.
Colons can also introduce a quotation:
He ended with the immortal words of Neil Young: “Rock and Roll can never die.”
Colons Separating Independent Clauses
A colon can be used to separate two independent clauses when a) the second clause is directly related to the first clause (not just vaguely related) and b) when the emphasis is on the second clause. While you can also use a semicolon or a period between two independent-yet-related clauses, the colon is a little softer than the period, but a little harder than the semicolon.
A dolphin is not fish: it is a warm-blooded mammal.
The research is conclusive: climate change is a reality.
In British English, the word following a colon is not capitalized unless it is a proper noun or an acronym. In American English, styles differ, but it is best to capitalize the first word after a colon if what follows forms two or more complete sentences.
I have several plans for my immediate future: First, I’m going to win the lottery. Second, I’m going to buy a unicorn. Third, I will marry Brad Pitt.
Misuse of Colons
A colon should not separate a noun from its verb, a verb from its object or subject complement, a preposition from its object, or a subject from its predicate.
To illustrate, here is one of our sentences from above rewritten incorrectly.
The three types of muscle in the body are: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.
Putting the colon here separates the verb are from its subject complements (cardiac, smooth, and skeletal).
When I graduate, I want to go to: Rome, Israel, and Egypt.
The colon should be removed from this sentence because it separates the preposition to from its objects (Rome, Israel, and Egypt). To write this sentence correctly, the colon should be removed.
When I graduate, I want to go to Rome, Israel, and Egypt.
