Language is always changing, be it because of technological advances, changing social norms, or just plain randomness. However, some words change more than others. You’ll be surprised at what some of these English words used to mean! Nice Now calling someone nice would have been an insult a few centuries …
What exactly differentiates proofreading from revision? The exact dividing line is a bit fuzzy, but generally speaking, revision is more about the big picture, while proofreading is more about the nitty-gritty details. Proofreading is about making sure that there are no errors in spelling, word choice, grammar, and other superficial …
Your surroundings can have a more powerful effect on your mindset and behavior than you realize. The way you use your workspace can boost your creativity by taking advantage of your senses, removing your excuses, and even hacking your brain. Use Your Senses Make blue a major part of your …
Plenty of books can give you advice about how to network, set goals, and manage your time. But to build up your core skills you should also check out some literary fiction. It may seem like curling up with a high-quality novel or sophisticated short story could only be a …
When you think of Vikings, what pops into your mind is probably a vague notion of the olden days – fierce conquerors sailing around northern Europe and wearing horned helmets. Well, the horned helmets most likely never existed (sorry!), but there are still plenty of Norse influences around today. Norse …
Whether you need to write something for school or work, or you want to pursue writing just for yourself, actually getting it done can be hard. Here are six suggestions that can help you get the words flowing, whether you’re feeling inspired or not. Writing Time 1. Designate a time …
English grammar rules are weird. Many things that would have been considered “ungrammatical” in the past are now perfectly acceptable – to the point where you may never have thought twice about using them. Here are six former English grammar rules. At a certain point, people broke these rules so …
If you’re a hare’s breath away from meeting the goal, then for all intensive purposes we’ll say you’ve met it. Some people would just be overjoyed to hear their bosses make this comment. Others might have to contain their amusement (or annoyance) at the eggcorns. What are eggcorns? Well, in …
Words’ meanings shift over time. This doesn’t happen because a high priest of English decide that it’s time for a change. It happens because the way people use words is always evolving. Once enough people have begun using a word to mean a certain thing, the word, by definition, means …
Wait – sometimes you’re supposed to use the passive voice?? But didn’t you hear from a style guide or SAT prep book or self-appointed authority on language that the passive voice is bad? It’s true that many people have objected to the use of the passive voice – but in …
