While many people puzzle over whether to use that or which, the basic rule is pretty simple: use that when providing essential information and which when providing extra information. In order to implement this rule, you need to look beyond the specific sentence you’re writing and think about context. That …
Ask ten people what you need to do to live a happy life, and you’ll get ten different answers. Although it can be difficult to figure out a path to happiness, let alone actually achieve it. A few simple tweaks to your daily life can help you feel significantly more …
The more you know about language, the more you will marvel at its beauty, complexity, and flexibility. If you’re looking for some fun and fascinating reading to boost your linguistic knowledge, any of these five books would be a great way to start. How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words …
Last time, we went over some common sets of homophones. Often, when people get those mixed up, they actually know which one is which – it just takes a little effort to keep them straight. The sets in this list may be a bit more confusing. How many do you …
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 …
