Many Western intellectuals of the eighteenth century highly valued Latin and logic. Attempts to codify a prescribed English grammar often attempted to use the rules of Latin and of mathematical logic. Here are a few examples of prescriptivist grammar rules and where they came from: Don’t use a double negative. …
Whether you’re a native speaker or not, chances are you’ve struggled with English spelling at one time or another. It’s not because of you – it’s because of English’s spelling system (or lack thereof). Here are five reasons it makes no sense. The Alphabet 1) The alphabet wasn’t designed for …
Unlike spelling, grammar (however you define it) has few rules that apply to one hundred percent of situations. However, formal situations often require that you conform to certain stylistic and grammatical guidelines. Often, these guidelines are in place to make writing clearer or less clunky. This post and the two …
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 …
Are you a grammar whiz who always nails the use of their/they’re/there? Do you scoff at people who confuse the apostrophe in it’s versus its? Some grammar mistakes are so common that people know to look for them immediately, but others are more sneaky and might slip by unnoticed. Below …
