January 26, 2013

Weekly Finds: January 26, 2013

A Man With Magnifying Glass by digitalart
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week, we’ll be sharing a list of posts, stories, news, or opinions that we've run across the Internet during the past week or two. We won't be discussing them in detail here, but we do encourage you to check them out as they could contain valuable ideas and insights for your IELTS exam.

If you're ready, here we go...

GRAMMAR


Writing & Grammar: Verb Agreement

On one level, it is considered elementary. But as soon as your sentences become a little more sophisticated, verb agreement becomes more challenging.

Findings: What do verbs have to do with pronouns?

The authors share their findings on how verbs seem to affect pronoun resolution.

The Past Conditional - conjugated verbs

The past real conditional is used to describe an action that generally happened in a particular situation in the past.

A Copywriter’s Beef With Grammar Rules

The author shares her secret: "(Y)ou don’t have to follow all the rules you learned in your high school English class."

Using Parallelism in Your E-Learning Courses

Here's great advice from Desiree at E-Learning Uncovered about using parallelism effectively in your e-learning courses.

Expletives are not always bad words

In the minds of many, "expletive" is understood to describe a curse word, but in grammar it differs.

Plurals and Apostrophes (Mostly) Don’t Mix

The apostrophe has three functions: To help indicate possession (boy’s), to mark contraction (it’s), and to convert a singular letter, number, or initialism to a plural. However, the mark has all but been relieved of duty in its third task.

LISTENING AND READING


Improve English Reading & Listening

Is reading and listening to English at the same time a good learning technique? Will it help you speak English better?

SELF-IMPROVEMENT


6 Ways to Get Yourself to Achieve Anything

We all have some crazy goals or aspirations that we would love more than anything to achieve. The question is - how do we achieve these seemingly impossible aspirations?

THE TRUE MEANING OF PATIENCE: LET GO AND TAKE YOUR TIME

Patience is hard and it takes practice. Patience is really about having the inner strength to stick to your guns, face your fears, repeatedly let go of internal expectations, and have trust that it will all work out in the end.

SPEAKING


Use Body Language to Improve Your Self-Confidence

Want to reduce speaking anxiety? Use body language! Here are powerful tips on using your body to look and feel more confident.

VOCABULARY


The Purposes of “Per”

Per (from a Latin word meaning “by,” “by means of,” or “through”) is widely employed in English, but it -- or a phrase in which it appears -- isn’t necessarily the best option. Here’s a guide to using (or not using) per.

5 Words That Make You Sound Stupid

These are some of the most commonly misused words. Find out if you're an offender.

Weird Words Won’t Win

The author argues that a very important criterion for the success of a new word is that it shouldn’t raise eyebrows. It should be inconspicuous, unobtrusive, camouflaged as something familiar, in order to slip through the gates of our language.

WRITING


Query Letter vs Letter of Introduction: Which to Use When

Here’s something fun about being a freelance writer: If you want a gig writing an article for a magazine or a newsletter for a business, you can get it, even without a lot of experience. How? You can send that market a short pitch letter or email and land the assignment.

January 19, 2013

Weekly Finds: January 19, 2013

A Man With Magnifying Glass by digitalart
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week, we’ll be sharing a list of posts, stories, news, or opinions that we've run across the Internet during the past week or two. We won't be discussing them in detail here, but we do encourage you to check them out as they could contain valuable ideas and insights for your IELTS exam.

If you're ready, here we go...

GRAMMAR


If someone tells you singular 'they' is wrong, please do tell them to get stuffed

The author discusses the use of the pronoun "their" as a singular possessive.

Avoiding Sexism in Legal Writing—The Pronoun Problem

The author suggests solutions on how to avoid sexism in legal writing.

Lost battles in the grammar wars

Ambiguity is usually worse than the grammatical mistakes that so often irritate people.

See Me After Class

The author shares her thoughts on a proofread made by a certain teacher.

Funny Grammar Mistakes On Signs In America [20 Pics]

The English language is tricky & everyone makes grammar mistakes every now and then. This collection of grammar mistakes on signs in the U.S. is hilarious.

Commas in lists

Commas are used to separate list items.

Singular verb or plural verb – what to use?

Know which one to use when using 'together with,' 'as well as,' 'along with,' 'either,' 'neither,' and 'or.'

READING


Is There A Right Time To Teach Reading?

Jason D. Yeatman, a psychologist at the Stanford University Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging, and his colleagues report in a new study that in order to learn to read, a young child’s brain must be developed enough to process the information, but still capable of fast growth, according to a new longitudinal study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Brain Scientists Seek Developmental Sweet Spot for Learning to Read

Could a brain scan one day be added to the normal developmental measures children receive at the pediatrician's office before starting school?

Music to Our Ears: The Story of MP3s

MP3s became the standard for online music and changed the music industry forever. How did it all start?

The Story Behind the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever

David Skinner's The Story of Ain't tells the story of Webster's Third, the most controversial dictionary ever assembled. Here, Skinner tells us the story of the dictionary that was referred to as "literary anarchy."

Why do humans walk in circles?

It's a trusted plot device of many a thriller. The lost protagonists stagger for hours through creepy forest only to end up back where they started. In fact the idea that humans walk in circles is no urban myth. This was confirmed by Jan Souman and colleagues in a 2009 study, in which participants walked for hours at night in a German forest and the Tunisian Sahara. But the question remains - why?

SELF-IMPROVEMENT


Boredom has more to do with you than the situation

It's your own fault if you're bored, a new study confirms.

Whip Your Memory Into Shape: Mind Strengthening Tricks

Do you experience difficulty recalling information you need to use? Is memory loss becoming something that affects your ability to perform daily tasks? The insights here can aid in improving memory.

VOCABULARY


"What for" Analysis

The author shares her findings on the expression "What for."

Brit Language: How to Spell like a Brit

English with all it’s grammar rules and the exceptions to those rules, is hard enough, but differentiating between British English and American English spellings can be confusing.

12 Most Awesomest Words to Add into Your Daily Vocabulary

Marc Ensign hits all corners of the dictionary with the 12 Most Awesomest Words to Add into Your Daily Vocabulary.

Best of P-Mag: “Female” is an Adjective: You Got Your Grammar in My Feminism!

The author criticizes the dehumanizing and demeaning use of the word "female."

Americans are barmy over Britishisms

Snippets of British vernacular that were until recently as rare as kidney pie on these shores are cropping up in the daily speech of Americans.

40 Enlightening Latin Phrases By The World’s Greatest Minds

Here’s 40 wise and enlightening Latin phrases, designed to inspire and give you food for thought. Centuries on, there’s still some thought-provoking pearls of wisdom to be shared – and a few giggles as well.

January 12, 2013

Weekly Finds: January 12, 2013

A Man With Magnifying Glass by digitalart
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week, we’ll be sharing a list of posts, stories, news, or opinions that we've run across the Internet during the past week or two. We won't be discussing them in detail here, but we do encourage you to check them out as they could contain valuable ideas and insights for your IELTS exam.

If you're ready, here we go...

GRAMMAR


Truth of the day

Learn more about proper nouns.

Direct-Address Commafication

Donate now to help save the direct-address comma! Get it off the endangered species list! All it takes is one well-placed keystroke, people. All it takes is a little integrity.

How to Tell a Blogger They Made a Grammar Mistake

Read the author's tip on how to handle the situation with tact.

Irony punctuation

This article is about punctuation marks used to indicate irony or sarcasm.

Be careful placing relative pronouns

Let's learn something about relative pronouns.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT


4 New Words to Help You Love Your Life Now

Stop wishing for a life that you don`t have and love your life now. Here are 4 new words to help you do just that.

SPEAKING


The Body Language Rules: 12 Ways to be a More Powerful Speaker

Want to achieve maximum credibility and influence in presentations? Learn these 12 body language techniques for more powerful speaking!

The origin of language in gesture–speech unity

Why do we gesture? Many would say that it brings emphasis, energy, and ornamentation to speech. However, the evidence is against this. The reasons we gesture are more profound.

VOCABULARY


Economical English: the hidden connections between homonyms

The post discusses English words that have two or more meanings that stem from a single historical root.

RAISE VS. RISE

Do raise and rise mean the same thing, or is there a difference?

January 5, 2013

Weekly Finds: January 5, 2013

A Man With Magnifying Glass by digitalart
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week, we’ll be sharing a list of posts, stories, news, or opinions that we've run across the Internet during the past week or two. We won't be discussing them in detail here, but we do encourage you to check them out as they could contain valuable ideas and insights for your IELTS exam.

If you're ready, here we go...

GRAMMAR


Apostrophe Placement in Proper Names

What do the brand names Bakers Choice, the Diners Club, and Mrs. Fields Cookies have in common? Besides prompting hunger, they’re all “supposed” to have apostrophes in their names. So, why don’t they?

Appositives

What are they? How do we use them?

Last antecedents, series qualifiers, and psycholingstics

The author expounds more on the canons of interpretation.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT


How to Stop Time

One of the biggest barriers when it comes to productivity is the notion that we simply "don't have enough time." With all of the responsibilities and information coming our way, there's good reason that this notion exists—and his held by many. But there's a way to escape that notion. (After all, it is just a notion.) How do we do this? We have to stop time.

SPEAKING


Five Reasons Why The Fear Of Public Speaking Is Great For You

The fear of public speaking is the most common fear and prevents many people from achieving their potential. Imagine if you were comfortable speaking in public and took every opportunity presented, how would your life improve?

VOCABULARY


FURTHER VS FARTHER

The words further and farther are often used interchangeably when they both have a specific meaning. See if you know the difference between these two words.

List of British ordnance terms

This article explains terms used for the British Armed Forces' ordnance (i.e.: weapons) and also ammunition used in the late 19th century, World War I, and World War II. The terms may have slightly different meanings in the military of other countries.

What Is the Longest Word?

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Today’s Wonder of the Day is really, really long!

WRITING


Why You Should Read Your Work Aloud

If you want to catch errors you’ve made in your writing, follow the tips in this post.

In A Keyboard-Free Future, What Happens To All The Writers?

The author conducted an experiment. The hypothesis is whether or not a keyboardless world will change writing.