May 2013
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Finding Mrs. Mischka
By Kahlynn Hunt
Recruiting Manager, Grammarly.com
Photo by: Joe Crawford from Moorpark, California, USA
My childhood curiosity was as insatiable as my energy was abundant. With a popsicle-stained tongue and grass-covered knees, my younger self pranced through the world like a wild thing — one shoe invariably untied. In elementary school, recess volunteers would remember me as this...
April 2013
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Ice cream lovers and language lovers, unite!
“Hi, World! We want a Webby! Our CEO says that if we win, we can have an all-you-can-eat ice cream buffet!
(We love ice cream.) Please vote and help us win a Webby!”
We’re not above begging for help when it comes to two things: improving people’s writing and ice cream. Time is running out! Voting for the People’s Voice Webby Award ends April 25th!
To help...
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Grammarly.com Nominated for 2013 Webby Awards
At Grammarly, we like nothing better than to hear success stories from writers all over the world—from students getting better grades, to professionals accelerating their career progress, to language learners improving their written English. We know that your success is our success, and vice versa.
That’s why we wanted to share some recent market recognition:
Grammarly was chosen as a finalist...
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Change Your Favorite Tune with Grammarly’s “Remix...
Change Your Favorite Tune with Grammarly’s “Remix Your Rhymes” Contest
Poetry gets a bad rap. Many people believe that it is old-fashioned, boring, or difficult to understand. However, modern forms of poetry can be quite dynamic. Music, for example, has a lot in common with poetry. Both are rhythmic, expressive, and emotive. Both also allow writers to take certain liberties with the...
March 2013
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“Like” our Facebook page? You’ll want to read...
Do you know what Grammarly has in common with brands such as Dr. Pepper, Cartoon Network, Maybelline, Game of Thrones, and Purina?
We are thrilled to announce that Grammarly has been selected as a finalist in the fifth annual Shorty Industry Awards as the Best Overall Brand Presence on Facebook. The Shorty Awards honor the best in social media, recognizing the people and organizations...
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Top Student Writing Mistakes: The Real "Madness"...
According to some estimates, March Madness costs companies up to $134 million in lost productivity — with employees streaming the tournament online, updating brackets, participating in office pools, and more.
Imagine if the United States cared as much about the quality of a school’s curriculum as we do about the caliber of its basketball team?
In keeping with the competitive spirit of...
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The Oxford Comma Debate
Guest Post from Jocelyn Blore
Proper use of punctuation used to be the territory of editors and lonely grammar enthusiasts. One punctuation mark, however, has been catapulted into the popular consciousness with articles by The Economist, NPR, Mental Floss, and others, not to mention a hit song by Vampire Weekend. I’m speaking of course about the Oxford comma.
Quick test: In a hypothetical Oscar...
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Bad Writing: What it Means for Your Career...
Is poor writing an indicator that you will be less successful in your career? Kyle Wiens, CEO at iFixit, suggested as much in a July 20, 2012 article (“I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.”) which appeared in Harvard Business Review’s blog network. Yesterday, in honor of National Grammar Day, Harvard Business Review posted another article...
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March Forth to Celebrate National Grammar Day
National Grammar Day is upon us! Last week, the Grammarly team asked our Facebook fans to share original photos that capture some of the exceptional, awkward, and hilarious writing errors that they encounter every day. As a result, we received nearly 200 photo submissions that visually represent some difficult facts that have become representative of the state of English writing skills today.
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February 2013
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Grammarly Announces Winner of $1,000 Scholarship
In mid-January, Grammarly launched its first-ever scholarship essay competition, encouraging students to share their thoughts on grammar. We received an overwhelming response from students of all ages, in all disciplines, who wrote about topics ranging from the profound impact of texting on spelling and grammar, to the quality of writing instruction in public schools. After perusing your...
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March Forth: We Want YOU to Participate in...
Do grammar mistakes drive you crazy? Do you appreciate a perfectly placed vocabulary word?
March 4, 2013 is National Grammar Day — an annual celebration of language. In preparation, Grammarly is interested in learning about how writers are writing in your neighborhood.
Capture a photo of exceptional, funny, or awkward writing, and share it with Grammarly by March 1, 2013. Your...
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A Word on St. Valentine's Day
The origins of St. Valentine’s Day are a bit mysterious, and it is probable that the several different potential origins all factor into what we know today as Valentine’s Day. However, the general consensus is that St. Valentine’s day originated primarily from the story of Christian Saint Valentinus who would secretly officiate weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to be...
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Hard-boiled critics seek to escape the yoke of... →
“Language needs gatekeepers but change is inevitable.” ____________________________
What do you think?
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Enter the Grammarly.com T-shirt Slogan Contest:...
Grammarly, the world’s leading software suite for perfecting written English, is announcing the opening of its new online store at www.Grammarly.net. Grammarly’s Company Store offers a range of grammar-related products and apparel with slogans such as, “Don’t abbrev.” and “Don’t use no double negatives.”
In conjunction with its online store opening, Grammarly is launching a...
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January 2013
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The Oxford (Serial) Comma
Serial Comma (Within List Of Similar Elements)
When creating a list or series of multiple things which are similar, commas should be used to separate each item in the list.
N.B. American English requires the use of a comma before the last and in a list; British English does not. Be sure to follow local protocol, particularly in formal writing.
Teenagers are often anxious to grow up, get a...
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Enter the Grammarly Essay Contest and you could... →
Have you entered yet? WIN $1,000 for school with the best essay. Contest runs until 15 February 2013.
*For US residents only
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Palindromes
palindrome
-n.
A word, phrase, number or any other sequence of units which has the property of reading the same forwards as it does backwards, character for character, sometimes disregarding punctuation, capitalization and diacritics.Level, madam and racecar are examples of single word palindromes.
A poetic form in which the sequence of words reads the same in either direction.
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Bear vs. Bare
Bear and bare are homophones—words that sound alike but have different meanings.
bear
-v.
1. To carry something.
2. To be equipped with something.
the right to bear arms
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bear -n.
1. A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and raccoon, having shaggy hair, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of family Ursidae,...
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WatchGrammar Revolution is a documentary Kickstarter project by David and Elizabeth O’Brien, aimed at changing the way people think about grammar. From the Kickstarter page:
“Dear Backers,
$22,000 is the minimum we need to finish the Grammar Revolution documentary. This fundraising campaign is all or nothing. We have to meet our goal of $22,000 by February 7. Your credit card will only...
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Creatively Speaking: Commonly Misused Words and... →
tonysmithcreates:
Writing is different from speaking. While it is easy to form a series of words and phrases while holding a conversation, translating the spoken word into the written word leaves tons of room for error. Tons of homonyms or words are pronounced the same despite their different spellings and…
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Cold Weather Idioms and Phrases
With the frigid weather that swept the USA this week, many of us have been “freezing our butts off” (a frequently used, colloquial phrase in English that implies weather so cold that our buns turn to ice!).
Some other cold weather phrases are:
To come in from the cold (bring in from the cold): to be welcome in or become part of a group, particularly if you are new or alone.
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Double Comparatives and Superlatives
The comparative and superlative of mountains!
There are times in writing when a comparison is necessary. A description gives the reader specific details in order to provide them with an image. Making a comparison is another way of providing the reader with imagery within a descriptive narrative. The usage of both comparison and description helps in to keep the reader engaged with the text.
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