Change Your Favorite Tune with Grammarly’s “Remix Your Rhymes” Contest
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 conventional rules of language.
April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry in all of its forms. In commemoration, Grammarly is introducing a “Remix Your Rhymes” contest to encourage writers to take a closer look at the impact of proper writing on song lyrics.
From April 1, 2013 to May 10, 2013, we invite you to edit the lyrics of your favorite song and then record the new version of the song. Upload a video of your grammatically correct performance to our “Remix Your Rhymes” contest page, along with the name of the original song and the artist, and be entered for a chance to win a $300 gift card for Musician’sFriend.com.
For rules, or more information on the contest, please visit the “Remix Your Rhymes” contest page.
Does proper writing have a place in rhythmic art? Change your favorite tune and send the video to Grammarly in response!
Top Student Writing Mistakes: The Real “Madness” in Higher Education
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 the NCAA basketball championship, the Grammarly team created a “tournament” of our own. We reviewed articles from 16 student newspapers at colleges across the country to come up with our own “Final Four,” as determined by the most well-written student newspapers. Here they are:
- The Stanford Daily (Stanford University)
- Statesman (Utah State University)
- Dartmouth Review (Dartmouth College)
- The Prospector (University of Texas, El Paso)
Congratulations to these exceptional student newspapers for the quality writing!
Is quality of writing a predictor of inclusion in the actual Final Four tournament? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, here is an overview of some of the most common writing mistakes made by students using the Grammarly platform.
What types of writing mistakes did you make as a student?
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 acceptance speech to the Academy, which would be correct?
A: “I’d like to thank my parents, Bill Hudson and Goldie Hawn.”
B: “I’d like to thank my parents, Bill Hudson, and Goldie Hawn.”
The answer is: It depends. If you’re Kate Hudson and your parents really are Bill Hudson and Goldie Hawn, ‘A’ would be appropriate; if, however, you’re thanking four people (your parents in addition to the actors), ‘B’ would be the correct response.
Although the debate rages on, I am on Team Oxford Comma — confident in my belief that the Oxford comma is essential in clarifying meaning. Detractors, on the other hand, attest that the Oxford comma is unnecessary and redundant.
The following infographic examines both camps, as well as where mainstream publications are drawing lines. Which side are you on?
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Jocelyn Blore is a left-handed lover of Thai food and problem-solving. When she’s not juggling a soccer ball in parks around San Francisco, she writes for OnlineDegrees.com and Schools.com.
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.
In the United States alone, low literacy (the ability to read and write) costs the economy $225 billion a year in lost productivity; and, writers who are not yet in the workforce are already foreshadowing negative outcomes. For example, student writing scores on the SAT have declined five points since 2011 and consistently represent the lowest student outcomes of any section of the test. As is evidenced by the photos we received of misspelled street signs, dinner menus, elementary school worksheets, and more, many English writers simply do not learn proper spelling and grammar skills.
Writing is one way in which people are measured, and a properly written sentence or paragraph can make the difference in receiving a passing or failing grade, job offer, promotion, or pay raise. National Grammar Day is a fun opportunity to celebrate grammar with photos, haikus, “grammar” crackers, and “grammartinis,” but let’s not lose sight of the overall goal of the day: To reflect on the importance of proper grammar.
Happy National Grammar Day!
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Grammarly’s National Grammar Day Photo Contest ran from February 22 to March 1 on the Grammarly Facebook Page. The winner of the contest and recipient of a $100 Amazon Gift Card as well as bragging rights on National Grammar Day is Julia Catton. Julia sent us this gem:
I guess they really do ship anything, anywhere.
Here are some more entertaining photos submitted for the contest:
Shared by Michele Lemmon
Shared by Tim Thompson
Shared by Crystal Thomas
Shared by Anne Marsh
Shared by Nancy Morin
Shared by Lee-Anne Lawrance
Shared by JoAnna Belligan Lewis
Shared by Amy Carroll
Shared by Johanna Brown
Shared by Emily Rohrer
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 married under Roman rule.(1)
Within many of the different Valentine’s Day origins, giving notes and cards is a common theme. Even with the rise of communications technology and rising doubt about whether cards are “so over,” we still like to think that valentines bring an amount sincerity and fun to the holiday. Enjoy and share these fun ones we’ve put together for you!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
What are your favorite Valentine’s Day traditions?
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(1) “How Valentine’s Day Works,” How Stuff Works.com, Found on 09 Feb. 2013, Found at: http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays/valentine1.htm
(2) Bender, Jonathon. “On Valentine’s Day, do we still need Hallmark?” The Washington Post, (10 Feb. 2012) Found on: 09 Feb. 2013, Found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/on-valentines-day-do-we-still-need-hallmark/2012/02/08/gIQAsaKP4Q_story.html
Reblog if you know what irony actually is. SHARE your best definition in the comments.
Semicolon
A semicolon is a punctuation mark used to connect two thoughts or ideas which are somehow similar. Generally, each thought or idea could be used as its own sentence, but the flow of the work may be interrupted by the short, choppy sentences.
Semicolons are a little archaic and are not necessary in modern writing. Even in formal writing, they may be replaced by a comma or a period. However, if they are used properly, semicolons can add a pleasing continuity to your work.
When reading out loud, we pause for semicolons much the same way we pause for a comma.
Hard-boiled critics seek to escape the yoke of scrambled English language
“Language needs gatekeepers but change is inevitable.”
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What do you think?
Enter the Grammarly.com T-shirt Slogan Contest: “[Not so] Proper Grammar.”
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 t-shirt slogan contest on Facebook. Fans are invited to share their wittiest suggestions for a t-shirt slogan around the theme, “[Not so] Proper Grammar.” The winner will receive a Grammarly t-shirt adorned with the slogan, and a $200 shopping spree in the Grammarly Company Store.
Grammarly’s [Not so] Proper Grammar contest will take place from February 4, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. PT through February 18, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. PT. To enter, participants must “Like” Grammarly’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/grammarly), and then:
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Visit the contest tab
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Enter a t-shirt slogan and your email address
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Click “submit entry”
ENTER THE CONTEST DIRECTLY HERE.
Each participant may each submit two contest entries. Winners will be determined by popular vote, and anyone may vote for one entry per day for the duration of the contest. The contest is open to participants in the United States and internationally, but you must live in one of Zazzle’s international shipping destinations to receive your prize. Profane submissions will be disqualified.
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About Grammarly
Grammarly (www.grammarly.com) improves communication among the world’s 2+ billion English writers. Its flagship product, the Grammarly Editor, corrects contextual spelling mistakes, checks for more than 250 common grammar errors, and enhances vocabulary usage. Grammarly is a privately-held company with headquarters in San Francisco, California. Learn more about the Grammarly.
definitely
-adv.
- Without question and beyond doubt. — The mother definitely has love for her child.
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defiant
-adj.
1. Defying.
2. Boldly resisting opposition.
- adv. — defiantly
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