Grammar

The Most Common Grammar Gaffes That Sneak into Resumes

Resumes can be tricky. They must be detailed, but concise; assertive, but not presumptuous. Not only must the facts be there (and be correct), but your lists and sentences must also be error-free. In fact, proper spelling and grammar are almost as important—if not more so—than the information presented in the resume itself. This is because although you may have the education and qualifications for a certain position, inconsistency, a lack of attention to detail, and an inability to handle such an important document with care could speak volumes about your potential as an employee. Proper spelling and grammar may seem insignificant, but they are the most important aspects of any resume.

Here are ten of the most common spelling and grammar gaffes that sneak into resumes:

1. Inconsistencies

Many elements of a resume can be inconsistent, including anything from lists to tenses, spellings, font sizes, and styles. As with every piece of writing, consistency throughout is crucial. Inconsistencies in your resume make you look sloppy and can confuse your potential employer. To avoid this problem, take a few extra minutes to make sure that your resume is clear and consistent.

2. Incorrect hyphenation

This can mean a few things: words are supposed to be hyphenated but aren’t; words aren’t supposed to be hyphenated but are; compound adjectives are incorrectly hyphenated; or the wrong form of punctuation (an en dash or an em dash) is used instead of a hyphen. If you’re unsure about whether a word is hyphenated or if you need to use an en dash or an em dash, try doing a quick Google search for the information.

3. Forgetting to include important information

This one seems pretty basic, but you’d be surprised by how many people actually forget to include important information or details in their resume. Whether it’s the title of a position, the name of a degree, or a graduation date, the details must be there. If they’re not, your potential employer will be left hanging and confused and will not hesitate to discard your resume.

4. Not spelling out acronyms upon their first use

As a general rule, in any type of writing, all acronyms should be spelled out upon their first use, followed by the acronym in parentheses. This way, the person reading your resume will know exactly what you’re talking about when you use a particular acronym.

5. Writing too much—or not enough

This one goes both ways. Some people write too much, failing to be concise, while others barely write enough for the reader to know what they’re talking about. A fine balance must be struck between being concise and including enough information. Write as if the person reading your resume knows nothing about your background (because they likely don’t). Pay attention to detail, and make sure to include information that is most relevant to your desired position. Another tip is to keep your resume to one or two pages. If it’s longer than that, your potential employer could lose interest.

6. Using sentence fragments without having a complete thought

A sentence fragment isn’t really a sentence at all—it’s a group of words that look like a sentence but can’t stand on their own because there is no independent clause. To be a real sentence, there must be both a subject and a verb. If either of these are lacking, you have a sentence fragment.

7. Lack of parallel structure

This one is quite common. Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more words or ideas are of equal importance. Doing so in your resume will help the employer understand what you are saying.

8. Improper capitalization

This one’s a no-brainer. Make sure that names, places, schools, scholarships, certifications, and other proper nouns are all spelled and capitalized correctly. This is probably one of the easiest mistake

s for a potential employer to spot, but it is also the easiest to get right the first time.

9. Contextual spelling errors

A contextual spelling error is an error in which the wrong word is used but is spelled correctly. Your spell-checker often misses this as an error, so be extra careful in your word choice.

10. Failing to write entries in reverse chronological order

This one is usually an easy fix: just make sure that your most recent education and experience is listed first. Your earliest education or experience will be last. This makes it easier for potential employers to glance at your resume and quickly see what degree you just earned, or where you’re currently working. The most recent information is typically the most relevant, so it should be listed first.

18 Ways to Say “Hello” in English

What is a greeting?

Hola! Shalom! Czesc! Marhaba! Salut! Hallo!

Well, hi there! Now that you’ve been thoroughly greeted, let’s get down to business and talk about using different greetings in English. According to Merriam-Webster, a greeting is a salutation upon meeting someone, or an expression of good wishes. More simply, to greet someone is to say “hello” or to extend a polite word of welcome.

Each country or culture has its own way of greeting others, and these greetings are a part of every conversation. Think about how you greet new people in your native country. Do you have different ways to say “hello” when you meet someone in a store, at a job interview, at school, or at your own house? Just as there are different ways to say “hello” in your native language, there are different conventions to follow in English. It is important to know the common greetings and how to use them properly and confidently. They say that first impressions are everything, but I say that a first impression is nothing without the proper greeting.

Why are proper greetings important?

You may be wondering why you need to learn about greetings. Maybe you’re more comfortable using your native greeting, whether that be Hola, Kon’nichiwa, Ciao, or something else entirely. After all, you may think everyone will know what you mean. And you may be right. In a world that is quickly becoming one gigantic global village, the most common ways to say “hello” in different countries are becoming increasingly commonplace all across the world. No matter which English-speaking country you find yourself in, you’ll probably be able to get away with using non-English greetings. But, you know . . . when in Rome (or Toronto, Canada; or maybe London, England; or, heck, maybe even Sydney, Australia) . . .

You’re probably already aware of a few ways to say “hello” to someone in English, but there are actually dozens of greetings to use—in fact, too many to list here. Why does one silly language need so many different greetings, anyway? For one thing, English speakers like to avoid repetition. We would much rather create countless ways to convey one single message than face the possibility of having to repeat something someone else has already said. If one person says “Hello,” the other person will likely want to respond with another phrase. More important than this dread of redundancy, however, is that different circumstances call for different levels of formality. You would not greet a prospective employer in the same manner or tone that you would use for a classmate or friend (that is, not if you really want the job that employer has to offer.)

It may seem overwhelming at first, but over time you’ll learn which greetings to use in which situations. To help you get started, here are a few common English greetings (and examples of exchanges) that you can use in formal, informal, or casual situations.

Formal greetings: “How do you do?”

The phrase featured in the heading above is formal, a bit outdated, and not often used today. However, certain greetings are appropriate for use in more formal situations or when respect and courtesy are called for. These instances include business meetings, formal classroom or workplace presentations, or meeting a friend’s parents. You may encounter such greetings when doing business in restaurants and shops. There are many other options, but here are six of the most common formal ways to say “hello”:

1. “Hello!”

2. “Good morning.”

3. “Good afternoon.”

4. “Good evening.”

5. “It’s nice to meet you.”

6. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” (These last two only work when you are meeting someone for the first time.)

Let’s take a look at how these phrases might be used:

Mr. Piper (arriving at his client’s office): “Good morning, Mr. Drummer. How are you today?”

Mr. Drummer: “Hello, Mr. Piper. I’m very well, thank you! Please come in and we can review that contract.”

Dr. Feelwell (addressing a group of colleagues at a seminar): “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I would like to present the results of my study on ‘Healthy Fast Food Options.'”

Mary: “John, I’d like you to meet my father.”

John (shifting from one foot to the other): “Er . . . ah . . . It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Wolverine, sir.” (This exchange is sometimes accompanied by a polite handshake. However, if—like poor John here—you are indeed meeting Mr. Wolverine, you should be sure that the claws have not already appeared. If they have, it is perfectly acceptable to skip the handshake . . . perhaps you should just run!)

Informal general greetings

These greetings can be used in most informal situations when you are saying hello to a colleague or to someone you meet on the street.

7. “Hi!” (Probably the most commonly used greeting in English)

8. “Morning!” (A more casual way of saying “Good morning”)

9. “How are things (with you)?”

10. “What’s new?”

11. “It’s good to see you.” (Used when you haven’t seen someone in a while)

12. “G’day!” (Short for “Good day”)

13. “Howdy!” (Often used in the southern regions of the United States)

Even though some of these expressions look like questions, the “greetee” is not always meant to answer them. In fact, confusing as it may seem, sometimes a question is answered with a question. And sometimes these greetings can be used in combination:

Jane: “Hi, Jake. What’s new?”

Jake: “G’day, Jane. How are things?” or “Morning, Jane. It’s good to see you!”

Casual informal greetings

These ways to say “hello” are used in very casual, friendly, and familiar contexts. They can be used in spoken English, text messages, voicemail messages, or emails with people that you know well. While they’re not exactly rude to use with strangers, they aren’t exactly polite, either. Using these greetings with people you don’t know well might cause confusion, and these greetings are not considered appropriate in certain contexts. You shouldn’t use these casual greetings in formal situations, as doing so might make the person you’re talking to think you aren’t taking that formal situation as seriously as you should be. For example, it would be wildly inappropriate to say “What’s happening?” to someone you were greeting at a funeral, and I would strongly advise against using “Yo!” when meeting a prospective employer at a job interview.

14. “Hey” or “Hey there.”

15. “What’s up?” (Sometimes expressed as “‘Sup?”)

16. “How’s it going?”

17. “What’s happening” or “What’s happenin’?”

18. “Yo!”

These words and phrases are mostly used by young people to greet their friends when they arrive somewhere like a party, an exam, or a class. Again, although some of these greetings look like questions, no answers are expected.

Biff (as he approaches his classmates): “Yo! What’s happenin’?”

The Gang: “Hey. ‘Sup?” (Then they all mumble to each other for a bit, agree to skip English class, and head to the Sugar Shack for maple-bacon poutine. Welcome to my idealized version of 1950s Canada.)

This collection of ways to say “hello” is just the tip of the iceberg. The expressions are easy enough to learn; the tricky part is learning to use them appropriately. Try to use a different greeting every time you meet someone new, get together with your friends, or purchase something at the mall. You’ll be a master of English greetings in no time flat!

Fake It Till You Make It: 7 Ways to Improve Your English When You’re a Non-native Speaker

When you’re a non-native English speaker looking to improve your English, there are many different things you can do and resources you can use to strengthen your reading, writing, and speaking skills. Yes, you might have to “fake it” a little till you can make it, but with practice comes progress! Here are seven tips from the grammar experts on how to improve your English when you’re a non-native speaker.

1. Swim in a sea of speech (i.e., immerse yourself in English).

Read books (aloud), and watch TV shows and movies in English. Anything you would do or watch in your native language, do it in English. Being exposed to English, especially colloquial English, and seeing and hearing it used in conversation will help you improve your English. Try to immerse yourself in the language daily, as the more you see and hear it, the more ingrained it will become.

2. Take notes.

While reading books and watching shows in English, take notes! For even more active learning, write down every idiomatic word and phrase—be it slang, jargon, or dialect—you come across. This will make it easier to remember such expressions and help you learn how the language is used day to day. In addition to referring to your do-it-yourself dictionary, use an actual dictionary (such as a Merriam-Webster pocket dictionary) to learn the meanings of words you don’t know.

3. Practice makes perfect.

While you’re becoming comfortable with reading and writing in English, it’s also important to practice speaking. Whether with a friend, tutor, or teacher, it’s imperative that you practice speaking the language and become comfortable with having conversations in English.

4. Be a grammar geek.

Use a course to improve your English grammar. This comprehensive online course allows you to learn at your own pace in your own space. It will teach you the rules and nuances of English grammar, which—combined with reading, writing, and speaking in English—will greatly improve your knowledge of the English language and your ability to understand and use it.

5. Write it out.

Practice writing as much as you can. Writing goes hand in hand with reading and speaking in every language, and you must practice all three to really improve your English and learn to communicate like a native English speaker on all levels. You can write anything you want: a note, a letter, a book review . . . anything that piques your interest and helps expand your vocabulary!

6. Go pro.

Use a service like to have native English speakers review your work. Not only will they make corrections to your documents, but they will also make comments and suggestions to explain why certain changes were made.

7. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Improving your English should be fun, so don’t worry if you make mistakes. After all, as the English expression goes, “You can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs.” So take it in stride, use your resources, and embrace the challenge.