Cоnsider this: globally, 52% of online consumers order from both local and international websites. This statistic highlights a significant opportunity for e-commerce businesses to expand their reach. By tailoring your offerings to international customers in their native languages you cоuld tap into new markets and significantly increase your sales!

Linguix is designed to help you achieve these goals with ease. Read on to explore five ways to elevate your e-commerce business and ensure success in a competitive landscape!

Optimizing Product Descriptions

Your product descriptions are оften the first impression customers have of yоur offerings, sо make sure they are both compelling and error–free. Linguix provides powerful tools to ensure your descriptions are polished and persuasive.

For instance, the Content Score feature gives yоu instant feedback on the readability, tоne, and overall effectiveness of yоur descriptions, helping you create content that converts.

Additionally, Linguix’s Rewriter allows you to easily rephrase your content, ensuring variety and freshness across multiple listings without losing the original message. And if yрu’re targeting international markets, Multilingual Grammar and Spell Check ensures that your descriptions are accurate and natural in any language, making it easier tо connect with a global audience. 

Try editing your product description for free!

Enhancing Customer Communication

Effective communication is the backbone of strong customer relationships in e-commerce. Responding to inquiries, handling complaints, engaging in live chat — the way you communicate hugely influences customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Linguix’s Shortcuts feature allows you to quickly insert pre-written templates or frequently used phrases, ensuring your responses are both consistent and timely, even in the most challenging situations. On average, using shortcuts can save employees 30 minutes of time daily! 

For businesses reaching out to a global audience, Multilingual Grammar and Spell Check ensures that your communication is accurate and natural in any language, helping you connect with customers from different regions without language barriers. Moreover, Linguix’s Style Guides allow you to set specific guidelines for your team, ensuring consistency in tone, terminology, and brand voice across all customer interactions. 

Read our case study on how an automotive company has increased customer communication efficiency by incorporating Linguix into their operations.

Creating Content for Blogs and Social Media

Look, when it comes to attracting and keeping customers, your content has to be engaging, sure, but it also needs to be consistent and aligned with your brand’s unique voice. That’s where Linguix comes in — it’s got this whole suite of tools designed to uplevel your content creation process.

The real standout is the AI-based Writing Assistant. It helps you craft high-quality posts by giving you real-time suggestions to make your content crystal clear, compelling, and totally error-free. And get this — it can even help you generate ideas and draft initial versions, making the whole content creation process way more efficient so you can really hone in on your message.

The Style Guides feature is super handy too — it lets you make sure all your content aligns with your brand’s specific guidelines, so you maintain that consistent voice across every platform. The Rewriter makes it a breeze to rephrase sentences, giving you fresh ways to express your ideas without sounding repetitive.

To learn more about how Linguix can complement tools like ChatGPT for even better content creation, check out this article.

Boosting Team Productivity

When your team can communicate clearly and work efficiently, it positively impacts every aspect of your business. 

Linguix’s Grammar Checker is a powerful tool that ensures all written communication is accurate and professional, reducing the time spent on editing and revisions. Whether your team’s firing off emails, putting together documents, or teaming up on projects, this feature helps them churn out top-notch content in no time.

Linguix also integrates seamlessly with popular business apps like Outlook, Google Docs, Miro, Figma, and more, allowing your team to access Linguix’s capabilities directly within the tools they already use. It’s like having a writing wizard at your fingertips, no matter what you’re working on. This seamless integration really streamlines how you work and keeps everything consistent across all platforms. 

For businesses looking to fully equip their teams with these powerful tools, the Linguix Team plan offers a comprehensive solution. It includes all the features of the PRO plan — such as the GPT-4 copilot, rewriter, tone analyzer, and text autocomplete — while also providing additional benefits tailored for corporate use. These include individual accounts, centralized billing, and sophisticated statistics and monitoring to track and optimize team performance. 

To explore how the Linguix Team plan can benefit your business, visit this link.

Supercharging Outreach Marketing Campaigns

Outreach marketing via email, social media, or direct messages is a powerful strategy for expanding your e-commerce business. Let’s face it — the success of your campaigns really boils down to how well you communicate and how efficiently you do it. And that’s where Linguix comes in clutch, taking your outreach game to a whole new level!

Linguix’s AI Writing Assistant helps you craft attention–grabbing subject lines, engaging social media posts, and persuasive direct messages that resonate with your audience and encourage responses. 

Tone Analyzer ensures that your outreach is perfectly tailored to the right sentiment — whether you need to be friendly, authoritative, or urgent. Additionally, the Text Autocomplete feature speeds up your writing by offering relevant phrases and sentences as you type, allowing you to create high-quality content more efficiently.

Moreover, the Linguix Turbo browser extension comes with Intelligent Shortcuts, enabling you to reduce the time spent on writing emails and social media posts by up to 90%. You can create templates for your most-used messages and expand them instantly with a simple one-word command, like “//intro,” to save lots of time!

Learn how else you can benefit from the Linguix Turbo extension.

Conclusion

In the cоmpetitive world of e-commerce the quality of your content can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. Linguix оffers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help you optimize every aspect of your business — from crafting compelling product descriptions to enhancing custоmer support, streamlining team productivity, creating engaging content, and supercharging your marketing campaigns.

The post 5 Ways to Enhance Your E-commerce Success with Linguix appeared first on Linguix Blog.

For these purposes, we used two datasets containing 1515 sentences in English with both grammar mistakes and correct sentences. To be precise, there were several thousands of grammar mistakes to detect in total. 

Below are the performance comparison results of premium versions of both Linguix and Grammarly.

Linguix vs. Grammarly: which one detected more mistakes

When we analyzed performance based on single tokens (i.e. words with mistakes), Linguix found almost as many mistakes (1554) as Grammarly (1571).

When it comes to token spans (i.e. incorrect phrases), Linguix identified 1275 mistakes, while Grammarly found 1361.

We first measured the quality of grammar checking for our custom dataset. In this case, Linguix achieved an overall accuracy of 72%, while Grammarly demonstrated 76% accuracy:

Then we took a publicly available dataset (BEA). This time Linguix showed an accuracy of 61%, while Grammarly’s accuracy level was just about 45%:

Linguix’s progress

We are constantly working on improving our grammar-checking model quality. For the period starting from March 2020 till August 2022, the quality of identifying both words with mistakes and incorrect phrases has significantly increased:

According to our analysis, the difference between grammar-checking quality when using Linguix and Grammarly is almost unnoticeable.

The post Linguix vs. Grammarly: the Results of Grammar Checking Benchmarking Analysis appeared first on Linguix Blog.

We’ve decided to ask our users and find out if their writing mistakes impacted their lives or careers in any way. Let’s look at their stories and reflect on what they’ve learned from them. 

Ankush Chopra, Consultant and Linguix user

What happened: 

“I was leading a massive change initiative for a large global organization. We were launching a new application for managing our finance operations. I had created an invitation mail for people to sign-up for the upcoming training sessions for the new application. I shared that invitation with my team to see if it creates the “pull” for people to sign-up. In the subject line, I inadvertently wrote “sing-up” instead of “sign-up”. The word sing did not come up in the spellcheck. Once I shared the email with my team, a couple of them started singing. I was left wondering for a few minutes till I spotted the error.

How it turned out:

“The situation did not impact me adversely; we all just laughed for a while and made the change in the email. However, it could have caused a massive embarrassment if I had shared it with 14,000 people without sharing it for a sense check with my team.”

Lessons learned:

“I have become cognizant of the fact that a spellchecker may not always fool-proof your work. Now I always use Linguix which is much beyond a spellchecker, to ensure that grammatical and contextual mistakes get caught before I share my work with others.”

Ann Kristine A. Peñaredondo, Social Media Marketing Strategist, Pin To Top Podcast Host and Linguix user

What happened: 

“I curate content for big brands. On one occasion, I worked on a content post for a country’s national day. 

As always, I checked all the content I curated before and after I sent it to our graphic designer for content image preparation, and before I sent it to the client.

The batch of content was sent, including the national day greeting. The client approved it.

Weeks later, I saw notifications on the Facebook Page of the brand. To my shock, I mistakenly wrote the national day greeting a year before in the caption (50th anniversary instead of 49th!). The content image showed the right number (thank goodness), but the comments poured in, from “LOL too early” to “No regard to history. Probably the social media manager is not from here.”

Still feeling like a bucket of cold water splashed on me, I corrected the error in the caption. Then, I apologized in every single comment on the post. Good thing there were not a lot of comments, but it showed that there was some “concern” on the post prior to the changes.

I also informed my team leader and our CEO about it and apologized profusely.

The feeling like a bucket of cold water splashed on me? No emoji can represent that.

I now check my content twice as much as what I used to.”

How it turned out:

“I worked on a better way of checking my content. Even if I know that there’s lots of eyes reviewing what I do, I do my due diligence.”

Lessons learned:

“Just when you think you have reviewed your writing, review it again. And again. :)”

Clarence Thurman, Carpenter and Linguix user

What happened: 

“Once I was doing payroll. I was giving an explanation on why there were so many long lunches. I meant to type eating lunch while talking about job specifications, but instead, I typed eating Clint. Like an idiot, I hit send just as I realized what I had typed.”

How it turned out: 

“Luckily our pay lady has a good sense of humor. Not 5 seconds passed before I started calling our corporate office apologizing and trying to explain the mistake.” 

Lessons learned:

“Always read what you’re writing before sending anything.”

Harshita Katiyar, Content Writer and Linguix user

What happened: 

“I had great confusion one day when I was sick and had to take a day off. My colleague texted me, “Since you are sick today, what are you doing?” I replied, “Nothing dude, I’m just lying.” She was stunned that I was lying about my sickness to avoid coming to work. She did not clarify what she understood from my text about me. “But why are you lying?”, she asked me. I answered, “Because I wanted to, and I like lying.”Her shock returned, and she ceased to speak to me as she perceived me as a liar. After a few days, however, I understand why she isn’t communicating with me. I then explained to her that I was lying in bed, and that I like to lay around all day. Haha!

The fact that she stopped talking to me really made me feel embarrassed. And after knowing her reasoning, I understand that some words really need to be explained in detail.”

How it turned out:

“I would say that it does affect relationships. For these few words, I don’t want anyone to turn on me like she did because she stopped talking to me. The use of words such as lying-laying, ensure-assure, and compliment-complement does require deliberation when typing a text. While these words aren’t wrong per se, if misused, they can lead to regrettable decisions.”

Lessons learned:

“Every time I send a text to someone, I try to keep an eye on the words I am using and whether they need further explanation.”

It’s evident that inoffensive typos might become a real pain afterward. That’s why it’s crucial to check your pieces twice. To make the process faster and easier, you can use AI writing assistant Linguix to remove any errors instantly. Linguix not only highlights your grammatical, spelling and punctual errors but also analyzes your writing in context. Try Linguix for free here.

The post How Minor Writing Errors can Affect Career and Relationships: Stories from Linguix Users appeared first on Linguix Blog.

Whether you’re writing about a project, event or issue, the goal of writing a memo is to bring attention, inform, ask or confirm anything, request information or affect operations with the help of recipients. In most cases, memos are sent in the form of an email. Memos are usually sent to the members of a department or an entire company. 

To write an effective memo, you need to stick to proper formatting and structure.

How to convey your concepts through concise and informative messages? What structure and format are commonly used in memos? In our new blog post, we’ll cover a few tips on how to write a business memo. Let’s dive into it!

How to Write a Memo: Structure and Format

To disseminate the information in a clear manner, you need to follow several steps to create an easily readable and understandable document. Usually, business memos consist of an introduction, body and conclusion. 

Header. Make sure your header is relevant to the topic of your memo. The background information will provide recipients with the necessary context. Add information in the blank space of the following areas:

• TO. Add the names and titles of everyone who will receive your message.
• FROM. Add your full name and title.
• DATE. Provide an accurate date.
• SUBJECT. Provide a short description of the memo’s key message.

Introduction. In an introduction, you’ll write a couple of succinct sentences regarding the topic and purpose of your memo in more detail.

Body. Use a body paragraph to provide context and list the main ideas related to the topic. As most people skim messages, make sure to highlight important points by using bulleted/numbered lists, bold fonts and subheadings when necessary. Short paragraphs will also make your memo easier to read. 

Conclusion. The conclusion should contain a short summary that informs your colleagues what actions you expect to get from them. 

Don’t forget to close your email with your name, email address and phone number so that the recipients can contact you. Also, check if you have attached all the necessary documents that recipients can refer to. 

Tips to Improve Your Memo

Keep in mind who your audience is 

If you’re sending your memo to various departments, avoid specific and technical acronyms or abbreviations that are common to one field. Write a memo in a clear, concise and easily understandable manner. 

Avoid slang words. Formal language is what you need to make your memo look professional.

Proofread

Most probably, a memo with typos will not be considered important. We’re usually overwhelmed at work, so don’t send your memo in a rush and double-check it. To avoid grammar and spelling errors you can read it out loud, ask a colleague to check it with you or use an AI-based writing assistant like Linguix.

Create a powerful CTA

To make sure you’ll get the necessary reaction of the recipients, you need to include a proper call to action at the end of the memo. Use action verbs and an active voice to demonstrate the importance of the message and convey your confidence. 

General Memo Template

Date: [Month, day, year]

To: [Names of intended individual(s), department(s), or company(s)]

From: [Your name, title]

Subject: [Short subject line to describe the purpose of the memo]

Introduction

One-paragraph general explanation of what is the purpose of your message and the topic itself. 

Background

One or two paragraphs that explain the main idea and details necessary to take action. For example, what changes are crucial to be made, when, who is going to do it, what exact results you expect and so on.

CTA & Closing

A final note should sum up key takeaways of the memo and provide a clear non-ambiguous call to action as well as your contact information in case of any questions and comments. 

The post How to Write an Effective Memo: Tips and Templates appeared first on Linguix Blog.

Today, we’ll cover ten common mistakes people make when sending connection requests.

Writing generic messages to everyone

For sure, sending out generic notes can save you lots of time, but will that be efficient? We doubt that. Instead, make sure that each message is personalized. However, there’s also no need to compose each one from scratch—you can use a few templates tailored to different audiences and/or goals and customize them to fit your prospect. By the way, Linguix’s shortcuts are ideal for this. 

Sending requests to random people

As you probably know, LinkedIn suggests new connections via the “People you may know” section. This, indeed, is one of the ways to extend your network. But should we sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity? Perhaps, you’d prefer to connect to someone who’s from your industry or is your target audience rather than send requests to random people.   

Not introducing yourself

Even though the person you’re connecting to has the chance to study your profile, it’d be polite to include short info about yourself. This can be your name, position, and the company you work for, or your area of interest. There’s absolutely no need to write a detailed bio (there’s not enough space for it anyway), but just one line stating who you are would be enough.

Not stating the reason why you write

It’s also worth mentioning how you came across the person’s profile and why you decided to connect. The reasons can vary: perhaps, you met them at a conference or some other event, you have common contacts, or you’re simply interested in connecting to industry professionals to extend your network. A good starting point would be to ask for some professional advice or recommendation since people are often ready to help. 

Not studying the person’s profile

One of the best ways to make a positive first impression is to show that you have spent some time reading the person’s profile and are aware of who you’re writing to. For example, if the person states they are currently working on a digitalization project, it could be a good idea to comment on this, especially if you have relevant experience or want to know more. It’s always beneficial to start a new relationship with a common interest.

Trying to sell straight away

Even if you add new people to your network with a single goal to sell them something, it’s probably not the best idea to do it at your first encounter. Unless a person is looking for what you offer at this very moment (which is highly unlikely), they will probably react to such an initiative with aversion and might not accept your invitation. After all, we are bombarded by ads all the time, and people will typically filter incoming information. 

Going into too much detail 

There’s a 300-character limit for an intro message, but there’s no need to use them all trying to impress the person with a detailed pitch. Better keep it short—around 200 words would be enough. People value their time, and, most likely, not everyone will read your note to the end if it’s too lengthy. So, keeping it concise will increase your chances.

Not asking questions 

If you’re interested in building a relationship rather than just adding another person to your network, it’d be helpful to initiate a conversation by asking a question or prompting the person to share some thoughts or ideas. This shouldn’t be too pushy, though—one simple question or suggestion would be enough.

Sending no follow-ups

If the person has accepted your invitation but hasn’t replied to you, this is not necessarily because they decided to ignore you. Perhaps, they haven’t read your message to the end or just haven’t had time to reply yet. In any way, if your goal is to establish a personal connection, don’t hesitate to send a follow-up message after some time passes. 

Making grammar mistakes

Last but not least, make sure your intro message is grammatically correct and there’re no punctuation errors—this can spoil the first impression, especially if the person you’re connecting to is linguistically sensitive. The easiest way to avoid such things is to use online assistants like Linguix which will highlight mistakes and suggest better options.

The post 10 Mistakes When Crafting a LinkedIn Intro Message appeared first on Linguix Blog.

We updated our CSR policy. The Linguix team is now focused on helping people who struggle with writing. We analyzed that writing is one of the most challenging skills for most students and, as a part of the solution, offered Linguix Pro to them. As such, any student can get our tools at 70% off. 

We provide free access to all educational organizations across the globe. We will need a contact in your school administration to discuss providing bulk licenses to all students. If you are a student or part of a management team, contact us via email at hi@linguix.com to get your discounted EDU access to Linguix PRO features.

Free Premium for Dyslexic Users

Our new survey made us realize that the condition significantly affects the work and studies of dyslexics who deal with writing. Therefore, as of today, we also provide all dyslexic users with our Premium tools free of charge for 3 months! Click here and follow the instructions.

Lastly, we’re ready to offer Linguix for free to those who are in need. But to do so, we need your feedback. What groups of people struggle with writing? Come share your thoughts in our community and let us know if we should pay attention to others.

The post Linguix’s Updated CSR Policy: Free Premium for Students and Dyslexics appeared first on Linguix Blog.

Unfortunately, the grim statistics show that most high school students lack the proficiency in writing necessary to successfully complete a college-level English composition class. As a result, poor writing skills affect students’ performance and grades as well as lower chances to succeed in their future. 

Why do students struggle with writing? What are the ways to overcome this issue? How can AI writing assistants help? We’ll cover these questions in our new blog post. Let’s dive into it.

Students don’t read as much as before

Reading is an effective process for improving writing skills. While reading, students learn new words, expressions and the way they can be used. 

The digital era provides us with numerous opportunities, while simultaneously creating new challenges. 

Teenagers and young adults are no longer eager to perceive information through reading. Why would they, if there are so many YouTube videos that explain all they need in 10 minutes? 

Social media destroy our focus, so reading becomes particularly tedious. As a consequence, students don’t memorize new expressions and proper grammar usage, their vocabulary is limited.

The casual style of writing differs from the formal one

Essays and research papers require an academic writing style. While creative writing is enjoyable, the formal one is tiresome for most students. 

Essays, for example, should be written using accurate and subject-specific vocabulary, which students often don’t possess. Social media, short videos or some blog posts that teens usually digest are unlikely to contain this kind of vocabulary. Combine this with a lack of reading and you’ll see dozens of students who are afraid of writing.

People don’t speak using correct grammar

Even though most students in the US are natives, a lion’s share of them doesn’t speak correctly, let alone formally. Spoken language is full of incorrect grammar, unnecessary fillers, slang words and so on. Written assignments, in turn, should be concise, clear, accurate and formal. 

That’s why ELL students, for instance, can’t rely on speaking to improve their writing.

Students aren’t prepared to write academic papers

According to The New York Times article based on several studies, the root of the problem lies in teachers’ inability to teach students how to write. They often have little training in how to teach writing and, as a result, are unconfident writers themselves. 

The analysis of teacher preparation programs indicated that the teaching of writing wasn’t being covered in a widespread or systematic way. 

For these reasons, students lack writing practice and get little or no feedback.

Students are dysgraphic or dyslexic 

Students with these disorders commonly suffer from poor reading and writing skills. To keep up with the pace, they should be provided with special room accommodation. However, the symptoms of the disorders are often overlooked because neither educators nor their parents are aware of students’ condition. 

Without proper care, they will most probably perform worse and get lower marks.

How to Help Students who Struggle with Writing 

First, educational institutions should take into consideration the peculiarities of all students. Dyslexic, dysgraphic and ELL students have special needs that should be met. For example, additional writing and reading classes or class accommodation would be of great value. 

Second, teachers should take additional programs to learn how to teach writing. In fact, various initiatives are taken to address the issue. For example, as part of its program at Nassau Community College, a group of teachers was honing their own writing skills.

Finally, students themselves should take action to improve their writing. Practice makes perfect, as we all know. 

There are numerous techniques: freewriting, copying articles or essays, journaling and reading. In addition, it’s important to have someone who can give feedback on students’ writing.

How Linguix Assists Students 

Although we learn how to write in childhood, it still is one of the most challenging skills for many students. Yet the amount of papers, essays and emails they have to write to survive the university is notorious. Silly mistakes can easily affect grades and eventually their future. 

Nevertheless, students rarely can afford to buy tools for their studies. 

Therefore, our team has decided to provide all students with Linguix Premium for free! Use the tool to check if your grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct. Your personal Writing Coach helps you learn and avoid common mistakes you make. Rewriter 2.0, in turn, makes your vocabulary diverse and eliminates repetition.

If you’re a student and have an “.edu” email address, click the link, create an account and get your free Premium right away.

If your student email account doesn’t end with “. edu”, contact us at hi@linguix.com and we’ll help you out.

Focus on the value you provide in your writing assignments. Linguix helps you with the rest!

The post Why Students Struggle with Writing and Ways to Help Them appeared first on Linguix Blog.

So, let’s investigate how to combine adjectives in the English language like a pro!

Basic adjective order

In real life, we don’t often use more than 2-3 adjectives in a row. However, it’s still important to put them in the right order. And if you’re taking an examination, you can well be asked to place three or more adjectives in the correct order in a sample sentence. This is where you’ll need to recall the general adjective sequence, which goes as follows:

Examples:

• We saw beautiful gigantic ancient sequoias in the national park. (opinion, size, age)
• She gave me this weird red Japanese plastic device. (opinion, color, origin, material)
• Have you seen my favorite big dotted coffee cup? (opinion, size, color, purpose)

If two or more adjectives in a sentence happen to be from the same group, they are usually separated with a comma, the last one typically being connected with an “and”:

• There were lots of tiny blue, red and yellow flowers in the garden.
• This was the first glass and concrete building in our town.

Specific cases

In the examples above, all adjectives are positioned before the noun, but there are also cases when we use them after a linking verb (such as be, seem, become, feel, etc.):

• The house was old and derelict.

Or, we can put it another way:

• It was an old and derelict house.

Please note that certain adjectives are only used after a linking verb. These are called predicative adjectives. Often, they start with a prefix a-, with a few exceptions. Here are some examples:

• afraid
• alike
• alive
• awake
• ill
• well

Incorrect: We found an afraid little boy in the kitchen. 

Correct: We found a frightened little boy in the kitchen. 

Correct: The little boy we found in the kitchen was afraid.

Incorrect: I saw an ill old dog.

Correct: I saw a sick old dog.

Correct: The dog I saw was ill and old.

***

As you can see, mastering adjective order in English is not rocket science, although it might require some training to memorize the sequence. 

The post Mastering Adjective Order in English appeared first on Linguix Blog.

I’d like to meet my colleagues, Kristen, and James.

You may ask whether the last comma in the example above is necessary. In this case, the Oxford comma clarifies to the reader that colleagues, Kristen, and James are separate entities. It implies that Kristen and James are not the writer’s colleagues. If they are, however, the Oxford comma should be removed:

I’d like to meet my colleagues, Kristen and James.

The Oxford comma is also called the serial (or series) comma and is used to clear up ambiguity like in the sentence above. However, it’s redundant in most lists:

Our pets love bananas, apples and watermelons.

As you can see, the Oxford comma in this example is unnecessary. Should we use it when it’s clearly superfluous? Let’s figure it out.

Do We Always Need the Oxford Comma?

To illustrate why the Oxford comma is important in some cases, let’s consider the following example:

We’re happy to see your friends, Taylor Swift and Jared Leto.

The obvious questions arise: are they seeing the friends and Taylor Swift and Jared Leto as separate entities? Or are Taylor Swift and Jared Leto the friends? It’s ambiguous and there is no clear answer unless the Oxford comma is present:

We’re happy to see your friends, Taylor Swift, and Jared Leto.

The Oxford comma here fully clarifies that they’re happy to see not only Taylor and Jared but also their friends.

However, as mentioned before the Oxford comma isn’t always necessary:

Yesterday I bought a dress, a skirt, and an amazing ring.

There is no ambiguity, so the Oxford comma is redundant. Nevertheless, supporters of the comma insist on its usage even if it’s unnecessary. In fact, it’s a matter of style. 

Use of the Oxford comma Comes Down to Style

Most publications have their own writing guidelines. There are two well-known style guides – the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style. The AP Stylebook doesn’t require the use of the Oxford comma. In turn, the Chicago Manual of Style uses it. These guides are created not to demonstrate the only way for grammatically correct writing, but to maintain consistency. 

In general, whether to use the Oxford comma or not is up to you if the ambiguity isn’t in place. 

Bottom Line

The use of the Oxford comma is grammatically correct and sometimes can be unnecessary. Therefore, it’s open to interpretation and there is no clear answer.

When it comes to academic writing, make sure you’ve chosen appropriate style guides. Otherwise, follow your gut and keep in mind that being consistent is what matters most.

The post What is the Oxford Comma and When You Need It appeared first on Linguix Blog.

But don’t worry, today we’ll share five uncommon and elegant ways to wish your colleagues, family members and friends Merry Xmas and Happy New Year.

Start with a gratitude

Even a simple “Thank you for everything” can make your greeting sound warmer. To make it even more personal, you can list three specific reasons why you’re grateful to this person. 

Depending on the type of relationship, this might be an acknowledgment of his or her professional skills, highlighting the importance of what they do, or cherishing their individual traits and the positive influence they exert on you.

Examples:

• I’d like to thank you for being a constant source of inspiration for other people and me.
• Thank you so much for what you do, your work is indispensable and truly valuable.   
• Just wanted to thank you for being so patient and kind to me, even when I don’t deserve it. I appreciate it a lot.

Use an inspiring quote

If you have a habit of putting down cool quotes, it’s high time you include one (or more) of them in your greeting. If you don’t, finding one on the internet is a matter of minutes. What can be more to the point than sharing wise and inspiring words of the greats? 

Examples:

• As Albert Einstein wrote, “A hundred times every day, I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”
• Margaret Thatcher once said, “Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.”
• The Dalai Lama often says: “Happiness is not something readymade; it comes from your own actions.”

Mention something personal

Personified greetings always work the best. The recipient instantly feels they are valued and are not taken for granted. For example, if you know that the person you’re greeting is keen on traveling or plays in a band, you can wish them plenty of exciting trips or splendid gigs in the coming year.

However, it might not be easy to wish something personal to a colleague you barely know. In this case, you might just wish something less original and, if you feel like it, express hope to get to know each other better/work together on some project, etc.

Examples:

• May your YouTube channel strike 500,000 subscribers! 
• Wish you good luck with your forthcoming application, hope it works out well!
• May your coffee shop prosper and attract twice as many clients in the coming year!

Show off with a couple of exquisite words

Sometimes you just want to make your greeting stand out, and there’s nothing bad about it. A few vibrant words or phrases can spice up your season’s greetings and make it memorable. But try not to take it too far—otherwise, it might sound ridiculous. One or two would be sufficient.      

Examples:

• Wish you unforgettable and ethereal holidays!
• May your days be filled with eudaimonia and serendipity.
• May you enjoy many magical moments and elysian places in the coming year!

Wish something non-obvious

Apart from wishing common things like health, happiness and well-being, why not deviate from the script a little? If your recipient has a good sense of humor, they would certainly appreciate it. Still, it’s probably not the best idea to wish only weird things, but such an addition to a more conventional greeting might work well. 

Examples:

• May everyone around you be as sweet as a strawberry pie.
• May your next year be happy, prosperous and bring you to where you’ve never been before (in a good sense!).
• May you survive in the first place (all of us!).

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Now, you’re fully armed to make your Xmas and New Year greetings at least a bit more original and memorable! 

The post 5 Original Ways to Greet Xmas and Happy New Year appeared first on Linguix Blog.