Chronophoto is a fun little game that shows you a historical photo and challenges you to guess the year it was taken.

The closer you get to the year in which the photo was taken, the more points you score.

Give it a try and see how well you can do.

Enjoy!

Punctuation is a very important part of writing. 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, punctuation marks “show the reader where sentences start and finish, and if they are used correctly, they make your writing easy to understand”. 

But how good are you?

Can you tell the difference between a colon and a semicolon? And what about a hyphen and an en dash?

This punctuation guide can help.

Click on the individual punctuation marks and see whether you’re using them correctly.

Have fun!

Words have a lot of power.

When we use certain words, we can make people think and feel different things.

The tricky word “but”

Most of the time, the word “but” is used to link two phrases in a sentence.

However, it can have a negative effect on the first phrase. It can make the first phrase seem unimportant or even like it doesn’t matter at all.

This is especially true when the first phrase includes praise, agreement or an important point.

An example

Let’s say a business partner tells you, “I like your idea, but I think we need to do more research before we can move forward”.

The word “but” can make you feel as if your business partner doesn’t fully agree with the idea and that the need for more research is more important than the positive feedback.

By replacing “but” with “and,” the speaker is able to give both positive and constructive feedback in a more balanced way:

“I like your idea, and I think we need to do more research before we can move forward.”

Of course, there are still times and places to use “but,” but I’ve found that swapping it for “and” makes feedback much easier to give and receive almost every time.

Give it a try and see if it works for you.

A short story for you today.

The Lion and the Slave

There once was a slave who was badly treated by his master.

One day, he couldn’t take it anymore and ran away into the forest. 

A Chance Encounter

While hiding in the woods, the slave stumbled upon a majestic lion who couldn’t walk because of a thorn embedded in its paw. 

The slave mustered all his courage and approached the lion to help.

An Act of Bravery

Risking his life, he took the thorn out of the lion’s paw.

The lion ran away into the forest without harming the slave.

The Slave is Captured

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the slave.

Sometime later, he was caught by his master, who had chased him into the forest. The master had also managed to capture some animals, and ordered the slave to be thrown into the lion’s den as a punishment.

A Familiar Face

As the slave stood facing his death in the lion’s den, he saw the lion that he had helped in the forest.

Freedom and Forgiveness

To the slave’s surprise, the lion didn’t attack him, but instead allowed him to escape unharmed.

The slave, in a moment of profound compassion, freed all the other animals from their cages before making his way to freedom.

The moral of the story

The good things you do will always find their way back to you.

So, do good things and treat people well, and the world will treat you well, too.

PS Would you like more stories like this one here?

The word “a lot” is often used as an adverb to mean “a large number”.

Even though it’s a useful phrase in many situations, it can be overused and start to sound vague or repetitive.

Look at these examples here.

1. She ate a lot of pizza for dinner.
2. They spent a lot of money on their holiday.
3. We had a lot of fun at the amusement park.
4. There were a lot of people at the concert last night.
5. She has a lot of experience in marketing.
6. They have a lot of work to do before the deadline.
7. He has a lot of friends from all over the world.
8. The professor gave the class a lot of reading to do before the next lecture.

Here are some examples using alternative words.

1. She consumed copious amounts of pizza for dinner.
2. They spent a substantial amount of money on their holiday.
3. We had a tremendous amount of fun at the amusement park.
4. There was a large crowd at the concert last night.
5. She has significant experience in marketing.
6. They have a great deal of work to do before the deadline.
7. He has many friends from all over the world.
8. The professor assigned the class a considerable amount of reading to do before the next lecture.

Of course, you can try to give specific examples, statistics or facts.

For example:

1. She consumed 10 large slices of pizza for dinner.
2. They spent hundreds of pounds on their holiday.
3. There were thousands of people at the concert last night.
4. She has seven years of experience in marketing.

 I hope that helps. 

If you’re looking for a captivating video, “How to find a wonderful idea” is definitely worth watching.

In this TED2017 video, you’ll get an inside look at the creative process that goes into making music videos for the band OK Go.

Whether you’re already a fan of their work or new to their music, this video is sure to be a treat that will leave you wanting more.

PS Look at the band’s website for more inspiration!