In an age of autocorrect, abbreviations and simplified language, we can very easily forget the little contrasts that make a huge difference in meaning.

This sometimes leads to misunderstanding or even the risk of sounding illiterate. Using these simple tips will change the way of expressing yourself and help you start sounding smarter.

Preventative vs Preventive

Preventative is an obsolete form which although has the same meaning as preventive, it is not used anymore. It was banned almost a hundred years ago, so someone might seek preventive health care or others may take preventive measures for their safety, business or anything else.

Infamous vs Famous

While both refer to reputation, they have a complete different connotation and meaning, so you should be careful! While some may be referred to as rich and famous, those who are rich and infamous means they have a reputation of the worst kind and may as well earned their money in dubious ways. Just look at it this way: Unless grandma’s cookies are notoriously evil and disgraceful, they are famous, not infamous.

Evoke vs Invoke

A painting evokes emotion; a comedy show evokes laughter – to evoke means “to elicit or call forth.” We use invoke when we wish “to call on a higher power, petition for support, or implement.” For example: “Ben invoked Robert Frost for his first assignment” or “The principal invoked the aid of the teachers”

Denounce vs Renounce

These may sound similar, but their meanings are not: Denounce means “to condemn publicly or accuse formally” as in “The prosecutor denounced the CEO for insider trading”; Renounce on the other hand means “to give up or refuse to follow”, a typical example being “He renounced his faith”.

Uninterested vs Disinterested

While the two mean exactly the same, the difference is subtle but important in certain situations where one should convey a lack of bias. In other words, if you wish to convey a lack of bias you would use disinterested. If you don’t care about such grammatical subtlety you are uninterested.

Him, her and myself vs Him, her and I

Myself is a reflexive pronoun and it is used when an action is directed toward the subject: “I treated myself with a nice wine after a job done well,” or for emphasis: “I myself have done that a million times.” This is why you cannot use this pronoun in the above example in any circumstance. If you wish to sound smarter, keep it simple and correct.

Former vs Latter

Although the difference is clear-cut, sometimes writers and speakers mix these up. Former is the first of two, while latter is the second. Speaking of which, be careful with formerly vs formally: the former means “at an earlier time,” while the latter means “by an established form or structure.”

Neither/either are vs Neither/either is

Both neither and either are singular pronouns and take a singular verb. Confusion sets in when the verb appears far from its subject and/or when a plural object falls after it: “Turns out, neither of the mischievous kids was(not were) responsible for the broken window; it was Mr. Jack who did it!”

Fall between the cracks vs Fall through the cracks

You can’t really fall between an opening; you fall into or through it. Having said that, don’t let logic fall through the cracks when you use this idiom.

Mute vs Moot

They are very different and confusion comes when pronouncing them. Moot commonly means “deprived of practical significance,” whereas mute means silent. So you can choose to be mute about a moot point, but be careful about the difference.

Just desserts vs Just deserts

When someone needs to get what he deserves, you hope he reaps his just deserts. But on a particularly well-behaved three-year-old’s birthday, she might be allowed in just desserts.

Modern-day vs Modern

Modern-day is a redundant form and modern simply covers it. So be a modern speaker and sound smarter by using the superior word.

So-called “good grammar” vs So-called good grammar

The difference here is in the quotation marks and it is really an important difference. Using quotation marks after so called is obsolete and silly, since this phrase covers the need for that. It introduces a term as falsely, improperly, or commonly referred to as something. So forget about the quotation marks in writing or the so-called air quotes in speaking.

Exuberant vs Exorbitant

While both mean “extreme”, these terms are often confused in relation to money. Exuberant refers to unrestrained enthusiasm or flamboyance, while exorbitant means “exceeding an appropriate amount.” So, an exuberant use of a credit card, leads to an exorbitant bill down the road.

Come vs Go

Come stands for movement toward the speaker, while go denotes the opposite. “Jacques said: “Come to Paris!” but after having stayed there for two months he said I should go.”

Jealous vs Envious

 Jealousy is a feeling of resentment toward another, particularly in matters relating to an intimate relationship, while envy refers to covetousness of another’s advantages, possessions or abilities. So your ex is jealous of your new partner, but your neighbor is envious of your pretty house.

Effect vs Affect

Affect is generally considered to be a verb which means “to produce change in or influence something”. Effect, on the other hand, is a noun which can also be used as a verb and it means “a change that occurred.” So, the negative effect of pollution affects the environment in a bad way and all of this has a disastrous effect on our lives.

Stress is one of the primary reasons why we can’t function properly. It takes us further away from the solution of the problem we should be dealing with, it creates a chaos in our thoughts and energy and blocks us off from rational thought. There are many techniques you can do to relieve stress, but there are few you can do anywhere.

Next time you are stressed, try this powerful technique that will help you instantly relieve stress and fight stress on the long run as well, by training your brain to react differently in stressful situations.

The Way the Technique Works

This technique works with the neurovascular points on your forehead, which means bringing more blood to the frontal lobe of your brain where all the intellectual processes are taking place. In fact, you take the blood from your more primal fear-based area of your head, which is activated when you are stressed out or overwhelmed, to the area where intellectual thought sits.

This helps you to relieve stress and bring the problem to the rational you for a different kind of processing and understanding. It is a soothing technique and it helps you face stressful situations better on the long run if practiced whenever stress comes back.

How to Do It?

You can do it anywhere, but it is best if you lie down and use pillows to hold up your elbows, as the longer you do it, the better the effects.

Follow these steps for a stress-free you:

1. Place your hands gently on the forehead so that the tips of your fingers are touching at the middle of it and the base of the palm is over your temples.
2. Don’t apply pressure, a gentle touch is enough.
3. Keep your hands there until you feel better.
4. While in that position, bring up the problem which caused the stress in the first place to your attention.
5. Contemplate on it and you will see that the situation won’t seem as bad, as you have shifted your approach to it from a different perspective and energy.

By rewinding the story while holding the neurovascular points, you are training your mind to react differently to situations of that nature by changing your emotional habits or responses.

There are those stressful moments and situations when you can’t do anything but wait for the surroundings to change so you can help yourself by reducing that stress the way you do it best.

Well not anymore – this technique gives you the opportunity to face and fight off stress in ANY situation, be it work, meeting, exam (you name it).

This technique uses the power of the heart chakra to heal the mixed emotions and bring you to a state of balance and peace.

The best part is you will be able to affect the energy of the whole area around you and change the way things are happening to help the others as well. It is a very simple and subtle technique which won’t create confused looks and awkward feelings, as it doesn’t require any special movements or gestures.

Let’s Try It Out!

 It is very simple and no one will notice you doing it. Just follow these directions and help yourself instantly when you need inner peace the most.

1. Place your hand above the center of your chest, just make it look natural with no sudden movements. This is where your heart chakra is (if you want to know more about the chakras go here[hyperlink]).
2. Take a calm, deep breath and repeat these phrases in your head:
3. “I’m OK, no matter what happens.”
4. “Everybody’s OK, no matter what happens.”
5. “We’re all OK, no matter what happens.”
6. Repeat these phrases and feel the energy shift – offer that new energy to the space and the people you’re with.

This mantra is quite literally the reality of your soul – the things happening which trigger stress are just opening a space of your Self which requires your work on it, by facing it and understanding it, coming at peace with it.

So when you do this technique remember that you are OK and that all that is happening is a trigger, not for stress, but for something which will help you become a better you.

Reading books is more beneficial than you might think. It is great for mental stimulation, which in terms slows the progress of (or possibly even prevent) the potential risk of Alzheimer’s or Dementia, it reduces stress, it enriches your knowledge, expands your vocabulary, improves your memory, strengthens your analytical skills, improves your focus and concentration, and the list goes on.

So, nurturing this habit in your kids will be something they will be grateful about when they grow up. In an age of computers and smartphones, where reading books experiences an enormous decline among young children and teenagers, it is very important that you, as parents, start promoting this healthy habit among your children and grant them a gift like no other money can buy.

So how can you create these healthy reading habits in your child? Just follow these steps and be creative by inventing others as well.

Find books with rich illustrations – not photos!

 Books with simple photos and minimal text are the least helpful ones for children under age 5. They don’t trigger as many conversation starters and these are critical to child development. So, find books with rich illustrations and let your and your child’s creativity come to full bloom.

Ask questions based on the illustrations

Illustrations can help children enrich their vocabulary, especially at the age between 16 and 24 months, as during that period, they add more words to their vocabulary daily than they do at any other age. They start with learning the easiest words, such as nouns like “dog” and “tree”. So, if you see a picture of a dog, ask questions as “Where is the dog? Do you see it?” “What is the dog doing?” “What color is it?” The base knowledge of nouns helps kids construct sentences with other parts of speech more quickly, so “dog” will turn into “brown dog” and eventually “brown dog runs.”

Point out the obvious

Kids have still no idea about what you may take for granted as an adult: things such as the author’s name, what an author does, how to hold a book, reading sentences from left to right, turning pages. Share these basic steps with your child to help them read independently when they are ready.

Cuddling and reading are a perfect pair

Cuddling helps your child associate reading with the feeling of closeness and comfort. This will build up their self-confidence about reading, especially out loud.

Relate the content to real life

 Relating a book’s plot to a real-life situation your child has experienced will help your child remember the book and the vocabulary better. So, if you’re reading a book about Jamie going to the zoo, start a conversation about the last time your child went to the zoo with you. For children over the age 3, you can ask open-ended questions (who, what, where and why) to create a dialogue of storytelling.

Spark a conversation

What’s more important than finishing the entire book is the conversation you have during reading. Responding to questions (even those never-ending ones) and talking with your child will help them develop their cognitive skills and social development in the real world. You can decide to stop reading at any moment which is convenient for a rich conversation and let the conversation flow from there.

Imitate voices and make silly sounds

Your child will adore your silly side when it comes to onomatopoeias such a Moooo! Ring, ring! Knock, knock! Bang! So don’t feel afraid to say them in the right moment. The variety of sounds and voices will lead to your child recognizing phonemes, or sound units that make up larger words. It will in term help your child speak full words.

Ask prediction questions

“What do you think the cat will do after it drinks the milk?” “What toy do you think Jessie will choose?” This kind of questions helps your child to learn to read on their own. Later, when your child picks up a chapter book for the first time, they won’t have any trouble finding the page where they left off. This is because this way of communicating while reading makes them remember points in the book. It will also enhance their creativity and their ability to become better narrative storytellers.

Follow their lead

Don’t force your child to sit still and read. This will make them see reading as a punishment, not fun. Just go with the flow of your child’s attention span. If they lose interest, let them run around the house and come back to the book in a few minutes, but don’t give up when they do so – keep on reading and commenting on the story to yourself. They will often come back to you out of curiosity.

Are you one of those people who seem to breeze through life with the ease of a butterfly? It seems as if nothing can hold them back and they handle problems as if they were never there in the first place, they face every situation without fear and manage stress in a way most people would never think it is possible.

It is true that it is too easy to get caught up in the negative, the truth is life cannot be all rainbows and sunshine, but the main idea is to know how to face the problems without you becoming a problem to yourself. Make sure you create a positive mental attitude towards any problem, as there are no problems – the only problem is our approach to those situations.

How easy is it to do that? Why not try and have a go at these stress reduction, problem solving techniques – they are guaranteed to make you feel better.

1. See problems as solvable

With the right attitude, there is no problem which cannot be solved or alleviated. Write down any problems or concerns and think about solutions.

Although we believe we are fighting the problem itself, half of the battle we are fighting is the emotions and mental conflicts the problem brings up. In the heat of our emotions, we only make the problem grow bigger until we become more of a problem to us than the problem itself.

One method of gaining perspective, clarity and cold-headedness is to write the problem down. This gives us the chance to filter the real situation from the emotions that come with it and have the opportunity to reach to the concrete and tangible issue, instead of ourselves. So, here’s what you will do:

• Write the problem down – out of your system and onto a piece of paper. Really, write all that’s in your head.
• Now read it and cross off any emotional statements you have made about it.
• Write it out again, with just the facts, nothing more.
• Now write a scenario where the issue has been resolved, write several scenarios if needed.
• Read your solution to the problem. How did you fix it? What steps did you take?
• This is your plan. Now start working on it.

Giving your emotions some time out and stepping back from all that momentary chaos inside of you is a great way to solve any problem. So, calm down, get that pen out and let the ideas flow.

2. Life is all about change – accept that

Life is a continuous change, as Heraclitus once said, “Everything changes and nothing remains still … and … you cannot step twice into the same stream.” Knowing this, you need to accept the fact that some things come and go when they should. There is a Zen proverb which says “Let go or be dragged,” and really, new changes come with new challenges and new beautiful things in them, you just need to open your eyes to see and your heart to feel the freshness of the moment. See life as a journey, not a trial.

As a result, you will always take the advantage of change in the right moment – when it comes. Because everything would be boring if it remains the same as it was, wouldn’t it? Grasp the new moment instead of lamenting the one that has already passed.

3. Fear or rejection is an unnecessary enemy

Of course, rejection and failure may come whenever we decide to try something harder and push our limits. The bad part about it is that this emotion pulls deep at the strings of self-esteem and sense of self-worth. And which is even worse, you keep rewinding the scenario over and over wondering what you could have done differently to change the outcome. The reality is – you cannot change anything at that moment and the best thing to do is to come at peace with it. The path to every success is paved with rejection and failure among other things.

The most important thing is not to be afraid of rejection. Be kind to yourself and know that you will never be able to be perfect for everyone and everything. Perfection as people imagine it does not exist, which means you were not the first nor the last to fail at something. Take a deep breath, focus on something positive, create a good feeling space in your body and stay in it.  From that place, start analyzing what you have learned from that situation – as everything in life is a lesson. What new opportunities arise from that? What’s totally possible now? Be in the present moment, smile and let seeking opportunities and positive possibilities become your second nature.

4. Live life to the fullest

There is always more to life than work and family or striving to achieve and being in service to others. Don’t let yourself become a slave to just a few directions you’ve set in your life living everything else out of it. Life is whole with all the colors in it, not just a few you find most important.

Give yourself some time for enjoyment, fun and fulfilment in the simple activities that make you happy and alive. You have all the time in the world if you know how to use it wisely and to your advantage. Don’t punish yourself by leaving all the fun out of life, take up activities that include fun and enjoyment, because all your hard work won’t make up for the happiness of the simple things. Take up a hobby and give yourself some time out. Participate in activities simply for the sheer enjoyment and pleasure.

So go on, if you haven’t done it yet, now is the time to take up a hobby and follow your interests and passions. You could even enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing. Once you have brought your mind to a calm and happy state, you will be able to pursue your ambitions and face the challenges that life brings much more easily.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

I will tell you a story of a father and a son. The father once said to the son: “Do you see that huge rock there? Move it using all your options and abilities.” The son tried as hard as he could, all day. In the end, he gave up and came back to his father saying that he couldn’t move it even for an inch. Then the father asked his son: “Did you use all your options and abilities?” The son said yes, but the father said: “You didn’t. You didn’t ask for my help.”

Never overestimate yourself. Sometimes we do need help from others, and as we would help them, they would help us as well. We as people are meant to do things together. We haven’t come to this part of history and this much power in world because we were the superior species, but because we worked together.

It is time to accept that you cannot bear all the burdens alone – you are not supposed to. Requesting help does not suggest weakness, don’t let that fool you. Weakness is when you are unable to ask for help when needed.

You do need to ask intelligently and be ready for any kind of answer, though. And the best way to do this is to:

• Let go of your expectations – ask without the need to hear a yes.
• People CAN say no. If they do, move on and ask for someone else’s help.
• ASK – don’t demand. Leave out the emotion and drama.
• Be clear about what you want – ask directly and clearly.
• Always ask the right person – the one with the willingness, ability and resources to help.

Living a healthy life means living a life full of social interaction, healthy relationships and a life filled with people who make you happy and you return them the same feeling unconditionally. But this is all like a chess game – one wrong move and you lose it all. If your goal is to lead a happy life, you should indeed cultivate connection.

People who enjoy healthy friendships and family relations are happier, have fewer health problems and can overcome stress more easily. When it comes to relationships, it is best that you approach them carefully and with wisdom and understanding.

We’ve created a list of five lessons which may help you improve your social life and strengthen your relationships with the blink of an eye.

1. Instead of trying to fix them, accept them.

If your first choice is to try to change the people you’ve grown fond of, think again, as you might lose them. This refers to our partners, friends, parents and grown children who have already shaped their personality and habits. What you may perceive as being ‘right’ may be ‘wrong’ in the eyes of the others, and reality is but what we make of it – our perception and our personality and habits define it, just as the other people’s do. Our efforts to ‘correct’ someone else usually backfires, as it gives the other person the sense that we perceive ourselves as being smarter and better than them, posing ourselves as superior to them. This sense creates resentment and rejection and brings no change at all.

Instead of ‘fixing’ them, try looking inward to fix the problem. Ask yourself what can you make out of the situation and how can you create a compromise between the different attitudes towards the problem for a better outcome. Understand that you need to live with that person as he/she is, not as you want them to be, as the only person you can change is yourself.

So, next time your partner doesn’t want to go to a party crowded by people he/she couldn’t care for less, try to find what you two would like best for the night and do that thing instead, or just go alone and give him/her some time for themselves. If your son chooses to forgo college for now, try to be enthusiastic for his ambition to start working and gain experience which money can’t buy or even start a career which may fulfill his life.

2. Some benign neglect helps kids to grow up

You can’t always be the guardian angel of your child. Even guardian angels aren’t always there for us, as they let us learn and grow. Parents who want to jump in into every stressful situation for the child and save their children from the momentary stress are putting their children to a risk of them becoming incompetent and aimless on the long run.

This is of course out of love, but not accepting the fact that nature should influence the course of the child’s development (and this means all good and bad situations) means not accepting the child to grow up and face their problems as they come. If they don’t learn to face their minor problems (being said no for some things or doing something wrong that will backfire with minor consequences), they won’t be able to face the bigger problems in life when their turn comes.

Stepping in regularly to protect kids from stress may hurt them in the long run. It may lead to depression-prone, aimless kids (and ultimately, adults) who lack the ability to achieve goals. Entitlement is another side effect that will backfire when these kids grow up.

Being entitled to everything they want in life when they were young, without putting any effort into it, makes them lack the ability to achieve what they want when they become independent, if they ever succeed to do so.

It is much better to let kids live through occasional disappointment and resolve their own problems as much as possible. Of course you should assure them that their feelings are heard and that your moral support is always there for them. Trust in their competence to overcome obstacles and help them grow and become self-sufficient.

3. Total opposites don’t forever attract

The key to a happy, healthy relationship is choosing someone who validates your views and habits. Do not underestimate the importance of shared values, personality traits, closeness in age, and other binding factors. This, however, doesn’t mean that the partner should be your personality replica and having differences adds the needed spice for a healthy and dynamic relationship.

It is simple: being overly similar with your partner can rather lead to a bit of a brother-sister relationship which is too predictable and without a lot of novelty. On the other hand, having a partner who is the complete opposite of you in every aspect means that you won’t be able to find a common ground.

The golden mean is to have a partner whose passions differ from yours so you can expand your experience, personality and understanding, but at the same time be sure you are aligned on big-picture issues: ways of showing affection, views on morality and raising children.

4. Social interaction matters a lot

The secret to living longer is not only what you eat and how much you exercise. Friendships are just as important. In fact, studies have shown that the more active your social life is, the less likely it is for you to die of any cause – up to a 50% less! A low level of social interaction has the same negative effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Having friends who have your back helps you face stressful situations more easily – their support and encouragement is more than enough for you to face the day and its perils. Even a good job done is not something to be happy about, if there is no one you can celebrate your success with, even with a smile.

5. Lust wanes, love remains

It is not true that a relationship’s end can be seen with the end of the romantic excitement and the beginning of the arguments. The immature part of us believes that compatible people don’t have conflicts. On the contrary, a healthy relationship consists of arguments too, but it’s the way couples argue that matters. A healthy couple will argue to let their misunderstandings out so they can be sorted out.

Both partners take responsibility for their missteps and through the quarrel do they start appreciating their common effort to overcome the problem before it piles up and becomes a heavy burden.

And yes, it is normal for desire to wane. Deep love comes after desire wanes, as we start seeing how imperfect the other is and choose to commit to them anyway.

The best way to restore connection is initiating something new in your sex life and sometimes it’s as simple as tidying your workplace as the piled up mess has been annoying her for months. Simple as it is: people know what warms their partner’s heart.