Just a quick note today. When you submit your job application online, make sure that your filenames are descriptive. Instead of submitting “newestresumecopy2.pdf” or “aplicagionforjobletter.pdf,” chose a simple format that can help a hiring manager. Choose a format that works for both your resume and cover letter and includes your name.
“DaveHendersonResume.pdf” or “CoverLetterDaveH.pdf” are two formats that I have seen and found helpful in the past. Good luck in your job search!
I’ve come across this quite a lot recently. Research and knowledge, study and information… are they count or non-count?
Research: non-count. (It’s a noun, verb, and adjective.)
I need to do more research before I can create my giant robot.
Information: non-count.
I don’t have a lot of information. Do you know an expert we could ask?
Knowledge: non-count
James has a lot of knowledge about writing.
Study: count. (Here we’re using it as a noun, but it is also a verb.)
The scientists carried out three studies before they wrote their paper.
Fact: count.
This is a fact: Canada’s really big.
Opinion: count.
My friend and I have two very different opinions about that subject.
(these are called parentheses or brackets)
[these are called square brackets]
{these are called curly brackets}
/ is slash
\ is backslash
~ is tilde
# is number sign or pound
& is ampersand
is asterisk
| is pipe
– is dash or hyphen
_ is underscore
Learning vocabulary can be a challenge. How do you choose what to learn? If you need words for work or school, search for business or academic word lists. (I’ve covered them before.) But what if you want to learn general words, ones you can use in a variety of conversations?
This is a list of the 1000 most common words in English. By learning these words, you will be able to speak and write with many people about many topics.
Perhaps you’d like some definitions? Here’s a link to a similar list that includes meanings.
Here’s a cartoon where a spaceship and some of its technical parts are described using only the 1000 most common words. The cartoon can be seen in its original site here. The artist also drew a cartoon showing numbers, which I quite like.
What verb tense to use?
English has twelve verb tenses, which we can divide into three times (past, present, and future) and into four forms (simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.) How can we know which one to use?
Obviously, the best form is the one that most closely fits what we want to talk about. Sometimes, though, we can use more than one tense correctly. If you can, use the simple form. If the simple form doesn’t work, use the continuous. If the continuous doesn’t work, try the perfect. If the perfect doesn’t work, then you must use the perfect continuous.
If you have a choice, use the simple form.
Continuing on from last week, where we learned about the addresses and dates on our letter, we’ll take a look at the start and end of our letter.
The salutation is the “hello” of the letter. There are several common choices, depending on how well you know the recipient.
If you don’t know their name, use “Dear Sir or Madam,” or “To whom it may concern,” to start your letter. If you have spoken to them on the phone, sent emails, or have met them once or twice, use “Dear Mr. Familyname,” or “Dear Ms. Familyname.” If you know them well, or see them often, “Dear Firstname” is acceptable.
The closure comes at the end of the letter. There is some personal choice here, but “Yours truly,” and “Sincerely” are always correct. In casual situations, you could use “Thanks,” or “Cheers,” if you know the recipient really well. Leave two blank lines, so you have room to sign your name, and then print your name with a period at the end, like this:
Sincerely,
Dave Henderson.
Today’s tips are about letter-writing. Details count!
Your address is placed at the top of the letter, on the right side. You do not put your name, email, or phone number as part of this section.
The first line contains your apartment/office/suite number, the building number, and the street name. In the second line, write your city and province. The last line is for your postal code, which is written in capital letters and is separated by a hyphen. Here’s an example of the top of a business letter.
115, 221B Baker St.,
Vancouver, B.C.,
V2W-9Y5
May 12, 2011
Recipient’s Name
Recipient’s Job
Company Name
Suite, Building, Street
City, Province
Postal code
Country (if it’s not the same as yours)
Dear Jane,
You’ll find that some people have very strict requirements for the layout of papers. Perhaps this is for a university essay, or maybe a contract for your work, but the details count. Here are some examples of common layout instructions.
This sentence is justified left.
This sentence is justified centre.
This sentence is justified right.
This paragraph is written with box justification, which changes the size of the space between the words. It’s very hard to read quickly, and should be avoided. This paragraph is written with box justification, which changes the size of the space between the words. It’s very hard to read quickly, and should be avoided. This paragraph is written with box justification, which changes the size of the space between the words. It’s very hard to read quickly, and should be avoided. This paragraph is written with box justification, which changes the size of the space between the words. It’s very hard to read quickly, and should be avoided. This paragraph is written with box justification, which changes the size of the space between the words. It’s very hard to read quickly, and should be avoided. This paragraph is written with box justification, which changes the size of the space between the words. It’s very hard to read quickly, and should be avoided.
These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines. These are single-spaced lines.
These lines are double-spaced. This style is quite common in schools and universities, because
it leaves space for editors or markers to add comments. These lines are double-spaced. This
style is quite common in schools and universities, because it leaves space for editors or markers
to add comments. These lines are double-spaced. This style is quite common in schools and
universities, because it leaves space for editors or markers to add comments. These lines are
double-spaced. This style is quite common in schools and universities, because it leaves space
for editors or markers to add comments. These lines are double-spaced. This style is quite
common in schools and universities, because it leaves space for editors or markers to add
comments.
This text is bold. Bold text is often used for headings.
This text is underlined. Underlined text is also used for headings, but not as often as bold text.
This text is in italics. Italics are sometimes used for quotations or foreign word, but the most common use is to emphasize a word or phrase.
Serving it Right is a BC Government training course for serving alcohol. It’s not a legal requirement, but high-profile businesses, like hotels, casinos, restaurants, and bars will want their employees to have it.
The material is free, but the test costs $40. You can take the test online or on paper. All the details are on their website. If you’re in my classes, come and see me. I have a few books left over from when we offered training for this certification in the past.
You can learn about other helpful certifications in my Power Up Your Internship paper. Just follow this link to the free download.
Perhaps you know that salmon is a popular kind of fish in Vancouver. Maybe you even know that the most traditional style is called smoked salmon. But do you know about Indian Candy?
Indian Candy is a type of smoked salmon. It is different from regular smoked salmon, because it is softer, and has a sweeter taste. To make it, the cooks use brown sugar or maple syrup when they smoke it.
You can find Indian Candy at The Salmon Shop on Granville Island. Here’s a map. Buy some and enjoy a new Canadian taste!
Dave's English Classes 