English: A vandal corrects the grammar mistake in this sign at Leeds City station by crossing out the extraneous apostrophe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Common mistakes are mistakes that even native speakers make on a regular basis. The most common of these common mistakes include ‘its or it’s', ‘two, to or too’, ‘would of instead of would have’, and more. The best way to not make these common mistakes is to become familiar with the through a wide variety of examples.
You can use each of these pages as a starting point to practice not making these common mistakes in the future. Each page has a clear explanation with example sentences. Each common mistake page is followed by a quiz to help you check your understanding. Here are a few suggestions for how you can use these pages to reduce these common mistakes. Remember that each language has its own common mistakes.
Make sure to completely understand the common mistake. Look at the examples and ask yourself if you have made these common mistakes. Think about reading, writing and speaking and how the influence each other. For example, the common mistake ‘would of’ rather than ‘would have’ is often made because of the way ‘would have’ sounds in connected speech. In other words, when people speak quickly they run the words together and the form ‘would have’ SOUNDS like ‘would of’. When people then go to write this form they think back to what they have heard and make the common mistake of writing ‘would of’.
NOT CORRECT! – He would of come to the party if he had had time.
CORRECT – He would have come to the party if he had had time.
Take time to write down the common mistakes on a piece of paper or in a separate document on your computer. Spend the time to write five or more sentences practicing the correct form of the common mistake in question. Take the time to really think about the mistake when practicing. Chances are you will never make the mistake again!
Listen to / read other people for these common mistakes. Once you understand the common mistake, start listening to other people or reading their texts. Can you spot the common mistakes they make?
How Many Common Mistakes are There?
You might wonder how many common English mistakes exist. That’s a difficult question to answer. There are certain mistakes made in grammar, common mistakes made in pronunciation, and there are many common mistakes made because of confusing words.
Are Common Mistakes Bad?
Common mistakes are mistakes. However, it’s (not its!) important to remember that the most important thing about using a language is communication. If you are able to communicate in English you are on the road to success. If you make a few common mistakes, you can certainly correct those mistakes.
Generally, but not always, people will understand you if you make a common mistake. Context (what is happening around the situation) often makes it clear what you really mean. People fill in the blanks, understand that you mean something else, etc. Have confidence and try to eliminate common English mistakes, but make sure to continue speaking and writing English as much as you can!
The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men’s social club in London. “The Anacreontic Song” (or “To Anacreon in Heaven“), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. Set to Key’s poem and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner”, it would soon become a well-known American patriotic song. With a range of one and a half octaves, it is known for being difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” was recognized for official use by the Navy in 1889, and by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by acongressionalresolution on March 3, 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 U.S.C.§ 301), which was signed by President Herbert Hoover.
Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. “Hail, Columbia” served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee“, whose melody is identical to “God Save the Queen“, the British national anthem,[2]also served as a de facto anthem.[3] Following the War of 1812 and subsequent American wars, other songs would emerge to compete for popularity at public events, among them “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
The song gained popularity throughout the 19th century and bands played it during public events, such as July 4th celebrations. On July 27, 1889, Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy signed General Order #374, making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official tune to be played at the raising of the flag.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that “The Star-Spangled Banner” be played at military and other appropriate occasions. The playing of the song two years later during theseventh-inning stretch of the 1918 World Series, and thereafter during each game of the series is often noted as the first instance that the anthem was played at a baseball game,[9]though evidence shows that the “Star-Spangled Banner” was performed as early as 1897 at opening day ceremonies in Philadelphia and then more regularly at the Polo Grounds in New York City beginning in 1898. In any case, the tradition of performing the national anthem before every baseball game began in World War II.[10] Today, the anthem is performed before the beginning of all MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games (when at least one American team is playing), as well as in a pre-race ceremony portion of every NASCAR and AMA motocross race.
On November 3, 1929, Robert Ripley drew a panel in his syndicated cartoon, Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, saying “Believe It or Not, America has no national anthem”.[11] In 1931, John Philip Sousa published his opinion in favor, stating that “it is the spirit of the music that inspires” as much as it is Key’s “soul-stirring” words. By a law signed on March 3, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was adopted as the national anthem of the United States of America.
The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics
By Francis Scott Key 1814
Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
A stock represents an ownership or equity stake in a corporation. If you are a stockholder, you own a proportionate share in the corporation’s assets and you may be paid a share of the company’s earnings in the form of dividends.
The two main categories of stocks are common stock and preferred stock. Preferred stockholders have priority over common stockholders in terms of dividend payout and in recouping their investment if the company fails or liquidates. However, preferred stockholders, unlike common stockholders, cannot vote for directors of the company.
Stocks fall into five different categories:
INCOME STOCKS
Income Stocks pay unusually large dividends that can be used as a means of generating income without selling the stock, but the price of the stock generally does not rise very quickly.
BLUE-CHIP STOCKS
Issued by very solid and reliable companies with long histories of consistent growth and stability, blue-chip stocks usually pay small but regular dividends and maintain a fairly steady price throughout market ups and downs.
GROWTH STOCKS
Issued by young, entrepreneurial companies that are experiencing a faster growth rate than their general industries, these stocks normally pay little or no dividend because the company needs all of its earnings to finance expansion. Since they are issued by companies with no proven track record, growth stocks are riskier than other types of stocks but also offer more appreciation potential.
CYCLICAL STOCKS
Cyclical stocks are issued by companies that are affected by general economic trends. The prices of these stocks tend to go down during recessionary periods and increase during economic booms. Examples of cyclical stock companies include automobile, heavy machinery and home building
DEFENSIVE STOCKS
The opposite of cyclical stocks, defensive stocks—issued by companies producing staples such as food, beverages, drugs and insurance—typically maintain their value during recessionary periods.
Ten largest stock exchanges in the world by market capitalization in 2011:
1.New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) - Headquartered in New York City. Market Capitalization (2011, USD Billions) – 14,242; Trade Value (2011, USD Billions) – 20,161.
The largest stock exchange in the world by both market capitalization and trade value. NYSE is the premier listing venue for the world’s leading large- and medium-sized companies. Operated by NYSE Euronext, the holding company created by the combination of NYSE Group, Inc. and Euronext N.V., NYSE offers a broad and growin array of financial products and services in cash equities, futures, options, exchange-traded products (ETPs), bonds, market data, and commercial technology solutions. Featuring more than 8000 listed issues it includes 90% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 82% of the S&P 500 stock market indexes volume.
2.NASDAQ OMX - Headquartered in New York City. Market Capitalization (2011, USD Billions) – 4,687; Trade Value (2011, USD Billions) – 13,552.
Second largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization and trade value. The exchange is owned by NASDAQ OMX Group which also owns and operates 24 markets, 3 clearinghouses and 5 central securities depositories supporting equities, options, fixed invome, derivatives, commodities, futures and structured products. It is a home to approximately 3,400 listed companies and its main index is the NASDAQ Composite, which has been published since its inception. Stock market is also followed by S&P 500 index.
Third largest stock exchange market in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies. It had 2,292 companies which are separated into the First Section for large companies, the Second Section for mid-sized companies, and the Mothers section for high growth startup companies. The main indices tracking Tokyo Stock Exchange are the Nikkei 225 index of companies selected by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the TOPIX index based on the share prices of First Section companies, and the J30 index of large industrial companies. 94 domestic and 10 foreign securities companies participate in TSE trading. The London Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange are developing jointly traded products and share technology.
Located in London City, it is the oldest and fourth-largest stock exchange in the world. The Exchange was founded in 1801 and its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul’s Cathedral. It is the most international of all the world’s stock exchanges, with around 3,000 companies from over 70 countries admitted to trading on its markets. The London Stock Exchange runs several markets for listing, giving an opportunity for different sized companies to list. For the biggest companies exists the Premium Listed Main Market, while in terms of smaller SME’s the Stock Exchange operates the Alternative Investment Market and for international companies that fall outside the EU, it operates the Depository Receipt scheme as a way of listing and raising capital.
It is the world’s 5th largest stock market by market capitalization and one of the two stock exchanges operating independently in the People’s Republic of China. Unlike the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the SSE is not entirely open to foreign investors. The main reason is tight capital account controls by Chinese authorities. The securities listed at the SSE include the three main categories of stocks, bonds, and funds. Bonds traded on SSE include treasury bonds, corporate bonds, and convertible corporate bonds. The largest company in SSE is PetroChina (market value – 3,656.20 billion).
6.Hong Kong Stock Exchange - Headquartered in Hong Kong. Market Capitalization (2011, USD Billions) – 2,258; Trade Value (2011, USD Billions) – 1,447.
It is the third largest stock exchange in Asia and the sixth largest in the world in terms of market capitalization. Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK) has about 1,477 listed companies and it operates securities market and a derivatives market in Hong Kong and the clearing houses for those markets. The three largest stocks by market capitalisation in Hong Kong Stock Exchange are PetroChina, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, and China Mobile.
It is the largest stock exchange in Canada and the third largest in North America. Toronto Stock Exchange is owned by and operated as a subsidiary of the TMX Group for the trading of senior equities. A broad range of businesses from Canada, the United States, Europe, and other countries are represented on the exchange. The exchange lists conventional securities, exchange-traded funds, split share corporations, income trusts and investment funds. Toronto Stock Exchange is the leader in the mining and oil & gas sector, including such companies like Cameco Corporation, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., EnCana Corporation, Husky Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., and others.
Founded in 1890, today BM&F Bovespa is the largest stock exchange in South America and 8th largest in the world by market capitalization. It is the most important Brazilian institution to intermediate equity market transactions and the only securities, commodities and futures exchange in Brazil. BM&F Bovespa acts as a driver for the Brazilian capital markets. There are about 381 listed companies at Bovespa and its benchmark indicator is the Indice Bovespa.
The Australian Securities Exchange is Australia’s primary securities exchange and it was created back in 2006 when the merger of Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange took place. Today Australian Securities Exchange is 9th largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization and has an average daily turnover of 4,685 billion dollar. Products and services available for trading on ASX include shares, futures, exchange traded options, warrants, contracts for difference, exchange-traded funds, real estate investment trusts, listed investment companies and interest rate securities. The major market index is the S&P/ASX 200.
10.Deutsche Börse - Headquartered in Frankfurt. Market Capitalization (2011, USD Billions) – 1,185; Trade Value (2011, USD Billions) – 1,758.
Deutsche Börse is one of the world’s leading exchange organisations providing investors, financial institutions and companies access to global capital markets. The exchange covers the entire process chain from securities and derivatives trading, clearing, settlement and custody, through to market data and the development and operation of electronic trading system. Deutsche Börse has an approximately 765 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of 1,185 trillion USD.
A googol has no particular significance in mathematics, but is useful when comparing with other very large quantities such as the number of subatomic particles in the visible universe or the number of hypothetically possible chess moves. Edward Kasner used it to illustrate the difference between an unimaginably large number and infinity, and in this role it is sometimes used in teaching mathematics.
A googol is approximately 70! (factorial of 70). In the binary numeral system, one would need 333 bits to represent a googol, i.e., 1 googol ≈ 2332.19, or exactly
1 Googol (1E100) is a small fraction more, than the biggest number a usual hand-held calculator can display and handle, which is 9.999… x10E99 in scientific notation with a two-digits exponent. 69! can usually be calculated, but not 70!.
Student teacher in China teaching children English. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Most ESL / EFL teachers agree that there are two types of beginning students: Absolute Beginners and False Beginners. If you are teaching in the USA, Canada, Australia, a European country or Japan, chances are that most beginners you teach will be false beginners. Teaching false beginners and absolute beginners require different approaches. Here is what to expect from false and absolute beginners:
False Beginners
Beginners that have already studied some English at some point in their life. Most of these learners have studied English at school, many for a number of years. These learners have usually had some contact with English since their schools years, but feel that they have little command of the language and therefore want to begin ‘from the top’. Teachers can usually assume that these students will understand basic conversations and questions such as: ‘Are you married?’, ‘Where are you from?’, ‘Do you speak English?’, and so on. Often these learners will be familiar with grammar concepts and teachers can launch into descriptions of sentence structure and have students follow along reasonably well.
Absolute Beginners
These are learners who have had no contact with English at all. They often come from developing nations and often have had very little education. These students are often more challenging to teach as the teacher can not expect learners to understand even a minimal amount of English. The question,’How are you?’, will not be understood and the teacher must begin at the very beginning, usually with no common language with which to explain the basics.
With these differences in mind, I would like to make a few suggestions about teaching absolute and false beginners on the following pages.
When teaching ‘Absolute Beginners’ there are a number of things to keep in mind:
Absolute Beginners have had no contact with EnglishWhen teaching someone who has had no prior (or very little) contact with the language, you need to carefully choose what you present. Here is an example of the type of thinking that needs to go into planning a lesson:
If I begin the first lesson with, ‘Hi, my name is Ken. What is your name?’, I am presenting three (!)concepts at once:
The verb ‘be’
Possessive pronouns ‘my’ and ‘your’
Subject and verb inversion in the question form
It would be much better (and more comprehensible) to the students if I began the lesson with, ‘Hi, I am Ken.’ and then gesture to the student to repeat a similar phrase. In this way, the student can repeat by rote and begin with something easy which can then lead to something like: ‘Hi, I am Ken. Are you Ken?’ – ‘No, I am Elmo’. By limiting the linguistic concepts absolute beginners can more easily assimilate the pieces.
Do not assume familiarity with linguistic conceptsThis is rather obvious, but often ignored by many teachers. If you write a grammar chart – even a simple one – on the board, you are assuming that students are familiar with grammar charts. Students may not have had the type of education that involves charts and representations. By keeping things aural and visual (gestures, pictures, etc.) you will be appealing to learning styles that students are sure to have acquired in everyday life.
Use exaggerated visual gesturesUsing gestures such as pointing to yourself and saying, ‘I am Ken’, and then pointing to the student to repeat helps students understand what you want of them, without confusing them by more language such as; ‘Now, repeat’. Develop specific gestures as codes for certain linguistic operations. For example, to illustrate the idea of inversion in the question form you can extend your two arms and say, ‘My name is Ken’ and then cross your arms and ask, ‘Is your name Ken?’, this gesture can then be repeated as linguistic skills become more advanced and the students will understand that a question needs to be asked. For example, ‘I live in New York‘ and then cross your arms and ask, ‘Where do you live’. When a student makes a mistake asking a question, you can then cross your arms and the student will understand that he / she needs to invert in order to ask a question.
Try to pick up a few phrases of the learner’s native tongueThis is purely a psychological trick. Learners – especially adult learners – who are learning English with no prior experience are not only undergoing a difficult learning experience. In many cases, they are also learning how to learn a language. If you put yourself on the line by expressing the desire to learn a few phrases of your students’ native language, you can go a long way towards building a rapport with students which will help them feel more at ease in class.
When teaching ‘False Beginners’ you can be a bit more adventurous in your approach to teaching. Here are some things that you can count on – and some points to watch out for:
Make allowances for the different levels of your ‘false’ beginner class
False beginners will all have had some English training at some point in the past and this can cause some special problems.
Some learners will really know more than they admit and, with the passing of time, might become bored with some of the basics.
Different levels can quickly create tensions between learners, as those who know more can become impatient with others who require more time.
Some learners might be false beginners because of inherent learning problems.
Some Solutions
Give more advanced learners more difficult tasks.- For example, when asking questions of students ask the more advanced learners questions beginning with ‘Why’ which will require a more advanced response.
Give more advanced learners extra work in class and at home. - By having a few extra tasks at hand you can bridge the gap that is often created when those who are faster finish earlier.
If more advanced ‘false’ beginners become impatient don’t hesitate to ask them something that is over their head. - This might be a little harsh, but will work wonders!
Remember that things will eventually even out after the first few weeks. - Usually, ‘false’ beginners are there because they really do need to review from the very beginning. This implies that sooner or later all of the learners will be learning something that is truly new for them and problems with impatience will quickly disappear.
If a learner is a false beginner because of learning problems, you will need to consider different learning styles - People learn in different ways. If grammar explanations, etc. are not helping a particular learner, you can help that learner with visual, audio and other methods appropriate for different learning styles. For more information on different learning styles take a look at this feature.
Some Helpful Assumptions About Your Students
Your students will have basic familiarity with linguistic concepts. - False beginners have all studied English at school and will therefore find things like conjugation charts and timelines useful.
Standard themes will probably be familiar. - Most false beginners are comfortable with basic conversations such as: ordering food in a restaurant, introducing themselves, talking about their immediate family, etc. This will give you a good starting point on which to build when beginning your course and getting to know your students.
Here are some tips which may help you to master the English Language!
Speak without Fear
The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear. They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all. Don’t do this. The fastest way to learn anything is to do it – again and again until you get it right. Like anything, learning English requires practice. Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want.
Use all of your Resources
Even if you study English at a language school it doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of class. Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn faster. There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two. The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but for the language learner it’s perfect.
Surround Yourself with English
The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself with it. Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television. Speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn and the more likely it is that you will begin “thinking in English.” .
There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it. However, there are several reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate. The closer ESL / EFL students can get to this rhythm or flow, the more convincing and comfortable they will become.
This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective. By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors. If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents.
Listen to English Music
Music can be a very effective method of learning English. In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension. The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings. There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs.This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time. And if you like to sing, fine.
Study As Often As Possible!
Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language.
Many people think that exercises and tests aren’t much fun. However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with. Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned. If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing.Start now by doing some of the many exercises and tests on this site, and return in a few days to see what you’ve learned. Keep doing this and you really will make some progress with English.
Record Yourself
Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time. You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.
Listen to English
By this, we mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audiobooks or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can’t see the person that is speaking to you. Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.
Portsmouth Square, San Francisco, California. Early daguerrotype. Signs in image include: California Restaurant, Book and Job Printing, Louisiana, Sociedad, Drugs & Medicines Wholesale & Retail, Henry Johnson & Co, Alta California, Bella Union, A. Holmes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
California Dream is the psychological motivation to gain fast wealth or fame in a new land. As a result of the California Gold Rush after 1849, California‘s name became indelibly connected with the Gold Rush, and fast success in a new world became known as the “California Dream.”[1] California was perceived as a place of new beginnings, where great wealth could reward hard work and good luck. The notion inspired the idea of an American Dream. California was seen as a lucky place, a land of opportunity and good fortune. It was a powerful belief, underlying many of the accomplishments of the state, and equally potent when threatened.[2]
Historian H. W. Brands noted that in the years after the Gold Rush, the California Dream spread across the nation:
“
“The old American Dream . . . was the dream of the Puritans, of Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard” . . . of men and women content to accumulate their modest fortunes a little at a time, year by year by year. The new dream was the dream of instant wealth, won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck. [This] golden dream . . . became a prominent part of the American psyche only after Sutter’s Mill.”[3]
”
Overnight California gained the international reputation as the “golden state”—with gold and lawlessness
Generations of immigrants have been attracted by the California Dream. California farmers,[5]oil drillers,[6]movie makers,[7] aerospace corporations [8] and “dot-com” entrepreneurs have each had their boom times in the decades after the Gold Rush.
Sailing to California at the beginning of the Gold Rush
Part of the “California Dream” was “that every family could have its own private home.”[9][10]
As Starr has pointed out, for many if not most migrants to the golden state, “the dream outran the reality.”[11] The Okies of the 1930s “found their California dream transformed into a nightmare,’ notes Walter Stein.[12] As a result, “the California Dream is a love affair with an idea, a marriage to a myth” [13]
Observers report a common stereotyped perception that people are happier in California. This perception is anchored in the perceived superiority of the California climate, and is justified to some extent by the fact that Californians are indeed more satisfied with their climate than are Midwesterners. Surveys of students show the advantages of life in California were not reflected in differences in the self-reported overall life satisfaction of those who live there.[14]
Historian Kevin Starr in his grand seven-volume history of the state has explored in great depth the “California Dream”—the realization by ordinary Californians of the American Dream. California starting in the late 19th century promised the highest possible standard of life for the middle classes, and indeed for the skilled blue collar workers and farm owners as well. Poverty existed,, but was concentrated among the migrant farm workers made famous in The Grapes of Wrath, where the Joad family, driven out of the Dust Bowl, searches for the California Dream. By the 1950s the Joads and the other “Oakies”and “Arkies” (migrants from Oklahoma and Arkansas) were achieving the dream too. It was not so much the upper class (who preferred to live in New York and Boston). The California Dream meant an improved and more affordable family life: a small but stylish and airy house marked by a fluidity of indoor and outdoor space, such as the ubiquitous California bungalow and a lush backyard—the stage, that is, for quiet family life in a sunny climate. It meant very good jobs, excellent roads, plentiful facilities for outdoor recreation, and the schools and universities that were the best in the world by the 1940s. James M. Cain, an eastern writer who visited the Golden State, reported in 1933 that the archetypal Californian “addresses you in easy grammar, completes his sentences, shows familiarity with good manners, and in addition gives you a pleasant smile.”[15]
The phrase “Taking the Cure” was conjured to describe 1950s “u-haul” migrants who, after a year or so pined for home. One drive back home was enough to convince them to stay after all.
English: A venn diagram about co-employment. The roles of the employer and the PEO company. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
1. Don’t tell off your boss and co-workers, even if you think they deserve it.
When you leave your job, your emotions may be running high, especially if you are leaving on bad terms. You may want to tell your boss or co-workers what you really think of them. Don’t do it, even if they truly deserve it. You never know who you will meet down the road and who you may have to work with one day.
2. Don’t damage company property or steal something.
You may feel you were mistreated by your employer and you may be really angry. However, vandalism and theft are criminal offenses. Not only will yourprofessional repution be damaged by your actions, you could end up in jail.
3. Don’t forget to ask for a reference.
This may sound like an odd thing to consider if you are leaving your job on unfavorable terms. However, you will have to include this job on your resume, so you should try to make sure you get either a good or, at least, a neutral reference. If you’ve been fired because of some horrible offense, this may be a moot point. However if your parting is due to something less serious, you may be able to ask your boss for a reference, in spite of the fact that “things didn’t work out as expected.”
4. Don’t badmouth your employer or any of your co-workers to your replacement.
First of all, it will only look like sour grapes, so there’s nothing to gain here. Second, your successor will figure things out for himself or herself. Third, it may have been bad chemistry, and your co-worker will have a totally different experience than you did.
5. Don’t badmouth your employer to a prospective employer when you go on a job interview.
The only person who this will make look bad is you. Your prospective boss will wonder what caused your relationship with your prior employer to sour and will suspect that you could have been at fault.
When you’re weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
simon and garfunkelI’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me downWhen you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort youI’ll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
A stock represents an ownership or equity stake in a corporation. If you are a stockholder, you own a proportionate share in the corporation’s assets and you may be paid a share of the company’s earnings in the form of dividends.
