Stative verbs describe a state or condition that is stable or unlikely to change (e.g., “ know,” “feel,” “believe”).
Stative verbs usually refer to thoughts, emotions, or senses that the subject of the sentence is experiencing. Stative verbs are often contrasted with action verbs or dynamic verbs, which describe the action that the subject is performing (e.g., “run,” “find,” “make”).
Stative verb examplesThey agreed with our proposal.
A base word is the most fundamental part of a word that has meaning. The meaning of a base word can be changed by adding letters at the beginning (prefix) and/or the end (suffix). However, base words can also be used as standalone words in English.
For example, the word “untrained” has three parts:
prefix base word suffix
“Train” is the base word (i.e., the smallest part of the word that makes sense by itself and cannot be further divided). The prefix “un-” adds a negative meaning to the word, and the suffix “-ed” means “characterized by.” The word “train” is also the base for other words like “trainee,” “trainer,” or “training.”
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, feelings, and behaviors to inanimate objects, nonhuman animals, or nature. Anthropomorphism can occur consciously or unconsciously and is a common way people perceive the world.
Anthropomorphism examples
Children may attribute human-like personalities to their toys.
Adults blame their cars or computers for “not cooperating” with them.
Cartoons are often populated by anthropomorphic animals, (e.g., Winnie-the-Pooh), vehicles (e.g., Thomas the Tank Engine), and objects (e.g., the characters in Toy Story).
Marketers use anthropomorphic mascots for commercial products (e.g., the Pillsbury Doughboy) and services (e.g., the Geico insurance gecko).
Although anthropomorphic thinking is an innate human tendency, it can cause us to misunderstand natural phenomena or animal behavior.
A root word is the most basic form of a word that cannot be further divided into meaningful segments. Root words are used to form new words by adding letters at the beginning (i.e., a prefix) and/or the end (i.e., a suffix).
For example, the word “unfaithful” is made up of these different parts:
prefix root word suffix
By adding a suffix and/or a prefix to a root word like “faith,” we can make other words such as “faithful,” “faithfully,” “unfaithful,” and “unfaithfully.” These words are linked both in terms of spelling and meaning and are called a word family.
Contractions are words or phrases that have been shortened by omitting one or more letters. Typically, you can identify a contraction by the apostrophe that is used to indicate the place of the missing letters.
Examples: ContractionsI can’t speak Spanish.
It’s getting dark.
They’re not coming for dinner.
Our flight is at 7 o’clock .
Contractions, which are sometimes called “short forms,” are commonly used in everyday speech and certain types of writing to save us time and space.
Title case is a capitalization style or convention used for writing the titles of published works.
A capitalization style defines which words or letters should be written in uppercase and which ones should be written in lowercase. In title case, the first letter of each word in the title should be capitalized except for certain small words like “a,” “the,” and “of.”
Example: Title caseI read The Catcher in the Rye yesterday.
Title case is used for capitalizing the words in a title, subtitle, or heading. It’s commonly used in newspaper headlines, as well as the titles of books, movies, and video games. Due to this, title case is also known as “headline style.”
NoteThe titles of longer works (e.g., books, movies) are generally italicized, while the titles of shorter works (e.g., articles, poems) are usually enclosed in quotation marks.
However, different style guides may have different rules. It’s important to consistently follow the rules outlined in your chosen style guide. You can also use the Scribbr citation generator, which automatically proposes the correct capitalization for citations.
Sentence case is a capitalization style or set of rules describing when to use lowercase and uppercase letters in headings and subheadings. Whether you are writing a research paper, a blog, or a newspaper article, you may have to decide which words need to be capitalized.
In English, the standard is to capitalize the first letter of a sentence. All other letters should be in lowercase with a few exceptions, such as proper nouns (e.g., “Texas”), abbreviations (e.g., “Dr.”), and acronyms (e.g., “NATO”). Because this style follows the same capitalization rules as sentences, it is called “sentence case.”
NoteThe titles of longer works (e.g., books, movies) are generally italicized, while the titles of shorter works (e.g., articles, poems) are usually enclosed in quotation marks.
However, different style guides may have different rules. It’s important to consistently follow the rules outlined in your chosen style guide. You can also use the Scribbr citation generator, which automatically proposes the correct capitalization for citations.
The planning fallacy occurs when we underestimate how long it will take us to complete a future task. Despite knowing that similar tasks have generally taken longer than planned, we hold overly optimistic expectations and believe that next time will be different. Because we make unrealistic plans, we often end up running out of time, money, or energy.
Planning fallacy exampleYou are preparing for your upcoming midterm paper and set aside just one week to finish it. Although similar assignments in the past took you more time than expected, you feel confident that one week is enough time.
However, as the days pass, you realize that the topic is rather complex and demands more research than anticipated. On top of that, you catch a cold and are less productive. With the deadline approaching, you struggle to finish your paper, realizing that your optimism caused you to miscalculate the time and effort needed for this assignment.
The planning fallacy can impact any type of task and lead to several issues, including missed deadlines, increased costs, and frustration for both individuals and organizations.
An algorithm is a set of steps for accomplishing a task or solving a problem. Typically, algorithms are executed by computers, but we also rely on algorithms in our daily lives. Each time we follow a particular step-by-step process, like making coffee in the morning or tying our shoelaces, we are in fact following an algorithm.
In the context of computer science, an algorithm is a mathematical process for solving a problem using a finite number of steps. Algorithms are a key component of any computer program and are the driving force behind various systems and applications, such as navigation systems, search engines, and music streaming services.
