Monthly Archives: January 2023

Verifying Verb Agreement: Part 2

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Verbs must agree with their subjects. However, the decision is often unclear. The guidelines below explain three tricky subject-verb agreement rules.

Rule 1. When a subject is joined by or or nor, it can require a singular or a plural verb. The verb must agree with the closer subject.

Example: Neither the memos nor the report is ready. (The singular verb is agrees with report, the closer of the two subjects.)

Rule 2. Collective nouns may take singular or plural verbs, depending on whether the members of the group are operating as a unit or individually.

Example: Our management team is in sync about its diversity goals. (The team is acting as a unit.)

Example: The jury are unable to come to a verdict. (The individuals of the jury are not acting as a unit.)

Rule 3. A verb agrees with its subject regardless of prepositional phrases that may intervene, including the phrases as well as, in addition to, such as, including, together with, and similar expressions.

Example: The list of the executives’ goals is extensive. (The singular verb is agrees with the singular subject list.)

Example: The CEO, in addition to several other leaders, approves of the proposal. (The singular verb approves agrees with the singular subject CEO.)

Your task. Underline the subjects in the following sentences and highlight the correct verb to match. Then identify the rule that applies.

  1. The applicant, as well as the hiring managers, was/were pleased with the interview.
  2. Neither the driver or the passengers was/were injured in the crash.
  3. The committee was/were in disagreement over the new dress code.
  4. The orchestra was/were tuning their instruments before the play began.
  5. The assistants or the office manager check/checks the toner weekly.
  6. The fleet was/were anchored in the channel.
  7. The personnel director, in addition to members of the department, is/are conducting the second interview.
  8. Analysis of the results reveal/reveals a significant difference between groups.
  9. The list of attendees is/are used to assign groups.
  10. The team is/are painting a mural for a community clean-up.
  11. However, the team members is/are in disagreement over which type of paint to use.
  12. Neither Enrique nor I has/have finished our section of the slide deck.

Verifying Verb Agreement part 2

Verifying Verb Agreement-part 2 KEY

Work Dress Codes Continue to Evolve—or Devolve

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It started decades ago with casual Fridays. Off came the ties and suits, on came the chinos and polos. Slowly, formal dress codes eased, but since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the metamorphosis has been dramatic. Remote workers don loungewear bottoms unseen during Zoom meetings. Even employees who are back in the office are eroding the once stringent rules about how to dress for success, leaving the workplace a maelstrom of undefined rules about what to wear to work.

Certainly, some industries have remained constant—lawyers still don’t wear aloha shirts in court—but even bankers have eased up on their once-standard conservative wardrobe requirements. Young employees anxious to dissolve the status quo are leading the way in this remaking of the American workplace wardrobe. The New York Times recently published an article about a 21-year-old woman considering herself a “career adult” who refuses to give up crop tops at the office. Her rationale is that she doesn’t think she should have to have buy a separate work wardrobe or wear clothing that does not mesh with her personal style.

Such flagrant disregard for a workplace dress code once would have resulted in accusations of lacking professionalism. But employers fear to lose employees in today’s tight job market and are bending to the trend of dressing down. Still, a casual attitude toward office norms can have negative repercussions, especially for ambitious workers who want to climb the success ladder.

As an example, an Austin man who received a major promotion wondered about how (or if) he should alter his wardrobe. Those advising him suggested he consider several factors.

  • Remember that clothes communicate values, and dressing up has long been a way for individuals to demonstrate achievement and taste.
  • Consider that although the casual workplace and changing attitudes have minimized how much value is put on work wardrobes, they have not abolished such judgments entirely. People still “read” outfits. Rumpled, ill-fitting, stained, or fraying clothes will not help subordinates respect a new boss or young employees impress their managers.
  • Opt for a wardrobe made of quality items over quantity and have a consistent look appropriate to the job description. For example, workers in creative fields need to show they are creative, including in their choice of clothing. People working in the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) arena ought to be certain their wardrobe comes from sustainable manufacturing and supply chains if they wish to be credible.

The bottom line is that workers need to pay attention and be mindful of what they wear to work.

Discussion

  1. Do you think managers should dress more formally than their subordinates? Why?
  2. What should you consider when deciding on what to wear for an office job?
  3. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was famous for his signature look, a designer black turtleneck and blue jeans. How and why did this combination fit his position as the leader of Apple?
  4. Do you agree that employees should be able to show personal style fashion choices in the workplace?

Source: Friedman, V. (2022, September 19.) I just got a big promotion. Do I need a fancier wardrobe too? The New York Times. https://www.nyt.com

 

 

 

 

 

Microlearning Can Lead to Macro Results

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Although popular in private sector training, microlearning in the college classroom is practically unknown. Microlearning means breaking down larger topics into digestible bites. This strategy has great potential for improving student learning.

Microlearning is ubiquitous. Who among us has not visited YouTube to learn how to get out a stain or plant a tree (or whatever)? When done well, these short, specific explanations offer information when the learner needs it—and that is the time when learning transfer occurs.

This teaching strategy can be incorporated into the business communication classroom in several ways. An instructor could record a 1-2-minute video that reviews aspects of an assignment or that revisits a concept discussed in class: Remember to assess your audience’s expected reaction as part of your prewriting process. Here are some questions to ask yourself. An infographic describing the writing process for a particular assignment, for example, is another potential use of microlearning. The idea is to present material concisely and clearly.

Microlearning strategies can be applied to the various genres in the curriculum. Let’s say an instructor has introduced a new unit on persuasive writing or research methods. If students have missed an important element of the discussion or don’t fully understand an aspect of it, a short video that highlights main points gives them the opportunity to review the information. And what’s more important: Students can access the information as many times as they need, at their convenience.

The benefits of microlearning are manifold. This bite-size learning works especially well for nontraditional learners, whose busy schedules may make attending class or scanning through a long video of a lecture impossible. However, students can easily access a short video during a lunch break at work or after the kids are in bed.

It’s also a good fit for students’ notoriously short attention spans. We have long known that attentiveness has diminished over time. This is why the brevity of microlearning can be an important a tool for students who find focusing difficult. When the information is presented in succinct chunks, even the most disengaged students may take a look.

Likewise, microlearning supports struggling students. The vast diversity of student populations in today’s college classrooms means that not all arrive with the same baseline of skills. Creating short microlessons can help these students acquire the knowledge they need to keep on track.

While it may appear that these mini learning modules would work only for simple subjects, this is not the case. Breaking down even a challenging concept into small chunks that are absorbed one at a time builds upon prior knowledge. After the learner understands all the chunks, the larger lesson becomes clear. The increased access to the information and ability to review the material multiple times can likewise deepen understanding.

Our classrooms and the students in them have changed. It makes sense that we support students in any way that will help them achieve success. Microlearning may just be one of the strategies that can accomplish this goal.