Issue #75 - March, 30  2001 <<How's Your G.Q - GrammarQuotient?>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
brought to you by Laurie Riddell Geary, M.Ed., PCC.
Coaching you to get your life IN GEAR by making shifts, getting
unstuck, finding balance, accelerating your growth, and mapping
the best route to your chosen destination: a life filled with
passion and purpose.

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In this issue:
 1. Welcome!
         2. Reader Feedback.
 3. Weekly Article:  <<How's Your G.Q - GRAMMAR QUOTIENT?>>
 3. Recommended Tasks
        4. Recommended Books
        5. Upcoming  local Workshops
        6. Subscription information
 

1. WELCOME!

Welcome to <Gear Up for Success!> and a warm welcome to all my new subscribers!  I really appreciate your forwarding my newsletter to all your friends and colleagues.  Your recommendations help me grow and develop as a coach. Anyone can subscribe by going to my website @ www.ingearcoaching.com.
Thank you so much for your support!
 

2. Reader Feedback:

<I would really like to order your book on Risk Taking. I got your Team
Building Book at ICF Conference in Vancouver last fall and have really found
it useful. I have to add all your work is terrific. I live in Canada. I am attending a
Wellness Counsellor Program and have used your articles extensively. All my
fellow students and instructors think what you do is amazing. Thanks again. I
consider meeting you and learning about your work a genuine honor>.
Dixie Bowerman.

<Your newsletter is one of two that I read; I delete all the rest. I love your content! Thank you>
GT
 

3.  Weekly Article:  <<How's Your G.Q.-.GRAMMAR QUOTIENT?>>

 You know about I.Q, you've heard about the importance of E.Q (Emotional Intelligence), you may have heard about the value of A.Q (Adversity Quotient), but how is your G.Q (Grammar Quotient)?
Whether you are aware of it or not, you are judged by your language use.  Like table manners, most people will not tell you if you use incorrect grammar, but they may form negative judgments about you which will be hard to change. These judgments can contribute to negative first impressions in professional situations such as job interviews or presentations/speeches or client contacts as well as negative first impressions in personal situations like the dating scene or meeting new groups of people. They say it takes 4 minutes to make a first impression and 4 months to change it!  And the biggest problem with the negative judgments made about you due to incorrect grammar use is that you won't know that is the reason you didn't get the job or get that date... because people won't tell you.
 Lately I have been reading about people who give executive workshops on Business Etiquette; Grammar Etiquette needs to be a part of that!
 A recent Boston Globe article stated: <A collective gasp could be heard across Massachusetts at the news that hundreds of prospective teachers had flunked a grammar test.  But let's not be quick to snicker: The truth is, most American adults would not pass a grammar test>.  How's your grammar?  Check your G.Q by taking the following self-test:

*Choose the correct word:

1.  This problem is between you and ____________(I, myself, me)

2.  I want you to go with Carl and __________(I, me)

3.  You remind me of Sally and __________(I, me)

4.  Please don't hold it against Lucretia and ________(I, me)

5.  Feel free to contact Marla or ____________(I, me)

6. Sam and ________(I, me) are going to the theater.

7.  For a pain-free vacation at the beach, be sure to________ (bring/take) plenty of sunblock.

8.  He is going to ________(bring/take) the book here to my house.

9.  She is going to __________(bring/take) the book with her.

10.  I am going to__________ (lay/lie) down on the floor.

11. I __________(lay, lie) on the floor yesterday.

12.  I am going to_________ (lay/lie) the cookies out on the table.

13. (Lay/Lie)_________down!

14. We will figure it out between the ______________(both/two) of us.

15. The ___________(both/two) of us will be going together.

 We now have the advantages of Spell-Check on our computers, so we no longer have to worry about our spelling errors. Unfortunately, in the verbal arena, we have no such advantage of a Grammar-Check.  Grammar gets neglected for several reasons: we assume we are correct because we have been talking this way for decades and it is difficult to accept that we are not good at something we have been doing since childhood; it is also very hard to change our verbal habits; and, people are reluctant to correct us while we are reluctant to make ourselves vulnerable by asking someone to correct us.  However, if we are to be the best we can be, having a high G.Q  - always using correct grammar - can greatly contribute to our positive image.

 The above self-test covers the most common grammatical errors (see correct answers below).  #1-6: Many people use the pronoun I when they should be using the pronoun ME.  The grammatical rule: use ME whenever a word is the OBJECT of a preposition.  <Common prepositions: between, for, in, within, of, against> Another way to remember to use ME is to take the person's name out of the sentence: eg. in #2  <I want you to go with ME> .Always use <I> whenever the word is the SUBJECT. Use MYSELF only as an intensive of ME and I. eg. <This is just between me and myself> or <I myself told her> Never use myself standing alone.
#7-9: BRING and TAKE are often used incorrectly.  Basically you use BRING whenever you are referring to carrying something toward you...from there to here; use TAKE whenever you are carrying something away from you...from here to there. #10-12: People LIE down (present tense); people LAY down (past tense); you always LAY an object down.
 #13-15: It is never correct to use THE with BOTH;  you either say BOTH of us or THE TWO of us.

*Correct answers:
I. This problem is between you and me.
2. I want you to go with Carl and me.
3. You remind me of Sally and me.
4. Please don't hold it against Lucretia and me.
5.  Feel free to contact Marla or me.
6.  Sam and I are going to the theatre.
7. For a pain-free vacation at the beach, be sure to take plenty of sunblock.
8. He is going to bring the book here to my house.
9. She is going to take the book with her.
10. I am going to lie down on the floor.
11. I lay on the floor yesterday.
12. I am going to lay the cookies out on the table.
13. Lie down!
14. We will figure it out between the two of us.
15. The two of us will be going together.

What are your grammar "bugaboos?"  I'd love to hear from you.

**copyright: all rights reserved: Laurie R. Geary, March, 2001
 
 

3. RECOMMENDED TASKS:

1.  Be vulnerable and ask people to give you feedback on your grammar!  Also, if someone is brave enough to correct your grammar, be grateful and thank them, rather than be defensive.

2.    Order my new workbook on risking:<<RISK TO GROW: Create the Life You Want through Responsible Risk- Taking>> a compilation of articles, top tens, exercises, models, quotes/poems, assessments, resources to support your, or your client's, risking process.

3. Read one of the books mentioned below

4. Call or email me for a complimentary half-hour COACHING session to help you work on building your G.Q!
 Voice:617-494-1422;  email: laurie@ingearcoaching.com

5. Go to my Website www.ingearcoaching.com for back issues of my newsletter to read
 more articles on taking risks, building self esteem, finding your passion...and much more
 

4. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

<Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ> by Daniel Goleman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/055309503x/gearupforsuccela

<Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities> by Paul Stoltz
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/0471178926/gearupforsuccela

<Grammar Smart - A Guide to Perfect Usage> by Neil Goddin
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/067974617x/gearupforsuccela

<The Blue Book of Grammar & Punctuation> by Jane Straus
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/0966722108/gearupforsuccela

<ActionGrammar: Fast, No Hassle Answers on Everyday Usage and Punctuation> by Joanne Feirman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/0684807807/gearupforsuccela

AND....
**Check out my new booklet on experiential activities for trainers: 75 of my favorite activities
learned from years of working as an instructor for Outward Bound Professional Development Programs.
GAMES & INITIATIVES for NETWORKING, ENERGIZING, & TEAM-BUILDING...

 *Also... Hot off the Press! My new workbook:
RISK TO GROW! CREATE the LIFE YOU WANT through RESPONSIBLE RISK-TAKING...
a collection of articles, top tens, models, poems & quotes, and exercises on Risk-Taking....

Both now available...hard copy ($20) or pdf. file ($15)
Send check to Laurie Geary, 4 Canal Park, PH9, Cambridge, MA 02141; email request to: laurie@ingearcoaching.com or order at my website: www.ingearcoaching.com
 

5. UPCOMING LOCAL WORKSHOPS:

RISK-TAKING: THE PATH to PERSONAL GROWTH
*Boston Center for Adult Education - 6:30-9:30 pm.
Tuesday, April 10, 2001 and Thursday, June 7th,2001
also
*Acton-Boxborough Junior Women's Club
7:30-9pm, Monday, April 9th

BUILD YOUR SELF ESTEEM WITH THE 8-A SYSTEM
*North Shore Community College (NSCC)
 Wednesday, April 4, 2001, 9-3pm

ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING: Get Your Needs Met!
Homebased BusinessWomen's Network
Thursday, April 12 @ 7:30 pm
Village Green, Danvers, MA

BE A PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL COACH
*Boston Center for Adult Education
 Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 6:30-9:30 pm
 also Tuesday, June 5, 2001
 

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