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The tie-breaking lesson
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Spoiler alert: There were no wrong answers to last week's quiz, but there's still a writing lesson to be had. We asked, "When you go back to work on Monday, how will you write time?" Technically, we were simply inquiring about what you would write. But there were still answer choices that contained incorrect options. Here's how you responded: It's a tie between 9 a.m. EST and 9 a.m. EDT. While there is definitely more than one way to write time, our style guide advises using "9 a.m." Most of you are on board with that. Now we'll move on to the subject of time zones and break the tie. In time zone abbreviations, the "S" stands for "standard," and the "D" stands for "daylight." After the clocks "spring forward" in March, we enter daylight saving time, which means we're no longer on standard time. So there you have it: The answer we were looking for is 9 a.m. EDT. Use the "D" until November, when the clocks "fall back." Of course, you could just call the whole thing off and use the two-letter versions: ET, CT, MT, PT. We have another question for you, but it's not a writing quiz (we'll get back to that next week). We mentioned last week that we've opened applications for the beta-testing program for our forthcoming product. Being a beta tester means that you get a sneak peek of the new product and the opportunity to share feedback that will shape the product to fit your needs. Are you interested? Respond below and fill out the application to see if you're a good fit for the program. Spots are limited, so let us know now.
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Hone your writing skills and never use "hone in" again. Get writing tips, have fun with words and learn something new in a one-minute read each week by signing up for Stylebot’s newsletter.
Your understanding of the finer points of the English language often reveals itself in your use of mundane words like was and were. That's why we have a *couple* of quizzes that cover trickier rules about these verbs. Before we break down last week's quiz, though, we wanted to remind you that today is the last day to apply to be part of Stylebot's beta-testing program. This is your chance to shape our next product to fit your needs. Apply here now. OK, so how did you do on last week's quiz?...
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