Tips & Tricks


How Helpful Are Character Sketches (And What Did Elizabeth Peters Do?)
Well, hello! If you’re new to Vocabbett, I help students painlessly improve their vocabulary through stories; as such, I tend to do a...
Erica Abbett
Sep 16, 20201 min read


How a Bestseller Gets Ideas (With Inspiration From Elizabeth Peters)
Have you ever loved a book so much that when you finished it, you just sat in stunned silence for a moment? How did the author get these...
Erica Abbett
Sep 7, 20203 min read


5 TV Shows That Won’t Turn Your Brain to Mush
We’re all watching more TV than normal these days, but if you want to keep your edge and come out of quarantine smarter than ever, it’s...
Erica Abbett
Jul 15, 20202 min read


5 Ways to Instantly Sound Smarter, Part 3
I'm going to give you a few sentences, and I want you to see if you can spot the error: “There’s so many things I have to do today.”...
Erica Abbett
May 11, 20201 min read


5 Ways to Instantly Sound Smarter, Part 2
For years, I meandered blithely through life thinking that “less” and “fewer” meant the same thing. For the sake of convenience, I used...
Erica Abbett
May 7, 20201 min read


5 Ways to Instantly Sound Smarter + Mrs. Abbett's Embarrassing Story
I am SO excited about this podcast because it kicks off a mini-series called “5 Ways to Instantly Sound Smarter.” In it, we’re going over...
Erica Abbett
May 5, 20201 min read


Turbo-Charge Your Vocabulary With This Simple Trick
Let me ask you a question: were you flipping flashcards in the crib? Probably not! You likely learned thousands of words without any...
Erica Abbett
Mar 28, 20202 min read


How the 'Questions Secret' Can Help Amid School Uncertainty
Quick, what’s 2+2? Without any real conscious effort, I bet the number “4” popped into your head. That’s because your brain is hardwired...
Erica Abbett
Mar 25, 20202 min read


Unconventional Editing Advice
The resounding writing advice today tends to be, “Just get the words on paper. You can edit it later. You can’t edit a blank page. All...
Erica Abbett
Jan 6, 20201 min read