Maria L.
Subscriber since: Tue May 25 08:35:51 EDT 2010
Location: Hobart, Australia
About Me
I am a year 6 teacher and History curriculum officer. I enjoy beakfast, lunch and dinners with family and friends. I have three grown-up wonderful children. Two live in Adelaide, Australia and one lives in Hobart a few suburbs from me in Taroona. At home living with me is Raffee labrador, who wags his tail effusively each evening as I arrive home from work. He is "woman's best friend."
I can also be found on:
Twitter
My Word Lists
My Favorites

Favorite Word:

animation

Least Favorite Word:

boring

Favorite Quote:

"out, out dammed spot"
- Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth

Favorite Topics:

Blogs:

Ben Zimmer on How Technology is Shaping Language
Tue Oct 08 00:00:00 EDT 2013
On Slate, Lexicon Valley Launches a New Language Blog
Tue Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 2013

Books:

"Nine Nasty Words": How and Why We Curse
Fri Aug 13 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Highly Entertaining and Informative
Tue Aug 03 08:00:00 EDT 2021

Copywriting:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
The Lingo of Film Noir
Fri Nov 19 00:00:00 EST 2021

Creativity:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
Of Time, Happiness, Creativity and Writing Accomplishments....
Thu Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2021

Dictionaries:

The Post-Dictionary World?
Thu Jun 03 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Finding (or Inventing) Euphemisms in the Latest OED Update
Wed Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2019

Fiction writing:

Of Time, Happiness, Creativity and Writing Accomplishments....
Thu Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2021
Why You Should Blog BEFORE Writing Your Book
Thu Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2021

Fun:

Predictive Human Balderdash and Other Managed Malarkey
Thu May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Very Spatial and Capable Lethal Aid
Thu Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2022

Grammar:

Seven Sentences You Should Stop Writing
Mon Nov 23 09:00:00 EST 2020
How to Make Your Sentences Shorter
Thu Jun 25 09:00:00 EDT 2020

How to write:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Survive Until You're Famous or Successful
Thu Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Language:

Metaphors We Live By (Updated)
Thu Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2022
Brand Names of the Year for 2021
Thu Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2021

Language arts:

The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015
The Art of Subterfuge: Using Pop Culture to Create Interest in the Classics
Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 EST 2014

Linguistics:

Scale Your Onboarding
Thu Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Tricky, Special, Fruitful, Space-Flavored Fiddle-Faddle
Thu Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Linguists:

Joseph Stalin and Problems of Linguistics
Thu Apr 07 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Of Dialects, Vernaculars, and Code-Switching
Thu Feb 03 00:00:00 EST 2022

Media:

Understanding "Maven"
Thu May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Predictive Human Balderdash and Other Managed Malarkey
Thu May 12 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Online:

Strategic Flexibility and Other Bendy Balderdash
Thu Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2021
A Recipe for Time Travel
Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 EDT 2020

Poetry:

And Forget the He and She
Mon Dec 02 00:00:00 EST 2019
In Praise of Ambiguity
Wed Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Puzzle:

To Bee or Not to Bee?
Thu Mar 18 09:00:00 EDT 2021
The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: March Edition!
Fri Mar 21 00:00:00 EDT 2008

Self-publishing:

How to Survive Until You're Famous or Successful
Thu Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Protect the Important From the Urgent
Thu Mar 25 09:00:00 EDT 2021

Spelling:

To Bee or Not to Bee?
Thu Mar 18 09:00:00 EDT 2021
2015 Spelling Bee: Co-Champions Triumph Again, as Vanya and Gokul Prove Unbeatable
Fri May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Storytelling:

Should You Self-Publish?
Mon Oct 26 09:00:00 EDT 2020
Why You Should Consider Back-And-Forth Writing
Thu Sep 24 09:00:00 EDT 2020

Students:

2015 Spelling Bee: Co-Champions Triumph Again, as Vanya and Gokul Prove Unbeatable
Fri May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2015
"Sinister Buttocks" and the Dangers of Thesaurus Flipping
Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Teachers:

The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015
How Can English Teachers Nurture Young Writers?
Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 EST 2015

Teaching:

Teach Your Children Well
Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2019
The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Visual Thesaurus:

The Post-Dictionary World?
Thu Jun 03 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Poll Stars
Mon Oct 19 09:00:00 EDT 2020

Vocabulary:

The Post-Dictionary World?
Thu Jun 03 09:00:00 EDT 2021
A "Dumpster Fire" of a Year
Wed Jan 11 10:14:00 EST 2017

Web tools:

Twitter Me This: New Technology in the Language Arts Classroom
Tue Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2011
Tracking Dialects on Twitter: What's Coo and What's Koo?
Fri Nov 04 00:00:00 EDT 2011

Word Origins:

Shoot! How Gun Idioms Color Our Speech
Thu Jul 21 12:00:00 EDT 2022
Scale Your Onboarding
Thu Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2022

WordMasters:

WordMasters: Grade 3 Gold Division Jan-Feb '11
Mon Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2011
WordMasters: Grade 3 Blue Division Jan-Feb '11
Mon Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2011

Words:

Shoot! How Gun Idioms Color Our Speech
Thu Jul 21 12:00:00 EDT 2022
"Nine Nasty Words": How and Why We Curse
Fri Aug 13 09:00:00 EDT 2021

Writers:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Survive the Feast or Famine of Freelance Writing
Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Writing:

Nine ways to finish the writing you start
Thu Jul 28 11:00:00 EDT 2022
How to Survive the Feast or Famine of Freelance Writing
Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2022