http://www.visualthesaurus.com?ad=rss The Visual Thesaurus Online Edition is a magazine available to Visual Thesaurus Subscribers about language, writing, and the creative process. The Visual Thesaurus is an online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map. Copyright 2008, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com?ad=rss Search for a word in the Visual Thesaurus word http://www.visualthesaurus.com Word of the Day http://www.visualthesaurus.com?word=tendentious&utm_source=rss It's not hard to see a connection to tendency in this word, but what sort of tendency? Usage has bequeathed us with a somewhat negative meaning: tendentious usually means marked by a strong tendency, such as a bias or prejudice. Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wd/745 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/1385?utm_source=rss Writing opportunities within the content area classroom can be exciting and motivational, but some content area teachers feel they are not up to the task of "teaching writing." The first step in assuaging this authentic concern is to let content area teachers off the hook. They are not writing teachers. Content area teachers can appreciate strongly supported arguments and easily spot a well-turned phrase, but they should not be held accountable for teaching the skills needed to accomplish these writing goals. Their field of expertise may be science or history or math, and because these teachers have done quite a bit of writing in their own academic careers, they are experts in the type of writing required in their respective disciplines. These rich backgrounds help content area teachers make indispensable contributions to the refinement of writing skills. Here are a few thoughts and suggestions that might encourage more content area teachers to infuse writing into their curriculum. Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/1385 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/1367?utm_source=rss The website Mental Floss, where "knowledge junkies get their fix" considers an eight word sentence with three parts of speech - and all the same word. Curious? Check it out here. Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/1367 Department of Word Lists http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wl/1388?utm_source=rss To supplement our two-part interview with William Safire about the new edition of Safire's Political Dictionary, we've provided extended excerpts from the dictionary entries that came up in the course of our wide-ranging discussion. If you want to know the difference between an old pro and a curmudgeon, read on! Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wl/1388 Lesson Plans http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/lessons/1382?utm_source=rss In this lesson, students will learn about the fundamental system of scientific classification: binomial nomenclature. Teams of students will compete in a binomial name scavenger hunt using the Visual Thesaurus and the online "Catalogue of Life" to identify two-part binomial names within specific genus categories. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/lessons/1382 Contest http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/contest/1383?utm_source=rss Ready for this month's puzzle? Our theme for April is, well, "April Fools!" Have fun and good luck! Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/contest/1383 Announcements http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/announcements/1390?utm_source=rss We're extremely proud to announce that the Visual Thesaurus now offers accurate, high-quality audio pronunciations for every single word in our database — all 150,000 of them! This was a mammoth undertaking, and the results are unequaled by any online resource, both in terms of quality and quantity. Want to know how to pronounce the names of delicacies like zabaglione or blancmange? How about head-scratchers like phthisis or caoutchouc? In the Visual Thesaurus application, just click on the speaker icon next to the word or phrase you've selected. Or you can right-click on any word shown in the map and select "Pronounce Word" from the pull-down menu. The default setting is for American English, but if you prefer to hear British English pronunciations, you can easily change your audio preference in the application's Advanced Settings. Let's take a step behind the curtain to see who was responsible for creating these pronunciations. The ensemble cast may surprise you. Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/announcements/1390 VT Tip o' the Week http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/tips/269?utm_source=rss To make learning about the Visual Thesaurus easier, it has a "context sensitive" help function. When you turn the help function on, you can roll your mouse over any area of the screen you would like to learn more about, and after a second or two, a "help tip" will appear that explains that function. To turn the help function on, press the "HELP" button on the toolbar. When the help function is on, the indicator on the right side of the "HELP" button will be next to "ON." To turn the help function off again, press the button again, returning the indicator to the "off" position. Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/tips/269