Word Count
Writers Talk About Writing
How to Work with Difficult Editors
January 22, 2020
The world is filled with bad editors. Here's how to deal with them.
Continue reading...
January 22, 2020
The world is filled with bad editors. Here's how to deal with them.
Continue reading...
Word Routes
Exploring the pathways of our lexicon
Pronouns Prevail for Word of Year and Decade
January 10, 2020
By Nancy Friedman
Linguistically, it seems, the second decade of the 21st century was all about our selves.
Continue reading...
Article Topics:
Language Lounge
A Monthly Column for Word Lovers
Dubiously Distinguished
January 1, 2020
We are now far beyond the day when a product might be distinguished from its competitors with descriptors such as mild, strong, or rich. Lately I'm noticing what is surely a very common trope in consumer marketing: the enhancement of an adjectival descriptor for a product by introducing it with an adverbial.
Continue reading...
Article Topics:
Word Count
Writers Talk About Writing
Four Ways to Build Mental Toughness for Writing
December 23, 2019
Tough writers are made — not born. Here are four ways to build the mental fortitude that it takes to be a writer.
Continue reading...
Article Topics:
Automatically create lists of vocabulary from any text
using the Visual Thesaurus VocabGrabber.
January 18th is celebrated as Thesaurus Day to honor the birthday of the author of the first thesaurus, Peter Mark Roget. Get into the spirit by reading our two-part interview with Roget biographer Joshua Kendall here and here. Also check out an ode to the thesaurus penned by Franklin P. Adams here and Johnny Carson's hilarious "Funeral for a Thesaurus Editor" sketch here.
On the first Monday in September, the United States observes Labor Day, while Canadians celebrate Labour Day. If you want to know why labour is the accepted spelling in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries like Canada, while Americans prefer labor (and color, favor, honor, humor, and neighbor), check out this classic Word Routes column by Ben Zimmer.
Article Topics:
Sidecars and Scofflaws: Prohibition's Linguistic Hangover
October 23, 2019
- 1 Comment
Unidentified Aerial Horse Apples
October 9, 2019
- 5 Comments
Professional Disharmony Synergies and Other Gobbledygook
September 11, 2019
- 3 Comments
7 Signs Your Writing Is Professional
Click here to browse all the articles in our archive by date.
August 27, 2019
- 6 Comments
- Indicates content available exclusively to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.Click here to subscribe today.
Featured Word Lists
- convulse
- delineation
- eviscerate
- idiosyncratic
- obsequious
More Top Rated Word Lists:
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know(100 words)
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000(1000 words)
GRE High Frequency Words(334 words)
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"(100 words)
300 Most Difficult SAT Words(300 words)
Power Prefix: anti-(10 words)
Some Helpful Poetry Terms(24 words)
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List(358 words)
OVERHEARD
RECENT COMMENTS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS
Dubiously Distinguished
John M. said,
"Orlin, being a chemist sometime I put on my "nerd" cap and narrow my vision. I looked up the usage of "Organic" and indeed you are correct."
- Sunday January 19th, 8:04 AM
Trespassers Will Be Trespassed
thomas said,
"I am living in NZ now, but I am Korean. Here is another example "Video surveillance in use at all times. If you deface or damage this bus, you could..."
- Sunday January 19th, 5:56 AM
The Forgotten Helping Verbs
ashique T. said,
"what about 'done'"
- Sunday January 19th, 12:08 AM
Dubiously Distinguished
Orin Hargraves said,
"John M: unlike "Natural", the use of "Organic" on US food products is regulated and so consumers (if they trust the labelers) have greater confidence..."
- Saturday January 18th, 8:55 AM
Pronouns Prevail for Word of Year and Decade
David C. said,
"Highness Highness Highness's. Above find David Cook's (My) prounouns identified. Highness prefers you call Highness "King David." Please honor and..."
- Monday January 13th, 10:17 AM
Is "Shined" or "Shone" the Past Tense of "Shine"?
Jenni said,
"I’m conflicted. I got an email today about a red carpet look. “Madam Celebrity shined on the red carpet as our makeup ambassador.” As I read it, it..."
- Wednesday January 8th, 8:33 PM
Brand Names of the Year for 2019
Nancy Friedman said,
"Steve C.: I'm glad to have introduced you to these influential brands and business trends, which took up a lot of space in the business press in 2019...."
- Monday January 6th, 10:59 AM
Steve C. said,
"I am old and minimally tech savvy. I never heard or came across not even one of these “Words” during my life in 2019. How important are thes so called..."
- Monday January 6th, 9:24 AM
Dubiously Distinguished
Andy S. said,
"I delight in your writing style. Thank you for this. My pet peeve is the overuse of "natural" and apparently people still fall for it. My favourite is..."
- Sunday January 5th, 3:13 PM
Dan F. said,
"The "2X stronger" type of descriptor has been around as long as I've been alive. My reaction has always been, "…Stronger than WHAT?" A previous..."
- Saturday January 4th, 5:34 PM
POPULAR TOPICS
Lesson Plans
Put the VT to work in your classroom
Stage Directions: the Vocabulary of Theatrical Delivery
November 1, 2013
How can interpreting the language of stage directions enhance students' comprehension of drama?
Continue reading...
