Search the Site

Your Search:
96 97 98 99 100 Displaying 971-980 of 3460 Results

  1. Lesson Plans

     Exploring the Power of Puns
    Mon Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 2007
    In this lesson, students are asked to analyze various Shakespearean and contemporary puns and how particular words make these puns possible. They will use the Visual Thesaurus to examine the subjects of this wordplay and to help them create original puns in small groups.

  2. Word Routes

     "Sleeping Beauties" in English and Dutch
    Wed Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2010
    When the New Oxford American Dictionary selected unfriend as its 2009 Word of the Year, Oxford University Press senior lexicographer Christine Lindberg was quick to point out that the verb long predates the Facebook era. As she explained in an NPR interview, the Oxford English Dictionary has a citation for unfriend from 1659. "I think it's a remarkable resurrection," Lindberg told NPR. "In a way, I look at unfriend as the Sleeping Beauty of 2009 words." Now it appears that the Dutch language has its own Sleeping Beauty... or should that be Rip Van Winkle?

  3. Language Lounge

     Friends of the Court
    Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    If your Saturday night needs some excitement, join us here in the Lounge for our weekly linguistic adventure: it's a thrill ride that you can enjoy without leaving the comfort of your recliner!

  4. Word Routes

     Powers of Ten
    Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 EDT 2009
    I've been thinking a lot lately about our decimal system and the way that exponential powers of ten capture our imagination. In part, that's because I've been called upon by various news outlets this week to counter a claim that the English language is adding its millionth word. But it's also because of a humbler, more personal milestone: what you're reading right here is (drumroll, please) my one hundredth Word Routes column.

  5. Word Count

     Poetry: The Power of "Hal-ku"
    Wed Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2007

    Hal Sirowitz's special education students in the New York City public school system were doubly lucky: Their devoted teacher was also an award-winning poet. Now retired after 25 years as an educator, Hal is the author of four books of poetry including Mother Said and Father Said -- delicious dry humor based on his parents' harping. From 2001 to 2003 the borough of Queens honored Hal by naming him their "Poet Laureate." We spoke to him about his poetry and how he incorporated it into his teaching.

  6. Word Count

     How to Stop Yourself from Being a Quitter
    Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2019
    Stop visualizing your bestseller and start thinking about what to do if you're unable to meet your goals. You can develop the writing habit if you develop the skill of predicting what might go wrong and figuring out a solution, in advance.

  7. Word Count

     In Praise of Ambiguity
    Wed Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 2014
    One of the main functions of language is communication, and for this it no doubt helps to be as clear, concise and straightforward as one can possibly be. Clear and straightforward art using language, however, is usually pretty boring.

  8. Blog Excerpts

     Celebrating 175 Years of "OK," America's Greatest Export
    Mon Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2014
    Yesterday, March 23, 2014, marked the 175th anniversary of a word that may be the most widely used expression in the world: "OK." MacMurray College English professor Allan Metcalf says "OK" is America's greatest export and debunks the various origin theories surrounding it.

  9. Word Count

     English Not Your Native Tongue? One Writer's Tips.
    Wed Aug 09 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    We here at the Visual Thesaurus receive a lot of emails from subscribers around the world. Not long ago we got a nice note from Sandra Dolores Becker of Porto Alegre, Brazil. She wrote:

    "The Visual Thesaurus has become a friend, a colleague, and my companion when I'm trying to find the specific word that will fit perfectly in a verse of my early period poetry or when I'm writing another chapter of my book. It's wondrous! I spend my time researching, finding and reflecting on the meaning of words. Simple words? No, words are never simple. They can move mountains, change a nation, make a friend or cause pain. Words can make us dream, see what isn't there at the moment? Accept my gratitude for showing me how to increase my vocabulary with ease!"

    Thank you, Sandra! Her note got us curious about her work and the challenges she faces writing in both Portuguese and English. We wanted to ask Sandra for her advice to writers whose native tongue isn't English. So we contacted Sandra in Brazil. We were surprised to learn she had lived the first half of her life in Indiana and works for an American multi-national company, in addition to writing poetry and fiction in both languages. With this unique perspective, here's what Sandra shared with us:

  10. Contest

     And the Writer's Desk contest winner is...
    Fri Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    We couldn't decide -- we received photos of so many desks, well-organized or, ahem, other!

    We loved these three entries:

    The first desk belongs to Mark Husson of Denver, CO, who writes "forecasts of the astrological kind."

    The second is the writing desk of Cindy Mitchell, a communications director and writer in Olympia, WA.

    And, finally, Particia Olson sent us a picture of hers. She says: "Here's a picture of my desk while I was writing my dissertation. Filing and cleaning was neglected for several years while I plugged my way through endless revisions and delays..."

    Mark, Cindy and Particia: Thank you so much for your submissions! We're sending each of you a limited edition Visual Thesaurus T-shirt!



96 97 98 99 100 Displaying 971-980 of 3460 Results