Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles from August, 2014
Blog Excerpts
"Sinister Buttocks" and the Dangers of Thesaurus Flipping
And how to use this amazing resource appropriately
Earlier this month, the Times Higher Education reported on the practice of "Roget-ing," in which plagiarism is disguised by swapping synonyms found in Roget's Thesaurus for words used in the copied paper. Though untraceable, the resulting language ranges from not quite right to cataclysmically horrible.
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Educators love to talk about how important vocabulary is, but they are often at wits' end trying to figure out how to teach it effectively. Despite the overwhelming evidence that vocabulary knowledge matters to students' reading comprehension and overall achievement in school, it is rare that you will find schools or school districts implementing systematic vocabulary instruction.
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A few weeks ago I started a regular feature on the Slate podcast Lexicon Valley called LinguaFile, in which I present the hosts with a word and have them try to guess its origins. Last time it was discombobulate, and for this week's episode I went with another one of my favorite words, lagniappe, meaning "a bonus gift (as given to a customer from a merchant)."
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Dept. of Word Lists
#BigWordLove on Huffington Post
Stunning illustrations and a new collection of excellent big words
We're always on the lookout for lists and mentions of rare or unusual words, and the bigger the better. Thus, we read with great interest the Huffington Post piece on "Big, Beautiful Words You Need To Start Using Immediately."
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Announcements
Yahoo Tech Calls Vocab.com a "Great Game That Will Make Your Kids Smarter"
In Round Up, Vocabulary.com is only language arts game on the list
Yahoo Tech named Vocabulary.com one of "8 Great Games That Will Make Your Kids Smarter" in a round up earlier this week.
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Vocabulary.com News
Here is the latest in a series of tips on usage and style shared by Mignon Fogarty, better known as Grammar Girl. With students returning to school, Mignon asks if they're best described as "anxious" or "eager."
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Tasty MorselsGood stuff from Vocabulary.com
Word Learning as Radio Quiz Game? Bring it On!
On WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show, Vocabulary.com lexicographer conducts vocabulary quiz with New York area caller
On WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show, Vocabulary.com lexicographer Ben Zimmer transformed the shows usual conversation about culture into a call-in vocabulary quiz show.
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