Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles from 2014
Ever since College Board President David Coleman announced that the redesigned SAT would replace its testing of more obscure words such as mendacious or treacly with the analysis of more frequent, multiple-meaning words in context, educators have been fretting about what this may mean for the study of vocabulary and for the precision of the next generation of American students' English in general.
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One of the things everyone remembers about Shakespeare, whether they spent a few weeks on one play in high school or an entire semester on several plays in college, is that he wrote in iambic pentameter. Some may also have vague recollections about their teacher explaining that iambic pentameter isn't difficult to understand, because English "naturally" falls into its rhythms.
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Dept. of Word Lists
A Quick Current Events Quiz: Pulitzer Prizes in the News
Make sure you're up on these ten words essential for talking about the forces shaping our culture
Talking about the Pulitzer Prizes awarded this week? Make sure you're up on these ten words.
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Topics:
Vocabulary
Blog Excerpts
"Staycation," "Bleisure," and Other Made-Up Travel Words
Is the travel industry particularly susceptible to making up words like "bleisure" (combining "business" and "leisure") and "staycation" (for a stay-at-home vacation)? Associated Press travel reporter Beth J. Harpaz investigates — with help from our own Ben Zimmer, who says that such neologisms "come in handy in a business sector where there's often a need to come up with clever marketing spin." Read the AP article here.
Dept. of Word Lists
"Native Son" Vocabulary: Wright's Unerring Gaze
"Native Son" Vocabulary: Wright's Unerring Gaze
Although the hero of Richard Wright's classic tale of the African American experience has a hard time coming up with words, Wright never falters.
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Topics:
Vocabulary
Under the HoodThe science of vocabulary building
What Does It Mean To "Own" Your Words?
And how Vocabulary.com can help
There's a difference between wearing a style and owning it. For learners of English and even those born into it, using a word has a lot to do with feeling that it "belongs to me."
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Vocabulary Shout-Out
"Dirigible" Plums: Some Harry Potter Vocab Isn't Rowling-Made
Beyond its own glossary, the series is a treasure trove of sophisticated, SAT-worthy vocabulary
In spite of the fact that the Harry Potter series is often embarked on by children in the youngest elementary school grades, the series is a treasure trove of sophisticated, SAT-worthy vocabulary. Dirigible as it appears in the Potterverse, is a word you're likely not soon to forget.
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