In a post on The New Yorker's Page Turner blog last week, poet Brad Leithauser meditated on what you can learn by examining a concordance (or list) of words used in an individual author's work. The piece on the relationship of writers and words suggests two activities word learners might want to try:Continue reading...
In 1913, the National Press Club hosted a spelling bee that pitted members of Congress against members of the press. This week, the club celebrated the centennial of that event by bringing lawmakers and journalists together once again for a spelling battle, and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia emerged as the victor.Continue reading...
Avast! Ahoy! Bring it on, mateys! Did you know that September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? Arrrr, it's true! Lately, it seems that everyone is trying to sound piratical.Continue reading...
In writing about the President's recent missteps, Politico described the state of the presidency as parlous. Why parlous? Why now? And what does this have to do with International Talk Like a Pirate Day?Continue reading...
Get a handle on "stymie," "erupt," "averse," and seven other words you need to know to read about Syria, the Navy Yard shooting, and the possibility of a woman chief for the Fed.Continue reading...
You've read the book. You can't wait for the movie. In the meantime, learn the vocab from Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in our list of the week.Continue reading...