Vocabulary.com Blog
Articles from 2016
Dept. of Word Lists
Vocabulary Lessons from Beyoncé's Lemonade
Words of transformation from a poet to a superstar
Beyoncé's Lemonade was introduced to the nation as a "visual album," a series of videos for the songs connected by images backed by Beyoncé speaking phrases which echo the concerns of the lyrics. Beyoncé's choice of words in these spoken passages is just as interesting as those she chooses for her lyrics, and they tell us a great deal about what Lemonade is about.
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Word CountWriters Talk About Writing
From Being In a Pickle to Hitting a Can of Corn
Things you wouldn't hear anywhere but on the baseball field
The language used by the National Pastime is wonderful and strange (and not all food-related) - there are things you can say in baseball that you wouldn't say anywhere anywhere else.
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Word CountWriters Talk About Writing
Can Captain America Really Wage a "Civil" War?
A brief history lesson on the word "civil"
Captain America: Civil War is a hit film at the early summer box office, having recently surpassed 1 billion dollars in worldwide ticket sales. The film raises a lot of questions. A basic question can be answered well before that having to do with the language of the title: How can a War be Civil?
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Tips & Tricks
Reimagining Summer Reading
Reinvent your tired summer reading assignment and boost student comprehension
You know the drill. June hits, students turn in their textbooks and take home their summer reading lists. Then, in the final week of August students hastily read the assigned book's front and back covers (and possibly an online plot summary) in order to write the required book report by the time they report back to class.
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Announcements
Vocabulary Bowl Video Wraps Up Exciting 2015-16 Season
We're looking back at the impressive schools that finished in the top 20 for the year.
The 2015-16 Vocabulary Bowl brought in an unprecedented amount of participation from schools from around North America. While more than 23,000 schools took part, in our final roundup video of the season we're shining the spotlight on the cream of the crop: the schools that finished in the top 20 overall for the year.
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Announcements
Middle Schools Excel in Vocabulary Bowl, Led by Houston's Lanier
Lanier Middle School took home the prize, leading a strong middle-school crop.
In the 2015-16 Vocabulary Bowl, middle-school students proved to be just as fierce competitors as their high-school counterparts. So, for the first time, we honored a winner in the Bowl's middle-school division. Lanier Middle School claimed the trophy this year, coming in second overall to their fellow Houston school, Chavez High School. As Chavez did earlier this week, Lanier celebrated their achievement with an exhilarating event at the school.
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Announcements
Houston's Chavez High School Celebrates Back-to-Back Vocabulary Bowl Wins in Style
Another year, another victory for the vocabulary whizzes from Texas.
Houston's Chavez High School did the unthinkable, pulling off their second consecutive victory in the 2015-2016 Vocabulary Bowl by surpassing more than 23,000 schools from around North America. The school celebrated with a special ceremony today, as students were presented with the Vocabulary Bowl trophy, medals for top students, and a special proclamation from the Mayor's office congratulating them on their impressive achievement.
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