Many people will recoil in horror when the topic of conversation turns to vocabulary and grammar. I suspect that this has a lot to do with the indelicate way these subjects are thrown at us in school: lots of memorizing lists and boring immutable rules handed down from on high. The truth is that both grammar and vocabulary are fascinating subjects that are both intrinsically interesting and useful for the formulation of clear communication.
The internet has a number of resources that make the study these topics fun. An excellent review of words and their origins is wordsmith.org, which offers a service called Word a Day. You can visit the site each day and be presented with a new word. Words are usually arranged according to weekly themes. Entries provide pronunciation, etymolgy, even illustrations. You can also subscribe to the site's mail list and have a word emailed to you each day.
If you ever wondered where a saying came from, have a look at Phrase Finder. Here, you can search for information on the origin and meaning of English sayings. You can also sign up for their free phrase-a-week mailing list.
For those interested in grammar, have a look at Grammarphobia. This site has a lot of information about the English language, writing tips and a grammar blog.
Of course, if you would rather do your work from books, we have a number of excellent resources here in the library.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Love wordy stuff! To go along with these suggestions: I subscribe to Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day e-mail list (sign up at http://www.merriam-webster.com). A different word is sent each day along with a sample sentence and most interestingly, a "Did You Know?" bit with information about the word's history and often evolving usage. There are also plenty of word games on the site, from crosswords to word searches to speed Scrabble.
Post a Comment