Sometimes that word you use does not necessarily mean what you think it does. As famously pointed out in The Princess Bride, there are many words in the English language that are used often, but many times used incorrectly. Today’s infographic points out 12 of these. [VIA]
The English language is always evolving, and new words pop up every time we turn around, or so it seems. At the beginning, they may not be well known, but sometimes become such a part of our everyday lexicon we forget their origin. Although in some cases, the common meaning of these words may have changed, all of the words on today’s infographic come from literature throughout the ages. Who knew a “tween” was really between 20 and 33 years old?? [VIA]
Even though it’s all the same language, the differences between British and American English are many. While there are times we can decipher what each other are saying, sometimes words have completely different meanings depending which side of the Atlantic you call home. Today’s infographic takes a look at several of these differences. My Canadian friends say they’re totally confused, as they sometimes use a hybrid of both the British and American usages. [VIA]
Test-speak and emojis are creeping into more and more areas of our life, even to the point that they’ve entered the dictionary as words in their own right. How many of these do you really know though? Try this fun game to see how many you either know or can guess and see how far you can make it on the path. Check out the interesting “Did You Know” bits as well. A score is found at the bottom! How did you score? [VIA]
I know I often find myself in a rut or getting trapped using the same words and descriptors over and over again in my writing. I am sure it’s not an uncommon ailment. Many times our students get caught in this trap as well. Try having them speak without using “like” and their heads might explode! Today’s infographic helps give a a little relief and some suggestions for avoiding another trap word, “very”. [VIA]
Sometimes the best inspiration and the greatest pick-me-up can come from the simplest places. Children’s books are often our most beloved and create the greatest memories. These quotes from many classic favorites are guaranteed to have you feeling inspired in no time. [VIA]
The Foreign Service Institute of the US State Department compiles data about the amount of time it takes a native English speaker to learn various world languages. This infographic compiles their results and ranks several languages from the easiest to the hardest to pick up. [VIA]
All too often, we try to use words that will increase our vocabulary. Students do this all the time, inserting what they believe are fantastic vocabulary words into papers to try to impress us, but sometimes they are using them in the wrong context, or really (“literally”) don’t understand the definition. Today’s infographic looks at ten of the most commonly misunderstood and misused words in the English language. From the 90s pop song “Ironic” to an overuse of “literally” today to simply add emphasis, some words have truly evolved over time. [VIA]
This is a fun little tool that allows students to create fictional text message conversations between fictional or historical characters. The Classtools SMS Generator does not require students to register or log in and is fairly simple to use. Simply click on the left hand text bubble icon (gray) to initiate the conversation, then on the right hand text bubble (green) to reply. Once finished, students can save their conversation to the Classtools server (with a password and unique URL for further editing) or by clicking on the sprocket icon, they can get an embed code, direct link, or QR code for sharing.
The Classtools SMS Generator is great way to get students thinking about how historical or fictional figures would be thinking and having conversations themselves, as well as providing a unique alternate assessment tool to check for understanding of text or events. Imagine Romeo and Juliet’s conversations if they were only texting!
Use the photos posted in this feature for writing prompts, warm-up activities, drawing templates or as part of a photo analysis.
Cracked 8 ball from a pool set found at the ghost town of Ludlow, Colorado, the site of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre.
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