background preloader

A Way with Words, public radio\'s lively show about words and language and how we use them.

A Way with Words, public radio\'s lively show about words and language and how we use them.

Welcome to Perceval Press Unabridged A native English speaker recently asked me, Is it dreamed or dreamt? The answer is, it’s both—both versions date to the early 14th century—but the question got me thinking about how remarkable it is that a native speaker could be unsure about the simple past tense of such a common verb. It’s reasonable, of course, to be unsure. English conjugation is notoriously complicated (am becomes was? think becomes thought? put just parades blithely through tenses changing not a whit?) The great majority of English verbs take the familiar -ed for their past tense and past-participle forms (that latter form is also used for the passive voice): They played chess yesterday, They have played daily for years. Both regular and irregular verbs date back to Old English, but the number of ho-hum -ed forms has increased over the centuries, and only the most common irregular verbs have kept their quirky conjugations. Every once in a while things go in the opposite direction. Then there’s the case of awake.

Concave Mirror Concave Mirror. Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. Artist/Maker: William Jones (1763-1831) and Samuel Jones[1] Created: c. 1807 Origin/Purchase: London Materials: glass, with walnut frame Dimensions: D: 30.5 (12 in.); 33.7 (13 1/4 in.) with frame Location: Cabinet Provenance: Thomas Jefferson; by purchase to George Toole at the Dispersal Sale in 1827; by descent to Mrs. Accession Number: 1961-15 Historical Notes: In 1806 Jefferson ordered from the London firm W. & S. Jefferson intended using his concave mirrors, as well as the condensing lenses and scioptric ball he bought in London in 1786, with his microscopes. When a viewer stands outside the focal point of a concave mirror, his image is reflected upside down. ↑ The text of this article is from Stein, Worlds, 359.↑ Thomas Jefferson to William Jones, Washington, D.C., October 25, 1806.

Andrew Hamilton, "Hitler's Speeches" Adolf Hitler, Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany, September 14, 1930 2,882 words I read that Hitler delivered about 5,000 major speeches during his lifetime running to many thousands of pages. Below I list some major published collections of Hitler’s speeches, both in English and German. In compiling the list I was struck again by the paucity of trustworthy scholarship underlying the Himalaya of words academics, journalists, popular writers, filmmakers and broadcasters have heaped up about Hitler and the Third Reich. Empirical and intellectual shoddiness and ignorance underpin the entire structure. And so it goes in every area. The endless allegations against Germany and the Germans, as well as the maniacal, pervasive rhetoric of hatred and demonization, add to the surreal atmosphere, and contrast sharply with the blasé treatment given to Communism and Communists. The Nature of Oratory Adolf Hitler was one of history’s great orators. Oratory and public speaking are not the same. Hitler’s Speeches

Computer Glossary, Computer Terms - Technology Definitions and Cheat Sheets from WhatIs.com - The Tech Dictionary and IT Encyclopedia Top Stories How to research enterprise tech purchases Conquering the tech buying landscape can be challenging. Learn how to navigate each stage of the buying cycle, identify business goals and integrate insightful research. Pros and cons of facial recognition While facial recognition can offer many security and authentication benefits, flawed or misused facial recognition systems can put consumers at risk. 18 companies on stock exchange innovating in AI Keep an eye on the AI innovators as the turbulent AI industry evolves. 34 AI content generators to explore in 2024 Artificially generated media continues to progress. View All Learning Content Browse Definitions By Topic In-Depth Guides What is data governance and why does it matter? New & Updated Definitions Tech News Getty Images/iStockphoto Microsoft allies with OpenAI rival Mistral AI Broadcom to sell VMware EUC division to KKR for $3.8B New merger guidelines, crackdown affect business strategies Octopus Deploy reels in Codefresh for GitOps expertise

Get Ready to Quit Smoking - How to Achieve Stop Smoking Success Here's an effective plan I recommend to stop smoking: First 30 days: Don't try to stop yet; establish another behavior in its place. Walk 30 minutes a day, every day. When you're done, report to another person that you've completed it (use the same person every day). Walking 30 minutes a day will help prevent weight gain for when you do stop, but it also proves to yourself that you have the discipline to stick with a plan. Only one rule: You can't act like an 11th grader who blew off his chemistry homework. Day 31 and 32: Start taking 100 milligrams of bupropion once a day in the morning. Day 33: Quit. The toughest days will be three to five days after you quit, but if you can make it to day 40-seven days after you quit, you'll have crossed the desert and made it past the most difficult part of the quitting cycle. After 30 days off cigarettes (day 63 or so), you begin lifting weights 10 minutes a day.

The rise of the shitgibbon – Strong Language Pennsylvania state senator Daylin Leach got a lot of attention this week for a colorful expletive hurled at Donald Trump, appearing on Leach’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. As Leach’s “fascist, loofa-faced, shit-gibbon” line made the rounds on social media, he didn’t back down from the characterization (which was inspired by reports that Trump had threatened to “destroy the career” of a Texas state senator over the civil asset forfeiture issue). His spokesman Steve Hoenstine doubled down. The Philly Voice wondered what a “shit-gibbon” is, exactly. “A gibbon is a primate most commonly found in parts of Southeast Asia, but “s***-gibbon” looks like it’s a Scottish insult.” Indeed, shitgibbon got attached to Trump when he landed in Scotland after the Brexit vote and tweeted that Scotland “took their country back,” despite the fact that most Scots voted against leaving the EU. But shitgibbon didn’t originate with MetalOllie. So thank you, Mr. That about covers it! Like this: Like Loading...

Wordy English: Vocabulary Compilation with Usage Examples A collection of five thousand English words with usage examples. For a intro, see: How to Increase Your English Vocabulary?. For daily musings, subscribe at Xah's Belles-lettres Blog. When using this site, you should have a dictionary software installed. SAT Words Words commonly found in magazines or newspapers. GRE Words Similar in nature to the SAT group but more difficult. Writer's Words When i cannot find a categorical basket to put a word in, i dump it here. Writer's words are often found in fictions, novels. I want more… Special Words: Hyphenated words, Slang, Nouns, Arcane, Poesy, … Hyphenated Words What a strung-out tongue-in-cheek booby-trap! Combination Words I daresay the forthcoming outlook of a headstrong crackpot is oftentimes a polymath not unlike the foresight of yours truly. Compound word or portmanteau words. Special Meaning Words Familiar words with unfamiliar meanings or likely to be misunderstood. English Vocabulary: Special Meaning Words Foreign Words Slang Informal Yup! Arcane

Frequently asked question (basics knowledge for newbies) Who is a Pagan? there are different definitions for the word "Pagan" , here are two different definitions you may find in any dictionary: Babylon English-English Dictionary: 1 : heathen; one who is not a follower of one of the three main religions (i.e. well in the first definition they describe a Pagan as someone who is not either a christian or Muslim or Jew. which makes a huge circle of possibilities, by that definition a Buddhist is a Pagan as well! for understanding why they call everyone beside Christians, Muslims and Jews a Pagan we gotta look into root of the word Pagan. in the second definition we come across a more specific circle of possibilities, someone that does not believe in unique god. or believes in more than one god, a Polytheistic. but is this really mean a Pagan can not believe in one god? to define a Pagan we gotta look into why people call themselves a Pagan, some people are still Christians or Jews or whatever and still call themselves Pagans, why? What is Wicca?

Katy Waldman The Audio Book Club Jan. 14 2016 8:07 AMThe Audio Book Club PurifiesSlate critics debate Jonathan Franzen’s sprawling new novel.Meghan O'Rourke, Parul Sehgal, and Katy Waldman Books Jan. 7 2016 3:02 PMBleeding EdgesPaul Lisicky’s lovely and honest memoir of a friendship. Katy Waldman Brow Beat Dec. 29 2015 1:34 PMSerial Season 2 Is Not As Riveting As Season 1. Movies Dec. 18 2015 1:01 PMSister SnoozeTina Fey and Amy Poehler coast in a limp comedy about siblings who can’t grow up.Katy Waldman Lexicon Valley Dec. 16 2015 11:11 AMAnadiplosis Uses Repetition. Lexicon Valley Dec. 14 2015 4:09 PMResearchers Have Figured Out Why the Word Snunkoople Is FunnyKaty Waldman Brow Beat Dec. 10 2015 10:14 PMSerial Is Back! Books Dec. 9 2015 3:10 PMThe Audio Book Club Invokes Fates and FuriesSlate critics debate Lauren Groff’s ambitious new novel.Emily Bazelon, Laura Miller, and Katy Waldman Lexicon Valley Dec. 8 2015 8:00 AMCongrats, America! Culturebox Books Brow Beat Brow Beat Brow Beat The Drift Brow Beat Future Tense

Related: