Being is a word that can be hard to master for English as a Second Language speakers. It can be used as a gerund, or in present or past continuous tenses. In a present or past continuous tense, being says that it is happening now, or was happening before, in a continual manne ...more
Those of you who are proud to be Libras, well, you may no longer be Libras. You could be Virgos. At least, according to astronomer Parke Kunkle. Due to the current changes in Earth's alignment, the dates of the zodiac have changed, thanks to the inclusion of a long forgotten ...more
Welcome back, my budding hackers! As you know, I firmly believe that to be a true professional hacker, you need to be proficient in Linux. This is for a number of good reasons. Most hacker tools are developed in Linux (well over 90 percent). Linux offers us greater granulari ...more
Welcome back, my fledgling hackers! In an earlier tutorial, I introduced you to probably the most popular scripting language for hackers, Python. To become a professional hacker, you need to have some scripting skills and Python is a good choice if you want to master just one ...more
No matter what word game you're playing, whether it's Scrabble or one of its near-homogeneous counterparts like Lexulous, Wordfeud or Words with Friends, one of the easiest ways to stay on top of your opponent is knowing all of the legal two-letter words you can play. You're n ...more
There's an annoying bug in Apple's latest operating system for iPhone, iOS 11, that autocorrects the lowercase letter "i" by itself (which usually turns into a capital "I" pronoun) into a capital "A" followed by a strange question mark in a box "[?]" symbol. There is now an of ...more
Today's word is "alumni". This is a noun and the plural form of "alumnus" which means a graduate of a specific school. For example, you can say, "The alumni of the school gathered at the reunion ceremony."
Today's word is "entrepreneur". This is a noun which means someone who owns and manages a business, taking on financial risks to do so. For example, you can say, "There are hundreds of successful technology entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley."
An uncapitalized proper noun in a message or email is a serious no-go for those skilled in the art of grammar. But trying to make a lowercase letter uppercase (and vice versa) is not a fun task if you're using an iPhone. You've got to point the cursor is just the right spot to ...more
Today's word is "queue". This is both a verb and a noun. As a noun, it means a line of people waiting their turn. For example, you can say, "People waited for hours in a long queue to buy the latest video game console."
Today's word is "faux pas". This is a noun of French origin which means a social slip in etiquette or manners. For example, you can say, "She didn't introduce herself to the host, a terrible faux pas, considering she'd never met her."
Today's word is "hyperbole". This is a noun which means an exaggerated statement. For example, you can say, "Jane said to her sister, 'Your butt is as big as the State of Wisconsin.' She used hyperbole to emphasize her point that her sister is overweight."
OSPD1 In 1978, the first SCRABBLE Dictionary was conceived and published by Merriam-Webster, with the help of the National Scrabble Association (NSA). The idea was to include any word that was found in one of the five major dictionaries at the time: Merriam-Webster's Collegi ...more
Today's word is "rendezvous". This is a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to come together or meet by arrangement. For example, you can say, "Let's rendezvous at 6 o'clock at Jake's bar."
Today's word is "facade". This is a noun which means a face of a building or a superficial appearance. For example, you can say, "Under the tough facade of a streetwise teenager, Ricky is still a 13-year-old kid who loves Disneyland."
Today's word is "pause". This is both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to stop an action temporarily. For example, you can say, "Let's pause what we're doing for this special announcement." Pronunciation accent american accent american slang american teacher education e ...more
If you've read my blog "How Controversy Changed SCRABBLE", then you know that the word JEW is not allowed in regular play, because it was deemed an offensive and obscene word. JEW v JEWED, JEWING, JEWS to bargain with—an offensive term But this coming July, it will no longer ...more
Today's word is "aesthetic". This is both a noun and an adjective. As an adjective, it means relating to a sense of beauty. For example, you can say, "Aesthetic salons are my mother's favorite place to be; she loves getting facial treatments and massages in beautiful salons."
Today's word is "bourgeois". This is both a noun and an adjective. As an adjective, it means characteristic of the middle class, or materialistic. For example, you can say, "Bourgeois beliefs generally do not benefit the lower and working classes."
Today's word is "hierarchy". This is a noun which means a system of people, organizations, or things that have ranks. For example, you can say, "The famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow demonstrated people have a hierarchy of needs."
Last week's challenge brought up a good question (thanks Lisa) regarding the functionality of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 4th Edition, both online and in print form. The word TACTICAL was the answer to the first puzzle in that challenge, but when you search for t ...more
The presenter, Ms. Jennifer explains how compound words are formed from phrasal verbs. With examples she explains how the meaning and pronunciation differs when compound words are formed from phrasal verbs. She explains the difference between 'show' and 'show off' by showing h ...more
Listen up Scrabblers... you finally have something to brag about besides knowing what MUZJIK is, and if you think it's elevator music, put those tiles back in the bag and pack up your Scrabble board because this doesn't apply to you. You see those brains below? Well, guess wh ...more
Today's word is "panacea". This is a noun which means a remedy to cure all diseases or a solution for all difficulties. For example, you can say, "Solar power is a promising alternative energy source; however, it's not a panacea. There are advantages and disadvantages to solar ...more
This video tutorial is in the Language category which will show you how to describe problems in English. When describing problems in English, many people use the word trouble. When you frame a question, you can frame it in the present or the present continuous tense. For examp ...more
Today's word is "lyrics". This is a noun in its plural form which means words to a song. For example, you can say, "My dad is a huge fan of the Beatles. He knows the lyrics to all of their songs."
Today's word is "despot". This is a noun which means a tyrant or someone who abuses his power. For example, you can say, "Hitler was perhaps one of the most notorious despots in the 20th century."
Minecraft might still be in development, but that doesn't mean a creative guy like Notch doesn't have time for other projects. A few months ago he and his company Mojang announced their second game, a digital collectible trading card affair called Scrolls. A simple title (perh ...more
Today's word is "endeavor". This is a noun as well as a verb. As a noun, it means an effort or attempt to accomplish something. As a verb, it means to strive or attempt. For example, you can say, "Beth made all endeavors to make her mother-in-law happy."
Learn the Dutch alphabet, definite articles, noun plurals, personal pronouns and the verb "to walk" in this 4 part video series. Part 1 of 4 - How to Learn to speak Dutch in this beginner lesson. Part 2 of 4 - How to Learn to speak Dutch in this beginner lesson. Part 3 of 4 ...more
Today's word is "scenario". This is a noun which means an imagined sequence of events. For example, you can say, "Jill and I discussed the scenario of what would happen if Jim asked her out on a date."
Halloween is just a few days away, and since I've been churning out the creepy Bingo of the Days for everyone the past few weeks, it seems fitting to do a puzzle based on them. Too bad today isn't Friday the 13th! That will have to wait until 2017. The Challenge Take a look ...more
For those who don't know, a gerund is a noun whose root word is formed from a verb. Anyone interested in brushing up on their grammar skills should view this video by Yossarian on how to diagram gerunds and gerund phrases. Yossarian uses various sentence examples to break down ...more
Recently, buyout talks between Google and Groupon ended with Groupon turning down Google's $6 million offer. But with Amazon backing LivingSocial, should they have? Your guess is as good as mine, but one thing's for sure— Groupon has a great voice, and they're sharing it with ...more
Today's word is "nuance". This is a noun which means a subtle degree of difference in meaning and expression. For example, you can say, "To truly understand the nuances between synonyms, you often have to see how those similar words are used in various situations."
Improve your bingo skills with a roundup of this week's Scrabble Bingo of the Days. What exactly is a bingo? It's when a player empties his or her rack in one turn, placing all seven of their letters on the board to create a word that's at least seven letters long. The term " ...more
Today's word is "status quo". This is a noun which means the existing state or condition. For example, you can say, "They were only concerned with the status quo, not changing anything for the better."
Text adventure games, such as the well-known Zork series, were some of the first computer games ever made, second only to the likes of Spacewar! and the better-known Pong. So let's travel back in time for a moment, to a time that never was. Charles Babbage successfully built ...more
Today's word is "incognito". This is a noun, adjective and adverb. As an adverb it means without revealing one's identity. For example, you can say, "The movie star traveled incognito in Europe on her honeymoon."
PHONEYS 64 points (14 points without the bingo) Definition: to phony, i.e. alters so as to make appear genuine [v] Phoneys (or phonies) is a word for altering something to make it appear legit, like turning a cheap handbag into a Louis Vuitton. It also simply means not genui ...more
Today's word is "zephyr". This is a noun which means a light, gentle breeze. For example, you can say, "The day was beautifully sunny with a nice zephyr blowing through the air."
Today's word is "virtuoso". This is a noun which means an expert, often in music. For example, you can say, "Few people would dispute that Itzhak Perlman is the reigning virtuoso of the violin today."
Today's word is "cadence". This is a noun which means the rhythmic flow of words or sounds. For example, you can say, "The French language has a lovely
Adobo is a Spanish word for sauce, seasoning or marinade, mainly used in Latin American- and Southwest U.S.-style cooking as well as in the Philippines. The noun form "Adobo" generally describes a marinade or seasoning mix. Adobo is also a style of cooking used in Filipino cui ...more
Today's word is "zenith". This is a noun which means the highest point above the observer's horizon attained by a celestial body, or the peak. For example, you can say, "After becoming the chairman of the board, Michael felt he reached the zenith of his business career."
ClariTrans is a requester on MTurk (www.mturk.com) they pay very well for transcribing short snippets of audio. Here is how you can transcribe their audio snippets properly to ensure your text will be approved and you will be paid: ClariTrans Transcription Formatting Guide S ...more
Today's word is "vertigo". This is a noun which means dizziness. For example, you can say, "When I woke up this morning, I felt vertigo; I had the sensation of spinning out of control."
The verb "stop" in the English language can be used with a gerund and an infinitive. The word "stop" has different meanings depending on how it's used. Look at the sentence, "I stopped eating fast food." Stopped is used in the past tense and eating is a gerund, or a word that ...more
Today's word is "chicanery". This is a noun which means trickery or the act of deceiving someone. For example, you can say, "The new governor was accused of chicanery after raising sales tax despite his campaign promise of tax cuts."
Today's word is "jacuzzi". This is a noun which means a bath tub with underwater jets. For example, you can say, "The house we recently bought came with a jacuzzi. Now we spend a lot of time in the hot tub, relaxing and having fun."
This is the tenth part of my video series on learning Hindi. We come to more verbs, simple present and present continuous and imperative, as well as postpositions (prepositions which come after the noun). Pronunciation and gender (masc or fem) is stressed and is in IPA.
Today's word is "usher". This is both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to escort. For example, you can say, "The man will usher you to your seat."
Today's word is "guffaw". This is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means a big burst of laughter. As a verb, it means to laugh loudly. For example, you can say, "When my teacher, Mr. Jones bent over to pick up his pen, the back of his pants split open. Everyone in the cla ...more
It is easy to make grammatical mistakes when there are, what seems like, endless rules to memorize. Focusing on a few rules at a time is helpful and today’s lesson can be on how to use subject and object pronouns. If you don’t know whether to use “I” or “me,” it’s easy to lear ...more
Today's word is "fervor". This is a noun which means great enthusiasm. For example, you can say, "He spoke to the crowd with incredible fervor."
Today's word is "obesity". This is a noun which means excessive fatness. For example, you can say, "During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States; about two-thirds of American adults were considered overweight in 2006."
Do you know what an idiom is? If you don't, this English lesson is sure to make you an expert on idiom usage. idiom (noun) a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual Basically, idioms are expressions that are natural ...more
ZEPHYRS n sing. ZEPHYR gentle breezes 74 points (24 points without the bingo) A few days ago, Cerek Tunca mentioned that a great seven-letter bingo word would be ZEPHYRS, because of the amount of points gained. He's definitely right, with it being more than 20 points by its ...more
In this video, we learn how to use indirect objects & object pronouns in Spanish. When you have a noun that is coming after a pronoun, you will have to change the first word that comes after it. If you are saying "yo compro", then you will use "las" after this, to describe the ...more
Today's word is "paucity". This is a noun which means scarcity or a lack of something. For example, you can say, "There is a paucity of computer savvy teachers in our school. We should offer computer training for the teachers."