Tutoring English, new words – especially short ones – are always interesting. The tutor mentions irrupt. irrupt (verb): to suddenly arrive, or else increase. A population can irrupt, for instance. Source: Mish, Frederick C (editor). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam-Webster,…

Tutoring English, unfamiliar words can surface – or less familiar uses of common ones. initiate (noun): someone accepted into a group, perhaps in a ceremonial manner. Source: Barber, Katherine et al. Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English. Don Mills: Oxford…

Tutoring English, vocabulary evolves. The tutor mentions liminal. liminal (adj): occurring at a boundary, possibly straddling it. Source: dictionary.cambridge.org

Tutoring English, new vocabulary continually surfaces. The tutor mentions saltbox. saltbox: a house two storeys in front, but one in back. In pioneer times, the rear, one-storey section could be an add-on that developed from extending the roof back and…

Tutoring English, discoveries continue. The tutor mentions exurb. exurb: a town outside a larger city, located past its suburbs. Source: Barber, Katherine et al. Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Tutoring English, discoveries continue. The tutor mentions soundscape. In yesterday’s post I mention how a varied thrush’s song dominated the soundscape. At the time of writing, I was seeking a word and tried soundscape, unaware it actually is a word.…