Self-tutoring about English: the tutor mentions hyphenating numbers. Indeed, numbers like 74 should be hyphenated, if written: seventy-four. I’ve never known so. Source: Hodges, Horner et al. Harbrace Handbook for Canadians. Scarborough: Nelson, 2003.
Tutoring English, new words are new discoveries. The tutor mentions one. I don’t know if I recall hearing “self-effacing.” However, I encountered it today. It means “tending to avoid attention.” Source: Mish, Frederick C. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 2004.
Self-tutoring about English: the tutor relates a story. For years I’ve used “irrecognizable.” I guess I just didn’t type it. When I did yesterday, the spell-checker complained. (I think the spell checker and I have been ready to divorce numerous …
Tutoring English, you watch it evolve. The tutor comments on the common use of transition as a verb. I just checked two dictionaries: neither lists transition as a verb. Yet, since the late 90s, I’ve heard sentences like “I found …
Tutoring English, vocabulary is always interesting. The tutor mentions “missive”. A missive is a written message: a letter. It may be more formal than casual, perhaps urgent rather than entertaining. Source: Barber, Katherine et at. Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current …
Tutoring English, words can return. The tutor recalls the word morass. morass: an impairment to motion or mental clarity, akin to a swamp one would try to traverse. I first heard morass decades ago, and hear it rarely now. Source: …
Self-tutoring about Canadian and American English: the tutor mentions a possible difference. Merriam-Webster mentions “kiddo” as a child or kid; on the other hand, Oxford Canadian mentions “kiddie”. I recall, as a child, reading the word “kiddo” in American books, …
Tutoring English never gets old. The tutor shows a reason why. Denier: one who denies. I can barely believe my eyes, yet the spell checker has no quarrel with denier. How can I never have seen denier in print, yet …
English: how do you spell the word for “one who denies?” Read more »
Tutoring English, vocabulary can surprise. The tutor mentions an aspect of the verb spurn. I’m familiar that spurn means reject, but it can be a less emotional term. Spurn can also mean to kick aside or step over while walking. …
Tutoring English, words are always interesting. The tutor mentions an example. I still recall the first time I heard “endemic,” almost 25 years ago. A radio broadcaster used it. (That was in the days when people made commentary without worrying; …