Tutoring English, vocabulary is always interesting. The tutor mentions bespoke. I’ve seen the word bespoke only a few times my whole life. Each time before, I wondered what it means but didn’t look it up. Not this time, however. Bespoke …
Self-tutoring about vocabulary: the tutor mentions a modern term he found in the Bible. The word “suburb” I thought came into being with modern cities with commuting populations. Therefore, I thought you’d need mass transit – or cars – to …
Self-tutoring about people and events from the past: the tutor mentions the term “deke.” In the confusing late-70s, I first heard the word deke. We were playing hockey, in our boots, on a frozen pond in PEI. There was a …
Self-tutoring about vocabulary: the tutor mentions the term wimple. I noticed wimple in Isaiah 3:22 (KJV). Apparently, wimple is a head covering that also covers the chin, neck, and sides of the face. Source: collinsdictionary.com
Tutoring English, you hear jargon from any discipline. The tutor mentions an origin of “benchmark.” A word we hear so often that one might have stopped even noticing is “benchmark.” I understand it as a business term, meaning a reference …
Tutoring English, you discover words. The tutor mentions explicate. explicate: to bring forth and describe; to make understandable; to explain. Source: dictionary.com
Tutoring English, I still run across words that surprise me. The tutor mentions disabuse. disabuse: to convince someone out of a belief that’s false. Source: vocabulary.com
Tutoring English, words might come up whose meanings aren’t certain. The tutor mentions bullock. Apparently, bullock can mean a steer or a young bull. The difference between steer and young bull is that the steer has been castrated whereas the …
Tutoring English, words keep generating interest. The tutor mentions mold and mould. Apparently, the difference between mould and mold isn’t meaning, but nationality: mould is the British spelling of the American mold. For instance, in Britain, mould can refer to …
Tutoring English, words about words are always favourites. The tutor mentions jargon. I first heard the word jargon in grade 9: our social studies teacher (a very good one), at the beginning of the year, pointed out that every field …