Spelling and Word Origin

Spelling and Word Origin Spelling and Word Origin Spelling and Word Origin By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders how knowing a word’s origin helps spelling bee contestants arrive at the correct spelling: Recently, I was watching [a spelling bee] competition and students were asking about the origin of a spelling like Latin, French, Greek, Dutch, Italian etc. and were guessing correct spellings. How is it possible to get correct spelling from the origin of a word? One of the greatest strengths of English is its huge vocabulary, much of it borrowed from other languages. Because different languages have different spelling conventions, knowing an English word’s foreign origin can sometimes–not always–provide assistance in spelling it. English is spoken with about 46 speech sounds. Some of the sounds, like /b/ and /p/ are always represented by the same letter. Other sounds, like /f/ and /s/, may be represented by different letters or combinations of letters. For example, the sound /f/ may be spelled with the letter f as in reflex, or with the combination ph as in gramophone. The sound /s/ may be represented by the letter s, the letter c, or the combination sc, as in instant, cigar, and abscess. The sound /k/ may be spelled with the letters k, c or the combinations ck and ch: kitten, cat, luck, archetype. A spelling bee contestant’s first encounter with a word is its pronunciation. Knowing how sounds are spelled in the parent language can lead a speller to the correct combination of letters used to spell it in English. Take for example, the words candidate and chronology. Both begin with the /k/ sound. Knowing that candidate entered the language from Latin tells the speller to spell the sound with the letter c; knowing that chronology comes from Greek is a clue that the /k/ sound is spelled with the combination ch. Here are a few of the spelling clues offered by etymology with words of Latin and Greek origin: Latin canine, lactate, abduct The /k/ sound is usually represented by the letter c in a word of Latin origin. abscess, ascend, eviscerate The internal /s/ sound is often spelled sc in a word of Latin origin. NOTE: one speech sound used to speak English is called the schwa. The schwa is an indeterminate vowel sound that may be represented by any of the vowel letters a, e, i/y, o, or u. For example, the schwa sound is represented in the following words by the letters in boldface: America, synthesis, decimal, syringe, offend, circus, supply. When a schwa sound follows the /s/ sound in a word of Latin origin, the /s/ sound is often represented by the letter c, as in necessary. However, if the schwa sound connects two Latin elements, it is often spelled with the letter i, as in carnivore. Greek amygdala, dyslogia, symbiosis The short i sound is often represented by the letter y in a word of Greek origin. anthropomorphic, philander, graphology The /f/ sound is often represented by ph in a word of Greek origin. rhinovirus, hemorrhage, rheumatism The /r/ sound is often represented by rh in a word of Greek origin. anarchy, bacchanal, chronometry The /k/ sound is often represented by ch in a word of Greek origin. xylophone, Xena, xenophopia The /z/ sound is often represented by x in a word of Greek origin. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?50 Nautical Terms in General Use8 Great Podcasts for Writers and Book Authors

Tragedy and Devastation

Tragedy and Devastation Since the beginning of time, our world has been gripped by tragedy and devastation. We have watched destruction unfold as the tsunami, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the war in Iraq shook our nation to the core. All of these events have left a scar on the face of humanity and an emptiness in our hearts.On December 26, 2004, the hopes, dreams and lives of many were washed away in the Indian Ocean tsunami. Tsunamis are formed by the violent movements of the earth‚s plates sending mass amounts of water in every direction. These destructive waves destroyed 12 Indian Ocean coastline countries. This natural disaster destroyed what little some people had, and stole the lives of loved ones. These waved claimed approximately 150,000 lives in 12 countries. They took people out of their homes, swept them out to sea and destroyed everything they owned. The tsunami is indeed a destructive event that the world has been forced to witness.Countries in which Islamist terrorist attacks have... The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 was the worst act of terrorism the United States has ever seen. While the world viewed the tragedy of these acts of hatred, we searched for the words to express our feelings, but for most of us, we were left speechless. Roughly 27 hundred people lost their lives that fateful day. Although this terrible event happened 5 years ago, families and friends still feel the emptiness and the loss. Not only did this event destroy landmarks, but it destroyed lives, dreams, and the hearts of the ones they left behind. This is definitely a devastating moment in time.In hopes to calm the fears of future terrorist attacks, the United States forged ahead in war. However, the attempt to help us, only hurts Iraq and its people. During this war, families were...

45 Synonyms for Old and Old-Fashioned

45 Synonyms for Old and Old-Fashioned 45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned† 45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned† By Mark Nichol Our culture’s attitude toward age is reflected in the often-pejorative meanings of words synonymous with old and old-fashioned, though some are neutral or even reverent. Here are forty-five words that refer to people, places, and things that are, or are considered, old or old-fashioned. (Unrelated senses are also listed.) 1. Aged: advanced in age, typical of old age; also, at an age 2. Aging: advancing in age, or the concept of growing older 3. Ancient: aged, old-fashioned, or pertaining to long-ago times, or see venerable 4. Anile: pertaining to or resembling an old woman, or see senile 5. Antiquated: of advanced age, or out of fashion or style 6. Archaic: pertaining to an earlier time 7. Dated: old-fashioned; also, provided with a date 8. Decrepit: infirm because of old age, or dilapidated, run down, or worn out 9. Dà ©modà ©: unfashionable 10. Demoded: see dà ©modà © 11. Doddering: see senile 12. Elderly: pertaining to the late period of life, or old-fashioned 13. Fossilized: see outmoded; also, fixed or rigid, or converted into a fossil 14. Geriatric: old or out of style, or pertaining to older people or to the process of aging 15. Kaput: outmoded; also, broken, or defeated or destroyed 16. Long lived: characterized by a long life span 17. Medieval: see antiquated and outmoded; also, pertaining to the Middle Ages in Europe 18. Moribund: inactive, obsolete, or nearing death 19. Mossy: see antiquated; also, something similar to moss, or covered by moss or something similar 20. Moth eaten: see antiquated and outmoded; also, eaten by moths or their larvae 21. Noachian: see ancient and antiquated; also, pertaining to Noah or the era in which he lived 22. Neolithic: old-fashioned because a holdover from another era; also, a scientific term (always capitalized) referring to the later Stone Age 23. Obsolete: old-fashioned, or no longer useful; also, in biology, flawed or vestigial in comparison to similar features 24. Out of date: see outmoded 25. Outdated: see outmoded 26. Outmoded: out of style, or not acceptable or current 27. Outworn: see outmoded 28. Overage: too old to be of use, or older than normal 29. Over the hill: advanced in age, or past one’s prime 30. Passà ©: past one’s prime, and see outmoded 31. Prehistoric: see outmoded; also, in archaeology and language, from before written history 32. Quaint: old-fashioned; also, odd, elegant, or skillfully designed 33. Retro: see retrograde (however, the short form is from the French term rà ©trospectif, not from retrograde) 34. Retrograde: fashionable nostalgic, or trendily old-fashioned; also, various technical senses of moving backward or contrary to normal motion 35. Rusty: clumsy or slow due to old age or lack of practice 36. Senescent: old, or becoming old; also, the part of a plant’s life cycle from full maturity onward 37. Senile: pertaining to old age, especially to loss of mental faculties 38. Senior: older, or older than another; also, someone in the highest level in an institution or organization or with high rank or status 39. Spavined: see decrepit; also, afflicted with swelling 40. Stone Age: a period or a stage in the development of a field or institution considered old or old-fashioned; also, in archeology, the earliest period of human culture (always capitalized in both senses) 41. Superannuated: older than is typical, disqualified for active duty because of age, or old-fashioned 42. Tottery: infirm or precarious 43. Unyoung: old 44. Venerable: prompting respect because of age and attendant wisdom or skill, or impressive because of age; also, sacred or deserving of reverence 45. Vintage: old or old-fashioned; also, among the best (said of a particular person or thing), or of enduring interest or worth Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1Taser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?How to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children... and Your CEO

Dantes Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dantes Inferno - Essay Example .." subordinator, and ending with main clauses that open with "so..." Rendered by a single translator, these similes tie together disparate styles encountered between analogies; codified by a recurring language of analogy, they give us a dark comfort just as Homer's tropes of analogy--"Wine dark sea," "Rose fingered dawn"--comfort us. If we can safely assume that what we have accomplished sounds better than prose, can we also believe that we have dislodged Dante's sense little enough to justify the effort It all comes down to no more and no less than that. It seems fair to conclude with a test case. Here is the lovely simile, a mixture of Virgilian pastoral and everyday Tuscan agricultural elements that opens Inferno 24, first in John Sinclair's prose, and then in our free verse. The situation is this: Virgil has been irritated by the mocking of his intelligence by the shade of a Jovial Friar from Bologna, since he had been tricked by a devil and almost gotten Dante killed in an ambush: Dante's style changes with different speakers and settings, and the translator must adjust his style to suit that variety. Francesca's mode in telling of the love that brought her to hell, is very different from the tone Ulysses uses in recalling how he inspired his men to follow him to the ends of the earth. Bertran de Born, holding his head up like a lantern as he tells his sin, has a voice very different from Ugolino's expression of pain and vicious fury. Language and mood shift with the shifting canvas. The simile of the arsenal in Venice as the workmen caulk their unsound ships' with viscous pitch' which introduces the scene devoted to the devils of barratry is different in language and mood from the hoarfrost' image of a country scene evoked to describe the protagonist's feelings of relief at seeing Virgil smile again. Dante succeeds in commemorating not only the paramount movement from visual to verbal levels but the contrary movement from the verbal surface to the picture or vision that lies behind it. The acrostics are something between writing and picture. They have neither the differentiated articulation of a discursive argument nor the representative density of a picture, nor are they as schematic as a diagram, although their numerological distribution has diagrammatic elements. They instantiate rather the locus of a contest among the arts. On the side of vision is the immediacy that places as a picture in "logical space" the Dantean message of man's connection with pride--the fundamental sin. Vision, not discourse, is that toward which the power of the poet

Psychological pressure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychological pressure - Essay Example In case the pressure has grown or has an everlasting effect, it may cause psychological illness or long term chronic diseases. Pressure can be as a result of both daily responsibilities and routine events, or it can as well be caused by unusual events such as illness or trauma of oneself or family member. Human body highly respond to psychological pressure by releasing stress hormones (such as epinephrine) which in turn increases blood pressure, increases speed heart rate, and raises blood sugar level (Dambacher and HÃ ¼bner, 13). In order to perceive threats a person acts on the changes with greater strength and speed. It is therefore essential to learn how to deal and handle those pressures. However, a person has to clearly understand the causes of psychological pressure. This is to aid reduce the negative impact of pressure in people’s lives enabling them to live a more healthy lives. By meeting live threatening events, people have the kind of oppressive feeling of psychological pressure which at times is represented by cognitive, emotion and behavioral responses. Psychological pressure has shown can cause stress and research has indicated that people who have suffered long term effect of stress can develop digestive problems, fertility problems, urinary complications, and a low immune system. The impact is large such that they are also more prone to viral infections such has flu or common cold and headaches, sleep disorders, depression and also anxiety. Psychological pressure can be caused by social or cultural factors and shifts; it can as well be as a result of psychological changes or physiological shifts, including required socialization changes. It can be as a result of traumatic experience that happened suddenly or some chronic tension. Situations such as unfavorable working conditions, financial breakdowns, death of family members or a friend, divorce or separation of spouse, are always greater contribution of psychological

ECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ECONOMICS - Essay Example It will be indeed an insightful experience to delve on the ideologies and factors that made the Western Europe the crucible of economic development, social welfare and political liberalism, while pushing the Eastern Europe in the background, marred by economic underdevelopment, large scale dearth and poverty and pervasive autocratic regimes. The good thing is that one could readily identify a series of salient influences responsible for such massive differences in these two land masses. However, it is not strictly possible to arrange these events and influences in a sharp and certain chronological arrangement because many of them tend to overlap each other. Hence, in an academic scenario, the disparities between what is known as the Western Civilization and its twin brother, the Eastern Europe are to a large extent the progeny of a range of influences and events like the Industrial Revolution, the interplay of capitalism and communism, the Soviet Revolution, the Great Depression, Wor ld War II, Cold War, Globalization, to name just a few. Industrial Revolution indeed happened to be a turning point in the history of 19th century Europe. However, the historical literature is replete with conjectures as to what made the Industrial Revolution have such a widespread sway in the Western Europe and North America, while it left the Eastern Europe largely untouched. Industrial Revolution that began in Britain soon spread across Western Europe and North America. One plausible reason why the Industrial Revolution had its genesis in the Western Europe is the cultural and economic influences of Renaissance that left the Western Europe in possession of the requisite capital and the popular mindset required to fuel it (Stearns 5). In contrast the Eastern Europe largely remained bereft of such influences. Besides, the Western Europe was less stymied by autocratic regimes, absolute monarchies and political instability, unlike the Eastern Europe, which allowed the Western nations to dedicate their efforts and resources to the task of fomenting economic growth and development (Stearns 54). Contrary to this the Eastern Europe evinced much political instability in the times which if given a change could have drastically altered its economy and culture. The socio-political environment of the 19th century Western Europe was amply conducive for the technological breakthroughs that fueled the Industrial Revolution (Stearns 44). Besides, the influx of the Industrial Revolution in the Western Europe gave way to a propitious cycle that led to widespread alterations in the cultural norms and values, making the West European nations more egalitarian, progressive and forward looking. Yet, this was not the case with Eastern Europe that largely remained parochial, insulated and agricultural, failing to open up its gates to the influences that were altering its Western sibling. The other big factor that stimulated the Industrial Revolution in the Western Europe was the fac t that the nations in this region happened to be dominant colonizing powers that had under their sway many colonies that furnished the much needed resources and raw materials required to support the ongoing Industrial Revolution (Stearns 36). In contrast the East European nations had no record of being colonizing powers, a factor that could have made them look for inspiration beyond their borders. The other big fa

Personal Savings Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Savings Strategies - Assignment Example I can possible save over $50 a month if I control my impulsive buys. My gasoline expenses are high because my SUV vehicle wastes a lot of gas. I could invest in acquiring a hybrid vehicle that gives at least 40 miles per gallon. My gasoline expenses would be reduced by at least 60% by acquiring an economical vehicle. My personal savings plan starts by establishing a realistic goal of how much I must can save based on my personal expenses. My personal income is $2000 a month. I must add my variable and fixed expenses to determine a budget that exceeds my expenses. People that spend more than what they earn are always in debt because they finance their excess living expenses through debt instruments such as credit cards. The table below shows my financial personal plan based on my income and expenses. The budget above is my best estimate of my monthly expenses. The two tactics I’m going to use are lower my clothes and entertainment expense by $50 and to lower my gasoline expenses. I will trade in my SUV for a used vehicle that gives 40 mpg. The value of my vehicle is above $20,000, thus I have some options to achieve my goals without having to increase my budget by buying a new car. I expect to obtain a gas savings of 60% which would lower my monthly gasoline expenses from $300 to $120 month. The new budget of the next five years is illustrated below: My new monthly budget will allow me to save $230 a month. My total yearly savings are $2760 a month. A conservative estimate for the next five years is that my savings will continue at the same rate for the next five years. The reason that the estimate is conservative is because my income will increase due to a higher level of educational attainment. The same assumption will be applied for the 10 year and 20 year financial goals. Based on a 2% interest in savings for the next 5 years my