Growing vocabulary is easier than it's ever been because of the plethora of dictionary resources available online. In the sad and pitiful old days when we walked barefoot in the snow to school, there were only paper dictionaries and the biggest ones were so heavy as to be dangerous to small children. Maybe you remember the biggest ones in libraries and no kid is getting up if one of those lands on him. The little bastard will be lucky if he even lives.
The most immediate resource on a Mac system is built-in and is obtained via CTRL-click on any selected word for a Look Up option to find it in the dictionary. This is moderately effective but it misses a surprising number of words. Even so, it's a quick answer and we want that pop, pop, pop dictionary because we're so damn busy, busy, busy. It does give the pop so I use it and quite a lot.
If that fails then using word-I-want def on the browser command bar will pull up a quick definition to read immediately along with a list of links to dictionaries. One way or the other, I can drill the word down as far as I like to find its meaning, spelling, origin, etc. This is all still pop, pop, pop too since the browser is running so typing something on the command line will take minimal clicks.
This probably sounds like I'm building a sales pitch and if you buy it now then I'll throw in a free toaster but there's no selling. It's just that the difference between the old way with books and now online access is dazzling and I find my tendency to validate anything about a word is vastly higher than it would have been if I had to look it up physically. If there's even the question of the shade of a word's meaning, pop, and it's validated. The regulars have seen I love words and the ability to know them with such precision as comes with the online technology is a much-appreciated capability.
I'm probably more dazzled than most because of a long-time interest in writing and also my memory of older ways with dictionaries. The irony is retention is not what it was when we were young but keeping it as fresh as possible is still effortless.
If there's any sales pitch, it's try it since you might like it. I know my vocabulary can be intimidating and it's not usually deliberate but sometimes it is and the ease of lookups online is a large part of what at least keeps it that way; it may, to some extent, build it even yet. There's not a lot I really like a lot about the Internet but this is definitely one of them since building vocabulary has become so easy.
The irony is people don't and the vocabulary of the young 'uns is, in general, abysmal. You have seen they fancy they have invented a Brave New World speedspeak with their texting but you have also seen their language is rubbish with limited ability to communicate much of anything beyond simple and banal concepts. It's evolution in action ... or something.
We have something for them, tho:
It's a moviehouse for people who are too lazy to get out of their chairs if they want to take a leak during the movie. It should be perfect for texters.
The most immediate resource on a Mac system is built-in and is obtained via CTRL-click on any selected word for a Look Up option to find it in the dictionary. This is moderately effective but it misses a surprising number of words. Even so, it's a quick answer and we want that pop, pop, pop dictionary because we're so damn busy, busy, busy. It does give the pop so I use it and quite a lot.
If that fails then using word-I-want def on the browser command bar will pull up a quick definition to read immediately along with a list of links to dictionaries. One way or the other, I can drill the word down as far as I like to find its meaning, spelling, origin, etc. This is all still pop, pop, pop too since the browser is running so typing something on the command line will take minimal clicks.
This probably sounds like I'm building a sales pitch and if you buy it now then I'll throw in a free toaster but there's no selling. It's just that the difference between the old way with books and now online access is dazzling and I find my tendency to validate anything about a word is vastly higher than it would have been if I had to look it up physically. If there's even the question of the shade of a word's meaning, pop, and it's validated. The regulars have seen I love words and the ability to know them with such precision as comes with the online technology is a much-appreciated capability.
I'm probably more dazzled than most because of a long-time interest in writing and also my memory of older ways with dictionaries. The irony is retention is not what it was when we were young but keeping it as fresh as possible is still effortless.
If there's any sales pitch, it's try it since you might like it. I know my vocabulary can be intimidating and it's not usually deliberate but sometimes it is and the ease of lookups online is a large part of what at least keeps it that way; it may, to some extent, build it even yet. There's not a lot I really like a lot about the Internet but this is definitely one of them since building vocabulary has become so easy.
The irony is people don't and the vocabulary of the young 'uns is, in general, abysmal. You have seen they fancy they have invented a Brave New World speedspeak with their texting but you have also seen their language is rubbish with limited ability to communicate much of anything beyond simple and banal concepts. It's evolution in action ... or something.
We have something for them, tho:
It's a moviehouse for people who are too lazy to get out of their chairs if they want to take a leak during the movie. It should be perfect for texters.
No comments:
Post a Comment