TED resources
The true story of ‘true’
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-true-story-of-true-gina-cooke The older the word, the longer (and more fascinating) the story. With roots in Old English, ‘true’ shares etymological ancestors with words like betroth and truce…but also with the word tree. In fact, trees have been metaphors
Read More
Why we say “OK”
How a cheesy joke from the 1830s became the most widely spoken word in the world. OK is thought to be the most widely recognized word on the planet. We use it to communicate with each other, as well as
Read More
Where do new words come from?
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-new-words-come-from-marcel-danesi There are over 170,000 words currently in use in the English language. Yet every year, about a thousand new words are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Where do they come from, and how do they make
Read More
The wicked wit of Jane Austen
Whether she’s describing bickering families, quiet declarations of love, or juicy gossip, Jane Austen’s writing often feels as though it was written just for you. Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness informs her heroines, whose conversational tone welcomes readers with
Read More