We tend to use the word bug loosely for any very small creature with legs. However, a true bug is defined as belonging to the order Hemiptera. These creatures characteristically have tough forewings and lack teeth. True bugs have a stylet (a mouth shaped like a straw) that they use to suck juices from plants. Bugs are a type of insect, which belong to the class Insecta, and they are characterized by three-part bodies, usually …
You can teach yourself to be a better speller. It is important to realize that learning to spell is a process that is never complete. Spelling is something that everyone has to pay attention to and keep working at it.
There are eight major parts of speech. Nouns name persons, places, things, ideas, or qualities, e.g., Franklin, boy, Yangtze River, shoreline, Bible, desk, fear, happiness. Pronouns usually substitute for nouns and function as nouns, e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they, myself, this, that, who, which, everyone. Verbs express actions, occurrences, or states of being, e.g., be, become, bunt, inflate, run. Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns, e.g., …
Snow refers to the partially frozen water vapor which falls in flakes. The expression snow flurries refers to light, intermittent snowfall without significant accumulation. Snow flurries tend to come from stratiform clouds.Snow showers is the label used to refer to a short period of light-to-moderate snowfall, also characterized by a sudden beginning and ending. There is some accumulation with snow showers, and they fall from convective or cumuliform clouds. A snow squall is …
The words lawyer and attorney are often used as general terms for a person who gives legal advice and aid and who conducts suits in court. What’s the difference between an attorney and a lawyer? The American Bar Association does not differentiate between a lawyer and attorney. The ABA uses these terms interchangeably to refer to a person who can practice law. The American Bar …
If a new movie stars an actor you can’t stand, are you disinterested or uninterested in paying to go see it on opening night? These two words are often used interchangeably, but not by grammarians in the know. Do know the difference between disinterested and uninterested?
There’s one phrase motivating social media users everywhere. Maybe you’ve heard of relationship goals, or workout goals, but what about “squad goals?” Here’s the rundown.
Few words draw the ire of grammarians as swiftly as irregardless. The term has been in use in English for over a century, but whether or not it’s a “real word” or one you should use in daily conversation continues to be the subject of debate.Irregardless is a nonstandard synonym for regardless, which means “without concern as to advice, warning, or hardship,” or “heedless.” Its …
Does a plane home in on a target or hone in on it? Does a musician hone her skills or home them? Are these two verbs interchangeable or do they have discrete meanings? Today we explore the origins and uses of hone and home. Hone entered English as a noun for a pointed rock used as a landmark. In the 1400s, it began to be …
In efforts to beat the summer heat, you may have encountered two different spellings of the same scrumptious treat: sherbet and sherbert. Why do both forms exist, and which one is correct? Sherbet (pronounced “shur-bit”) is the standard American spelling for the frozen mixture made from fruit and an additive of either milk, egg white, or gelatin. It comes from the name of a Persian drink …
It’s hot again, up in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s that time of year when the sun shines its most unforgiving beams, baking the ground and, indeed, us. It’s the portion of summer known as the hottest time of the year. Or, more delightfully, the dog days. Contrary to common conjecture, the dog days do not take their peculiar name from weather that “isn’t fit for …
A surprising number of languages say yes—sometimes If there’s one thing you thought you knew about talking, it’s that speech is produced by pushing air out of the lungs, not by breathing in. But is that always true? This video shows a particular sound that means “yes” in Swedish, and it’s produced while inhaling: But it turns out that the Swedish inhaled “yes” sound is …