Confusing words

I have sometimes mentioned Random Idea English, as one of the leading blogs on the net for advanced English learners.

It was through Random Idea English that I came across this resource from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Top 10 commonly confused words, volumen 1 and
Top 10 commonly confused words, volumen 2.

What's the difference between flaunt and flout, and  between affect/effect, desert/dessert, stationary/stationery, flak/flack, It's/its, pore/pour, fewer/less, flounder/founder, principle/principal?

Click on the picture below or on the link above and check if you really know the difference.

Similarly, click on Top 10 commonly confused words, volumen 2 for another list.

Name that thing

Name that thing is a vocabulary online game from Merriam-Webster Dictionary I learnt about through ESL Writing.

Just a word of warning: This is tough. Good luck!

Blockbuster game

This is an online version of the famous Blocbuster game. Click on the flashing letter and answer the question that will pop up. If words don't come easy, you can always click on the "answer" button.

Great game for vocabulary revision purposes.

H/T to DDeubel.

KeyMaba -Vocabulary game

KeyMaba challenges you to make associations between everyday words.

Each game begins with a teaser clue followed by 10 clues. The goal is to connect the one word that links the 10 clues.

The quicker you guess your answers, the more points you gain.

Spend only one minute reading the instructions for the game and be ready to put your grasp of English vocabulary to the test.

KeyMaba is a challenging and motivating game for advanced students of English.

Words of the Year

The New York Times has published their pick of Words of the Year. Buzzwords in 2010 were vuvuzela, Belieber, double rainbow, inception, and many more.

Read all about it in this thorough article and grab the chance to update your English vocabulary with the newest words and expressions.

12 ways to learn vocabulary with The New York Times

This article from The New York Times should be of interest to all English language learners, especially if they are preparing for an exam.

Idioms

Idioms are one of the most difficult areas of English for students. We spend lots of time memorising them, and when the time comes, either we have forgotten them or are unsure about their use or use them wrongly. The BBC learning English site has this wonderful idioms section where we can learn a few of them while we develop our listening skills.

Fun with phrasal verbs

Interesting slideshow by Janet Bianchini. Although it is intended for showing English teachers the way they can integrate technology in their daily classes, advanced English learners can benefit dramatically from all the vocabulary and explanations Janet provides us with.

Remember, at some stage language development is just a matter of an increase in our grasp of vocabulary and of being exposed to English as often as we can.

You may need to download the presentation to be able to watch some of the animations on the slideshow.

3rd Virtual Round Table Conference 2010: Fun with Phrasal Verbs

View more presentations from Janet Bianchini.

If phrasal verbs is your top priority, don't miss Phrasal Veb Demon, an extraordinary site by Spanish teacher Juan Antonio Pérez Herrera.

Words

Watch this Radiolab video and just enjoy it. You may agree with me about the striking power the images have on the viewer.



Now watch the video again and do the vocabulary activity that David Deubelbeiss suggests to us. It has to do with collocations. David has divided the video into eight different parts. You must decide which words and expressions that collocate with the head word in each of the sections are actually shown on the video. For example, for the first section, we can see the following actions on the video:

Play - play football, play ball, playground, play music, play fight, play the trumpet

You can find the activity worksheet here and the key to the activity here.