Communicating with words

Communicating with words

Words are the building blocks of our communication whether we speak them or write them. Words are the means by which other people understand our thoughts and ideas. Without words to express what we want to communicate we become frustrated. The sad thing is we are losing words from our language faster than you think. Do you know why? Archaic words In this animation you will see a number or words that are no longer used or are used rarely. See if you have heard any of them. Drop the terms to the definitions to see if you have a match.

Lost words

A cartoon character of a roman aristocrat stands bewildered with his sandal undone and the leather thong that would have wound around his leg is tangled around his ankle. He calls; Could somebody come and tie my latchet?

The list of rare words in the previous animation was gathered from a random glance through a dictionary published only in 1962 and it only represents half the alphabet. The only words chosen in that list were naming words (nouns) and words of action (verbs). Some words like "latchet" have disappeared because we do not wear leather sandals with straps up our legs any more. They went out with the Romans! Other words though, like "mottle" or "haver" are words that we have stopped using through laziness.

New and troublesome words

Many new words in the English language have appeared as new technologies have arisen and as new social movements have developed. Watch the animation and then see if you can match the terms to the definitions.

Spell check 1

When we communicate in writing it is important to spell correctly. Imagine how distracting you would find it if you were absorbed in your favourite novel and then found a page littered with spelling mistakes. It would be as distracting as listening to a song where certain words are mispronounced! So, test your spelling. Don't be too concerned if you get some of the words wrong. Focus on those that you get correct and then try again. If you are persistent you are certain to learn and succeed!

Spell check 2

Now try the second spelling game. You will need to be familiar with the words in this spelling game as they are all related to our use of the English language. If you are having trouble with a word try again or ask a friend. Spelling requires practice. Just remember that if you practice the words often enough they will become second nature to you.