Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Spelling!

50 Commonly Misspelled Words
How will you score? (I got 15 wrong. I am a bad person. :( )

Commonly Confused Words Test
Take it! (I scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 86% Expert; decent, but again, not as well as I should've done, considering my degree. :/ )

Merriam-Webster daily spelling quiz
(I had
"Definition: a light stroking movement used in massage
Pronunciation information: eff-luh-RAHZH"

"Definition: a designer who creates surface decoration by inlaying small pieces of variously colored material
Pronunciation information: moh-ZAY-uh-sist"
&
"Definition: levied or granted at so much per head
Pronunciation information: kap-uh-TADE-um"
and only got the 2nd. :/ I'm doing poorly, by my standards! :(= )

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Aptonyms

Aptonyms are "people whose names and occupations or situations (e.g., workplace) have a close correspondence." [source]
Here are some sites that demonstrate real people with aptonyms:
*Like a glove
*Aptonyms & Aptronyms
*Wikipedia article

And here are some of my favorites:
*Anna Smashnova, tennis player
*Dan Druff, barber
*C. Sharpe Minor, an organist
*former Archbishop of Manila, Jaime L. Sin, known as "Cardinal Sin"
*Tony Dedman, former bomb disposal expert with the army and Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad
*Candy Baggs, confectionary sales
*Robin Banks, credit card specialist
*Diane Berry, mortician
*Sue Donim, author

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Halloween Myths

The season's just past, but here's a site compiling Halloween urban legends, such as:

* A suicide by hanging is mistaken for a Halloween decoration.
* The legend(s) of Bloody Mary.
&
* News stories from this year's Halloween.