Foot words

I am increasingly stunned by the debt English owes to Latin and Greek.  Perhaps this is simply because I never seriously studied vocabulary as a child.  Perhaps this, for everyone else, is general knowledge.  Perhaps everyone knows Latin and Greek dumped boatloads of...

Tip of the Week #12

One of my favorite quotes comes from The Pledge, by Michael Masterson.     “Words matter.  They help us define meaning.  We think with words.  We learn with words.  Words are the fundamental tools we use for communicating.  If we use them well, we can cut, and shape,...

Latin is a mountain.

I received this question: “My girls are working on Visual Latin 1 this year and enjoying it.  I’m a little worried about next year and VL 2 as they are mostly following but I am noticing it getting a bit harder for them.  If they enrolled in one of your...

Productivity tips from the pro.

Ready for some productivity tips from the pro? Michael Masterson is one of my favorite authors.  He gets more done than both of us together.  The guy is a productivity machine.  In this interview, he details the method to his madness. Worth an hour of your time....

Chevalier

Chevalier: In the old days, a chevalier was a knight. This definition is now considered obsolete. Instead, a chevalier is now a gallant, or chivalrous man. A chevalier can also be someone who keeps their word. You can see the root meaning if you look closely. After...

Use the right word!

If you are not sure about the meaning of a word, do not use the word.  People notice.  Consider this example from the book, How to Sound Clever: Master the 600 English Words You Pretend to Understand When You Don’t: “A couple of years ago, I was in a meeting...