Emotions and Body Language 45 ways to avoid using the word 'very' Writers Write is your one-stop resource for writers. Use these 45 ways to avoid using the word ‘very’ to improve your writing. Good writers avoid peppering their writing with qualifiers like ‘very’ and ‘really’. They are known as padding or filler words and generally add little to your writing. According to Collins Dictionary: ‘Padding is unnecessary words or information used to make a piece of writing or a speech longer. Synonyms include: waffle, hot air, verbiage, wordiness.’ Adding modifiers, qualifiers, and unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, weakens your writing. This post gives you 45 ways to avoid using the padding word ‘very’. Three Telling Quotes About ‘Very’ “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. If you enjoyed this, you will love: Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course. by Amanda Patterson © Amanda Patterson
Synonyms for words commonly used in student's writing Amazing- incredible, unbelievable, improbable, fabulous, wonderful, fantastic, astonishing, astounding, extraordinary Anger- enrage, infuriate, arouse, nettle, exasperate, inflame, madden Angry- mad, furious, enraged, excited, wrathful, indignant, exasperated, aroused, inflamed Answer- reply, respond, retort, acknowledge Ask- question, inquire of, seek information from, put a question to, demand, request, expect, inquire, query, interrogate, examine, quiz Awful- dreadful, terrible, abominable, bad, poor, unpleasant Beautiful - pretty, lovely, handsome, attractive, gorgeous, dazzling, splendid, magnificent, comely, fair, ravishing, graceful, elegant, fine, exquisite, aesthetic, pleasing, shapely, delicate, stunning, glorious, heavenly, resplendent, radiant, glowing, blooming, sparkling Begin - start, open, launch, initiate, commence, inaugurate, originate Brave - courageous, fearless, dauntless, intrepid, plucky, daring, heroic, valorous, audacious, bold, gallant, valiant, doughty, mettlesome
12 Awesome Language Resources for the Word Nerd I’m an unabashed word nerd. I majored in English and have been a high school English teacher for almost 30 years. I run an online program helping homeschoolers develop writing skills, and I manage this wordy blog and a wordy Facebook page. Here are a dozen of my favorite resources. I own three fat dictionaries, and on just about every word question, I consult all three. The first Webster’s Dictionary was published in 1928. The last unabridged dictionary published by Merriam-Webster is their rather controversial Third New International Dictionary of the English Language that was published in 1961. In the meantime, they keep revising their abridged but useful Collegiate Dictionary–now in it’s 11th iteration. The American-Heritage Dictionary is noticeably more conservative and prescriptive than the Merriam-Webster. I particularly like the many usage notes included in this Dictionary. The OED is one of the most famed and impressive books ever created. Bryan A. 1: Rejected 2: Widely shunned
Gestures and Body Language Hey there! Lots of writers liked my list of facial expressions, so I thought I would do a companion post about gestures and body language. Describing these can help readers visualize a scene and get a feel for the characters, and again, they can set up lines of dialogue so you don’t have a string of he said, she said, he asked, she exclaimed, etc., running down the page. You might want to consider which gestures or what body language is typical for each of your characters. For a great guide to what body language means, I recommend What Every BODY Is Saying, by former FBI counterintelligence offer Joe Navarro and body language expert Marvin Karlins. Some of the things in my list are not exactly body language or gestures, but are useful for dialogue tags. Let me know if you have additions to this list, which is after the jump! he lowered his head she hung her head he ducked she bowed her head he covered his eyes with a hand she pressed her hands to her cheeks Like this: Like Loading... Related
10 Important Google URLs That Every Google User Should Know Which websites and apps have background access to my Google account? What does Google know about me? Where can I see all the ads that I’ve clicked on Google search? What does Google know about the places I’ve visited recently? Where should I go if I have forgotten the administrator password for Google Apps? Here are some of the most important links that every Google user should know about. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Bonus: For Google Apps Administrators This is important but undocumented URL for Google Apps users.
The IKEA Dictionary By Lars Petrus This site is not affiliated with IKEA in any way. Part of what makes IKEA unique is their product names. Until now! IKEA product names fall into a few main groups.❞ Proper Swedish words.❞ Improper Swedish words. Even the defined words can be incomplete (or wrong), since the words are deliberately ambigious, and several places have the same name. AGAM❞the Agama Agama lizardW AGEN✖a city in France? AGNARYD✖uninhabited place in Småland AKURUM★a kind of big bottle used by the Turkana people in east Africa AKUT❞acute ❞emergency room ALG❞alga (singular of algae)W ALLAK✖mountain in arctic Sweden ALSVIK✖place in Stockholm archipelago ALVE☺Old Swedish boy name ALÄNG✖part of the town of Västervik in Sweden AMON★seems like this is the Egyptian deity Amun-RaW APELSKÄR✖Swedish island on south east coast ARHOLMA✖an island in the Stockholm archipelago ARILD✖part of the city of Höganäs, Sweden ARV❞inheritance ❞heritage ASKER✖Norwegian city near Oslo ASPUDDEN✖Stockholm neighborhood and subway station
Five-Minute Film Festival: 8 Interactive Video Tools for Engaging Learners It's no secret that I am a passionate advocate for using video in the classroom. When used well, videos can help students make connections to people and ideas beyond their usual frame of reference. That's why I've been really excited to see a wave of new (and mostly free or low-cost!) tech tools recently that enable teachers to take favorite clips and make them more valuable for educational use. Whether you use videos to flip your classroom or you just appreciate the power of video to engage kids, maybe one of the tools in my playlist below will help you go deeper in 2014. Video Playlist: Tools to Enhance Videos for Learning You may notice my playlist below looks a little different this time; I'm embedding using a great tool called Huzzaz, reviewed below. More Resources on Using Video in the Classroom Reviews and Guides for Interactive Video Tools Sources and Ideas for Using Videos in the Classroom
How To Use Google For Hacking Google serves almost 80 percent of all search queries on the Internet, proving itself as the most popular search engine. However Google makes it possible to reach not only the publicly available information resources, but also gives access to some of the most confidential information that should never have been revealed. In this post I will show how to use Google for exploiting security vulnerabilities within websites. 1. There exists many security cameras used for monitoring places like parking lots, college campus, road traffic etc. which can be hacked using Google so that you can view the images captured by those cameras in real time. inurl:”viewerframe? Click on any of the search results (Top 5 recommended) and you will gain access to the live camera which has full controls. you now have access to the Live cameras which work in real-time. intitle:”Live View / – AXIS” Click on any of the search results to access a different set of live cameras. 2. filetype:xls inurl:”email.xls” 3. “? 4.
Transitional Words & Phrases Using transitional words and phraseshelps papers read more smoothly, and at the same time allows the reader to flow more smoothly from one point to the next. Transitions enhance logical organization and understandabilityand improve the connections between thoughts. They indicate relations,whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper. This list illustrates categories of "relationships" between ideas,followed by words and phrases that can make the connections: Addition: also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly When there is a trusting relationship coupled with positive reinforcement, the partners will be able to overcome difficult situations. Consequence:accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore Highway traffic came to a stop as a result of an accident that morning. The children were very happy.
How Ancient Cultures Used Healing Crystals And Stones As written by Stephanie Lucas on QuantumStones| “In a crystal we have clear evidence of the existence of a formative life principle, and though we cannot understand the life of a crystal, it is nontheless a living being”. This is a quote from his work “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy” by Nikola Tesla written in the year 1900. Crystals have been thought to be alive and possess healing powers, and many ancient cultures took this to be just another fact of life. Today, we understand that all things in the universe are forms of energy with their own vibration – including crystals. The ancients didn’t have access to the enlightening scientific information that we have today concerning the power of healing crystals. Minerals, gems, and crystals have been used for millennia to enhance emotional, physical and spiritual balance. Roman Culture: Talismans and amulets of crystal were typical amongst Romans. What We Know Now About Healing Crystals Share and Enjoy