Thursday, November 20, 2008

Inconceivable

"Wallace Shawn on 'Gossip Girl'? It's not inconceivable."

I saw this sentence just a few minute ago on the arts section in the new york times.

in·con·ceiv·a·ble (ĭn'kən-sē'və-bəl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

1. Impossible to comprehend or grasp fully: inconceivable folly; an inconceivable disaster.

2. So unlikely or surprising as to have been thought impossible; unbelievable: an inconceivable victory against all odds.

EX) My country's currency rate is rapidly going up, it's inconceivable.
Sometimes, I feel inconceivable because before few years ago I could not imagine that I could come to U.S.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Despair

I found this word, when I read the essay which was "What is Poverty?".

"I have come out of my despair to tell you this."
In fact, I hate this word "Despair" People should have hope!

–noun
1. loss of hope; hopelessness.
2. someone or something that causes hopelessness: He is the despair of his mother.
–verb (used without object)
3. to lose, give up, or be without hope (often fol. by of): to despair of humanity.
–verb (used with object)
4. Obsolete. to give up hope of.

Ex) 1. He despaired of his job because his company declared finally bankrupt.
2. He is full of despair, so no one likes him.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Endowments

I found this in NY times and section was a Giving part.
Therefore, the subtitle was just like below. 

With endowments and donations in decline, some institutions and charities are worried.

Endowments
n.  
1. The act of endowing.
2. Funds or property donated to an institution, individual, or group as a source of income.
3. A natural gift, ability, or quality.

These days, many people are not generous to spend money for endowments.
Why parents may assent to donate their endowments for charities? 

Monday, November 3, 2008

Grim

I chose this word because this word could find easily in newspaper.
"Automakers Report Grim October Sales"

Grim

adj., grim·mer, grim·mest.
  1. Unrelenting; rigid.
  2. Uninviting or unnerving in aspect; forbidding: “undoubtedly the grimmest part of him was his iron claw” (J.M. Barrie).
  3. Ghastly; sinister: “He made a grim jest at the horrifying nature of his wound” (Reginald Pound). See synonyms at ghastly.
  4. Dismal; gloomy: a grim, rainy day.
  5. Ferocious; savage: the grim advance of the pillaging army.
Ex) The news about cancer is not entirely grim.
       It's not just a grim business.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Scramble

I found this word when I read the article of election in the NY times. 

"Outspent and under siege in a hostile political climate, Congressional Republicans scrambled this weekend to save embattled incumbents in an effort to hold down expected Democratic gains in the House and Senate on Tuesday."

Scramble

v.
-bled-bling-bles.

v.intr.
  1. To move or climb hurriedly, especially on the hands and knees.
  2. To struggle or contend frantically in order to get something: scrambled for the best seats.
  3. To take off with all possible haste, as to intercept enemy aircraft.
  4. Football.
    1. To run around with the ball behind the line of scrimmage in order to avoid being tackled while searching for an open receiver.
    2. To run forward with the ball when unable to complete an intended pass play. Used of a quarterback.
v.tr.
  1. To mix or throw together haphazardly.
  2. To gather together in a hurried or disorderly fashion.
  3. To cook (beaten eggs) until firm but with a soft consistency.
  4. Electronics. To distort or garble (a signal) so as to render it unintelligible without a special receiver.
  5. To cause (aircraft) to take off as fast as possible, as to intercept enemy aircraft.
n.
  1. The act or an instance of scrambling.
  2. An arduous hike or climb over rough terrain.
  3. An unceremonious scuffle or struggle.
  4. Sports. See motocross.
  5. A swift takeoff of military aircraft in response to an alert or attack.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

evade (example)

another example from class:

I found this word when I read an article on National Geographic online.

-'The skill could help the fish evade dragonfly predators.'

In this case, this word is used for the meaning of 'escape'.

You can use this word for the meaning of 'cheating on smb's tax'. In that case, you can say 'He evade $1 million in taxes!'.

comments:
1. I found three more meanings
1. not talk about something ; to avoid talking about sth, especially because you are trying to hide sTh
EX: I could tell that he was trying to evade the issue.

2. not do something ; to not do or deal with something that you should do
EX: You're simply trying to evade the problem.

3. if something evades you, you cannot do it or understand it (synonym elude)
EX: The subtleties of his argument evaded me.

2. Hmm.. We also know the word 'invade' means that to break into other's area without their permission. Is the word '-vade' related to those meanings?

feel free to comment and answer that question!

volatile (example)

(here's an example post from my class)

I heard this word from V.O.A and also from a historical document of fire on TV

The story is about financial cresis.
The stock market is volatile...

This has meaning of
1. evaporating rapidly (chemically)
2. changeable (situation)

ex.
The nitrogen is volatile so it can be changed into gas at even low boiling temperature.

comments:
1. I think I saw the product "volatile" at gas staion.
I'm not sure but this word reminds me of some product.

2. 'Volatility' is a noun which related to 'volatile'.
'Volatility' is kind of indicator which shows how easily smth change.
This indicator is used in the case of calculating the parity(=theorically fair price) of stocks or financial derivatives.

Welcome!

This site is my new dream, and I'm passionate about it! I want to connect international students studying English in Philadelphia with high school and community college students in Philadelphia and are working hard to educate themselves, sometimes in less than perfect schools. As a mentor in the Guiding Youth to Careers program at University City High School, I got to know several wonderful students who did not get enough vocabulary instruction in high school, in my opinion. It's hard for these two groups of Philadelphians to meet and interact, but they have so much in common and so much to learn from each other!

The format for the site grew out of an activity developed by Joanna Ghosh at UPenn's English Language Programs: the Vocab discussion board. Students in a class have to post 2 words every week that they have seen, heard, or read. The best words are those that seem to be important to know, that you feel like you've heard, but that you don't quite know the meaning or usage of. Students then comment on 4 of their classmate's words every week. Sometimes we discuss "hard words" that we read in articles or hear on the radio, and sometimes we talk about phrasal verbs and informal or slang words. Everyone should post about words they don't know, but you can comment on words you do know to help people understand them better.

Posts should include:
- the word
- where you heard or found it
- a definition
- the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.)
- an example sentence

Comments can be:
- an example sentence that you heard or made up
- a question
- more info about the etymology (historical development) or meaning of the word
- more info about the usage of the word. For example, what other words does it go with? When should we use it and when should we not use it?
- a comparison of the word to other similar words
- anything else you want to say

Have fun and let me know if you have questions or comments! Thanks for helping me realize my dream (make my dream a reality)!