“Poets help us by discovering and uncovering the world-its history, culture, arifacts, and ecology, as well as our identities and relationships.” ~Wallace Stevens IN APRIL by Rainer Maria Rilke translated by Jessie Lamont Again the woods are odorous, the lark Lifts on upsoaring wings the heaven gray That hung above the tree-tops, veiled and dark, …
Category Archive: English Language
Dec 12
12/12/12: Themes of My Life
These are the twelve themes or ideas or motifs that God has placed in my heart, and consequently the 12 Big Ideas that appear most often here on Semicolon. 1. Books. I have a houseful of books I read lots and lots of books, probably over 100 per year. I love books; I live inside …
Apr 18
Wednesday’s Word of the Week: Defenestrate
My daughter and I think it’s funny that there’s a word for throwing someone or something out of a window: defenestrate. The word comes from Latin: de for down and fenestra for window, and it’s a transitive verb. So, you can defenestrate your garbage or your mother-in-law. “There have been many defenestrations over the course …
Apr 08
Links During Lent
I was feeding my fascinations, even during my Lenten blogging break. Book Lists: Top 50 Books for Children by Lorna Bradbury at The Telegraph (British). The 50 Best Books for Kids by Elizabeth Bird. World Literature That High School Students Actually Want to Read at The Reading Zone. John C. Wright: 50 Essential Authors of …
Feb 23
Polyglots and Hyperpolyglots
In the author’s note at the end of The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead (Semicolon review here), Mr. Lawhead writes about Thomas Young, a polymath of the 18th and early 19th centuries who is also a character in the book: “Born in the tiny village of Milverton in SOmerset, England, he was an infant prodigy, …
Oct 26
Wednesday’s Word of the Week Galimaufry
So far, I’ve used a gallimaufry of words for my Wednesday’s Word of the Week feature: flanerie, vatic, pavid, galactagogue, snollygoster, apophenia. Can you use all seven words of the week in one (halfway intelligible) sentence? This week’s word comes from ListVerse via Brandywine Books. The post where I found my word for the week …
Sep 14
Wednesday’s Word of the Week: Galactagogue
A relative of mine posted this word on Facebook yesterday. That’s all, just the word. It’s not a word I’ve ever heard or used. I tried to figure out what it meant, and I thought of several possible definitions. Then, I decided this word would be a good candidate for that dictionary game where everyone …
Sep 01
Wednesday’s Word of the Week: Apophenia
First, I read this post at Ace of Spades about how climate change may lead to an increase in mental illness because, as far as I can tell, schoolchildren tend to get depressed at a greater rate after experiencing a hurricane or cyclone. The post ends with the word “apophenia”. Isn’t that a lovely word? …
Sep 20
WriteGuide: Individualized Writing Instruction for Homeschoolers
About a month and a half ago, the director of Writeguide, an online writing course for homeschoolers, asked if I would be interested in reviewing their program here at Semicolon. I looked at the website, thought it sounded like something that would be of interest to many homeschool families, and asked if one of my …
Aug 15
Sunday Salon: More Fascinating Stuff
1. I told you I’m a C.S. Lewis fanatic. And I could always use some writing tips. Thanks to Jessica at Homemaking Through the Church Year for the link to 8 Writing Tips from C.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote this advice on writing in answer to a letter from an American schoolgirl, so it ought to …
CYBILS
Preschool Curriculum:
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