Chris Pirillo » dictionary

Right and Write

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:46:26 +0000

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Someone sent you a link to this video because you apparently don’t know the difference between the words right and write. Did you not pay attention back in about the second grade? Okay, fine… maybe it was fifth grade. In any case, if you’re old enough to watch this video, you’re old enough to know when and how to properly use those words.

Right is an adjective that means: in accordance with what is good, proper, or just. An appropriate use of this word would be in a sentence such as: She had the right idea all along..

Write simply means to put letters, words or characters onto something such as paper, by using an instrument such as a pen or pencil. Using this word properly in a sentence is easy: I am going to write out my grocery list before I leave..

Now – how hard was that? Can you please remember the meanings, and use these words the way they are supposed to be?! Seriously…

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Right and Write

Helping Writers Find the Right Words

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:35:32 +0000

Helping Writers Find the Right Words

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Writers often need help in choosing words. This project is working to develop tools that will help writers by showing them some of the alternative ways by which they can express their ideas.

For writers, a thesaurus can be of help, but the results are often not relevant in the context intended. For common words, the list of suggestions can be very long, yet the right word never seems to be in the list.

Microsoft has a new solution This involves a huge thesaurus that has more than 1 million keywords and key phrases! The size makes it much more likely that you will find a great alternative for pretty much any word or phrase you can think of. The tool can even attempt to rewrite an entire sentence. It will look at all the combinations of words and phrases in your sentence, and suggest replacements for each of them.

The goal of this project isn’t to improve the work of professional writers. This is geared towards everyday writers like you and I… those of us writing emails, blog posts and even term papers for college.

Wouldn’t you like some assistance with finding just the right words?

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Helping Writers Find the Right Words

Which Words are not in the Dictionary?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:17:05 +0000

Which Words are not in the Dictionary?

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I dare you to challenge me to find a word that you think I may not be able to find. You think I can’t find cantankerous? Hah! I typed in only the first six letters, and the word populated itself onto my iPhone screen. Not only did this neat little App give me the definition of the word, it also will tell me how to properly pronounce it! The New Oxford American Dictionary from Handmark has more than 250,000 entries and definitions you can access anytime, anywhere.

The New Oxford American Dictionary is the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered in any dictionary. Oxford’s American editors drew on its 200-million-word databank of contemporary North American English, plus the unrivaled citation files of the world-renowned Oxford English Dictionary. The result is an all-new and updated American dictionary, the crowning achievement in the Oxford line of American dictionaries and thesauruses.

To provide unprecedented clarity, the entries are organized around core meanings, reflecting the way people think about words and eliminating the clutter and confusion of a traditional dictionary entry. Each entry plainly shows the major meaning or meanings of the word, plus any related senses, arranged in intuitive constellations of connected meanings. Definitions are supplemented by illustrative, in-context examples of actual usage.

This App is $29.99. While you may think that’s a lot, consider the fact that you’ll never again need to take time out to find a dictionary, or go online to a website to look up a word. Just whip out your iPhone or iPod, and start typing the word. Voila! You’re set.

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Which Words are not in the Dictionary?

Who Defines Words for the Dictionary? You Do!

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:15:54 +0000

Who Defines Words for the Dictionary? You Do!

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I used to yell out “Padiddle!” when I would see a car coming down the road with only one headlight on. It was an ongoing fun, silly game. Padiddle may not be in a dictionary, but it is still a word! What do you do when you want to get a word out there, and make its definition known? You might want to try using Urban Dictionary.

Urban Dictionary authors write definitions that define their world. While you write, remember these guidelines:

Write for a large audience. The whole world’s going to read your definition. Give enough information so they understand your entry.

Don’t name your friends. Editors reject definitions naming non-celebrities. If you need to use names, use first names only.

Don’t advertise your website. Urban Dictionary advertising offers that service.

We have come up with a word here in the live community. Geequilibrium is the ability to multi-task between various hardware and software, all in the same vicinity of one’s body. How’s that!? We’re just waiting for someone to add it to UrbanDictionary!

Get your words out there for the world to learn today!

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Who Defines Words for the Dictionary? You Do!