As many educators and researchers will attest, there’s no exact science to choosing vocabulary words—no inherent reason the word “detest” is more important to teach than “despise,” or why “compassion” ...

IN ENGLISH, the object on your face that smells things is called a “nose”, and, if you are generously endowed, you might describe it as “big”. The prevailing belief among linguists had been that the ...

Researchers have found that our brains may recall some common words, like 'pig,' 'tank,' and 'door,' much more often than others, including 'cat,' 'street,' and 'stair.' By combining memory tests, ...

Attention language lubbers: the fourth edition of Garner’s Modern English Usage is out this month, and while it’s as full of pedantry as any guide on how to properly wield the English language, the ...