Admit it: reading Shakespeare is not your cup of tea. At first, trying to read Shakespeare's works may seem like learning a foreign language. Performed for audiences over four centuries ago, Shakespeare's plays were written in Early Modern English, so it’s natural to feel confused by word choices and sentence structures that have evolved since…
In fifth grade, my music teacher asked me to recite a poem during our holiday concert. This meant having to stand in front of my classmates, teachers, and parents, and, I guess, read? I practiced it, but practice always felt like a weird term for that. More like, read it over and over in my…
Dusting off your Shakespeare for Valentine’s Day sounds like a great idea. The Bard’s famous words are tried and tested — they’ve been working for four hundred years. But are you sure you know what they mean? And are you sure that’s what you want to say? 1. "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"…
Read More "Five Shakespeare Lines You’ll Want to (Surprisingly) Avoid This Valentine’s Day"
Though the Ancient Greeks didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, their myths are full of romance. Take a leaf out of their book this February 14th (or maybe don’t). 1. Apollo and Daphne: Don’t chase — it’ll work out better for everyone. Virtuous maiden Daphne was wandering around in the wilderness when the sun god Apollo showed…
Read More "5 Greek Love Myths and How to Apply Them to Reality"
Did you ever suspect the runaway best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey was written by robots? Well, somebody check E.L. James for vital signs because she might actually be an algorithm. Check this out: Surely a human being would die of boredom before biting a lip in print forty-three times in one novel. Actually, I'm skewing…
Read More "Zeroes and Ones and Your Odds of Writing a Best-Seller"
Must. Remind. Self.. The OED is not an arbiter of, but a chronicler of, English language use. Every year, the Powers-That-Be lean over the windowsills located high atop their Ivory Towers and cock an ear towards the milling crowds below. When they hear a word they do not recognize being shouted often enough, they dip…
