-
Continue reading →: Saturday Stems
Today marks the beginning of Saturday Stems, a quick way to learn new roots. If you would like to receive future editions of Saturday Stems, please follow the Bluegrass Literacy Project on Twitter or Instagram. Have a great weekend!
-
Continue reading →: Guayaquil (gwī-ə-ˈkēl)
My family and I recently came back from a brilliant trip to Ecuador. We spent most of our time in the Galapagos Archipelago but we were able to spend some time in Guayaquil. Although Quito is the political capital of Ecuador, Guayaquil is the main trade and financial center of…
-
Continue reading →: Bluegrass Literacy Project
The Bluegrass Literacy Project website is live today! Please take a moment to check it out and learn more about my community organization. Thank you so much!
-
Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee – The Journey EndsHello everyone! Bee Week 2018 has officially come to an end and I’ve had a few days to reflect upon my experiences over the last six years. I first qualified for the Bee when I was seven years old so I’ve been involved with this event for nearly half my…
-
Continue reading →: Insider’s Guide to the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee – Opening CeremonyHello everyone! Tonight the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee officially kicked off with the Bee’s Opening Ceremony! I was honored to be a part of this year’s ceremony as a representative of one of the seven core values of the Bee – inspiring growth. Other values include purpose, achievement, entertainment,…
-
Continue reading →: eradicate (ə̇ˈradəˌkāt) vs. irradicate (ə̇ˈradə̇ˌkāt)
Hello everyone! To continue our homonym theme, let’s take a look at this confusing pair of homophones – eradicate and irradicate. You may remember from an earlier post that homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently. Both eradicate and irradicate come from the Latin word radix,…
-
Continue reading →: Getting to the root of…pasta?
One of my favorite things to eat is pasta. I could eat fettuccine, linguine, penne and farfalle every day and not ever get tired of it! Stewart Edelstein, the author of Dubious Doublets: A Delightful Compendium of Unlikely Word Pairs of Common Origin, from Aardvark/Porcelain to Zodiac/Whiskey has created a…
-
Continue reading →: Bluegrass Literacy ProjectHello everyone! I haven’t posted in a while and I wanted to give you all an update. Last fall, I submitted a project proposal to the Davidson Institute for Talent Development to be a part of their Young Scholars Ambassador Program (YSAP). This program “fosters civic engagement through community service,…
-
Continue reading →: Name That Animal: Challenge #7 (Halloween Edition)I say goodbye to my friends after a successful night of trick-or-treating. I am suddenly aware of how long I’ve been out and look for short cut home. The crescent moon shines weakly as I see a familiar-looking alley way that I immediately turn into. My boots click on the…
Hello,
I’m Tara!
My name is Tara and I am a recent graduate of Duke University, with dual degrees in cultural anthropology and political science, and a minor in linguistics. Twelve years ago, I started this blog to share my love of words with others and teach people about the intricacies of etymology and words across our beloved English language!
Join the linguaphiles!
Stay updated with the latest on language.
the word explorer 