Words Are Alive

I have been an avid reader since a very young age, and my love affair with the written word continues to this day. I love playing with words and language, and enjoy discovering new words and phrases. I dream about words, and the magic and character they contain.

"Words are alive; cut them and they bleed," American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited as saying. I agree.

For word lovers like myself, I've decided to provide three links that they might find interesting:

• Wordsmith is a simple site that brings you a Word of the Day - a new word and definition each day. Wordsmith doesn't just give you a standard dry definition; they often include the history of the word, and sometimes amusing anecdotes related to it. The site will often do a weekly theme - for example, one week's theme might be eponyms (words named after people). You can browse the words on their website, or sign up to have the daily word delivered to your email box.

• The Dictionary of sound-alike English words is a site for those that have a question about the English language and need a quick answer. It's another great resource for those who love language.

• For those looking for substantial reading material, the Lynne Truss' book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves comes highly recommended. It is not a dry, academic textbook. The author makes grammar a fun subject and now has an illustrated version for children available.

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