Words and Writing
How language works, where your words come from, and how to write so you're understood the first time.
For: anyone who writes emails, essays, or a first book; and anyone learning a language.
12readings
2.1 hoursof reading
3stages
11 reads · 1 course
Not started
Stage 1
Start
Stage 2
Understand
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04ReadQuiz7 min
Where English Words Come From: A Language Built in Layers
Where English words come from.
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05ReadInteractiveQuiz6 min
The Family Tree of Languages
The family tree of languages.
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06ReadQuiz6 min
How Language Changes, and Why It Isn't Decay
How language changes (and why it isn't decay).
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07ReadQuiz5 min
Phonetics & the IPA: The Alphabet That Spells Sounds, Not Letters
The IPA: an alphabet for sounds.
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08ReadQuiz5 min
How to Read a Dictionary's Pronunciation Guide
Reading a dictionary's pronunciation guide.
Stage 3
Go deep
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09ReadQuiz7 min
How Children Learn Language: The Greatest Learning Feat Nobody Teaches
How children learn language.
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10ReadQuiz7 min
Learning a Language as an Adult: What the Research Actually Says
Learning a language as an adult.
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11ReadQuiz5 min
How to Read Deeply: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Long-Form Attention
How to read deeply.
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12CourseQuizabout an hour
How to Write a Book: The Default Course
How to Write a Book: the full course.
When you finish
On Writing Well (Zinsser); read your writing out loud before you send it.
Start Here: What School Skipped
One evening's reading that covers the things adult life assumes you were taught.