vocabulary

WordBanker English-Chinese (Simplified) allows users to practice their Chinese vocabulary using several different formats. Although the program is not the most intuitive we've ever seen, it's fairly easy to use and is a great way to improve your Chinese vocabulary.

The program's interface is not particularly attractive and can sometimes be hard to navigate. Each function opens a separate window within the program, and it's hard to know at first if closing the window is going to take you back to the main menu or close the program completely. Continued use of the program helps with … Read more

WordBanker English-Russian allows users to practice their Russian vocabulary using several different formats. Although the program is not the most intuitive we've ever seen, it's fairly easy to use and is a great way to improve your Russian vocabulary.

The program's interface is not particularly attractive and can sometimes be hard to navigate. Each function opens a separate window within the program, and it's hard to know at first if closing the window is going to take you back to the main menu or close the program completely. Continued use of the program helps with this. … Read more

Flash Card Factory provides users with a simple way of improving their foreign language vocabulary. Though it features a pair of excellent tools for the job, the program doesn't provide all it promises.

The program's interface will take some experimenting in order to get used to it. For the most part, navigating and utilizing its functions is simple, but the smaller tools are unlabeled, and it might take a visit to the Help file to fully understand them. The program's flash card function was the highlight of the program. A cartoon image of a hand holding a … Read more

Ray's Spelling and Word Games provides a simple program that will help youngsters learn how to spell. With three different games and simple commands that will be quickly mastered, users will love this collection of games.

The program's interface is full of cartoonish images, bright colors, and large, simple words that children should be able to master. If not, their parents will easily be able to assist, making the Help file somewhat unnecessary. The program consists of Spelling Challenges, Word Jumbles, and a hangman-like Find the Word. The spelling challenge provides tutorials that prepare the user for hearing … Read more

Learn Spanish with this simple program aimed at helping users develop speaking skills from the ground up. With easy controls and a few surprises, this is a great tutor for those getting into this beautiful language.

The program's interface will be a blessing to computer users of all skill levels. With simple icons that do a good job of describing their function, users need only hold the cursor over each for a more in-depth description to pop up. A Help file is also available, which focuses on program functions and not Spanish language. Users begin by choosing what level … Read more

Thanks to the Internet, I can't communicate effectively anymore. Before I immersed myself in the world of blogs and vlogs, I communicated with others well. We'd talk about the weather, why the Yankees didn't have the pitching to turn things around last year, and the meaning of life. I'd make an argument, others would listen intently, and understand every word I said. It was great.

But now, things are different. I still have those conversations, it's just that now nowadays, I find myself shortening phrases like "I'll be right back" to "BRB" and using words that the majority of people just don't understand.

It has become so bad that my wife (my own wife!) has no idea what I'm saying. Over the weekend, I told her a quick story about what had just happened about three minutes before I went into the kitchen to find her cooking.

"Honey, you won't believe this," I told her, brimming with excitement. "I was just tweeting with some cyberbuddies and out of nowhere, a troll started attacking one of my friends. He took care of it really well. Twitter FTW!"

She stopped chopping the celery, looked up for only a second, shook her head, and went back to chopping the celery. She didn't have the words.

What happened to me? It wasn't a conscious decision to start throwing FTW around, but at some point over the last few months, it has happened.

Here's a list of all the words I've used on an almost daily basis for the last six months. It's scary...… Read more

If you're reading this, then the chances are pretty good that you know what a Web site is. So go tell it to the judge.

The man you'd want to speak to is Judge Peter Openshaw, who's presiding at Woolwich Crown Court in London over a trial in which three men stand charged with inciting terrorism over the Internet. According to a Reuters account of Wednesday's proceedings, Openshaw interrupted questioning to get a basic vocabulary check.

"The trouble is I don't understand the language. I don't really understand what a Web site is,&… Read more