Bla bla bla bla bla blardy bla! There are a LOT of words in the English language. In fact, there are more than 170,000 of them. Obviously, you don’t have to understand them all to be able to communicate, but it will certainly help you if you try to grow your vocabulary. On this page we’ll have some fun exploring words. Their origins, their meanings, their diverse uses. We often take words for granted, but the more we understand them, the more we can use them effectively.
Bungalow: Do you live in a bungalow? It is a type of house that usually has only one storey. The word ‘bungalow’ comes from India. Its source comes from several languages, including the Hindustani word ‘banglā’, which means ‘belonging to Bengal’. Bengal is a region of India and Bangladesh. As with so many words, the exact evolution of ‘bungalow’ may never be known, but it is commonly believed that it was first used in the 1600’s to refer to single storey houses with thatched roofs in the Bengal region. There are other theories about this word. Why not do your own research, and if there’s more you can find out, please let us know. Of course, the picture below is not of a bungalow, but what is it? It is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Do you know its name and its history? Its fascinating.
Homonym is a strange word, isn’t it? A homonym is a word that has either the same spelling of another word, or sounds the same as another word, but it has a different meaning. Are you confused? Well, here are some examples:
- their, they’re, and there
- bark (the sound a dog makes) and bark (on a tree)
- write and right
- sow, so, and sew
- ball (sports equipment) and ball (social gathering for dancing)
There are many, many, many homonyms. We prefer to call them ‘flexi-words’ because they are flexible. If you have a flexi-word you’d like us to explore, please contact us. We have chosen ‘grit’ as our very first homonym to explore. Our list of flexi-word film clips will continue to grow. Perhaps you could make one or two of your own?