What does each word mean? Ensure is a verb meaning to make certain. Here is the word ensure used in some example sentences: Parents must ensure their children are supervised at all times. Please ensure you have all your travel documents with you when leaving for the airport. The anonymous marking system ensures that all students are treated fairly and without bias. Click here to access the Spellzone word lists featuring the word ensure. If you insure something, on the other hand, it means you’re protecting it with insurance, i.e. you’re arranging compensation in case of loss or damage. Here is the word insure used some example sentence...
With everyone’s attention on Wimbledon and the World Cup at the moment, it’s hard to leave home without sports coming up in conversation. But do we actually talk about sports more than we realise? Today – just in case you’re not sick of sports quite yet – we’re sharing some sports-related idioms alongside their definitions. across the board – applying to all at this stage of the game – at this point during the activity/event ball is in your court - it is up to you to make the next move ballpark figure – an approximate guess blow-by-blow – detailed step-by-step description ...
What does each word mean? Bought is the past and past participle of buy. Click here to see the full Spellzone dictionary entry for the word buy Here is the word bought used in some example sentences: His train ticket was very expensive because he bought it at the last minute. I lied to my mum about my exam results, but don’t worry – she bought every word. Cick here for the Spellzone word lists containing the word bought. Brought is the past and past participle of bring. Click here to see the full Spellzone dictionary entry for the word bring. Here is the word brought used in some example sentences: She brought some wine to the party. He brought th...
Over the last few weeks we’ve been sharing different methods which we hope will help make learning to spell a little easier and a bit more fun. Here is a recap of our posts – which ones did you find most helpful? In our blog post about why English spelling is so difficult, we discussed heterographs, homonyms, and heteronyms. These groups of words make it difficult to solely rely on the ‘sound’ of a word in order to figure out its spelling. The word heterograph refers to words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings. Hetero- comes from the Greek heteros which means ‘other’ or ‘different’, whilst -graph comes ...
‘A mish-mash of colliding egos, conflicting claims and confused memories has led researchers down many false trails while searching for the origins of this American art form, not least where the name came from.’ – Posh and Other Language Myths, Michael Quinion. This unusual word has fascinated scholars and the public alike since its very gradual and shrouded inception sometime in early twentieth century America. Although its history has been rather well documented, its early use and actual origin is still shrouded in mystery. The word Jazz continues to be and always has been a very versatile word encompassing a plethora of different meanings and even spellings. Spelli...
One of the most alarmingly persistent grammatical errors in the English language is the incorrect use of the words there, their and they’re. We’ve all asked that age-old question: ‘Is it there, their or they’re?’ So why is it that this mistake is so commonly made and how can we learn to master these pesky spellings and help resolve this issue for good? There, their and there are a certain type of homophone known as heterographs. This means they sound the same but both their spellings and their meanings are different. Since their meanings are different, when one is used in the incorrect context, the sentence actually fails to make sense. Here is a commo...
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