Did you know that language is constantly changing? When I was a young girl I learnt German in Australia. But the German I learnt was out-of-date because the people who taught me German had not lived in Germany for many decades. So when I go to Germany now, my vocab and even my pronunciation is like something from the past!
The link below is from an interesting TED talk. The speaker is encouraging us to make up new words in English. William Shakespeare made up many, many words in English. We still use them today ( eg. accused, addiction, blanket, blood-stained, blushing, bump … And they are just the words beginning with A and B!). New words are always coming into the language.
Practice your listening with this TED talk.
Listen and answer the questions below.
TED TALK
1. A lexicographer’s job is to put all of the words ———- into the dictionary.
2. Grammar is the unconscious rules that you ———-.
3. Natural rules of grammar ———- in your brain.
4. Brunch is a ———- word.
5. New words grab people’s ———-.
6. If you send the speaker a new word, she will put it in her ———- dictionary.
ANSWERS
Check your answers here. How did you go? 6/6? If not, where were your errors? Always check to see why you went wrong. 4. blend. 6. online. 1. possible 3. exist. 2. follow. 5. attention
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