What's the use of learning a language that's not spoken in conversation nor used in business transactions, and which most people consider "dead"? Writer Frankie Thomas shares her humble opinion on why it's time to learn Latin.

Today we’re going to talk about how computers understand speech and speak themselves. As computers play an increasing role in our daily lives there has been an growing demand for voice user interfaces, but speech is also terribly...

As simple as it seems, it's often impossible to accurately translate the word you without knowing a lot more about the situation where it's being said. Krystian Aparta describes the specific reasons why it can be difficult, citing...

* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences.



At the EG conference in December 2007, artist Jonathan Harris discusses his latest projects, which...

Is a universal translator possible in real life? We already have many programs that claim to be able to take a word, sentence, or entire book in one language and translate it into almost any other. The reality, however, is a bit more...

Baratunde Thurston explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of ... eating, walking or generally "living while black." In this profound, thought-provoking and often...

Daniel Tammet has linguistic, numerical and visual synesthesia -- meaning that his perception of words, numbers and colors are woven together into a new way of perceiving and understanding the world. The author of "Born on a Blue Day,"...

Mr. Andersen describes the two portions of the AP Biology Test. Tips for answering multiple choice and free response questions are included. Sample questions from old AP tests are also included.

Few mistakes sour good writing like nominalizations, or, as Helen Sword likes to call them, zombie nouns. Zombie nouns transform simple and straightforward prose into verbose and often confusing writing. Keep your nouns away from...

Copy editing for The New Yorker is like playing shortstop for a Major League Baseball team -- every little movement gets picked over by the critics, says Mary Norris, who has played the position for more than thirty years. In that time,...

What happens before a murder? In looking for ways to reduce death penalty cases, David R. Dow realized that a surprising number of death row inmates had similar biographies. In this talk he proposes a bold plan, one that prevents murders...

Language is endlessly variable. Each of us can come up with an infinite number of sentences in our native language, and we're able to do so from an early age— almost as soon as we start to communicate in sentences. How is this possible?...

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo' is a grammatically correct sentence. How? Emma Bryce explains how this and other one-word sentences illustrate some lexical ambiguities that can turn ordinary words and...

It may seem like the semicolon is struggling with an identity crisis. It looks like a comma crossed with a period. Maybe that's why we toss these punctuation marks around like grammatical confetti; we're confused about how to use them...

Civilization rests upon the existence of language, says language creator David Peterson. In a talk that's equal parts passionate and hilarious, he shows how studying, preserving and inventing new languages helps us understand our...

Modifiers are words, phrases, and clauses that add information about other parts of a sentence-which is usually helpful. But when modifiers aren't linked clearly enough to the words they're actually referring to, they can create...

Me, myself, and I. You may be tempted to use these words interchangeably, because they all refer to the same thing. But in fact, each one has a specific role in a sentence: 'I' is a subject pronoun, 'me' is an object pronoun, and...

using examples from birdsong, the natural lilt of emphatic language and even a cooking pan lid, singer-songwriter and TED Fellow Meklit Hadero shows how the everyday soundscape, even silence, makes music. "The world is alive with musical...

Leaving the bookstore at the beginning of the semester you're probably wondering how the heck you're going to get through all of that reading. Today we're explaining how much of that reading you really need to do and the best strategies...

New ReviewIn this short math video we will be comparing linear, exponential & quadratic functions. We will be asked to correctly complete two statements about the three graphed functions on a coordinate plane. We will first be asked which of the...

In this lesson, you will learn the four basic types of sentences in English: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. We explain each type with easy examples to help you understand how they are used in everyday...

In this insightful video lesson, we delve into the intricacies of crafting balanced sentences to elevate your writing to new heights. Join us as we explore the art of equilibrium in composition, revealing the secrets to achieving a...

This comprehensive video lesson is designed to elevate your writing skills by focusing on the crucial aspect of modifiers. In this engaging session, we will delve deep into the world of modifiers, exploring strategies and techniques to...

This comprehensive video lesson delves into identifying and eliminating wordiness in your writing. Whether you're a seasoned writer looking to polish your craft or a student striving for clarity in your assignments, this...