University of Oxford

Shakespeare It is difficult for people today to picture the image of Shakespeare, or imagine how people revelled in front of Shakespeare’s stage. Though limited materials were left to satisfy people’s curiosities of his personal life, a great amount of his literature works were survived to be appreciated and evaluated. It is undoubted that Shakespeare was one of the most important people in England; because he elevated the social developments in England during the monarchs of Queen Elizabeth I…

Compare & Contrast Essay (Rough Draft) To many people, the word “other” means not this one, but that one; or the alternative one not the same one. It also has a much larger definition that can be more relevant to a person or a place. Different or distinct from the one or ones already mentioned or implied, and a group or a member of a group that is perceived as different, foreign, strange, etc. These last two definitions are more accurate definitions of this study. A compare and a contrast essay…

Phonies, or a fake people are those with multiple identities. These people act different in public and private, or in different groups of people. Phonies have been criticized in literature for hundreds of years, but one of the most notable times, and possible the first time it was criticized was in Shakespeare's Othello. Shakespeare uses characters in Othello, such as Iago, Othello and Desdemona, to show how the worst of people usually have an extreme difference in their identities, while the…

When I first came here from the Middle East I did not know English. I was worried for my family and myself. The culture here is much different than the culture where I am from. Classes move very quickly and the assignments are very different. Before I came here I had a five day long meeting that helped me prepare myself for American culture. We discussed behavioral things, such as what to ask, social networking, and research. At home in my country, I read the news before going out, here is much…

The book The Professor and the Madman presents the creation history of the most known Oxford English Dictionary (OED), and the life story of one of the contributors — Dr. William Chester Minor. For almost twenty years, Dr. Minor worked hard to supply the OED editorial team with words, including quotations and definitions collected and arranged in a unique way. According to James Murray, the primary editor of OED, Dr. Minor was the most prolific contributor, and his work was a stepping stone…

Social Media and Its New Vocabulary Thanks to social media the English language has radically changed from what it was 50 years ago. It has changed so much that new words keep being added to the dictionary, words that if we are being completely honest are usually only used by people no older than maybe 30. Words that have been invented in recent years are words like “fleek”, which is generally used to describe when someone is looking good. Another example to the ever growing list of…

“Belief” is the trust that believers place in God. It is the idea of putting faith on the existence of God. According, to the Oxford English Dictionary this definition derived from the Christian virtue of faith. To be more accurate this is definition is more commonly used in the 21st century. Another prominent definition for belief is, the mental action, condition, or habit of…

What does one think of, when they think of the word Trend? Do they think back to the time YOLO was a prevailing phrase? What about when bell bottom jeans were the hottest thing to wear, where as now high waisted jeans are the hottest thing. Those are examples of things that we equate to the modern definition of the word trend. Trend in of itself is a word that throughout history has shaped and currently plays a big role in shaping the current landscape of language. The word Trend has a history…

definitions. Both, the mathematical and economical definitions are not as popular or as common as the emotional definition. Out of the twenty surveys all agreed on the emotional definition, a state of sadness and unhappiness. Everyone agreed with the Oxford English and Cambridge Dictionary’s first definition of the word “depressed”. There is something similar about all of these definitions, they both refer to a low point, either in math, economic activity, or emotion. This shows us that all of…

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a favela as a settlement of jerry-built shacks on the outskirts of a Brazilian city. Oxford Dictionary refers to a favela as a Brazilian shack or shantytown; a slum. There are many problems with these definitions of a favela. Most of the problems with these definitions is that they have not evolved with favelas and give a negative connotation to word favela. The definition of a favela may have been appropriate for the favelas of Rio in 1960, but modern day…