Phonics 101: Consonants (Part 2)

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On Tuesday, I talked about stops. Today we’ll focus on the promised nasals, sibilants, and liquids. (And you thought you left all this behind after English 101!) Nasals—n, m, ng—are sounded in the nose. Say inning, and you’ll see what I mean. You can feel the n and ng...

Phonics 101: Consonants (Part 1)

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Oh goody! Another word-geek fest today. In my last post, I talked about vowel sounds. Today, we’ll focus on consonants. Most consonants cannot actually be said without an accompanying vowel sound. (Try saying the sound for “d” and see what I mean: you can’t really say...

Phonics 101: Vowels

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In honor of it being back-to-school month, my next few posts will be all about words—two weeks of bliss for anyone out there who loves the English language. So, let’s get down to business. Or back to basics. Or whatever. We all know that words are made up of letters....

Delusions of Glamour

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When I got the contract to write my book two years ago, my husband teased me. “It’s like you’re in the NBA,” he said. “Every writer wants to be published, just like every basketball player dreams of being in the NBA. And you’re in.” It was true. By my own novice...

The Black Cauldron

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To further prove that I am not a finicky reader quick to find fault with other people’s writing, I hereby post this glowing recommendation of Lloyd Alexander’s The Black Cauldron. It won a Newbery Honor in 1966, for good reason. It’s well-written,...