Newsletter #5 - 9/7/2001

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Newsletter #5 - 9/7/2001

eLearnAid.com Newsletter #5

You are receiving this newsletter if you have previously ordered products from eLearnAid or have asked to be on our mailing list. Instructions to unsubscribe from this newsletter are at the bottom of this email.

In this newsletter:

1. Winner of the OED Calendar competition: Clay Swinburn
2. New competition -- Win a Fowler book
3. Word of the day: Prosper
4. A Peculiar Story...
5. One of our most popular products: OED
6. eBooks now available
7. Two FREE eBooks
8. Tech Tips: Installation hint for software you use frequently
9. Package deals
10. Gift certificates
11. Tech Tips: Grammar terms in Collins Cobuild for Advanced Learners
12. Write to us
13. Survey
14. Earlier newsletter issues
15. Subscribe/Unsubscribe

1. WINNER OF THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY WORD-A-DAY 2002 CALENDAR!

Congratulations to Clay Swinburn of Oregon USA! He referred a friend to our website and has won the 2002 OED Word-a-Day Calendar! Thank you, Clay! http://www.elearnaid.com/oedwor20cal.html

2. NEW COMPETITION -- WIN A FOWLER BOOK

We have two Fowler books to give away to a customer who refers another to our website and who subsequently purchases an Oxford English Dictionary (CD-ROM or 20-volume set) or the Management Series volumes.

Read more about this competition at: http://www.elearnaid.com/newfowmodenu.html

3. WORD OF THE DAY -- PROSPER

PROSPER, verb. 1a) intransitive. Of a person, community, etc.: To be prosperous, fortunate, or successful; to flourish, thrive, succeed, do well.
1b) intransitive. Of things: To flourish; to turn out well.
1c) intransitive. Of plants: To thrive, to flourish.
2) transitive. To cause to flourish; to promote the prosperity or success of; to be propitious to.

This definition comes from the Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM: http://www.elearnaid.com/oxendicseced.html

4. A PECULIAR STORY...

You all know that dictionaries contain words and their meanings. But nowadays, we?re rarely taught to actually USE a dictionary and look up words. That?s a pity, because without looking up words, you are missing out on gaining a full understanding (or sometimes ANY understanding) of what you ?re reading.

And we have people making up meanings of words, or even redefining words to mean what they aren?t, or just using them in meanings that are not appropriate. Other people (hearing or reading this incorrect usage) pick it up and perpetuate the poor usage of a word until the word BECOMES (through general usage) to mean other than what it used to mean.

Take the word ?moot? for example. In the Webster?s New World Collegiate dictionary (http://www.elearnaid.com/webnewworcol.html), it means both: (a) subject to or open for discussion or debate; debatable (b) not worthy of consideration or discussion because it has been resolved or no longer needs to be resolved

Well that?s odd! (a) means somewhat the opposite of (b)! One is debatable and the other is not? What?!?!

Hint: If you look up ?moot? in the full Oxford English Dictionary, you can see HOW these two meanings both came about.

I nipped one of these redefinitions in the bud one day. I was checking on a student to see if she fully understood what she was studying. I asked her the meaning of the word ?peculiar? (which was used repeatedly by the author in this particular work). She gave me the most peculiar answer that I couldn ?t even begin to recall what she answered to me. Needless to say, it was a wrong meaning for the word ?peculiar?.

How could she possibly fully understand what she was reading? She couldn?t! In this case, I had her look up the meaning of the word ?peculiar? until she understood it AND understood it in the context in which the author was using it. Then she was able to understand the material she was studying.

So the next time someone uses a word in a manner just a little peculiar to you, I highly recommend that you look it up in a good dictionary. You will either find a meaning for that word that you did NOT already know (and the person?s communication will no longer seem peculiar), or you?ll find that the person was using the word incorrectly.

-- Ruth

Note: The meaning of the word ?peculiar? used in this story is ?Having a character exclusively its own; unlike others, singular, uncommon, unusual, out-of-the-way; strange, odd, ?queer?.? This definition was obtained from the Oxford English Dictionary. http://www.elearnaid.com/oxdic.html

5. ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS

One of eLearnAid.com?s most popular products has been the Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM from Oxford University Press. This dictionary is the most complete dictionary of the English Language and has definitions in it that are not available anywhere else. It is a valuable reference for anyone who writes or needs to fully understand English. With a click of a mouse, you can swiftly view words in the most comprehensive dictionary available on CD-ROM. It can be purchased online at: http://www.elearnaid.com/oxendicseced.html

6. EBOOKS NOW AVAILABLE

We have started to offer eBooks on our website at and will be adding more titles soon. We currently have a book on liquidations (The Liquidations Business Manual) plus two free eBooks. Check out all of our ebook selections at: http://www.elearnaid.com/ebooks.html

7. TWO FREE EBOOKS

a. The Small Business Success Manual: This book has a number of POWERFUL BASIC CONCEPTS that will help any size group or unit prosper. Download the eBook version for free. We are sure you will find it well worth your time to read this book.

b. When the Thrill is Gone: If your relationship with your spouse does not have the excitement it had when you first started, this is a MUST READ!

We currently sell these two books as softcovers on our website. These books are now also available as FREE electronic book downloads. You are welcome to download the electronic versions of these books and later if you need any ?paper? copies, please purchase them from us.

Read more about these two free eBooks at: http://www.elearnaid.com/smalbusman.html http://www.elearnaid.com/whenthrilisg.html

8. TECH TIPS: Installation hint for software you use frequently on PCs

Make it easy to access a program like your dictionary with a simple keystroke! I use Ctrl+Alt+D to start up my favorite dictionary (hold the Ctrl and the Alt key down and then press the D). The following explains how to set this up on your pc.

First check to make sure the keys are not already in use by holding down the Ctrl & Alt keys and then pressing the D key. Nothing should happen! If something does happen you can pick a different combination of keys to start your dictionary. Try this first, though.

To set this up right, find your dictionary in Windows Explorer and then right-click on it. Choose ?Properties?. Click on the ?Shortcut? tab. Click inside the ?Shortcut key? field and press the ?d? key. Your computer should display ?Ctrl + Alt + D?. Click the ?Okay? button and you?re done!

I hope you will use your dictionary whenever you have the slightest bit of confusion on a word. That is better than being totally confused about what you are reading! For more information on Study Techniques please check out: http://www.elearnaid.com/studyguides.html

9. PACKAGE DEALS

We have put together three packages of references for students at three levels: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced. These sets include dictionaries and references handpicked from our Internet store to help students at these three levels. Each package is priced 10%-15% off the list price. http://www.elearnaid.com/packages.html

10. GIFT CERTIFICATES

With the holiday season approaching, you?ll be thinking about that perfect gift for your friends and family. Be sure to remember us. And if you just can?t choose from among our products, we also offer Gift Certificates. http://www.elearnaid.com/gifcer.html

11. TECH TIPS: Rapidly getting definitions for the grammar terms in the Collins Cobuild for Advanced Learners CD-ROM

The Cobuild is designed for people learning English as a foreign language. Since these people have not spent their whole life communicating using the English language, they often do not know how the words are used in a sentence, so the dictionary describes in detail how the word is used. The Cobuild has its own unique grammar terms to accomplish this, for example N-COUNT. The CD makes it easy to get these terms defined; you simply click on Help and then COBUILD help, and type in the grammar term you want defined.

N-COUNT is defined as: N-COUNT, count noun A count noun has a plural form, usually made by adding -s. When it is singular, it must have a determiner in front of it, such as the, her, many or such, e.g. My cat is getting fatter... She's a good friend.

If you have the Cobuild in paper format, these definitions start on page XXV. It is much easier to access the definition with the dictionary on CD-ROM.

If you are a native speaker of English you might consider using the Collins Cobuild English Dictionary because of its simple, easy-to-understand definitions and lots of great real life example sentences.

Collins Cobuild dictionaries are available at: http://www.elearnaid.com/coldic.html

12. WRITE TO US

You can always write to the Public Services Manager. The Public Services Manager likes to hear from you. Your views, ideas and even any difficulty you may have are of concern to her. She will help you with any matter you care to write to her about.

We would especially like to hear from your comments on any of the newer products. We regularly update our website and if you have helpful hints you would like to pass on to other users, they will probably get published as well as your review.

Write to: eLearnAid Public Services Manager P O Box 39545, Los Angeles CA 90039-0545 USA mailto: newsletter@elearnaid.com

13. SURVEY

What is your favorite dictionary?

Please email your responses to us: mailto:info2@elearnaid.com

14. EARLIER NEWSLETTER ISSUES

If there was something in an earlier newsletter issue that you?d like to see again, please visit our website where we have published all our back issues. http://www.elearnaid.com/newsletters.html

15. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

You are receiving this newsletter if you have previously ordered products from eLearnAid or have asked to be on our mailing list. To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email us at newsletter@elearnaid.com and put "unsubscribe" in the subject line.