15 Great Word Games

15 Great Word Games 15 Great Word Games 15 Great Word Games By Mark Nichol Writers and editors are among the most dedicated (read: obsessive) fans of word games. (I play Scrabble once a week a relatively low frequency that may indicate only a mild addiction.) As the name of an old Reader’s Digest feature suggests, they enrich your word power, but they’re also fun. Here is a roster of some of the most entertaining games, from traditional contests like Password to innovative variations like Upwords. Most games listed have children’s versions, and many are available in both analog and digital form. 1. Apples to Apples Players take turns judging which noun selected by a player from a hand of cards, each labeled with a noun, best matches on criteria such as funniest, most appropriate, or least appropriate an adjective printed on another card. (Cards) 2. Balderdash Players take turns crafting fake definition for obscure words in the hope that others will select the false meaning from a set of possible definitions. (Cards) 3. Boggle Players take turns jumbling a four-by-four grid of letter cubes, and all players try to form as many words as they can from letters displayed on adjacent cubes. (Letter cubes). 4. Bulls-Eye Players create words from cards labeled with single letters; they take turns rolling a die to determine the word length that earns points for each round, then advance tokens on a board according to how many points they earned. (Cards and board with tokens) 5.Catch Phrase Players take turns providing teammates with clues to the identity of a secret word before a timer goes off. (Handheld electronic timer with a database of words) 6. Password Players try to get teammates to identify a secret word by providing one-word clues; teams take turns, and the number of points awarded for a correct guess decreases with each failed attempt. (Cards) 7. Scattergories Players list as many words belonging to a category and starting with a given letter as they can. (Cards) 8. Scrabble Players use letter tiles to form words they can attach to words already placed on a grid ; they rack up points based on the relative values of the letters and of grid squares that, when used, multiply the value of letters or words. (Board and letter tiles) 9. Scrabble Upwords Players form words by placing letter tiles on a board, but, unlike in Scrabble, all letters have equal value, and bonuses are earned by forming new words by placing new tiles on top of some existing ones. (Board with letter tiles) 10. Taboo Players try to get teammates to guess a word by providing other word clues, but they are prohibited from using a list of the most obvious clues. (Cards) 11. Text Twist Players form as many words as possible from a randomly generated group of letters before a timer runs out. (Computer) 12. Word Blur Players use word tiles to prompt teammates to correctly guess a secret word. (Tiles) 13. Word Zigzag In this Boggle-like game with a grid of letters (unlike as in Boggle, in this game, the size of the grid is variable), players attempt to find as many strings of letters that form words as they can. Not to be confused with Zig-Zag, described below. (Application, or paper and pencil) 14. Words with Friends This high-tech multiplayer variation on Scrabble, which has achieved phenomenal success thanks, in part, to a number of celebrity aficionados, allows multiple simultaneous games with known or unknown opponents. (Application) 15. Zig-Zag Players try to guess each other’s secret words by testing how many letters of another word are in the secret word, and where the letters in common are positioned. (This game seems to be out of print, but used copies are available online, or prospective players could recreate the game materials from descriptions.) Update: Looking for more? We created another list with 50 more great word games, so check that out Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should Avoid50 Nautical Terms in General Useâ€Å"Least,† â€Å"Less,† â€Å"More,† and â€Å"Most†

Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812

Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812 The Battle of Queenston Heights was fought October 13, 1812, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815) and was the first major land battle of the conflict. Seeking to cross the Niagara River, American troops under Major General Stephen van Rensselaer encountered a variety of difficulties. Finally landing part of his command, van Rensselaer engaged British forces under Major General Isaac Brock. In the resulting fighting, American troops suffered a defeat after militia forces refused to cross the river and a British counterattack isolated those on the Canadian side. The battle marked the end of a poorly managed campaign for the Americans. Fast Facts: Battle of Queenston Heights Conflict: War of 1812 (1812-1815)Dates: October 13, 1812Armies Commanders:United StatesMajor General Stephen van Rensselaer6,000 menGreat BritainMajor General Isaac BrockMajor General Roger Hale Sheaffe1,300 menCasualties:United States: 300 killed and wounded, 958 capturedGreat Britain: 14 killed, 77 wounded, and 21 missing. Native American casualties 5 killed and 9 wounded Background With the outbreak of the War of 1812 in June 1812, American forces began marshaling to invade Canada. Intending to strike at several points, the American efforts were soon put in jeopardy when Brigadier General William Hull surrendered Detroit to Major General Isaac Brock in August. Elsewhere, General Henry Dearborn remained idle at Albany, NY rather than move forward to capture Kingston while General Stephen van Rensselaer was stalled on the Niagara frontier due to a lack of men and supplies (Map). Major General Sir Isaac Brock. Photograph Source: Public Domain Returning to Niagara from his success at Detroit, Brock found that his superior, Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost had ordered British forces to adopt a defensive posture in the hopes that the conflict could be settled diplomatically. As a result, an armistice was in place along the Niagara which allowed van Rensselaer to receive reinforcements. A major general in the New York militia, van Rensselaer was a popular Federalist politician who had been appointed to command the American army for politic purposes. As such, several regular officers, such as Brigadier General Alexander Smyth, commanding at Buffalo, had issues with taking orders from him. Preparations With the end of the armistice on September 8, Van Rensselaer began making plans to cross the Niagara River from his base at Lewiston, NY to capture the village of Queenston and the nearby heights. To support this effort, Smyth was ordered to cross and attack Fort George. After receiving only silence from Smyth, van Rensselaer sent additional orders demanding that he bring his men to Lewiston for a combined assault on October 11. Major General Stephen van Rensselaer. Public Domain - National Gallery of Art Though van Rensselaer was ready to strike, severe weather led to the effort being postponed and Smyth returned to Buffalo with his men after being delayed en route. Having spotted this failed attempt and received reports that the Americans might attack, Brock issued orders for the local militias to begin forming. Outnumbered, the British commanders forces were also scattered along length of the Niagara frontier. With the weather clearing, van Rensselaer elected to make a second attempt on October 13. Efforts to add Smyths 1,700 men failed when he informed van Rensselaer that he could not arrive until the 14th. Opposing the American advance were two companies of British troops and two companies of York militia, as well as a third British company on the heights to the south. This last unit possessed an 18-pdr gun and a mortar which were located in a redan halfway up the heights. To the north, two guns were mounted at Vroomans Point. Around 4:00 AM, the first wave of boats moved across the river under the leadership of Colonel Solomon van Rensselaer (militia) and Lieutenant Colonel John Chrystie (regulars). Col. van Rensselaers boats landed first and the British soon raised the alarm. The British Respond Moving to block the American landings, British troops under Captain James Dennis opened fire. Col. van Rensselaer was quickly hit and put out of action. Captain John E. Wool of the 13th US Infantry took over and pushed into the village with the aid of American artillery firing from across the river. As the sun rose, British artillery began firing on the American boats with great effect. As a result, Chrystie was unable to get across as his boat crew panicked and returned to the New York shore. Other elements of Lieutenant Colonel John Fenwicks second wave were forced downstream where they were captured. At Fort George, Brock, concerned that the attack was diversion, dispatched a few detachments to Queenston and rode there to see the situation himself. In the village, American forces were contained in narrow strip along the river by the artillery fire from the redan. Though wounded, Col. van Rensselaer ordered Wool to take a force upstream, ascend the heights, and take the redan from behind. Arriving at the redan, Brock sent most of the troops guarding it down the slope to aid in village. As a result, when Wools men attacked, Brock was forced to flee and the Americans took control of the redan and its guns. Brock Killed Sending a message to Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe at Fort George, Brock requested reinforcements to block the American landings. Due to the redans commanding position, he immediately resolved to recapture it with those men on hand. Leading forward two companies of the 49th Regiment and two companies of York militia, Brock charged up the heights assisted by aide-de-camp Lieutenant Colonel John MacDonell. In the attack, Brock was struck in the chest and killed. Though outnumbered, MacDonell pressed the attack and pushed the Americans back to the edge of the heights. The British assault then faltered when MacDonell was hit. Losing momentum, the attack collapsed and the Americans forced them to fall back through Queenston to Durhams Farm, near Vroomans Point. Between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM, Maj. Gen. van Rensselaer worked to consolidate the position on the Canadian side of the river. Ordering the heights to be fortified, he placed Lieutenant Colonel Winfield Scott in command with Brigadier General William Wadsworth leading the militia. Despite the success, Van Rensselaers position was tenuous as only around 1,000 men had crossed and few were in cohesive units. Disaster on the Heights Around 1:00 PM, reinforcements arrived from Fort George, including British artillery. Opening fire from the village, it made crossing the river hazardous. On the heights 300 Mohawks began attacking Scotts outposts. Across the river, the waiting American militia could hear their war cries and became reluctant to cross. Arriving on the scene around 2:00 PM, Sheaffe led his men on a circuitous route to the heights to shield them from the American guns. Frustrated, van Rensselaer re-crossed to Lewiston and worked tirelessly to convince the militia to embark. Unsuccessful, he dispatched a note to Scott and Wadsworth giving them permission to withdraw if the situation warranted. Abandoning their field works, they constructed a barricade at the top of the heights. Attacking at 4:00 PM, Sheaffe met with success. Hearing the Mohawk war cries and fearing massacre, Wadsworths men retreated and soon surrendered. His line collapsing, Scott fell back, ultimately retreating down the slope above the river. With no escape and the Mohawks, angry over the loss of two chiefs, in pursuit, Scott was forced to surrender the remnants of his command to Sheaffe. Following his surrender, around 500 American militia who had fled and hid emerged and were taken prisoner. Aftermath A disaster for the Americans, the Battle of Queenston Heights saw 300 killed and wounded, as well as 958 captured. British losses totaled 14 killed, 77 wounded, and 21 missing. Native American casualties 5 killed and 9 wounded. In the wake of the fighting, the two commanders agreed on truce to treat wounded. Defeated, van Rensselaer resigned and was replaced by Smyth who bungled two attempts at crossing the river near Fort Erie.

Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Marketing - Research Paper Example conducting an advertising campaign, and how can companies employ marketing tools to best realise their mission?, will be the primary concern in the paper. Through an analysis of the marketing presentations made by three guest speakers as well as my own secondary research and personal insights, it will be possible to arrive at answers to these questions. Before I came up with this research question, I thought about certain brands that stand out in my mind every time I think about a product. Wrigley’s is the brand king for chewing gum while Coca Cola rules the soft drinks industry; Colgate is quite strong in the toothpaste sector while Proctor and Alan dominate the breakfast cereal market (Boone & Kurtz, 2013). As these names floated through my mind, I began to wonder about the things that make them tick; some of them have been in business for over a century and still maintain dominance. Most of the answers could be found in the presentations while others were hidden in marketing articles, books and journals. The first speaker hit the nail on the head concerning this topic because he summarised it in three words: relevance, credibility and distinctiveness. He did a case analysis on Tourneau Inc., which is a luxury watchmaker headquartered in the US with approximately 37 stores countrywide. The organisation is not an easily recognisable and strong brand because it does not deliver these three qualities every time and in a consistent manner. Selecting Tourneau Watch seemed like an effective idea owing to certain characters possessed; first, it has been in business for over 100 years. It mimics the longevity that other well-known brands like Coke have in the marketplace; however, it did not possess the same market dominance that these other brands have. The presenter compared Tourneau’s performance with another leading brand in Switzerland called Butcherer; he found that there were certain discrepancies between them. If the case study organisation could borrow a

American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American history - Essay Example The revisions made on the book have been aimed at getting the complete attention of his students and according to him those who have tried reading it find it indispensable. This book provides fresh evidence in each chapter that it contains and also includes other recent research findings that have been made by scholars. It provides details on the wars that occurred between the natives and the colonials in the 18th and 19th centuries. The wars that took place between the Indians and French people have also been detailed by the author. The author has provided information concerning the activities of the Indians and their relations to the settlers who came into the country. Most of the book’s chapters speak on issues that are fundamentally the same though they have been reorganized to become more appealing to the student. This book also speaks about the treatment that different people got for their religious beliefs along with the practices of the protestant denominations existin g in America during the 19th century. In addition, the issue of slavery and a history of the southern part of the country have also been highlighted. The author describes the causes and events that led to the Mexican war, immigrants who came to the country due to the Irish famine and the issues of political machines in American towns. Unlike the previously released editions, this book talks about the racial issues that took place within the country in the 20th century and brought about the rise of civil movements during the 1950’s. Finally, the book provides a history of the country’s social along with culture and an insight into the religious practices of the 20th century. The book by Conlin does not however tell us how the early American history has affected the current lifestyle of the American people. The source confirms the picture of the history of early America by using the findings from the works of other research as information sources. Castillo, P. (2000). Th e American Beginnings to 1877. New York: Prentice Hall. Has the early American history affected the way the country currently relates with other countries around the globe? This book tries to ascertain the American history up to around the year 1877 and highlights other activities that have taken place since then. The author of this book is also a professor and targets students who are undertaking American history. His book provides greater insights into issues like the European exploration of the country and the activities of the colonial period. It also provides details concerning the American Revolution and the early formation of a republic, the country’s constitution and the growing of a youthful nation under the stewardship of Thomas Jefferson. The author has provided insight into the union’s problems and the issues that threatened its unity. This book describes issues concerning the problems that immigrants encountered upon entering the country along with the dif ferent rights that have been accorded to the people. The cultural clashes that occurred when various people were settling on the western prairies, on their great plains and the activities of the populist movements have also been described by the author. This book differs from the book by Conlin since it describes how the new industrial period came into being, the expansion of American industries, railroads and labor markets. The book has also provided insight into the immigrants who were coming into the country, the challenges that the country

Supply and Demand in Health Care Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Supply and Demand in Health Care - Term Paper Example As people get old, their physical bodies degenerate and people lose the beauty that they had when younger as they grow older. However, people do not like getting old and the fact that this shows on their faces and bodies makes it even worse. People yearn for the energy and beauty of the youth, hence their desire for plastic surgery to continue looking younger even in their old ages. Cosmetic surgery can be done on any part of the body, but the most common include the face, nose, lips, arms, abdomen, female breasts, forehead, and upper parts of the legs. These are usually enhanced in order to make them tighter for the limbs and face, fuller for the lips, smaller for the nose, bigger for breasts and firmer for the abdomen. All these procedures are conducted on people of different ages, races and sex as people try to conform to the modern definition of beauty and functionality, which has set standards for each part of the body. The results and consequences of such procedures are not nec essarily appreciated by every person. Many of the people that have undergone plastic surgery are celebrities like actors, actresses, musicians, socialites and other people in the media who have images to maintain. Many have gone the plastic surgery way in order to maintain their looks, hence their images, which act as one of their best selling assets. Modern methods of plastic surgery have been performed on people since the First World War when reconstructive surgery was performed on injured soldiers to restore their wounded bodies and resume functionality. However, the science of cosmetic surgery dates back several centuries before in 800 BC where it was first performed in India by Sushruta, who is referred to as the father of plastic surgery (Gullette, 2011). Despite its being around for period longer than many medical procedures or even drugs like penicillin, cosmetic surgery is one of the most expensive medical procedures in the world. One reason for their phenomenal cost includ es the fact that people are willing to pay anything to remain young because of the absence of a drug that reverse the aging process that has been discovered yet, hence plastic surgery being the closest people can get to doing this. Other reasons for the high costs include the fact that the surgery is not a necessity but could be deemed a luxury, the need for special equipment to perform it and the scarcity of plastic surgeons that are very good at their work. People travel for thousands of miles from their countries to travel to clinics that specialize in plastic surgery, if only to maintain young looks (Gullette, 2011). The costs of cosmetic surgery are so prohibitive that normal people cannot access the services. Many people, probably out of vanity, have accrued huge amounts of debt by borrowing in order to undergo plastic surgery. This does not make sense financially because the procedure is more of a luxury than a necessity. The costs of undergoing plastic surger

Should the UK government restore the 50% additional rate of income tax Essay - 4

Should the UK government restore the 50% additional rate of income tax - Essay Example From a general perspective, one can easily identify the motives of the UK government in terms of pumping out fund flow from the economy. Observing with an economic perspective, the tax hike initiative of the UK government can be categorized as a major deterrent factor that has slowed down the pace of functionality of this nation’s economy by a considerable extent (Young & Saltiel, 2011). UK citizens, in the present market economic scenario, are literally forced towards paying high rates of taxes whereas the lower income groups are made to pay marginal amounts. Considering all these aspects, the discussion will majorly focus towards answering the currently rising question regarding whether the UK government should restore the 50 per cent additional hike of income tax rates. Maintaining correspondence, the details regarding these aspects have been elaborated in the underneath sections. As mentioned above, the objective of this paper is to analyse the impacts of income tax hike on the overall trade practices and economic pace of development of the UK. Based on the findings generated thereupon, appropriate conclusions will be made constructed as to whether the UK government should bring down its present income tax levels to 50% as previous. In contemporary macro-economic concepts, taxation is deemed as one of the fundamental tenets that holds significant influence on the stability and performance of any nation. It operates as a basic mechanism in the financial system of a country. The history behind imposing an additional 50% on the existing income tax rates can directly be linked with the hollow and un-rational mentality of the coalition government. The coalition government intended to impose a higher level of tax burden upon the richer income groups with the intention of attaining better revenue inflow along with stability in the overall wealth distribution process within

The relationship between theory and practice in a documentary Essay

The relationship between theory and practice in a documentary - Essay Example The concept of horror movies is definitely mysterious but in reality a phobia for ghostly matter does operates. But a documentary is more realistic in approach and there is no willing suspension of disbelieve on the part of  audiences and spectators. It provides an opportunity to peep into the lives of the others and witness their dilemmas and problems from a sociological perspective. The lives of the characters depicted in a documented film are more realistic and they belong to the same historical period of the audiences. However, it is ‘not a reproduction of reality, it is a representation of the world we already occupy’ (Nichols, 2001, p20). The subject matter of documentaries generally focuses on the social, political, economic, educational or environmental issues. In this respect, the documentary- ‘Panorama: British Schools, Islamic Rules’ has succeeded in exploring the rapid growth of new private schools in Britain influenced by the teachings of the extremists  and fundamental groups, It is a documentary to investigate into the act of segregation conducted by the one faith school.  Ã‚   The documentary begins with an investigating spirit. It states in the introductory scene that over 95 percent of the schools in Britain favor communal harmony but there has been noticed the small but rapid growth of private schools ad Muslim state schools. John ware is the reporter for this documentary and aims to find out whether these schools are encouraging acts of segregation or not. In a documentary those issues are brought into notice that is ‘subject to debate’ (Nichols, 2001, p 49). The first Muslim school established in Britain is the Al-Furqan Primary School but it prepares it students to be tolerant towards other religions and faiths. It is evident from the keeping of various idols, beads etc of different faiths in the