Close message Due to scheduled maintenance on Friday 19th April 2024 between 7:00PM and 9:00PM AEST, the Scootle website may face disruption in service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Search results

Refine by resource type

Refine by year level


Refine by learning area


Refine by topic

Main topic Specific topic Related topic

Your search returned 161 results

Listed under:  Language  >  Language conventions  >  Word meanings
Video

Foreign Correspondent: Dirty tricks in 1066

  • TLF-IDM018441

How was William of Normandy able to defeat the Saxon army of Harold Godwinson in 1066 and become the king of England? The Norman's victory at Hastings marked the beginning of their complete conquest of England over the following few years. Discover the tactics of both sides in the Battle of Hastings. This clip is the second ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Plum puddings, yelks to yolks and elfs to elves

  • TLF-IDM015555

Why are Christmas puddings called 'plum puddings' when they have no plums in them? How did the egg yolk get its name and why are the plurals for 'hoof' and 'roof' are spelt differently? Find out how Professor Kate Burridge answers these questions that the audience of 'Wise Words' send in for her.

View detailsView resource
Video

The Fall of Singapore: The fall of Singapore, February 1942

  • TLF-IDM016797

Experience the shock and despair of Australian soldiers on the island of Singapore in February 1942, as Japanese forces invade what was held to be Britain's 'island fortress'. This video follows events from 8 February, when many thousands of Japanese launched attacks from the tip of Malaya, up to 15 February when the British ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Dude: American words and pronunciations

  • TLF-IDM015546

Where does the word 'dude' come from? Why do speakers of English often pronounce words differently depending on their country of origin - not only because of their accent? Find out with Professor Kate Burridge when she takes on these questions from viewers.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Changing letter sounds and butterflies

  • TLF-IDM015550

Have you ever wondered why you can't just add a prefix such as 'in-' to the beginning of a word to make its opposite? Professor Kate Burridge explains how a prefix is influenced by the sound of the letters that come after it. She also gives two explanations about the origins of the word 'butterfly'.

View detailsView resource
Video

Describing household chores

  • TLF-IDM021178

There are several different types of verbs. In this video, most of the verbs are transitive verbs, which means they are action verbs with direct objects that receive the action. Identify the transitive verbs and the direct objects in the examples provided in the video.

View detailsView resource
Video

Cooking verbs

  • TLF-IDM021176

Verbs used to describe different actions while cooking are many and varied. Learn some of them in this short Australia Plus video. What do you think is the difference between 'chop' and 'cut' and 'dice'?

View detailsView resource
Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about kangaroos

  • TLF-IDM015543

This is a song about an Australian animal, the kangaroo. Don Spencer sings lyrics about how people from all over the world come to see the kangaroo. Listen to the rhythm. It is like the hopping of a kangaroo.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Words and sayings over time

  • TLF-IDM015530

Have you ever wondered where sayings like 'hanging by the skin of your teeth' come from? Professor Kate Burridge explains the origin and meaning of this saying. She also explains the opposite word (antonym) to 'misogynist' (someone who hates or has a long and deep prejudice against women) and the origins of the word 'goodbye'.

View detailsView resource
Video

Four Corners: TV killed the radio star

  • TLF-IDM015442

Can you imagine a time when, instead of watching dramas at home on a screen, people listened to them on the radio - a time when the most popular of those dramas were made in Australia? This Four Corners program from 1964 examines the reasons for the death of Australian radio serials, the role played by television in their ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about the Kookaburra's call

  • TLF-IDM015821

Have you heard a Kookaburra's call? Watch this clip and listen to the lyrics of the song performed by Don Spencer that captures in sounds and words the magical call of the kookaburra.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Got or gotten? What a nightmare!

  • TLF-IDM015548

Words have a history. Knowing their history helps us to understand what they mean and why some people use them in different ways. Professor Kate Burridge explains how the use of the past tense of the verb 'get' (gotten) has changed, but is still in use by many people. She also discusses the history of the word 'nightmare'.

View detailsView resource
Video

First Tuesday Book Club: Careful critiques of 'Cloud Atlas'

  • TLF-IDM018551

Sometimes you have to choose your words carefully to avoid offending others. I'm sure we've all had one of those moments! In this clip, explore how Marieke Hardy and Max Barry choose their words carefully when discussing one of Jennifer Byrne's favourite books. This clip is the first in a series of two.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Golly gosh, what do those sayings mean?

  • TLF-IDM015547

Have you ever wondered where sayings like 'golly gosh', 'by gum' or 'drat' come from? In this video, Professor Kate Burridge explains the origins and meaning of these and other sayings. She also explains the history of the pronoun 'you'.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: 'Bought' or 'brought' and radio code

  • TLF-IDM015540

Changes in the use, pronunciation, and meaning of common everyday English words happen all the time. Professor Kate Burridge explains that we can see this in the way people increasingly switch the past tense of the verbs 'buy' and 'bring'. She also answers a viewer's question about why 'Roger' is used on two-way and CB radios.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Vanishing words: the process of language change

  • TLF-IDM015518

The English language is full of strange contradictions and vanishing words. Have you ever wondered why we sometimes put words together that contradict each other, such as 'pretty awful' or 'terribly good'? If we can be 'ruthless', can we be 'ruthly' as well? Watch as Professor Kate Burridge explains these curious irregularities ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Challenging grammar rules, darlings and crowbars

  • TLF-IDM015528

Find out that what appears to be a straightforward grammar rule behind the use of the words 'fewer' and 'less' may not be as straightforward as it seems! Professor Kate Burridge explains that this grammar rule has been under challenge for centuries. She also explains the origins of the word 'darling' and why the 'crow' ...

View detailsView resource
Video

Foreign Correspondent: Uncovering a chapter of the Holocaust

  • TLF-IDM018620

What happened to the Jewish population of Vienna, Austria's capital, during World War II? Its members were among the estimated six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. In this clip from 2007, find out about the prolonged campaign of historian Tina Walzer to reclaim Vienna's Jewish heritage. The clip is the first of two.

View detailsView resource
Video

Voice of the People: The Aussie Accent: Whaddya reckon, mate?

  • TLF-IDM015440

Imagine a world where everybody sounded exactly the same when they spoke. What might that be like? Are there 'good' and 'bad' ways to speak? In this clip, listen to the opinions of many people about whether Australians have a bad accent.

View detailsView resource
Video

Can We Help?: Shakespeare words: the process of language change

  • TLF-IDM015523

Imagine being responsible for inventing over 1700 words! That is the legacy of William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers in the English language. Most of these words were created through translations of Latin words or by combining words with prefixes and suffixes in original ways. In this clip, you'll discover the ...

View detailsView resource