Poetry By You, Written By You

A Poem by Amber – Written by You

I’m Amber and I’m 14 years old. I love reading, writing, drawing and basically anything creative! When I’m older I want to be a freelance journalist – I think that would be quite fun! I like reading YA and my favourite authors are Suzanne Collins, J.K Rowling, Luisa Plaja and Cathy Cassidy.

My Teen and YA Book Review Blog The Mile Long Bookshelf The Mile Long Bookshelf Facebook page.

@MileLongBookS on Twitter.

Featured Image NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Language & Literature

How Did the Penguin Get its Name?

These days, we all know what a penguin looks like. Even if you haven’t seen a real, live penguin, I’m sure you have seen pictures, perhaps watched them in a film. It seems strange to think that people in Europe had no idea they existed for so many centuries! Perhaps you have wondered about that part of history.

Language & Literature

Have You Been ‘As Good as Gold?’

In the run up to Christmas, children are often asked if they have been ‘good’. Perhaps you have answered ‘I have been good as gold’, but do you know where that simile comes from?

School & Career

Women You Should Know – Conductor Alice Farnham

The musician and conductor Alice Farnham spoke to us about being a conductor, and the new courses for young women that she is giving at Morley College in Great Britain.

The courses are designed to get more girls and women interested in conducting.

Language & Literature

The Contronym – a Word that Bends Over Backwards

I expect most of you have heard of antonyms, and even if you haven’t heard the word, you know them and use them every day. Antonyms are words that mean the opposite. For example, hot is the antonym of cold, rich is the antonym of poor.

But what happens when we have a word that doesn’t have another antonym – it is the antonym of itself?! You are probably wondering what on earth that could mean. Well, there are some words that have two meanings which are the opposite of each other. This makes the word its own antonym. Words like this are known as contronyms.

LEFT

Left and Left Behind

One very common one that we shall start with is a word that you use all the time without ever thinking about it being a contronym. This is left, which can mean “gone, departed” or “still there, remaining” . If you have gone, then you have left, but if everyone else except you has gone, then you are left!