It Can Go to Your Head

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Besting the Beast Part III: Critical Reading Tips

The Critical Reading Section in the SAT is the haven for those exponents of the fustian, Spartan, epicurean and erudite relish that tinctures the gamut of raconteurs' ramblings you must imbibe in order to succeed in this section. A sapid soup of sumptuous stories, poems and plays stirred into a slew of sections spanning over an hour, the sheer variety is mind-numbing. Your role is to sift through debris and superfluous information with the finesse of a neurotic archaeologist on his first dig. Heavy-handedness is anathema to Critical Reading. Dismantle the passage, don't bludgeon it.

• Success in this section is a wheel, and its revolves entirely upon a painstaking logic. You must be more than careful; you must be captious. Knit together a tapestry of details, weave your logic together, do not prick yourself with solecisms or drop stitches with reckless assumptions.
  
• Do not read the passage like a leisure novel, skim it in a minute. I abjure the oft touted discipline of reading the passage. The pertinent knowledge one gathers piecemeal by perusing the passage for the information asked for dispenses with much of the surfeit sump contained in the passage. If you acquire a propensity for addressing specifics then the time won't sluice away between your fingers.
• Do not vacillate. Equivocating is grounds for skipping the question immediately. Come back to it after you have completed the section.
• If you are really struggling, read the passage slowly. This is only advisable in a situation of extremis. When mental rigor mortis begins to set in, do a danse macabre with questions. The terpsichorean twirling of "what", "who" , "where" and "why" can make a Lazarus out of your logic.

Designed for All Races, Sexes and Species

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Besting the Beast Part II: Sangfroid and Style in Your Essay

The long awaited sequel finally bore upon me with an immense onus, rousing me from Hypnos' grasp to totter to the keyboard and douse myself in the ambrosial nectar of word knowledge and now I am sated. But I segue, as is my custom from the matter at hand.

The Daedalian ideal is to be shirked, but while an exacting cast is necessary, punctiliousness is to be likewise shunned. The author (you) must covet a meticulous attention to style, syntax and diction. Think of your essay as a meal. It must not be laden with overripe orchards of vocabulary and obscure references but it must not be stark, bland or forbidding to the reader. Embrace the crisp, the essay's boon is its bite. Let the reader masticate your logic, chew through the meaty sinews of your rhetoric, savor the tartness of your thinking throughout. If i must be trite, less is more. Choose your words carefully and weave them together with utmost care. Establishing a precise, cool frame of mind is essential to success. Sangfroid is the byword. Here are more words:

• When choosing examples to underscore your essay topic, strive for variety. Do not choose Huck Finn, Abraham Lincoln, The Scarlet Letter, Walden, Martin Luther King or Gandhi because this is tantamount to force feeding the reader sleeping pills. These have obviously been done to the point where they are not only cliche, but boring, hackneyed, trite and utterly pedestrian.

• Don't let the time control you. Control your essay and control your score. Think before you write so as to maximize your time continuously writing. If you stop and start, stuttering through your essay, your time will evaporate.

• Focus. Be where you are. When you are writing your essay, don't waft through daydreams of three hours later, cavorting with your friends. Put your nose to the grindstone!

• Keep to the topic. Make sure the examples you choose are germane to the topic and show exactly how. Here is an example: Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to reckon with the past and integrate past and present. Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

• Say you decide you use Black militant Malcolm X. In his autobiography (which makes for visceral, compelling reading) he speaks at length of his myriad experiences and interactions with the seamy underbelly of the criminal underworld and the uncompromising yoke of racism which he had to shoulder as a young man. This is a superb choice of person and book which allows for a plethora of opportunities for developing your essay.

With the correct tools you can develop your essay into a cogent, crisp, clear train of thought which will intrigue and excite your reader. I have given you some of the tools and now it is up to you to wield them. It is merely a question of keeping to the OLD WORD ORDER.

This Could Be You

Besting the Beast: Mastering the SAT Critical Reading Section - Part I

The byzantine halls of language are bedecked with silken tapestries of syntax, strewn with the careless sprays of simile and sprinkled with gentle confetti frostings of style. Yet the granite pillars of the linguistic arts are words. Words are the spring from which Scrabble springs...and a good score on the SAT Verbal section. Yes, loyal readers, this will be a lacuna in this raconteur's raucous Scrabble ravings. Running the entire eclectic gamut from the arcane to the pedestrian, SAT vocabulary ranks right up there with the other Kafkaesque, phantasmagoric nightmares such as public speaking and African killer bees. But before you swathe yourself in a straitjacket, know that this looming leviathan of the SAT Verbal section can be conquered!

In spite of my rich, lustrous cascades of language, please don't be misled. A plethora of pomposity, postulated by a posturing panjandrum will not endear you to the reader. However, what will make you utterly appealing are the simple fruits of focus. I obtained an 800 on my SAT Verbal but only an 11/12 on my SAT essay. I fell into some of the pitfalls I encourage you to avoid, and I also followed most of the rules I have chosen to set out for you here:

• For one, you need to write as neatly as possible...for the first sentence. Your first sentence must be a rich weave of logic and words that sucks the reader in to the black hole of your essay.

• A compelling sentence in the essay must be supplemented by a clear logical train of thought. Progress from thesis to opening paragraph. If your essay deals with innovation don't go straight to talking about a fictional character. Talk about a factual character, move to his or her abstract characteristics, tie that to a fictional character and then move back to fact.

• Be Original. Everyone has written on To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye or Walden. Use characters from works of similar literary merit, but not as well known. I believe suitable books would be Lord of the Flies, A Clockwork Orange or A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch. Competent writers aims to communicate while distinguishing themselves from the motley crowd.

• Be concise. An eight paragraph epistle in which one attempts to stuff with knowledge will result in a stifling essay and poor time management. Think out your essay before you write; it will result in a compact essay of about 4 or 5 paragraphs in which you fully develop your thoughts.

These are the basic guidelines for an essay. In part two I will delve further into the essay and reveal some facts about the Critical Reading section. Arrivederci.

Vowel Dumps

An insidious imbroglio of vowels often stares out implacably at me from the rack, and, no matter how they are arranged, end up being reminiscent of the howl of some feral beast when pronounced. If you are finding it difficult to manoeuvre around the proboscine phalanxes of vowels never fear. Vowel dumps take out the trash. Rife with words like ROUE, OLEO, AUREI, COOEE, URAEI and MIAOU vowel dumps are tantamount to landfills brimful with vowels. Especially troublesome vowels are the I and the U and they need to be dealt with using esoteric combinations such as LUAU, PUPU, NISI, TITI, UNAU and INIA. An exhaustive list of such words is exactly as it sounds.

Words of Mass Destruction: Part III

The Goliath of tiles is irrefutably the Z. The last letter of the alphabet is oft the first in the minds of every aspiring Scrabble adept, and rightly so. It is not merely a dangerous tool, even in the most inept racks it can be wielded lethally and with impunity. Knowledge of the Z confers far more than its ten points, it can make or break a game. The Z can be an albatross around one's neck or the Holy Grail of the game.

Short Z words such as ZA, ADZ, BIZ, COZ and ZEK are abstruse enough, but when you augment your word knowledge with behemoths like LUTZ, OYEZ, ZARF, ZEBU, ZYME, ZOUK and the like, large scores become titanic. However, the Z is as liable to hamstring the game as much as it helps. It can become an onus in the hand, turning 7 letters into six. The unadulterated power of raw memory makes the Z more than formidable and knowing the Z words is of utmost, unparalleled, importance.

Words of Mass Destruction: Part II

Finesse in Scrabble is governed by the single, overarching imperative of score. At its pith, finesse translates into force and is unequivocally embodied by the most august of the power tiles: the Q and the Z. Like rare gems, these singular tiles and their alluring applications in the English vernacular give way to a fascination bordering on obsession. However, these gems are not polished smooth surfaces which serve simply to adorn the board; they are rough, scabrous creations, equally apt to spearhead a massive score as they are to blight the entire board with their presence. The Z and the Q are both boon and blessing and are not to be trifled with.

But maybe that's just the poet in me.

The Q, at first glance, with its symbiotic relationship with the U surely cannot be a weapon. The average person would assume that the U would hamstring the Q and reduce it to such bulky words as QUEUE, QUICHE and QUILT. These words in themselves are capable of clinching sizable scores, but when one discovers that the Q can exist without the U, its full potential is realized. Words such as QI, QAT, QADI, QOPH and FAQIR create a whole new dimension of Q. The number of short Q words is more than one would think, and the repertoire of short Q words is present in the mind of every Scrabble veteran.

Words of Mass Destruction: Part 1

Scrabble is a multifaceted pursuit but at its crux it is a chirocracy: ruled by force. To establish autarchic dominance over Scrabble one must become adept at those adamantine weapons of war: the power tiles. An acute knowledge of the J, Q, X and the Z is integral to developing one's game. The lesser of the titans are the J and the X which, though not as cumbersome as their 10 point kin, are nonetheless efficacious when used by the most green of novices. In the hands of a seasoned player they are deadly, if not fatal to an adversary.

The J is the more versatile of the two and the myriad combinations it engenders render the J a Colossus on the board. Several demotic words such as JAY, JAW, JUNK, JUKE and JINX can be used to great effect, which bodes well for the average player. However, when one has finesse enough to play words such as JUCO, HADJ, JEHU, JAUK and JEUX, the potential of the J can be fully realized. Larger and longer J words may translate into correspondingly massive scores.

The X is the more exotic, abstruse tile yet this endows it with the ability to be even more damaging than the J. It lends its wiles to the player with the most knowledge of how to use it and thus, in the right hands can be used several times to enhance ones score. The tyro will recognize the common conjugations such as BOXY, AXON, APEX, ONYX and WAXY. However, those are but a fraction of the X's power which encompasses words such as OXO, COXA, IBEX, ORYX and XYST. The X's vast range rivals J's but the X is the tool of the veteran. The 3-letter, 4-letter and 5-letter X words are assassin's tools.

Oh,so my Ki is Ka

As my Id is by my ego, vis and vim up via ton of Ki as we tew and hew out pep and own our ole for the max rec: Scrabble! I hope anyone perusing this appreciates that I had to trek through the upper echelons of difficulty to create that agglomeration of twos and threes and the higher reaches of audacity to pretend it is coherent. But I digress: on to the twos.

Here are the list of acceptable two letter words in Scrabble.

And their nefarious cousins, the threes.

However, herein lies the rub: to know the words is facile, but to implement them in your game requires an aptitude for creating hooks. For example: AA (a rough cindery lava) can be hooked by not only adding an s, but also adding an h (as in the interjection AAH) or by adding an l (AAL - an east indian shrub). To create a succesful base for one's game, one must be perspicacious enough to identify nooks and crannies where not only one, but myriad hooks can be created. Exponents of this scrabble discipline are capable of layering i.e. they can lay words directly on others, like a brickmason creating a wall e.g.

AZURE
NAMED

AN, ZA, UM, RE And ED are all acceptable words. A proficient player can go even further, with concoctions such as:

GATES
AZURE
MOPED

There are manifold combination that can be used to refine your game. In order to become habile in the use of such words it is necessary to augment your knowledge of two and threes, especially the hooks.

Next week I will delve into the wells of power manifested in the Q, Z, X and J.

My Return

After an egregiously long hiatus I have returned from my peregrinations in the labyrinthine halls of education to bask in the edenic ethos of summer. Accompanied by only my Mjolnir: a tattered and careworn board, I ventured into the scintillating summer sunrise set simply on one goal: Scrabble. Yes, like a cloistered and cantankerous monk I shall now abjure the sisyphean pursuit of hedonism and with epicurean ardor devour word and phrase in hope of achieving the rara avis of Scrabble mastery, and of course, routing all in my path. Join me as I build the mammoth and marmoreal monument of Scrabble Knowledge over this summer regressing to the atavistic roots of a consummate game: the perfidious and potent 2 and 3 letter words.

Bingos and How to Get One.

Fellow philomaths, I have returned from my long Sabbatical. It is the insidious Spring Term of the facinorous Junior Year of high school. Time and tide wait for no man and Sean is stranded on a beach covered in the interminable paraphernalia of learning: documents, books, pens, papers and an endless supply of little grey and white cells. Anyways, I digress. On to Scrabble.

Bingos: A linchpin in the great design of Scrabble, every one with the potential to be a watershed event in the crucial game. You clinch one and you might have a haunch on the catbird seat.

Simple premise: Play all seven letters in one go and receive a fifty point bonus.
Basic Bingos include words like

OTARINE
ETAERIO
LATRINE
RATLINE
RELIANT
RETINAL
TRENAIL
RETINAE

These are considered basic Scrabble words are a just a few; you can find more here.

However, for the grizzled veteran here's the Real McCoy:

MUZJIKS
QUARTZY
SQUEEZY
QUETZAL
BEZIQUE
CAZIQUE.

Hypnos will not be denied. I will rest now. Later I will delve into some simple yet effective high-scoring two and three-letter words for beginners and consonant-rich recipes for the seasoned player. But for now, dear readers; it's OK to dream.

Scrabble Cravings

New Rules

Scrabble is not an antediluvian pursuit as many seem to surmise. No, Scrabble is a breathing, protean organism which is constantly being remodeled to better dovetail with the expectations of an eclectic variety of players. To gain better insight into the heterogenity of the Scrabble community, I would recommend a read of Stephen Fatsis' book Wordfreak. The novel delves into the melting pot of the Scrabble community with both stark and intimate portrayals of myriad personalities ranging from dour blue-haired old ladies and pill-popping spasmodic geniuses to oddities like the foul-mouthed Pan-Africanist Marlon Hill. Every burgeoning Scrabble player and even the causual rookie will enjoy this book. However what really explains the variety present in no other game but Scrabble are the words themselves.

The rules: These are all on the Hasbro site at the bottom of the post but i thought it woul dbe useful to include it here.

Setup
You should have a game board, 100 letter tiles, a letter bag, and four racks.
Before the game begins, all players should agree upon the dictionary that they will use, in case of a challenge. All words labeled as a part of speech (including those listed of foreign origin, and as archaic, obsolete, colloquial, slang, etc.) are permitted with the exception of the following: words always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe.
Place all letters in the pouch, or facedown beside the board, and mix them up. Draw for first play. The player with the letter closest to "A" plays first. A blank tile beats any letter. Return the letters to the pool and remix. All players draw seven new letters and place them on their racks.


SCORING
Use a score pad or piece of paper to keep a tally of each player's score, entering it after each turn. The score value of each letter is indicated by a number at the bottom of the tile. The score value of a blank is zero.
The score for each turn is the sum of the letter values in each word(s) formed or modified on that turn, plus the additional points obtained from placing letters on Premium Squares.
Premium Letter Squares: A light blue square doubles the score of a letter placed on it; a dark blue square triples the letter score.
Premium Word Squares: The score for an entire word is doubled when one of its letters is placed on a pink square: it is tripled when one of its letters is placed on a red square. Include premiums for double or triple letter values, if any, before doubling or tripling the word score. If a word is formed that covers two premium word squares, the score is doubled and then re-doubled (4 times the letter count), or tripled and then re-tripled (9 times the letter count). NOTE: the center square is a pink square, which doubles the score for the first word.
Letter and word premiums count only on the turn in which they are played. On later turns, letters already played on premium squares count at face value.
When a blank tile is played on a pink or red square, the value of the word is doubled or tripled, even though the blank itself has no score value.
When two or more words are formed in the same play, each is scored. The common letter is counted (with full premium value, if any) for each word. (See Turns 3, 4 and 5 in the Scoring Examples section.)
BINGO! If you play seven tiles on a turn, it's a Bingo. You score a premium of 50 points after totaling your score for the turn.
Unplayed Letters: When the game ends, each player's score is reduced by the sum of his or her unplayed letters. In addition, if a player has used all of his or her letters, the sum of the other players' unplayed letters is added to that player's score.
The player with the highest final score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest score before adding or deducting unplayed letters wins.

GAME PLAY
The first player combines two or more of his or her letters to form a word and places it on the board to read either across or down with one letter on the center square. Diagonal words are not allowed.
Complete your turn by counting and announcing your score for that turn. Then draw as many new letters as you played; always keep seven letters on your rack, as long as there are enough tiles left in the bag.
Play passes to the left. The second player, and then each in turn, adds one or more letters to those already played to form new words. All letters played on a turn must be placed in one row across or down the board, to form at least one complete word. If, at the same time, they touch others letters in adjacent rows, those must also form complete words, crossword fashion, with all such letters. The player gets full credit for all words formed or modified on his or her turn.
New words may be formed by:
Adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on the board.
Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use one of the letters already on the board or must add a letter to it. (See Turns 2, 3 and 4 below.)
Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjacent letters also form complete words. (See Turn 5 in the Scoring Examples section below.)
No tile may be shifted or replaced after it has been played and scored.
Blanks: The two blank tiles may be used as any letters. When playing a blank, you must state which letter it represents. It remains that letter for the rest of the game.
You may use a turn to exchange all, some, or none of the letters. To do this, place your discarded letter(s) facedown. Draw the same number of letters from the pool, then mix your discarded letter(s) into the pool. This ends your turn.
Any play may be challenged before the next player starts a turn. If the play challenged is unacceptable, the challenged player takes back his or her tiles and loses that turn. If the play challenged is acceptable, the challenger loses his or her next turn. Consult the dictionary for challenges only. All words made in one play are challenged simultaneously. If any word is unacceptable, then the entire play is unacceptable. Only one turn is lost on any challenge.
The game ends when all letters have been drawn and one player uses his or her last letter; or when all possible plays have been made.

http://www.hasbro.com/games/adult-games/scrabble/home.cfm?page=About/rules

"from an original by Allan Simmons first appearing in Onwords Scrabble(r) magazine"

This is the Old Word Order

In a world where the mundaneness of life is held fast by a Gordian knot of technology, travel and incessant media only one game can cut through to the very fiber of the human mind...SCRABBLE. Face it, Scrabble is ubiquitous. It is found in 29 different language versions in 121 countries. A Scrabble board slumbers in one out of every three American households. Hundreds of thousands of people play it and a few valiant souls even dare to pursue Scrabble on the lofty competitive stage. When unassuming Alfred Butts created Scrabble did he imagine his nascent brainchild would become the behemoth it is today? Yes, among word games Scrabble is surely sovereign and occupies a seat among the laureled pastimes of chess, checkers and Monopoly. This why your humble writer has decided to dedicate a chunk of his life to it: a small token of my gratitude. This game engendered in me a love for words, strategy and a desire to push my intellect to its zenith, wherever that may be. I hope you will join me on our quest to find it. Those who seek to attain a higher state of tranquility and mental acuity are all seeking the OLD WORD ORDER.