How many syllables are in the English language? A learned professor says 15,000; however; he uses uncommon words and dubious sound combinations. Here is my list using common words. It is under 5,000 syllables.

THE BASIC MATH EVALUATOR and COURSE explained The math product I offer, Basic Math Evaluator and Course, is special to me. I was a Speech Improvement Teacher in a high school in the 1990’s. My students always failed a basic math course that was offered to them in place of the regular course. The way they were taught was degrading and ineffective. This hurt me because I was poor in math in high school in a similar way. I resolved to write a program with my new found BASIC programming skills. The staff of my school was cooperative and supportive. The program, as you see it, was the result of this effort. It can be used in a course. Problems can be presented so that several types of problem appear in a sequence. Students must recall how to do them again and again. Because they work individually, tutoring in place is possible. After a test, the program shows you a list of the skills you know and don't know based on your answers. We had great success with this approach. The program has been upgraded to work with BBC BASIC for Windows and has three variations of questions. The problem of images was cleaverly side stepped by presenting images as pictures, instead of being generated each time. With modern computers and the internet, it is now available to you! Thank-you TES, Thank-you Russell! (BBC BASIC creator). I hope you use it and it’s ideas will be adopted.

Do you want to run multiple choice tests with students working together? The Testing Machine allows students to enter multiple choice answers together using one prepared keyboard. The Testing Machine was sought after by the founders of machine learning. This invention uses a standard computer and keyboard to accomplish this task. Because computers have buffers, several keystrokes can be reacted on that are close together. This makes it possible for several students t use on computer. This is useful for teachers working in small groups. A full explanation is included in the program.

AN ENGLISH WORD LIST Many attempts have been made to list a complete list of common English words. Here is mine. It took one year to compile. It is 17,000 words long. THE RULES I have tried to make it short but inclusive Any word that I have never heard or seen has been left out. I have usually only included one form of a word: government not governmental. THE REASONS FOR A COMMON WORD LIST Not to say I climbed it because it was there but such a project should be done; that is, any word you can think of is (or should be) on this list. I guess it is useful to learn English. It does display the richness of English; how any idea can be communicated. A BIOGRAPHY Such a list is a reflection of the interests and activities of the compiler. English peoples have participated in all the interests and activities of mankind. New words are continuously entering (and leaving) the “list”. I myself at 73 years old have many interests on an introductory level; without being boring and tedious. A spelling program is possible - a w then you see the word can be read, you can attempt a spelling, word. AVAILABLE AND FREE So here it is. Amazing how it fits in such a small space.

How are your basic math skills? This product has sixteen tests to find out. It then gives your an evaluation of your skills. You can pick questions on these topics to improve your abilities.

This is a writing exercise. It will get you to creatively write a story. Make a story from this list, using at least ten words: (I have included my story answer, with a paraphrase of it.) transfusion yule romanesque debris her inherent shinner fillet meteor burmese salient verbiage odd fascism accost whiplash bib gibe napalm formica THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL The American hospital was in an odd Romanesque building in the French town of Arl, during World War Two; the fight against fascism. Nurse Bell made her way through the debris that was inherent to war. An occasional meteor came out of the German salient, causing injuries. They gave transfusions, treated whiplash and napalm burns. During Christmas 1944, they had a giant Yule log in the fireplace to cheer the troops. The American hospital was in an odd tenth century building in the French town of Arl, during World War Two; the fight against the Nazis. Nurse Bell made her way through the wreckage is a part of war. An occasional shooting star came out of the German forward position, causing injuries. They gave blood, treated auto accidents and chemical burns. During Christmas 1944, they had a giant festive log in the fireplace for the troop’s moral. I never would have writing this story without the word prompts.

This is a writing exercise. It will get you to creatively write a story. Make a story from this list, using at least ten words: (I have included my story answer, with a paraphrase of it.) tape controversy stuff celibacy eat cull caucus gospel waxen goat korean perspicacious animate divination tawny fort brazen coroner mindset flake WHAT THE KOREAN WAR GENERAL DID There was an animated controversy during the Korean war. It was investigated by a congressional caucus which culled information from tapes. They said a general lived in a safe fort, eating to stuff himself with rich food. At the same time, he had a mindset to feed troops into battle without regard. The coroner said many deaths could have been avoided with a more perspicacious attitude. There was an lively scandal during the Korean war. It was explored by a congressional committee which drew information from recordings. They said a general lived in a secure strong place, eatting to fill himself with rich food. At the same time, he had an attitude to send troops carelessly into battle. The death investigator said many casualties could have been avoided with a more cautious strategy.

This is a writing exercise. It will get you to creatively write a story. Make a story from this list, using at least ten words: (I have included my story answer, with a paraphrase of it.) tape controversy stuff celibacy eat cull caucus gospel waxen goat korean perspicacious animate divination tawny fort brazen coroner mindset flake SAINT STEPHAN THE FIRST MARTYR Saint Stephan was the first martyr. He denounced devination in an animated way, causing controversy in the pagan city. To tempt him, he was asked to eat brazen goat offered to idols that the pagans stuff themselves with. He grew waxen and began preaching the gospel with a firm mindset and refused; so they killed him. Saint Stephan was the first person killed for the faith. He condemned fortune-telling in an lively way, causing a commotion in the pagan city. To catch him up, he was asked to eat grilled goat offered to pagan gods that the pagans gorge themselves with. He grew pale and began preaching the gospel with a steady attitude and said no; so they killed him.

PLANNING AND WRITING A COMPUTER PROGRAM PART 2 It is not good to give up too easily. Are there better bingo card configurations? There are theories that say yes! So, if there are such cards you can look for them. What I’m doing is this: Have a computer program to: Make 1000 cards. Play 1000 games with each card. Get a rating number for each card. Have a list of better cards. Compare the new cards with the cards on the second list. Replace cards on the second list if it is rated lower than a new card. Progress: The original rating was 80. After 130 trials, the average rating is now 102.5. It takes around 20 minutes per trial and the computer is working. If the super cards are used and get only a beginner type rating, it is another sign that all cards are equal in their ability to win. This could be that in only 1000 games, a card can get lucky and win more even if it’s ability to win is only average. What I think: All cards are the same, but who knows?

This is an exercise to use common words randomly picked to make a story. This is a writing exercise. Random words force you to write some odd topics! You would not think of these things otherwise. These words are picked from my 17000 common word list. I provide a paraphrase into alternate words. THE BEAUTIFUL MIND The Beautiful Mind is about a zany man who is able to shunt all his mind into making meticulous equations. Pivotal to this story is how the guy was compatible to this sort of thing. He was able to hop on a math project and get with it. He was not interested in cookies or nosegays or funny limericks, just math. It was a morass and after a while, he could not pronounce his own name, being mortal. When he could not pay the remittance on his room, he was found there as crazy as a loon. The Beautiful Mind is about a odd man who is able to turn over all his mind into making elaborate equations. Central to this story is how the guy was suitable to this kind of thing. He was able to go on a math project and get with it. He was not interested in sweets or flowers or funny poems, just math. It was a mess and after a while, he could not say his own name, being human. When he could not pay the rent on his room, he was found there

In Rome, at the junction of two main roads is a stadium, the Colosseum. It is surrounded by flora - pines. In ancient Rome, the law was inconsistent. If you collaborated with the State, you were just chastised for offenses; if not you were classified as an enemy. If you gainsayed an official or were delinquent with your mortgage, you were handed over. Teams of gladiators decapitated people on the guillotine between bout as light entertainment. In Rome, at the crossing of two main roads is an arena, the . Colosseum It is surrounded by plants - pines. In ancient Rome, the law was two tiered. If you were in with the State, you were just mildly scolded for offenses; if not you were identified as an enemy. If you criticized an official or were behind with your payments, you were handed over. Gangs of gladiators beheaded people on the block between fights as light entertainment.

THE BASIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS IN THE BEGINNING I've been programing since 1983; fourty years! Half way through, I got the BBC BASIC for Windows computer language. In the beginning, I received my Timex computer. It was the model T of computers; cheap, flimsy, available.It could be boosted to 16k and used a tape recorder as a memory drive. It was part of the revolution that used one chip to make a computer; Commador 64, IBM home computer, Radio shack computers and the like. Memory was at a premium and constant backups a necessity because the TIMEX computer had a nasty habit of crashing, so you lost all your work. (TIMEX, the watch company, got involved and cranked out millions of small computers!) SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE BY DOWNLOADING THE PRODUCT

This is an exercise to use common words randomly picked to make a story. This is a writing exercise. Random words force you to write some odd topics! These words are picked from my 17000 common word list. I provide a paraphrase into alternate words. The Scientific Mountain Climbers The team climbing the Himalays was supervised by Serpa guides. The team did not gainsay them. At high altitude, they ventilated themselves with oxygen. They classified the flora and fauna, collaborating on the science work. They ate kippers. High altitude is not compatible with good health. The team climbing the tall mountains was looked after by native guides. The team did not contradict them. At high altitude, they saturated themselves with oxygen. They classified the plants and animals, working together on the science work. They ate canned little fish. High altitude does not promote good health.

BASIC COMPUTER PROGRAMING CLEARING THE BUFFER When you press Enter in a BASIC computer program, the computer stores it and acts on it when it gets a chance. The reason for this is there may be a lag in responding to typing and the computer does not want to lose information. This can cause a problem. If you press ENTER several times the computer will do it again and again even though you meant for only one repetition to be done. There are times you want to clear the buffer, clear commands to get a new clean chance to enter new commands. This is a way to do this: REPEAT X$=INKEY$(0) UNTIL X$="" EXPLAINATION: REPEAT gets an action UNTIL a condition is met. INKEY$(0) takes information from the buffer(keystrokes you make or have made) When all this information is used up, the buffer is cleared. X$="" means the buffer is cleared.

Basic computer language was first brought out in 1963 to allow ordinary people to program computers; before this only specialists could do this and the language was very difficult. When computers became cheap and widely available in the 1980’s, BASIC was part of the package. There are many versions of BASIC based on the same concepts. Commands are listed in order to tell the computer what to do. These commands are the program and can be saved. BASIC is similar to English and has command words based on what the word does. These are many books and web sites on this topic for beginner programmers. Programming is a satisfying endeavor you can get better in. You can write simple programs to do games and tasks. Here are some of the main key words: These simple commands and be combined into complex programs of actions the computer can do again and again. DOWN LOAD this product to see some essential words and ideas.

COMMON WORD STORY 53 MODERN MANHATTAN Modern Manhattan has a lot of cachet. People cram into its markets to get a bagels and parched people go into its bars to drink. There is such an impulse to come to New York, that it is necessary to have a big police force 24/7 in rotation of shifts to accede to the demand. This is where a boy can make a hit album and get rich and famous. Today’s Manhattan has a lot of class. People jam into its food stores to get a bagels and thirsty people go into its bars to lap it up. There is such an drive to come to New York, that it is necessary to have a big security force every day all day in changing shifts to meet the demand. This is where a youth can make a hit song and get a lot of money and notice.

PLANNING AND WRITING A COMPUTER PROGRAM Computers are awesome and BASIC language makes this vast power available and easy. But, what should you write? It should do something, answer something. I’ve been playing BINGO. Someone claimed there are lucky numbers. At least two theories claim there are better numbers and configurations that win more. DOWN LOAD THE PRODUCT TO SEE THE WHOLE ARTICLE

COMMON VOCABULARY STORY 54 THE TRAVELING SALESMAN The itinerant salesman from the South suffered a lot of abuse. Each sullen day, he would enact his orthodox routine. You could hear his dulcet voice calling out his wears. Fluffy cotton candy, fake floral arraignments, deodorant, plaited napkins; akin to a mobile 5 and 10 cent store. Police told him to move on. People made fun of him. However; some people felt a kinship to him and bought, especially millennials. The traveling salesman from the South suffered a lot of harassment. Each gloomy day, he would carry out his unoriginal labors . You could hear his sweet voice calling out his goods. Billowy cotton candy, fake flower bouquets, deodorant, folded napkins; like a movable junk store. Police told him to get lost. People mocked him. However some people felt a brotherly feeling for him and bought, especially young people.

COMMON WORD PLUS STORY 55 MY DREAM WORKING FOR THE MAN I was perplexed on what to do after graduating with a useless degree, so I went out looking for work out locally in the world. I went to the local big guy who ran a shipping business and inn. I had a reference. He was a rough character like the captain in master and commander. I was put to work early in the morning scrubbing barnacles. However; I was soon noticed as a person of value, so the captain said to me, show up at noon and help with the schedules. I soon was a part of the party. Exactly what I was to do? I was the assistant to the captain who was amused by my naivete. He had other associates, sons? but they were unreliable being debauched. I was a good boy; they drank, womanized, went missing. It was a post apocalyptic scene with ruined highways, wooden castle fiefdoms and lawlessness. I had never seen so much action. Older woman thought I was cute and said so to me openly. There was a woman who lived in the inn at the table. The captain flirted with her. I wanted to maintain my dignity but wanted to interact. I saw a dolls at the dollar store of different nationalities, they only had two little cheap ones. I bought them and she liked it. I was clearly on a different wavelength. The captain sent me on a mission to the local strong man to deliver his favorite liquor. I had to cross the ruined highway. When there, there was a wooded facade with crossbow wielding soldiers. They said, Who goes there! It was all mud and firth. I froze, said I wanted to see the govenor and was from the Captain, I didn’t know his name. I said, I had the liquor. He came out with his men and they began drinking from big tankards. I was ashamed not being versed in the “manly” ways. I said, If you do that, you will be done by thirty. They thought that was funny. I am seventy-three but ashamed to say it. I came back on foot but the ruined highway, "under construction" presented an obstacle. This is a common theme in my dreams. THE END

Computers have a built-in list of random numbers. You can get the same numbers by setting the computer to a place on this list. To get real randomness, you have to set the computer to a random place on the list. The computer keep the time since it was turned on. This is the one thing that is really random. So: N=RND(-4) (You set the computer list with a negative number) Sets the randomness list to the 4th place. Each time you write this you get a list with he same numbers. N=RND(-4) This says set the random list to the 4th place X=1 TO 5 This says go into a loop 5 times Y=RND(10) This says Y is a random number from 1 to 10 PRINT Y This says print the number NEXT X This goes back and does the loop again This program prints out 4 5 8 5 10 every time. However: N=RND(-TIME) This says set the random list to a random place. (The time on the timer.) X=1 TO 5 This says go into a loop 5 times Y=RND(10) This says Y is a random number from 1 to 10 PRINT Y This says print the number NEXT X This goes back and does the loop again Now each time you run the program, you get a different number list. 1 7 5 7 3 2 8 4 1 9 6 5 10 3 7 Putting in a randomizer line is necessary to get real random numbers. It may be useful to have the same numbers at times; for example in a game you may want the same numbers coming out for two players on different computers. You can generate a player’s profile numbers without having to save them with his method too. I was told, when running a bingo game, the organizers know the numbers called before time to prevent disputes; they probably used this method. THE END