full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Laura Snyder: The Philosophical Breakfast Club

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Up to the 19th century, natural philosophers were expected to pay for their own equipment and supplies. Occasionally, there were prizes, such as that given to John hsiroarn in the 18th century, for solving the so-called lnuoigdte problem, but prizes were only given after the fact, when they were given at all. On the acivde of the phcoahlpsioil breakfast club, the British Association began to use the extra meony gtarneeed by its meetings to give grants for research in astronomy, the tides, fsisol fish, shliidnpiubg, and many other areas. These grants not only allowed less wealthy men to conduct research, but they also encouraged thinking outside the box, rather than just trying to solve one pre-set question. Eventually, the Royal Society and the scientific societies of other countries followed suit, and this has become — fortunately it's become — a major part of the scientific lpascadne today.

Open Cloze

Up to the 19th century, natural philosophers were expected to pay for their own equipment and supplies. Occasionally, there were prizes, such as that given to John ________ in the 18th century, for solving the so-called _________ problem, but prizes were only given after the fact, when they were given at all. On the ______ of the _____________ breakfast club, the British Association began to use the extra _____ _________ by its meetings to give grants for research in astronomy, the tides, ______ fish, ____________, and many other areas. These grants not only allowed less wealthy men to conduct research, but they also encouraged thinking outside the box, rather than just trying to solve one pre-set question. Eventually, the Royal Society and the scientific societies of other countries followed suit, and this has become — fortunately it's become — a major part of the scientific _________ today.

Solution

  1. fossil
  2. landscape
  3. shipbuilding
  4. money
  5. generated
  6. philosophical
  7. longitude
  8. advice
  9. harrison

Original Text

Up to the 19th century, natural philosophers were expected to pay for their own equipment and supplies. Occasionally, there were prizes, such as that given to John Harrison in the 18th century, for solving the so-called longitude problem, but prizes were only given after the fact, when they were given at all. On the advice of the philosophical breakfast club, the British Association began to use the extra money generated by its meetings to give grants for research in astronomy, the tides, fossil fish, shipbuilding, and many other areas. These grants not only allowed less wealthy men to conduct research, but they also encouraged thinking outside the box, rather than just trying to solve one pre-set question. Eventually, the Royal Society and the scientific societies of other countries followed suit, and this has become — fortunately it's become — a major part of the scientific landscape today.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

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deductive method 2
widely read 2
charles darwin 2
club helped 2

ngrams of length 3

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philosophical breakfast club 4
breakfast club helped 2

ngrams of length 4

collocation frequency
philosophical breakfast club helped 2

Important Words

  1. advice
  2. allowed
  3. areas
  4. association
  5. astronomy
  6. began
  7. box
  8. breakfast
  9. british
  10. century
  11. club
  12. conduct
  13. countries
  14. encouraged
  15. equipment
  16. eventually
  17. expected
  18. extra
  19. fact
  20. fish
  21. fortunately
  22. fossil
  23. generated
  24. give
  25. grants
  26. harrison
  27. john
  28. landscape
  29. longitude
  30. major
  31. meetings
  32. men
  33. money
  34. natural
  35. occasionally
  36. part
  37. pay
  38. philosophers
  39. philosophical
  40. prizes
  41. problem
  42. question
  43. research
  44. royal
  45. scientific
  46. shipbuilding
  47. societies
  48. society
  49. solve
  50. solving
  51. suit
  52. supplies
  53. thinking
  54. tides
  55. today
  56. wealthy