English for Wizards

Can you just Google it?

By John Moore

Google の攻略法が載った人気の書籍 Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools

When my son Peter uses the Internet, the first place he goes is Google (www.google.com). That's because Google is set as the "home page" in his browser, and it pops up automatically every time. Maybe he even thinks that Google and the Internet are the same thing.

These days you hardly ever have to type a URL anymore, thanks to Google. Instead of remembering the exact Shukan ST Online address, for example, just enter "Shukan ST" in the Google search blank and press the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. There you are!

For language learners, Google can be very useful not just as a search engine, but also as a dictionary. Enter a misspelled word, such as "wizerd," and Google will say, "Did you mean: wizard?"

Google can even answer grammar questions by showing which usage is most common. Is it better, for example, to write "ride on the train" or "ride in the train"? Just search for both phrases in Google, making sure to use quotation marks. I got 193 results for "in" and 1,900 results for "on." This suggests that "on" is probably the right word in this case, even though "in" is not absolutely wrong.

Part of Google's success is its simple main screen, but this search engine can do an amazing variety of things. Click on the Images tab above the search form to search for photos, or on the News tab to find the latest news updates. If you don't really know what you are looking for, you can also choose the Directory tab to get a handy topic index.

Try clicking on "Advanced Search" for dozens of other options. What if you are looking for a Mr. Koizumi who is NOT the prime minister of Japan? The Advanced Search page lets you find Koizumi without the word Junichiro. And you can limit your results to just English pages, or just Japanese pages, if you want.

Then there is a whole range of special search sites, such as Froogle (froogle.google.com) for online shopping searches, and Google Uncle Sam (www.google.com) for U.S. government information.

Google is so popular that there is even a whole book about it, called "Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips ＆ Tools." It tells you about all the special ways to use Google, and it even shows how you can write your own computer programs to make Google do fun and interesting things. This book was on the New York Times bestseller list, which is rare for a computer book.

Shukan ST: July 4, 2003

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