Google (full name Google search) is a web search engine owned by Google, Inc.
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Background
Google search was originally developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1997 and has since developed into a brand name associated with many other products, including Gmail and Google Maps.
The name Google is a variation of the mathematical term googol, that is, 10100.
The verb "google", as in "I googled it", means using the Google search engine to find information on the World Wide Web, and has been included in dictionaries since 1991.[1]
Other uses of Google
Google has some other uses which may be of interest to English language teachers and students.
Spell checker
The Google search engine may be used as a cheap and cheerful spell checker. Enter the spelling you think the word has and press search. If the word is misspelt then Google will probably offer you an alternative.
Alternatively enter the first few letters of the word and Google will suggest possibilities.
A variation of the above is for checking the exact wording of set phrases, as in "To be or not to be, that was..."
Dictionary
Google may also be used as a dictionary. In the Google search box enter:
- define:word
(where "word" is the word you want to define) and Google will serve up results from a selection of on-line dictionaries.
Specific file type finder
Let's say that you have a technically minded student and you want want to find PDF files on a particular subject of interest, for argument's sake, buildings. Enter:
- buildings filetype:pdf
This will bring up all PDFs on buildings. To search on other terms change "buildings" to the term you want. To search for other filetypes change "pdf" to whatever you want.
Newspaper articles
Google News is a good source for finding that interesting article you want to use in class but just can't remember where and when you came across it.
This sometimes gets round that irritating habit some online newspapers have of only making archived articles available to subscribers...
