PR: Writers Beat Block
StumbleUponIf you're as dumb as a box of rocks, as daft as a brush, or just as thick as two short planks the Phrase Finder may help with your writer's block.
WRITERS BEAT BLOCK AND GAIN WITTY WORDAGE WITH THE PHRASE THESAURUS
www.phrasefinder.co.ukTheres nothing more frustrating for a busy professional writer than being stuck for the right word or phrase especially with a deadline looming and an editor breathing down your neck. Thanks to the Phrase Thesaurus (www.phrasefinder.co.uk), which provides phrases relevant to any chosen topic in the English language, writers block should be a thing of the past.
Developed at Sheffield Hallam University as a spin-off from a computational linguistics project, the Phrase Finder is ideal for journalists and copywriters who might be working under stress and need to devise a witty comment or headline in a hurry. The system uses an intelligent search function to draw upon more than 12,000 entries, providing the largest database of English phrases available on the internet.
When a user enters a word, the database returns a list of related phrases or, optionally, phrases containing that key word. For example, fish would bring up the related cheap skate, red herring, and green around the gills. The word stupid would return the related space cadet, pig ignorant and penny wise, pound foolish. A search for phrases containing stupid itself would give keep it simple, stupid and stupid is as stupid does. Users can also search for phrases containing two of their chosen key words.
An annual single user subscription to Phrase Thesaurus costs 28, while a multi-user site license is 70. Existing clients include: BBC, Channel 4, Conde Nast, ITV, McGraw Hill, Newsweek, The Daily Express, The Financial Times and The Independent.
Alexandra Martin, marketing manager at the Phrase Thesaurus, comments: We all know the feeling: its been a long day, your brain has gone dead, yet that elusive headline or caption needs to be submitted as of five minutes ago! With The Phrase Thesaurus, writers can rest assured that a source of additional inspiration and witticism is always at hand.
-ends-
Notes to Editors
The Phrasefinder product is a spin-off from a project on computational linguistics at Sheffield Hallam University. The company, which was established in Nov 2001 and is based in Sheffield, employs two people.
Journalists who wish to review the Phrase Thesaurus can obtain a temporary login code using the contact details below.
For further information, please contact:
Gary Martin
Email: admin@phrasefinder.co.uk
Comments
You must be logged in to comment.