full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Kaustav Dey: How fashion helps us express who we are -- and what we stand for

Unscramble the Blue Letters


I was bullied quite a bit. And so, I figured that to survive I would be iblsvniie, and the uniform helped me to seem no different from any other child.

(Laughter)

Well, almost. This became my daily prayer: "God, please make me just like everybody else." I think this went straight to God's voicemail, though.

(Laughter)

And eventually, it became pretty cealr that I was not gnoriwg up to be the son that my fethar always wetnad. Sorry, Dad.

No, I was not going to magically change. And over time, I grew less and less sure that I actually wanted to. Therefore, the day those black corduroy bell-bottom pants came into my life, something hpeepnad. I didn't see pants; I saw opportunity. The very next day, I had to wear them to school, come what may. And once I plleud on those god-awful pants and belted them tight, almost instantly, I developed what can only be called a swagger.

Open Cloze


I was bullied quite a bit. And so, I figured that to survive I would be _________, and the uniform helped me to seem no different from any other child.

(Laughter)

Well, almost. This became my daily prayer: "God, please make me just like everybody else." I think this went straight to God's voicemail, though.

(Laughter)

And eventually, it became pretty _____ that I was not _______ up to be the son that my ______ always ______. Sorry, Dad.

No, I was not going to magically change. And over time, I grew less and less sure that I actually wanted to. Therefore, the day those black corduroy bell-bottom pants came into my life, something ________. I didn't see pants; I saw opportunity. The very next day, I had to wear them to school, come what may. And once I ______ on those god-awful pants and belted them tight, almost instantly, I developed what can only be called a swagger.

Solution


  1. invisible
  2. growing
  3. wanted
  4. clear
  5. pulled
  6. happened
  7. father

Original Text


I was bullied quite a bit. And so, I figured that to survive I would be invisible, and the uniform helped me to seem no different from any other child.

(Laughter)

Well, almost. This became my daily prayer: "God, please make me just like everybody else." I think this went straight to God's voicemail, though.

(Laughter)

And eventually, it became pretty clear that I was not growing up to be the son that my father always wanted. Sorry, Dad.

No, I was not going to magically change. And over time, I grew less and less sure that I actually wanted to. Therefore, the day those black corduroy bell-bottom pants came into my life, something happened. I didn't see pants; I saw opportunity. The very next day, I had to wear them to school, come what may. And once I pulled on those god-awful pants and belted them tight, almost instantly, I developed what can only be called a swagger.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
black corduroy 2
fashion police 2


Important Words


  1. belted
  2. bit
  3. black
  4. bullied
  5. called
  6. change
  7. child
  8. clear
  9. corduroy
  10. dad
  11. daily
  12. day
  13. developed
  14. eventually
  15. father
  16. figured
  17. grew
  18. growing
  19. happened
  20. helped
  21. instantly
  22. invisible
  23. laughter
  24. life
  25. magically
  26. opportunity
  27. pants
  28. pretty
  29. pulled
  30. school
  31. son
  32. straight
  33. survive
  34. swagger
  35. tight
  36. time
  37. uniform
  38. voicemail
  39. wanted
  40. wear