full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Keith Eggener: The fascinating history of cemeteries

Unscramble the Blue Letters


All of these pcecirtas, though some may seem strange taody, were ways of vrneaietng the dead. By contrast, the first known burials about 120,000 years ago were likely reserved for transgressors, excluding them from the usual rites intended to hnoor the dead. But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices: they pettecord bodies from scavengers and the elements, while sdhnliieg loved ones from the sight of decay. These benefits may have shifted ancient people’s thinking toward graves designed to honor the dead, and brauil became more common. Sometimes, these graves contained practical or ritual objects, suggesting belief in an afterlife where the dead might need such tools.

Open Cloze


All of these _________, though some may seem strange _____, were ways of __________ the dead. By contrast, the first known burials about 120,000 years ago were likely reserved for transgressors, excluding them from the usual rites intended to _____ the dead. But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices: they _________ bodies from scavengers and the elements, while _________ loved ones from the sight of decay. These benefits may have shifted ancient people’s thinking toward graves designed to honor the dead, and ______ became more common. Sometimes, these graves contained practical or ritual objects, suggesting belief in an afterlife where the dead might need such tools.

Solution


  1. burial
  2. venerating
  3. shielding
  4. today
  5. practices
  6. protected
  7. honor

Original Text


All of these practices, though some may seem strange today, were ways of venerating the dead. By contrast, the first known burials about 120,000 years ago were likely reserved for transgressors, excluding them from the usual rites intended to honor the dead. But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices: they protected bodies from scavengers and the elements, while shielding loved ones from the sight of decay. These benefits may have shifted ancient people’s thinking toward graves designed to honor the dead, and burial became more common. Sometimes, these graves contained practical or ritual objects, suggesting belief in an afterlife where the dead might need such tools.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
burial grounds 2


Important Words


  1. advantages
  2. afterlife
  3. ancient
  4. belief
  5. benefits
  6. bodies
  7. burial
  8. burials
  9. common
  10. contained
  11. contrast
  12. dead
  13. decay
  14. designed
  15. elements
  16. excluding
  17. graves
  18. honor
  19. intended
  20. loved
  21. objects
  22. practical
  23. practices
  24. protected
  25. reserved
  26. revealed
  27. rites
  28. ritual
  29. scavengers
  30. shielding
  31. shifted
  32. sight
  33. strange
  34. suggesting
  35. thinking
  36. today
  37. tools
  38. transgressors
  39. usual
  40. venerating
  41. ways
  42. years