Posted on: 11 February, 2002
Author: Alexandria K. Brown
Although it's ... obvious that a poor ... ... you out of the White House, people do judge you by thewords you use -- making ... about your ... and capabi Although it's painfully obvious that a poor vocabulary won'tkeep you out of the White House, people do judge you by thewords you use -- making assumptions about your intelligence,education, and capabilities. Having a vast "stable" of words that you are confident inusing allows you to choose just the right one when you needit. This can help make your copywriting, client conversations,arguments, and sales presentations incredibly powerful andconcise. And it never hurts to appear smarter than you are.In grade school, we were given vocabulary lessons and quizzesthat forced us to learn the meanings of new words. But now, asgrown-ups in our increasingly "dumbed-down" society, it's noteasy to keep learning new words without working at it. Thesix-o'clock news and "People" magazine won't do much toincrease your word power.So how can you increase your vocab without spending hoursstudying your dictionary or a book on the subject? Here are afew easy ways that I've found helpful:1. Read more publications. "The New York Times" and even news magazines such as "Time"and "Newsweek" often throw in words that fall above thecountry's average 6th grade reading level. (That sounds mightylow, I know, but that's the target for most publications aimedat the general public.) Keep a small dictionary with you, andwhen you come across words you're not familiar with, look themup. Don't be embarrassed about not knowing then -- just learnthem!2. Get your "Word of the Day." Dictionary.com offers a daily e-mail that gives youinteresting and useful words, along with their definitions,pronunciations, and three examples of their usage. Since it'seasier to learn in small bits, this is an ideal way to pick upnew words you can really use. For example, yesterday's nuggetwas: "pervicacious pur-vih-KAY-shus, adjective: Refusing tochange one's ideas, behavior, etc.; stubborn; obstinate." (I'msure we know many people who are pervicacious.)Sign up at www.dictionary.com. (By the way, bookmark thissite, or do what I did and make it your browser's home page.It's wonderfully handy to look up a word by typing it in yourkeyboard instead of lugging that eight-pound Webster off yourbookshelf.)3. Listen and learn. If you want to go on a vocabulary crusade whole-hog, order theVerbal Advantage audiotape program, that aims to help you"amass a Harvard Graduate's Vocabulary in just 15 minutes aday." I enjoy listening to these tapes on long drives and findthat I truly retain what I hear. The great thing aboutlearning by *listening* is that you really learn how to*pronounce* the word. There's also a quick quiz after every 10words learned.The narrator also gives examples of usage and touches oncommon usage errors to help you avoid embarrassing mistakes inconversation. One example: Many people say the word"unequivocable," but the word is "unequivocal." (One lesssyllable!)The company offers a two-tape "trial offer" for less than $30that gives you many useful words to get started. Check it outat http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=8904I think you'll like it! (Can someone please order it for"Dubya"?)Now, all you have to do is remember to use what you know!Although you shouldn't try *too* hard to pepper yourconversations with words that will stump your colleagues(think of Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football), you'llenjoy being able to pull just the right word out of yourproverbial hat when you need it. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com