Writers,
book marketers, publicists, editors, news media and so many key people in the
communications industry rely on one thing to get their ideas, missions,
visions, and information conveyed to another: WORDS.
Before
you can do anything else, whether writing or speaking, we each must choose our
words carefully. There are ramifications
for the words we select or omit, from legal and financial to political and
military. If one misunderstands another
or misinterprets the intention of one’s statement, lives, money, and history
could be on the line. Words carry weight
and meaning. They are utterly important
to a society that relies on words to defend truths, pursue justice, exonerate
the innocent, damn the evil, earn a buck, or pay homage to the accomplished or
deceased.
Unfortunately,
the vocabulary of the average American is lacking. Many don’t know the words that they should
while others refrain from using the words they know for fear of them not being
understood by others. When we’re unable
to let words flourish and allow for their artistry to take hold, we are reduced
to mechanical utterances that serve function at its lowest, simplest
level. Words, however, could raise us to
see, think, and feel beyond the world that exists in such concrete terms. Language can be used not just to inform, but
to inspire, enlighten, influence, and instill a special something inside each
of us. We need to grow our vocabulary in
order to grow, period.
So what
is a helpful tool for building one’s vocabulary?
First,
commit to studying a certain number of words daily. If you read the definition of just 10 words a
day, you’ll expand your vocabulary by thousands of words by the time Christmas comes. That’s no small feat. Considering most people only call upon a few
thousand different words through the year, this is huge. Some people have working vocabularies in the
tens of thousands of words, so even one who knows 30,000 words; to add 3,000 words
this year is to raise the sum of their personal dictionary by 10%!
Second,
make an effort to use newly learned words.
You don’ want them to be stated awkwardly or without context, but if the
setting is right – be it business, personal, or in the practice of your craft
–feel free to spend these newly acquired words.
Third,
by increasing your reading time and diversifying the level of content and
diversifying the subject matter, you’ll expose yourself to many new words while
reacquainting yourself with words you have learned.
Fourth,
play games with words, such as Scrabble, word searches, crossword puzzles, and
select board games. Not only does this
delay dementia, it really helps in a fun way to build up your vocabulary.
On a
recent visit to Barnes & Noble, on East 86th Street in
Manhattan, I came across more than a dozen books in its cavernous reference
section that promised the reader would learn new words quickly and easily. There was 1000
Most Important Words by Norman Schur.
How can we determine what makes the cut and won’t be there? There is widespread
disagreement on what’s included or excluded?
It contained words like torpid (slow, sluggish, dull), traduce (to
slander and malign), and trenchant (forceful, incisive, effective).
For
those who value short, easy-to-carry books, you’ll like Webster’s New World Pocket Vocabulary, where one can find words
such as mercurial (volatile and given to changing moods suddenly), miasma (a
noxious, dangerous, or unwholesome emission, atmosphere, or influence), and
mordant (biting or stinging remark).
Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary
Builder shared
over 3,500 words, including interstice (a little space between two things),
interpolate (to put something between other things or parts), and undulant
(rising and falling in waves).
Verbal
Advantage also teachers 3,500 words, including parsimonious (stingy),
meretricious (attractive in a flashy or cheap way), and sagacious (wise or
shrewd).
Another
book highlighted “specialized words everyone needs to know, called Think You Know Your Vocabulary? It broke up the vocabulary lists based on
subject matter, including musical, culinary, medical, mechanical, and
scientific terms. Words to be found here
include denouement (the final revelation in a drama, in which everything
becomes clear), coulomb (a unit of electrical charge), and languidly (in a
lethargic manner).
The Big Book of Words You Should
Know shares over
3,000 words “every person should be able to use (and a few that you probably
shouldn’t”. Words found inside its
informative pages include abnegate (to renounce), aggrandize (raise the
importance of), and eschew (to shun).
The book
with some of the hardest, least-used words is 1500 Words in 15 Minutes A Day by
Ceil Cleveland. It featured words like
yashmak (a veil worn by Moslem women), urceolate (a jug or pitcher that is
urn-shaped), and syzygy (the configuration of the sun, moon, and earth lying in
a straight line).
Some
words may be more useful than others, but each of them is a potential tool to
help you convey your thoughts, feelings, experiences, needs, visions, and
desires. Words are the currency of a
world that lives 24/7 with its communication devices, and media. There are no barriers to you learning more
words and then using them. It takes
time, but not a lot, and it takes very little money (cost of a book – if you
don’t get it form the library). No
excuses! Go learn more words and you’ll
be a better writer for it.
DON’T MISS: ALL NEW RESOURCE OF THE YEAR
2015 Book PR &
Marketing Toolkit: All New
Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him
on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels
more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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