Improving Vocabulary Blog.ORG

An exclamation mark which is characterized by the following symbol “!” is used to express surprise at a particular part of a text, whether because it is unusual or surprising. In dialogue, it is used to convey the emotions from the speaker although it can be used as a command as well.  An exclamation mark, just like a question mark is only ever placed at the very end of a sentence. Exclamation marks should be used sparingly in writing.

Many people have difficulty with the rules of spelling in one form or another. Mistakes such as spelling deceive as “decieve” prove to be a common error that is easily made by professional writers.  The phrase to that is taught by many English teachers, “i before e except after c” holds true to words  like the such of; grieve, deceive, piece,  and many other words that have “ie” and “cei” pattern. In addition to the phrase’s usefulness, the phrase is also very easily remembered.

When it comes to college students, the teaching of phonics has generally ceased. Though this type of teaching is normally not needed, “however, periodically students who could benefit from this type of instruction do appear in college reading classes.”(Yaworski 2002, p.91) According to a study by Yaworski, sometimes teaching the rules of spelling, or phonics should be offered to college students.

One college student from Yaworski’s study had shown incredible progress during the course of a phonics program. At the start of the phonics course, the student had many errors in her first journal entry and gradually improved until there were none in her final entry.(Yaworski 2002, p.91) Therefore, there is sometimes the need for such a program at the college level.

Despite the large amount of resources available to college students, many refuse to use these resources. According to comments by Savage, the rules of spelling are violated so often, it has become a joke. The title of his article, ‘All Would of Been Caos’ intentionally shows two errors. One error being the spelling of chaos, and the other being the grammatical error. If he decided to use correct grammar and spelling, the article may have very well been titled, “All Would’ve Been Chaos.”

In addition of being nagged by instructors, the peers of a student may as well comment or even bully the student who needs such help. As stated by Ultimate Vocabulary, one’s wealth of vocabulary is a major influence on a potential employer’s decision of hiring one or not in both verbal and written forms. That statement has been proven true many times over as people with a larger vocabulary, and good knowledge on the rules for spelling tend to get better jobs.

Today’s studies show that a good number of college students do not properly understand grammar. Perhaps actions taken by Yaworski’s study do indeed show that the rules of spelling need to be taught not only at the elementary level, but up to the college level as well, or even beyond. Though it is needed more so at the elementary level, it also a good idea to have lessons like these at the college level when needed.

References

Yaworski, J 2002 ‘When Should Fonnicks be Tot to Kollage Stewdents?’, Journal of College Reading and Learning, vol. 33, no. 1, pp.91-98, viewed 22 February 2009,  <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/>

Savage Jr., W 2004 ‘All would have been Caos’, Journal of Scholarly Publishing, vol. 35, no. 4, pp.223-225,  viewed 23 February 2009, <http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/>

A colon, which is created using the following symbol “:” is used to introduce a list, introduce a quotation, or to provide a definition or explanation of something.  Here are some common examples of colon usage:

Colon introducing a list

In order to bake a cake you will need the following ingredients:

-sugar

-milk

-eggs.

Colon introducing a quotation

As a wise man once said:

“To err is human, to forgive, divine.”

Colon providing a definition

Arthritis: a painful inflammatory disorder which is characterized by joint stiffness and pain.

Most who speak the English language grow up with a basic understanding of how English works, what grammatical structures are used and how words interact with each other.  However, some children and youth may be limited in this understanding because of development exposure or communication results between adults and other children.  To help children expand their knowledge, a word a day vocabulary builder can be used.

Many question the concept of adding a word a day as a vocabulary builder for children, with hesitations based on children forgetting the words or not consciously adding them into their vocabulary.  However, research has shown that children who use this concept are able to continuously expand their capabilities for learning.  It has specifically been found that fluency is interrelated to gradually adding in vocabulary, instead of rapidly trying to build word understandings.

The concept of building only a word a day provides more then just a new vocabulary word for students.  It also provides a new level of comprehension, which increases fluency and communication among children.  Because a child only learns one vocabulary word a day, there is not just a basic understanding, but also a practice of the word.  This creates connections of the words, instead of just a basic understanding.  By children comprehending how to use the words and what is involved in structuring the words into sentences, it becomes a natural part of their vocabulary[1].

This concept links to what is known as the retrieval theory.  In this philosophy, children are noted to have better recall of information when it is used over a longer period of time.  Researchers conducted tests in which children were given a set of vocabulary words.  Some of the words were given at once, where children were required to memorize the words, then be tested over them the next day.  This caused low scores from the children, only being altered through memory recall.  The second test was given a week later.  With this, children had processed the information more thoroughly and were able to apply the vocabulary to their learning.  The result was a higher recall number because of the practical use of the vocabulary over a period of time[2].

As can be seen, the use of vocabulary building doesn’t just include memorization and basic comprehension.  Instead, children have to learn how to use the words in communication and in an everyday context, otherwise it is forgotten and not applied to memory.  Using a word a day vocabulary builder provides different insight into the words, how they are used and how they can be an effective part of the vocabulary that is used for a child’s communication.

[2] Barcroft, Joe.  (2007).  “Effects of Opportunities for Word Retrieval During Second Language Vocabulary Building.”  Language Learning (57), (1), pgs. 35 – 56.

Whilst English vocabulary maybe the building blocks and the bricks of the English language, English grammar is the cement that binds them together, and without the proper usage of grammar, the meaning can be lost or muddled to such an extent that it becomes unintelligible. Grammar is vital to help shape the structure and logical progression of the English language.

Effective communication is an essential life skill as it directly impacts upon how we interact and are judged by other people, and as a result it will also affect how easily we are able to convey our meaning and wishes across. There are a number of different ways of communicating although there seems to be a great deal of misconception about this.

In order to effectively communicate with a person you need to ensure that you elicit information in the most productive manner possible and in order to do so this means that you have to be aware of the impact that your vocabulary and grammar may have. A common mistake people make in regards to communicating with others is that they assume that by unleashing a mass barrage of questions, they are obtaining a lot of information. This is not always the case, and in some situations less is defiantly more as repeatedly hitting a person with question after question will result in you alienating that person completely.

In any given situation where you are involved in a dialogue, you will use a particular form of speaking i.e. with friends and family you may rely on more colloquial, informal words and phrases relying more heavily upon slang terminology. In a professional setting or workplace environment you may talk in a much more reserved and formal manner and it should be noted that the social environment that we are in will directly affect the way in which we communicate. Even basic questions, which do not really constitute a particularly demanding or complex aspect of English grammar, can be variable dependent upon the tone and pitch of our voice when we issue the question.

Effective communication is not only about obtaining information but also successfully ensuring that it is correct as well as properly saving it. Communication will invariably involve one person speaking and the other answering, and if this relationship should break down then the information which is required maybe also be lost as a result.

Certain words are not acceptable in certain circumstances, and so for example, if your vocabulary includes the proper words used for medical conditions and parts of the body this can prevent (undue) embarrassment when you visit the doctor!

Regardless of how polished your vocabulary is or how grammatically correct your sentences are, if you present poorly in terms of your body language then this will act as a major barrier to the dialogue meaning that you interrupt the flow of information.

The English language is a rich and powerful language. It is remarkable that despite there being over 4 million words in the English language, the average adult (who is a native English speaker) only knows around 50,000.

People tend to make snap judgments about one another based on shallow appearances and speech is one such factor which is constantly taken into consideration. Having access to a powerful and thorough vocabulary means that we are effective communicators and we are able to quickly get our ideas across.

Whether we are public speakers, or simply have to convey our feelings to someone close to us, building a better vocabulary is nothing short of essential for our quality of life.

One of the quickest, most effective, and arguably most enjoyable ways of developing and building a better vocabulary is to read more books. Now many people assume that in order to develop your vocabulary you need to read dusty, ancient tomes where the author has died in order for you to develop English proficiency. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this illogical argument is based on one thing and one thing only: academic snobbery. The bottom line is that the more you read, the better your vocabulary will get.

Get into the habit of keeping up to date with political affairs, the news and listen to the radio. Crosswords both on paper and in electronic form can be also excellent ways to develop and broaden your vocabulary. There are numerous games online which are also timed, in which you will be given a jumble of letters and you will be required to make as many words as possible from the collection of letters available.

Some of these games offer additional time for correct guesses, others will keep the clock ticking regardless of what you choose and some of the more helpful games offer a direct link to a lexicon site allowing you full access to the proper pronunciation and definition of the words. These online games are especially good for young children, who will be quite taken in with the flashy graphics, funky music and endless replay. It is also the ideal way to engage their attention in a positive and constructive manner.

People often confuse with words and they try to extract meaning of the word by its etymology. For example consider trying to extract the meaning of the word pacify. People often confuse with the word pacify and pacifier. Unhappy babies are given pacifier to make them stop crying. To soothe anger or agitation or to subdue by armed action is the relevant meaning of the word pacify. Pacifist is a person who opposes war and violence generally on religious and moral grounds.

There exists a significant danger in trying to decipher meaning of words based on etymology. Etymology will not give you exact meaning of the word for every word. There exists a contradiction trying to predict the meaning of the word by its etymology. It would be better to know the meaning of the word by its root or origin.

Many people even literates think that meanings are the same in all languages and it varies according to the form in which we use it. Consider this sentence “The vodka is all right, but the meat is bad”. This sentence when translated into Russian by computer software gives out the meaning as “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. Languages are different and they need planned preparation.

There are various different and typical patterns of relationships between words in different languages. Chamois (French) = Italian camoscio, English re-proof = French re`imperme`abiliser. This confusion or ambiguity occurs when words which are related to concepts are firmly grounded into reality. Conceptual knowledge is not the same and it is never identical to our knowledge about meanings.

For example native English speakers (mother tongue) define or speak about wearing with one verb put on, whereas this is not the case with other languages such as Japanese, Chinese, etc. They have an elaborate form of representation for lower clothing, upper clothing, watches, etc. This form of understanding by English learners will make them know the intricacies and the manner in which native English speakers speak English.

English distinguishes streams from rivers but the French distinguishes rivers which run into the sea from rivers which are tributaries of other rivers. These are some of the different contexts in which English language varies from other languages. People from dissimilar cultures find learning English difficult due to problem in cross linguistic equivalences. Even words which may appear to be correct in related languages but they might be wrong grammatically in particular contexts.

Executives often have greater understanding of vocabulary than workers working under executives. Executives due to their managerial responsibilities and functions tend to have greater command in using vocabulary. Their often interactions with clients and people superior to them makes them crave for polished English language. It is understood that people with good command in English language often get respected from business community. English is one of the most spoken languages in the world and the usage of it is very much visible in business. Developing countries are increasingly adopting English into their daily routine or curriculum.

Grammar forms the basic pillars of English language which should be known before speaking. Grammar defines the rules for speaking, reading and writing English language. There are various other aspects to English language such as using the appropriate word in relevant context. English words when used in different context alter the meaning of the sentence completely.

Most people get amazed by the speeches of leading personalities because of their relative usage of powerful words and ideas conveyed through precision and power. Stumbling, fumbling and searching for words are a general occurrence for most of us but not for powerful personalities who give a continuous speech without any difficulty. Communication skills are very important in addition to the knowledge on vocabulary.

Knack to fetch words from memory is an important skill which can be obtained by constant repetition of words learnt. Constant speaking and writing of articles, essays, and short stories will increase your knack to fetch words from the memory. Words form an important part of executive vocabulary. There are other important aspects of executive vocabulary. If you have been into five star hotels you can notice the body language and spoken English of receptionists and other hotel staff. They exhibit courteousness and speak polished form of English. They tend to speak neutral English.

One of the best ways to learn Executive vocabulary is by Audio CD`s. There are commercial Audio CD`s which teach users in using power words in business conversation. Power words increase a person’s stature. Reading editorial contents from newspapers and magazines will improve knowledge of vocabulary. There are books from leading English professors which detail about power words. Dictionaries from leading publishers such as Webster, Oxford, Cambridge, etc have an extensive library of words from which power words can be extracted. Talk it software details about the phonetics and the way you can pronounce words. These software`s can be downloaded onto computers which gives ease of success.

Vocabulary has been refining from ages. Words which were used in olden days have been modified and changed to accommodate words of new era. One of the most important and visible changes in vocabulary has happened for road signs. They decide the fate of the user; any misinterpretation will be a certain death especially in our ever increasing traffic problems and accidents. This problem gets aggravated when using writing signs than pictures.
For example the phrase GIVE WAY is directly from the era of old coaches and horses. This sign has an undercurrent of gentle submission in olden times when people have to give way for coaches. In modern times no one likes to give way unless and until they are required to by law.

DUAL CARRIAGEWAY is another term imported from Victorian era of horses and carriages. This term when interpreted in modern times depicts dual road, double lane, big road, etc. The underlying aspect of the word (differs according to perception) is fast lane ahead for modern day drivers or ease of congestion or drive with ease.

Another term which is catching interest of drivers and it being a subject of controversy is REDUCE SPEED NOW. This term sounds more or less like a driver school instruction. May be this term should be updated to Slow down now or in hysterical sense start braking now.

Punctuation gets outdated with time and with passage of time English is getting refined. For instance in olden days writers used to use exclamation mark to denote something interesting is going to happen such as Gosh!, many writers have the habit of writing *#@&!. This exclamation remark when translated into modern times aptly applies to the context when something turns up during a round bend in top gear. There are many old English words which are still in use. Another important aspect is that they all have places in the fabulous language English.

Understanding the etymology of the word helps you in deriving the meaning of the word. This concept has always been in controversy because at certain times etymology can lead you astray. Deciphering meaning of the word based on etymology can benefit you if you can decipher the meaning of the word with relevant to context of the sentence. It doesn’t provide you definition. Many at times people can decipher the meaning of the word by knowing its root. If you can decipher the root of the word (origin) it solves half of your work load.