Improving Vocabulary Blog.ORG

In today’s economy, there are millions of people who are unemployed. Just a few years ago, it was estimated that the average employer would receive five to seven resumes for a position. This limited an employer’s interviewing and selection pool. Nowadays though, a position can have as many as forty to fifty applications. Making ones resume stand out is essential to successfully securing a job. Showing written maturity in ones presentation skills, which includes grammar and writing, is paramount. Here are some helpful tips to improving one chances of getting a job in the tough economy.

Power Words

According to CareerOwl, using power words has the potential to distinguish the typical employee from the highly qualified. Furthermore, according to the Rockport Institute, “…even if you face fierce competition, with a well written resume you should be invited to interview more often than many people more qualified than you.” Furthermore, it is important to remember that a “resume is an advertisement, nothing more, nothing less.  A great resume doesn’t just tell them what you have done but makes the same assertion that all good ads do: If you buy this product, you will get these specific, direct benefits. It presents you in the best light. It coveys to the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position or career.”  A strong resume presents power words – or words that are dominant to that industry or business that show the candidate has a strong business acumen and understanding of what it will take to succeed in the corporate culture.

Grammar and Vocabulary

Being sloppy and careless can also cost a future candidate an employment opportunity. According to Bauer-Ramazani (2008), an important element to ensuring a resume is highly marketable is that the resume uses accurate English grammar and vocabulary which includes word form and word choice. Additionally, verbs must be used consistently as in the past tense unless the person is currently working in the specified environment. Punctuation and spelling must also be exact. Furthermore, the resume includes all the necessary items and follows the guidelines required such as objectives, action verbs, dates, places, and so forth with precision all the while being accurate.

Business Words

Bauer-Ramazani (2008) suggests that when writing your resume, it’s important that you are not repetitive with action verbs of business words. Using the same words over and over again will make your resume seem dull. Most employers will pass your resume up because it will show a lack of experience and professionalism. Adding words that convey similar actions in different ways is essential. This means that using a variety of business words to emphasize actions will help to build a strong self image to the potential employer while accelerating one’s own chances of landing the job they are applying for.

Anonymous (2008) English Resources. CareerOwl. Retrieved on April 19, 2009, from http://www.careerowlresources.ca/

Lore, N. (2008). How to write a masterpiece of a resumne. Rockport Institute. Retrieved on April 18, 2009, from http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes.html

Bauer-Ramazani, C. (2008) Foundations of Business Administration: Resume Rubrics. Retrieved on April 18, 2009, from http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/BU113/Rubrics/resume_rubric.htm

Sales presentations are more than just about selling a product with a strong beginning or end. In creating a winning presentation, it is imperative to present in a savvy, strong, and articulate manner. Not only is how one presents themselves important; but the vocabulary they use when presenting. To have a million dollar vocabulary when presenting a subject, there are certain pre-requisites that one must consider.

First, conducting thorough research is essential. While a subject matter expert may think they know what is important to present or not, understanding the prospective business clients need is something that may not be transparent. Researching the topic methodically as if you are studying for a standardized test like the GRE’s or GMAT’s is an approach many great presenters take because they must comprehend essential knowledge, be able to articulate a range of business vocabulary, and apply qualitative skills to bring the pieces together to make a presentation tick. Following such a methodology shows the thoroughness of the presenter and that the prospective client is important. It will be easy to answer such questions, “says who” and “based on what.” In other words, as a presenter, a person will be able to answer the “why is this important?”

In the medical area, presentation must be clear and articulate. Haber and Lingard (2001) stated that “Oral presentation skills are central to physician-physician communication; however, little is known about how these skills are learned. Rhetoric is a social science which studies communication in terms of context and explores the action of language on knowledge, attitudes, and values.” (p. 308). What we do know; however, is that it is important to make sure that the presenter does not continue to speak without breaks, clearly explains all ambiguous words, and captivates the audience so that they do not deviate their attention from focusing on subject matter other than the topic at hand.

Being able to grab the executive’s attention, whether it is a doctor or a CEO can be done in three key ways: use executive vocabulary, understand business terminology, and be well spoken by presenting the presentation with proper English grammar. According to St. John (1998), “there is further proliferation of terms within Business English; some focus on people, some on purpose and some on jobs. So you may hear of English for Professionals, English for Professional Purposes, and English for Secretaries or Secretarial English.” (p. 4). Furthermore, “Research requires data, people and time. While research time is not the prerogative of lecturers, they at least are paid for it. One limitation on research, whatever our position, is the availability of data, particularly for spoken interactions.” (p. 4). Therefore, it is important to recognize that when developing an executive presentation regardless of profession, the intended audience must be considered as well as the level of research conducted prior to the presentation. A presentation is not just about selling an idea; it is about understanding the data that relates to the topic and the value of the people and their time which are involved in the study.

References Cited

Haber R J & Lingard L A (2001). Learning oral presentation skills: a rhetorical analysis with pedagogical and professional implications. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(5), 308-314

St. John, M.  (1998). Business is booming: Business English in the 1990s. English for Specific Purposes, 15(1), 3-18.

Building vocabulary at any age is an easy way to advance in communication and comprehension.  However, to do this, there is the need to have new methodologies that provide instantaneous results.  This promises better comprehension and capabilities for speaking among others that are interested in creating an understanding on different levels.  One of the newest approaches now being used for word use and vocabulary building is vocab software.  This allows individuals to take a new approach to learning and comprehension.

There are several types of vocab software options now on the market.  This includes Ultimate Vocabulary, Ultimate Word Attack, Wordsmart, Vocabulary Skills, eWords, Gocabulary and Super Tutor.  All these software devices are designed with ways to build vocabulary, memorize various words and to play games that help with comprehension.  However, many pedagogical studies have found that, while software tools all help to build vocabulary, some are more effective then others in offering the best results.

The main concept you want to search for when you are looking into software tools is whether it offers a diversity of applications for success.  This includes the ability to browse and discover what words combined with enhanced features that introduce you to dictionary and thesaurus words.  Tracking your progress and using exercises and tests should also be a part of this.  The use of these different qualities provides better comprehension because it offers the new to the known, combined with in depth processing of words and the ability to comprehend words at different levels.  Through various studies, these attributes are known to work most effectively with students that are learning vocabulary9.

The capabilities reached from this are a complete interaction of the words and application for individuals looking into the vocab software.  Doing this on various levels provides a new social and cultural context of the words and builds levels of understanding for better comprehension of the words.  The software devices now used are expected to continue changing and expanding pedagogical approaches as well as knowledge building cultures, so there is a better level of comprehension through various levels and qualities offered through different types of vocab software.  This includes processes that can now be used for building more depth with vocabulary and applying it on the various levels needed10.

Because of the research found with vocab software, as well as the potential that can be reached by creating different levels of understanding, are several who have also found that vocabulary software is not always built the same.  Several types of software only include one or two-dimensional components for building vocabulary, while leaving out levels of comprehension and understanding.  The only way to acquire the qualities and characteristics needed for depths of understanding is “Ultimate Vocabulary,” which includes ways to discover vocabulary from the basic concepts needed and to advanced needs.  The result is the ability for the vocab software to have a supportive approach to expanding software needs.

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9 Wood, Julie.  (2001).  Can Software Support Children’s Vocabulary Development? Language Learning and Technology (5), (1).

10 Scardamalia, Marlene, Carl Bereiter.  (2006).  Knowledge Building: Theory, Pedagogy and Technology. Cambridge University Press: New York.

Learning to talk, for most, is developed in the early years through repetitiveness, mimicking and building vocabulary words in educational and school programs.  However, the concept of vocabulary development applies to more than the growth each individual has gone through.  It is known that there are alternative concepts applied to learning and cognitive understanding of communication.  Understanding what needs to be given to children who are learning to communicate and read in the formative years is essential with their abilities to read and comprehend concepts for the rest of their lives.

There are four waves of learning children go through, specifically which pertain to vocabulary development and reading comprehension.  On average, these waves can be seen at ages 4, 5, 6 and 8.  Each of these years are focused on children learning vocabulary words at a specific level and that are developing cognitive skills to apply different words to conversations and reading.  During each of these waves, it is essential teachers and families help children to understand different vocabulary words and how they assist with new abilities in communication.

Each of these waves leads to several needs that have to be meet with the development of vocabulary.  This includes phonological memory, nonverbal intelligence, reading and vocabulary comprehension.  Each stage includes average correlations to what children should understand and apply.  For instance, between 4 and 5, the first wave of vocabulary learning, children should be able to apply phonological memory to words.  This results in learning more vocabulary, which moves from hearing comprehension to seeing words[1].

After these basic levels of vocabulary development, are new levels that have to be applied to understanding vocabulary.  After these first four waves, children move into more than recognizing and applying words.  They also develop the ability to comprehend vocabulary at deeper levels, with a complete understanding of what vocabulary words mean.  Children between the ages of 8 and 10 years old move into new levels of development, which includes application of some of the main vocabulary words and their application to literature and communication, leading to a complete understanding of words, instead of recognition alone[2].

The concepts of vocabulary development, as can be seen, don’t just include a basic understanding and recognition of words.  As children go through various waves and stages, especially in the earlier and more formative years of their life, is also the need to build different levels of understanding of words.  This includes the concept of recognizing words, which then moves into deeper meanings and application of the words.  Combining these concepts through vocabulary learning is the beginning to helping children with better cognitive recognition and communication skills.

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[1] Gatherscole, S.E., Willis C.S., Emslie H, Baddeley A.D.  (1992).  “Phonological Memory and Vocabulary Development During the Early School Years: A Longitudinal Study.”  Developmental Psychology (28), (5), 887-898.

[2] Anglin, Jeremy, George Miller, Pamela Wakefield.  (1993).  “Vocabulary Development: A Morphological Analysis.”  Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. (58), (10), pgs. i-186.

One of the true “wildcards” of the English language is the idioms, which are phrases in the English language that manage to defy all the proper and formal rules concerning and regarding English grammar, and yet, which are accepted as being a perfectly valid part of the language.

To make these rather perplexing parts of the English language even more bewildering and frustrating for people who are trying to learn English as a second language, is that the actual meaning of the idioms can change. The definition can be classed into two groups:

The literal meaning

The idiomatic meaning.

The correct meaning will depend entirely upon the context in which the phrase is used.

For a list of idioms look here

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.