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Sunday 25 November 2012

How to improve your vocabulary

How To Make Vocabulary Strong
The old saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression,” is a very true saying indeed.
In modern times, it seems like a vast majority of folks in America are caught up in the general “rat race.” They are obsessed with the idea that status symbols (in their eyes – money, clothing, cars and countless other material possessions) can actually grant a sense of standing out from the crowd, giving them that desired feeling of prominence. Even more so with increases in technology and social networking, I’ve noticed that the internet has become an outlet for almost everyone seeking to become noticed or influential, as well, whether it be through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or another form of social networking.

How strong is your vocabulary?
Personally, I feel it comes down to the words and vocabulary being said or spoken.
Does simply buying a nice business suit make you a businessman or businesswoman? No, it does not. While that fresh, new suit might give the impression of professionalism and invoke the feeling and image of importance, do you have the intelligence ammunition to back up the appearance? In a world that seems to (sadly) judge based upon first impressions and appearances, it is even sadder to say that one of the most overlooked aspects of building a professional demeanor is having a strong vocabulary.
Every time you speak, someone is picking apart what is being said. Let’s just face the basic facts. If you talk (or write or tweet) with bad sentence structure and poor vocabulary, how is anyone expected to take you seriously?
The brain is much like a muscle. You either use it or lose it. That being said, here are a few simple tips with regard to improving your vocabulary:
Read a book or article of interest (it’s one of the easiest ways to build vocabulary)
Choose a new word to learn out of a thesaurus and try to master it in everyday context
Understand the root of the words you are saying (about half of all English words are from Greek and Latin, and knowing the meaning of these roots can help you understand the meaning of the actual word)
Watching a movie with interesting dialog? Pick a word out of the line that you do not know, find its meaning and use it
Use the internet as a teaching tool [An example would be Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day offering.]

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