Most operas are sung in their original languages – usually Italian, French, or German – and the lyrics are not usually included in the program. However, many opera companies use supertitles to project the translated words in English to a display above the stage. The Metropolitan Opera in New York City has gone one step further, and each seat in the theatre has its own display screen showing the words as they are sung.

The opera, like other specialized fields, has its own vocabulary. Here are a few words you might find useful:

• overture
• libretto
• supernumerary

An overture is the short piece of music played at the beginning of the performance, usually before any of the singers are even on the stage. Some overtures are so popular they’re eventually played more on their own than as part of the opera. The “William Tell Overture” is more familiar to many people as the theme to the American television series “The Lone Ranger” instead of its original place as the start to the Rossini opera.

The libretto is the text of the opera, the words the singers are singing. When you buy a recording of an opera, the libretto is often included, so that you can follow along when you’re listening to it. When operas were first performed in the 1800s, it was common for librettos to be part of the programs given to the audience, but these days most opera houses use supertitles instead.

Not everyone on stage in an opera is necessarily a singer. For large crowd scenes, such as the one in front of the cafe in Puccini’s “La Bohème”, where holiday shoppers, merchants, and children mill around in the streets of Paris, directors will bring in supernumeraries to fill up the stage to get the proper scene. A supernumerary in opera is equivalent to a movie “extra” and usually does not even have a speaking role.

Most major metropolitan areas in Europe, Asia, and the Americas have opera houses, or theatres where opera companies come to perform. The Sydney Opera House is famous for its architecture as well as the quality of the performances held there, and the Paris Opéra has been staging shows since 1875. Look for a venue in your area, and expand your vocabulary as well as your cultural experience by attending an opera performance. Larger libraries will have copies of librettos to the more common operas, and you can check them out to get familiar with the story line before you go.

“No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.” – W.H. Auden

The word invention comes from the Latin verb invenire, meaning to discover or find. It’s not just a matter of suddenly coming across a new thing, however – there’s an element of hard work and creativity involved in any new invention. In English, we use the word to mean both the physical result of this process, and the process itself.

Example 1 (process): The invention of the telegraph made instantaneous transatlantic communication possible.

Example 2 (result): The telegraph was one of the most important inventions of the 19th century.

The pace of invention often means that things that were extremely useful and important at one time are replaced with newer methods or models. While there are still places around the world that use telegrams, the telephone, mail system, or computer e-mail system is used much more frequently. Most of the large international telegraph services (Telex) sent their last messages out between 1999 and 2009.

By increasing your vocabulary – and more importantly, by thoroughly learning those words so that you’re completely comfortable pronouncing and using them correctly – you’ll receive benefits in your personal and professional life.

Clear Communication Counts

The more extensive your vocabulary is (extensive: large, broad, comprehensive) the more easily you’ll be able to communicate on a wide range of topics. You’ll be able to write clear and detailed descriptions and reports, and you’ll be able to read and understand more complicated texts and documents. It’s a sad fact that many people, even those with university educations, are not very skilled writers. Your abilities as a writer will help you stand out in the crowd, whether you’re competing with other students or working towards advancement in your company.

The importance of clear communication can’t be emphasized enough, especially in a work environment. Do you remember when the Mars Polar Lander crashed in 1999, impacting on the surface of the planet instead of setting down gently to gather scientific data? That crash was due the miscommunication between two teams of scientists and how they calculated measurements. Clear, precise, detailed communication can potentially save a company millions of dollars each year.

Confident and Fluent Speakers Succeed

When you think back on the presentations you’ve attended, which ones do you remember best? We’re sure that at least one presentation is memorable for the exceptional quality of the speaker – or for the speaker’s complete lack of skill. When you speak easily and fluently, and speak with confidence, you’ll attract listeners to you, and your ability as a speaker will affect how your audience reacts to and remembers your speech. Knowing precisely which words to use, and being confident in your pronunciation and use of those words, will give your presentations a polish that will keep your audience interested. A popular speaker is often asked to return, and since a majority of people world-wide list “fear of public speaking” as one of their top ten fears, if you’re a willing and successful speaker, you’ll be at the top of the list when such opportunities come up. And there’s no better way to bring yourself to the attention of management (in a good way, that is!) than to be the featured speaker at a company meeting or corporate-sponsored seminar.

Why is a better vocabulary important to you? Leave your answers in the comments.

Get Comfortable

It’s important first identify the environment that’s most conducive to your studying (conducive: favorable, helping to bring about, encouraging). Some people need to have absolute quiet in order to concentrate; others work better if music is playing in the background. If you find your home environment to be too distracting, find a spot to study at your local library or university. You might find that being in a room where there are many other people studying will inspire you and help you focus.

Get Creative

While most people have a primary learning style – that is, they learn best by seeing and reading information (visual learning), or by hearing it (auditory learning), or by performing some task or action (kinesthetic learning) – the most effective way to learn and retain information is by using more than one learning method. The Ultimate Vocabulary program provides many different ways of looking at the vocabulary words and studying them: there are exercises in using the words, examples of antonyms and synonyms, audio files to give examples of the pronunciation, and word-mapping that allows you to relate one word to several others, creating stronger ties in your memory and understanding of how that word is used. If you’re studying on your own, practice saying the word out loud, write it down as well as reading it on the page, and make opportunities to use it in conversation. The more ways you approach learning a word, more likely it is that you’ll remember it.

Get Cracking!

Even if you only have a few minutes a day to study, it’s important to keep moving forward in your study program. Try scheduling a specific time each day to sit down and practice, whether you’re using the Ultimate Vocabulary system or using paper and pencil to test yourself on your words and definitions. Do you have a friend who’s also interested in improving their vocabulary? You might find it useful to work with someone else – you’ll motivate each other, and give each other the chance to practice using your words in conversation.

Do you have any study tips to share? Leave a comment on this post!

When the choirs from the five local churches perform all together, they sound very impressive.

Passing the written test of road safety is the penultimate step towards getting a driver’s license.

When you are overwhelmed by a large project, try breaking it down into discrete parts and working on them one at a time.

Howard takes every opportunity he can to flaunt his knowledge of Japanese when he goes out to the sushi bars with us.

Knowing that the crowd would be angry and inflammable, the police department decided to set patrols near the site of the demonstration.

Her job performance at our company was unexceptionable and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for that position.

When you spend next week at that health spa, remember that they proscribe coffee and tea, so be prepared for a drop in your energy at first.

When we heard that the total solar eclipse was imminent we all rushed outside to watch.

The international scientific conference started with a speech by the eminent physicist Stephen Hawking.

Altogether, that was the best conference I have ever attended.

The store manager was arrested for the illicit surveillance videos he made of his employees in the changing rooms.

The United Nations Security Council is instrumental in keeping peace around the world.

If you arrive late for the wedding, please be discreet when you enter the church, so that you don’t interrupt the ceremony.

I’m not averse to the use of salt in cooking, but she adds too much to her dishes for my taste.

Because the oxygen in the respirators is highly flammable there is no smoking allowed in the asthma ward.

A homeopathic physician may prescribe a course of botanical extracts to cure your allergies.

The doctors tried everything they could to elicit a response from the comatose patient.

Ellen got a compliment from the minister on the lovely flower arrangement she made for the altar.

If you’re angry with her, I’d counsel you to wait a few days to think about your response to her remark.

Women in the 19th century were considered very daring to flout convention and wear trousers.

This symphony season was unexceptional and I don’t think I’m going to renew my subscription.

Some people think that free-fall skydiving is the ultimate in thrilling adventure.

Her positive attitude helps her deal with the most adverse situations.

Robert Burns stated that the perfect complement to a haggis is a dram of whiskey.

Ready? Using each of the following words once, fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

When the choirs from the five local churches perform _____________, they sound very impressive.

Passing the written test of road safety is the _____________ step towards getting a driver’s license.

When you are overwhelmed by a large project, try breaking it down into _____________ parts and working on them one at a time.

Howard takes every opportunity he can to _____________ his knowledge of Japanese when he goes out to the sushi bars with us.

Knowing that the crowd would be angry and _____________, the police department decided to set patrols near the site of the demonstration.

Her job performance at our company was _____________ and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for that position.

When you spend next week at that health spa, remember that they _____________ coffee and tea, so be prepared for a drop in your energy at first.

When we heard that the total solar eclipse was _____________ we all rushed outside to watch.

The international scientific conference started with a speech by the _____________ physicist Stephen Hawking.

_____________, that was the best conference I have ever attended.

The store manager was arrested for the _____________ surveillance videos he made of his employees in the changing rooms.

The United Nations Security _____________ is instrumental in keeping peace around the world.

If you arrive late for the wedding, please be _____________ when you enter the church, so that you don’t interrupt the ceremony.

I’m not _____________ to the use of salt in cooking, but she adds too much to her dishes for my taste.

Because the oxygen in the respirators is highly _____________ there is no smoking allowed in the asthma ward.

A homeopathic physician may _____________ a course of botanical extracts to cure your allergies.

The doctors tried everything they could to _____________ a response from the comatose patient.

Ellen got a _____________ from the minister on the lovely flower arrangement she made for the altar.

If you’re angry with her, I’d _____________ you to wait a few days to think about your response to her remark.

Women in the 19th century were considered very daring to _____________ convention and wear trousers.

This symphony season was _____________ and I don’t think I’m going to renew my subscription.

Some people think that free-fall skydiving is the _____________ in thrilling adventure.

Her positive attitude helps her deal with the most _____________ situations.

Robert Burns stated that the perfect _____________ to a haggis is a dram of whiskey.

Check back tomorrow for the answers!

Prescribe v. Proscribe

To help you achieve this command of the language, we prescribe daily study using the Ultimate Vocabulary system. Prescribe means to direct or order something to be done. This can be a recommendation or a command.

A good doctor will only prescribe the medication that is absolutely necessary for treatment.
My personal trainer prescribes an exercise regimen involving swimming, running, and weights.

When something is prescribed, it’s encouraged. When something is proscribed, it’s forbidden. A synonym for proscribe is prohibit.

Strict Catholic doctrine proscribes the eating of meat during the season of Lent.
Many native villages in Alaska are “dry” and proscribe the selling of alcohol in stores.

Elicit v. Illicit

Even though it’s forbidden to sell alcohol in a “dry” town, there are usually still places where people can make illicit purchases of beer or whiskey. Illicit means unlawful or illegal, acting against the rule of law or the rules of society.

Several politicians have resigned recently when their illicit affairs became public knowledge.
The broker was fired after his illicit trading of client stock holdings was discovered.

When someone’s caught breaking the law, it generally elicits a negative response from other people. Elicit means to call forth or draw out, or to evoke.

She was able to elicit a smile from the anxious child by giving him a soft and colorful toy.
It took repeated questioning for the attorney to elicit the answer he wanted from the witness.

Discrete v. Discreet

Many extramarital affairs are found out because the participants are not able to be discreet. The word discreet means unobtrusive or hidden. It can also be used in a positive way, to describe a person or an action that is modest or restrained, not causing problems for other people.

The waiter was so discreet in his service that we almost didn’t realize he was there.
Janet gave Thomas a little discreet assistance in his lab work so the teacher wouldn’t penalize him for being slow.

Though spelled almost identically, discrete has an entirely different meaning than discreet. In fact, that’s the definition of discrete: distinct, separate, apart.

The United States government was designed to have three discrete branches: judicial, executive, and legislative.
In mathematics, integers are also known as discrete numbers.

We hope you’re clear now on the distinctions between the words in these commonly-confused pairs. Review the earlier posts (part 1, part 2, and part 3) and get ready for tomorrow’s quiz!

All Together v. Altogether

All together now, repeat after me: “Altogether is one word.” While both of these words have the underlying sense of “everything,” they’re used and spelled in different ways. All together means in a group, or as a group.

When we’re all together, we have a lot of fun.
The sheep were huddled all together in the far corner of the field.

The word altogether, on the other hand, has an altogether different use. This word is an adjective meaning completely or totally, or taking all things into consideration.

Once we were over the mountain range, we lost cell phone service altogether.
It rained for two days, and the beds weren’t very comfortable, but altogether we had a very nice vacation at the beach.

Penultimate v. Ultimate

Here at Ultimate Vocabulary we’re happy to acknowledge that one definition of ultimate is “the best.” We also like the other ways this word is used – to mean “the last in a series” (you won’t need another vocabulary learning program!) or to indicate something that is the highest (the Ultimate Vocabulary system is the tops!). Here are a few more examples of the word:

The new cruise line promises to provide the ultimate in luxury sailing experiences.
The ultimate goal of the program is to train you to have confidence in your speaking abilities.

Penultimate means the next to the last thing. The word comes from the Latin paene (almost) and ultima (final).

Auckland is the penultimate stop on our around-the-world cruise.
The Scottish town Kirkcudbright is pronounced “kirr-koo-bree,” with the accent on the penultimate syllable.

Flammable v. Inflammable

Both of these words mean catching fire easily, or capable of burning or being burned. However, many people think that the word inflammable refers to something that can’t be burned. We’re used to words like indiscreet (not discreet) and indirect (not direct) where the prefix in- means “not” – but in this case, in-flammable still means flammable. If you want to talk about something that can’t catch fire, use the word nonflammable. Inflammable is also often used to describe emotional states, where it means fiery, or easily aroused.

That can of kerosene is flammable and should be moved away from the fire.
His inflammable temper makes him completely unsuited to work in customer service.

Keep your temper and don’t lose patience with these easily-confused words! We’ll discuss three more word pairs tomorrow.

Eminent v. Imminent

Because these words are so close in pronunciation, they’re often more confusing in a spoken sentence than a written one. The word imminent (IH-mih-nent) is used to describe something that is probably (though not definitely) just about to happen.

The town was evacuated when scientists stated that the volcano’s eruption was imminent.
If he doesn’t slow down, he’s in imminent danger of crashing into the wall.

Eminent (EH-mih-nent) means distinguished, important, and of great worth.

His university mentor is an eminent scholar of ancient Greek texts.
The town council had a ceremony to honor the eminent members of the community who had contributed to the charity.

Council v. Counsel

Council is a noun used to indicate a group of people who are gathered or elected to be legislators, advisors, or administrators, and who make and follow rules and directives.

Of the six people on the council, two are teachers and the other four are career politicians.
After the coup, the generals replaced all of the local councils with military advisors.

In its advisory capacity, a council might counsel a specific course of action. Counsel means advice or recommendations, or the giving of such advice or guidance.

I depend on the counsel of my grandparents to guide me through difficult choices.
A good psychiatrist will counsel you in such a way that you find your own solutions to your problems.

Flaunt v. Flout

To flout means to scorn, or show contempt for. This verb is usually used when referring to someone’s deliberate disregard for the laws (legal or otherwise) of society.

Though her family is very traditional, Emma decided to flout convention and wear a black dress at her wedding.
Rich people often think their wealth allows them to flout the rules and do whatever they want.

Another thing many rich people are known for is a tendency to flaunt their wealth. To flaunt means to show off, to display to excess.

James always flaunts his newest sports car at each year’s company picnic, though it doesn’t make him any friends.
Deidre flaunted her engagement ring at every opportunity, waving her hands constantly as she spoke.

Practice these word pairs until you’re certain you won’t confuse them in the future. It’s better to flaunt your knowledge of English than flout the rules of grammar.

Adverse v. Averse

While both of these are adjectives that have a negative connotation, they differ in more than their spelling. Adverse is used to describe something that creates an opposing, contrary, or negative influence on a situation, and on your interests related to that situation.

The decline of the dollar has had an adverse impact on United States exports.
Though the heavy fog created adverse conditions for the race, the yachts set sail at dawn.

Averse is the word used to describe your feeling of distaste or disinclination about that situation. A synonym is “unwilling.”

Due to the decline in the dollar, banks are averse to lending money to new export companies.
The captain was averse to sailing in the fog, and waited until it burned off before entering the race.

Complement v. Compliment

After putting in so much work on improving your vocabulary, we’re sure that you will receive many compliments on your language skills. A compliment is an expression of admiration or praise. To compliment someone is to say something nice to and/or about them.

Helen received many compliments from her coworkers on her new hairstyle.
That was a delicious meal – my compliments to the chef!

While receiving a compliment may fill you with a good feeling, it’s probably not something that makes your life complete. Complement means something that completes or makes whole. This word is also used as an expression indicating a state of completeness.

The slight bitterness of the coffee is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the cake.
Before our trek, the guide made sure we had our full complement of emergency supplies.

Unexceptionable v. Unexceptional

These two words, though they look very similar, have nearly opposite meanings. Unexceptional means average, standard, usual – nothing special, in other words. It’s not necessarily a negative word, but it’s not usually used as a compliment, either.

Steven’s performance was unexceptional; the judges did not advance him to the next round.
I find the food at that restaurant unexceptional, and not worth the prices they charge.

Unexceptionable, on the other hand, is a very complimentary word indeed. This adjective is used to describe something that is beyond criticism or reproach, that cannot be complained about because it has no flaws.

The senator was elected by a wide margin due to his unexceptionable ethics and conduct.
In Victorian times, a woman was required to have unexceptionable manners, in public and in private.

In the next post, we’ll look at three more word pairs: eminent/imminent, flaunt/flout, and council/counsel.