If we told you that vocabulary study is absolutely the bee’s knees, you might think we were ossified, but really everything’s copacetic – we’re just using expressions that were current in the United States in the 1920s (the bee’s knees = the best, tops; ossified = tipsy, drunk; copacetic = good, fine). This bit of linguistic time travel shows how words evolve, and how they become extinct. Many words that were commonly used fifty or five hundred years ago are no longer part of everyday speech, or if they are, their meanings may have changed significantly.

The word anachronism (ah-NACK-roh-nihzm) comes from the Greek roots ana- (against, apart from) and chronos (time). An anachronism is something that is out of place for the time it’s in, like a cell phone in Victorian England, or a dinosaur chasing a group of Neanderthals. Anachronism is a noun; its adjectival form is anachronistic. Some synonyms for anachronistic are obsolete and archaic.

You might be focused on new words in your vocabulary study, but it’s worthwhile to look at some of the older words as well. For one thing, it will help you if you’re required to read any English literature written before you were born – the authors will generally use the vocabulary that’s in use in their lifetime or earlier. In addition, not all words that are out of common use deserve to be forgotten. The phrase the bee’s knees is slang, and slang changes as quickly as societies evolve, having value often only for a year or two. However, many useful words are still part of the English language, and are worth remembering. Here are a few words that are not frequently heard in conversation that you might enjoy:

chalcedony (kal-SED-oh-nee): a class of silicate minerals that includes agate, onyx, and carnelian

exuviate (ex-OO-vee-ate): to shed or cast off (hair, skin, fur)

fubsy (FUB-zee): short, stout, and wide

griseous (GRIH-zee-us): mottled grey in color

Like an old cameo pendant of your grandmother’s, or the silver tie clip your grandfather wore every Sunday, old words can be polished and added to your new verbal wardrobe to add a bit of color and interest.

What words would you like to see used more often?

Breaking news – we are planning to release a new version of Ultimate Spelling Software before the year’s end. The software will be a major upgrade and will include many new features requested by customers.

We are dedicated to our users and therefore an upgrade will be available to existing users at a very low cost (to cover the cost of delivery and support).

Ultimate Spelling is already arguably the most advanced, effective, and comprehensive spelling software available. However, new version will be unprecedented and will usher in a new era of computer aided spelling improvement.

When you started your vocabulary study program, did you have a specific goal of learning a particular set of words? Did you have a goal related to the number of new words you wanted to learn, but a less specific idea of what those words should be? Or did you decide to learn words randomly, as you came across them and found them interesting or useful? No matter which type of study you use – and you can switch between them as time goes on, of course – you’ll find word lists helpful.

There are several reasons to use word lists when you study. First, it gives you a manageable block of information to consider, which will keep you from being overwhelmed by the number of words you may have on your “to-do” list. You’ll be more successful if you set short goals for yourself, such as learning five words a day, or ten words a week. Use the first few weeks of your study sessions to discover the number of words and lengths of time you’re comfortable with, and use that as a guide. Break your larger word list into the smaller blocks, and concentrate on each list individually.

The Ultimate Vocabulary program allows you to create your own word lists on-line, but if you’re working on paper, you can still replicate some of the features that Ultimate Vocabulary provides. For example, you can add an image (where possible – this will be easier with nouns and adjectives) to help you remember the word. Not only does this involve another area of your brain, and therefore increase your ability to memorize and retain information, but if you’re primarily a visual learner, using images is key to quick and accurate learning.

Another reason to use word lists is to focus on words that you find difficult to remember. You can create a special list of these harder words, adding new ones as they come up and crossing off ones you’ve mastered, and use it for weekly intensive study sessions. Not only does this help you concentrate on words you need to practice, it also allows you to make progress in your general study sessions. Rather than getting frustrated because you just can’t remember that one last word on your current list, you can move the difficult word to your focus list, and move on to your next group of words. You know you’ll conquer those difficult words eventually, but you don’t have to feel like you’re stuck until you do.

Don’t forget to celebrate your achievements! When you’ve reached the end of your tenth list, or learned your first 100 words, reward yourself with a night out, or go to that movie you’ve been wanting to see. Remember, all work and no play …

On July 7, eReflect finally released our highly anticipated 7-Speed-Reading Software Program. So far the response to the software has been phenomenal.

7-Speed-Reading builds on previous speed reading concepts, but adds a fresh approach which combines software activities, video training and advanced multi-user tracking. The software brings together the best-of-class learning methods and technologies for increasing reading speed. But most important of all, it really works! The software has only been out for a month and we are already inundated by glowing testimonials and success stories.

You can spend all the time in the world memorizing how to pronounce and use vocabulary words in context, but if you don’t know how to spell them correctly, you’re only getting half the value of each word. Anything that you write for the purpose of communicating with other people – whether it’s a personal letter, a professional document, or an academic essay – loses much of its impact if it contains spelling errors. Spelling practice should be part of your routine when you’re learning a new vocabulary word, or reviewing an old one. Here are some other ideas for improving your spelling skills:

Participate in a spelling bee. The Scripps National Spelling Bee has been held each year since 1941 and has become so popular that it’s broadcast as if it’s a sporting event on cable television in the United States. Several movies have even been made about the event: Spellbound (documentary) and Akeelah and the Bee (drama) . In a spelling bee, contestants listen to a word spoken by a referee, and then spell that word out loud. This is particularly good practice for words whose spelling and pronunciation are not easy to remember, due to odd vowel clusters or silent consonants. Check your local community calendar and find a spelling bee to watch or participate in – you’ll have a lot of fun.

Play a word game. The games Scrabble and Boggle are very useful spelling practice tools. You can play on-line Scrabble or traditional board-based Scrabble, and learn new words while learning how to spell them. Boggle is a fun game in which you have to make as many words as possible out of an assortment of letters displayed on a set of dice, in a given amount of time. It’s a good way to practice quick identification of words and letter groupings.

Take a spelling test. You can get books from the library, used-book stores, or university bookstores that have spelling tests included in them (check the English section, or the section devoted to SAT/GRE practice) and use them to improve your skills. You can also find on-line tests on many sites, geared towards any level from elementary school to university. Do a Google search for “spelling test” or “spelling quiz” and you’ll have hundreds to choose from.

Practice makes perfect!

As you study your vocabulary list, looking up definitions for new words that you’ve come across in your daily reading or overheard in conversation and noted in your word journal, you’ll undoubtedly come across words that have two or more meanings, some of which will be related, and some of which will not. A simple example of the latter is the word bank, which has definitions that include “a place to store money,” “the edge of a river,” and “an alteration in direction,” none of which have anything to do with the others. You may have to decide which of the definitions you’ll focus on when learning the word, in order to avoid confusion. However, most high-level vocabulary words will have one main definition that is most commonly used; this definition is usually the first one listed in a dictionary entry.

You’ll also find that there are words which have two equally-common meanings, and it’s a good idea to be familiar with them both. For example, the word inexorable can mean either “unrelenting, unwilling to change” or “inevitable, impossible to prevent.” While both definitions have the underlying meaning of “something you can’t alter” the first one refers to something that you can’t move (metaphorically) and the second to something that you can’t stop from moving (physically or metaphorically).

Example 1: The judge was inexorable in his ruling that the defendant be given 500 hours of community service, in addition to his jail sentence and fine.

Example 2: The children’s sand castles were washed away by the inexorable advance of the incoming tide.

Inexorable is a good example of a word that you’ll find on SAT or GRE examinations, in that it is descriptive, precise, and has more than one common definition. If you’re studying for one of these tests, you may need to devote some time to learning more than one way to use the advanced vocabulary words on your list.

Don’t let the prospect of additional work deter you from continuing your daily vocabulary study! Once you’ve started expanding your vocabulary, your progress and success will be impossible to stop.

Do you have a plan for daily vocabulary study? If not, we recommend that you try to work in at least ten minutes each day to focus on learning and reviewing the vocabulary that will help you improve your communication, increase your success at work, and advance your long-term career goals and short-term projects. The Ultimate Vocabulary system is designed for this type of focused work, and has the tools you’ll need to get a comprehensive study plan together, but we realize you’re not always near a computer. Here are some other ways to incorporate your vocabulary study into your daily routine:

Keep a journal. Carry a small notebook and a pen or pencil with you (or for the gadget gurus, your iPad, Blackberry or Palm) and when you see or hear a word that’s unfamiliar to you or intrigues you – or one that you thought you knew that’s being used in a new way – write it down, making a note of how it was used and pronounced. When you get the chance, look the word up and add it to your study list if it turns out to be one that you think will be useful to you.

Pick up a paper. Or a magazine, or a newsletter, or a flyer from the shop you’re walking by. See how other people use words to communicate. Be an editor – look carefully for spelling errors, and think about how you’d write the text. Are there words on your vocabulary list that you’d use instead to better express the same ideas?

Use flash cards. Unless you’re one of those lucky people with total recall, you’re going to have to use repetition to learn new words and their definitions. One of the ways you can fit in a few minutes of vocabulary review, no matter where you are, is to create flash cards with those words, definitions, and examples and carry them with you in your handbag, wallet, or backpack. Check out this post for tips on using flash cards, and this one for ideas on how to create them.

How do you make English vocabulary study a part of your day? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Yesterday we talked about “fuzzy speaking” – using euphemism to avoid talking about things directly. In general, that’s something to avoid when you’re in a work environment. Good business depends on clear communication, and the words you choose will either help or hinder understanding.

One common trap people fall into is using more words than they need to convey their meaning. Business communication is not usually the best place to use the colorful, descriptive words you might use in conversation, especially since you can’t be sure that all of your readers (or listeners) have the same command of vocabulary that you do. This is not to say that you should always avoid using the powerful vocabulary words you’re learning by using the Ultimate Vocabulary program, but you may want to save those words for an audience that can appreciate them, or for times when you need to make more of an emotional impact rather than one where you need to clearly communicate a set of facts.

As you can see from the previous paragraph, we fall into that trap as well! In brief: be brief. Use only the words you need to accomplish your goal.

Many people think that using as many polysyllabic words as will fit into a sentence is the best way to impress readers with their knowledge. However, too some people use this trick to cover up the fact that they don’t actually know what they’re talking about. If you frequently use overly-elaborate language, you might give others the impression that you’re trying to hide your lack of understanding of the topic.

Knowing when and how to use your new vocabulary words is important. There will be times when bringing out all of your best and most descriptive words is helpful, such as when you’re creating a presentation or proposal that needs to catch someone’s eye – a potential employer, perhaps, or a group of clients or investors. Of course, there are also times when you’ll need to strip your speech to its bare essentials, such as when you’re writing instructions or task lists for a diverse set of readers and want to make sure everyone understands what you mean. In this case, you’ll want to pick the words that will convey your ideas clearly, using terms with precise meanings.

The English language also has many ways to use words in an imprecise manner. Idiom, metaphor, and euphemism are all ways to say things indirectly. In previous posts, we’ve talked about idiom (example: “it’s raining cats and dogs”) and metaphor (example: “her eyes were stars glimmering behind the dark veil of her long hair”). A euphemism is another way to refer to something without naming it directly. The word comes from the Greek roots eu (“good”) and pheme (“speaking”) and means the act of referring to something that might cause discomfort or distress to the listener in such a way that you do not say the name of that thing out loud. For example, people have long been uncomfortable with the thought of death, which is why we use euphemisms like passed away, departed, gave up the ghost, or (more casually) kicked the bucket, instead of saying “died.” Other topics that generate many euphemisms are sex and pregnancy – quite a few not suitable for this family website, as you can imagine! When we teach children about the facts of life, we talk to them about the birds and the bees. Teenagers fool around and a boy might get to second base, but if he scores, there’s a risk that the girl might soon be in the family way, expecting, with a bun in the oven.

You’ll find euphemisms in business and government as well. You can buy a pre-owned car (it’s not a “used” car, please!) or get a job as a sanitation engineer (no one is a “janitor” any more). But stay out of trouble, or the authorities might bring you in and try some enhanced interrogation techniques (formerly known as “torture”)!

Many English words have similar spelling and/or pronunciation, but very different meanings. It’s useful to look at these often-confusing word pairs, to make sure that you’ve learned which ones to use where, and the correct way to pronounce each word. Whether you’re communicating in person or in writing, it’s important to use the right word, so that your audience understands your meaning.

For each of these word pairs, do the following:

• say the words out loud, using the correct pronunciation
• write the words down several times, noting the different spellings
• create three or four example sentences for each word in context

allusion (ah-LOO-zhun) v. illusion (ih-LOO-zhun)

An allusion is a reference to or indirect mention of something. An illusion is a misperception.

foreword (FOR-wurd) v. forward (FOR-ward)

A foreword is an introduction or preface to a longer written work, such as an essay or treatise. To move forward means to go ahead.

perpetrate (PER-peh-trate) v. perpetuate (per-PEH-tyoo-ate)

Perpetrate means to commit a crime; perpetuate means to continue or prolong.

perquisite (PER-kwih-zit) v. prerequisite (pre-REH-kwih-zit)

A perquisite is a fringe benefit or prerogative. A prerequisite is something that must exist or occur before something else can happen.

These next five word pairs are even more confusing, because they’re spelled exactly the same, but have different pronunciation and meanings:

excuse noun (ex-KYOOS) v. excuse verb (ex-KYOOZ)

As a noun, excuse means “reason” but as a verb it means “to pardon.”

produce noun (PRO-doos) v. produce verb (pro-DOOS)

The noun produce refers to fruits and vegetables. The verb produce means to raise, create, or generate.

record noun (REH-kord) v. record verb (ree-KORD)

The noun record can refer to a vinyl recording of music, documentation of facts or figures, or the best performance (usually in an athletic event), among other things. As a verb, record means to create such a recording or documentation.

perfect adjective (PER-fekt) v. perfect verb (per-FEKT)

Something that is perfect is without flaw; used as a verb, perfect means to make without flaw.

content adjective (con-TENT) v. content noun (CON-tent)

To be content means to be happy or pleased. The noun content means “what is included or contained inside.”

What word pairs cause you the most trouble?