Ultimate Vocabulary – Vocabulary Building Software

What are Compound Words?

November 23, 2011

English (like many other world languages) contains a subset of vocabulary words that are classified as compound words – that is, two or more other words are put together (or “compounded”) to make one new word. This new word may or may not have a meaning that relates to one or both of the original words. Here are some examples of compound words: blackboard, redneck, undercut, sleepwalk, basketball, wallpaper, lawsuit, armchair. In this list, you can see words that relate directly back to the original words (a basketball is a ball you toss into a basket – at least according to the original game) and ones that end up having a different meaning (redneck is a term for a person who generally holds provincial and/or bigoted beliefs, not someone with a red-colored neck). In general, most words are fairly easy to understand based on the definitions of the original words.

Sometimes the original words have one meaning when they’re separate, and another meaning when compounded. For example, the phrases “I got sunburned and now I have a red neck” and “His redneck uncle really hates the current immigration policy” express two entirely different concepts. This can be confusing to many people, so it’s important to know when to use each form. We’ve picked five of the most commonly-confused compound words, and given examples below of how to use them correctly.

everyday vs. every day
Everyday is an adjective that means “commonplace, ordinary, routine” but the phrase every day refers specifically to time-based actions or occurrences.
Example: Every day this week I’ve had to go through the everyday correspondence of all of the company employees, looking for evidence of work-related fraud.

all together vs. altogether
The adjective altogether means “completely, totally.”
Example: The taste of the three herbs is altogether different when they are eaten all together rather than separately.

every one vs. everyone
Everyone is a pronoun referring to a group of people as a whole; every one refers to individuals considered separately.
Example: Everyone knows the quote from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” where Tiny Tim says, “God bless us, every one!”

back up vs. backup
You undoubtedly do computer backup (a noun), but you can also back up (a verb) your computer.
Example: She’ll back up my statement that the project won’t succeed without adequate technical backup from the IT department.

work out vs. workout
Keep an eye out for word pairs like this that are verbs when separate, but nouns when compounded.
Example: If we can work out the differences in our schedules, we should be able to plan a 30-minute workout session together at least twice a week.

Learn when to keep words together, and your English vocabulary skills will set you apart from the crowd.

Count the Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

November 8, 2011

Sometimes there’s a connection between numbers and words other than the fact that we use words to give names to numbers. The concept of one is meaningless unless there’s a commonly-understood word that can be used to refer to that concept. If you took a mathematics class in primary or secondary school, you’ll probably remember “story problems” that used many words to present you with an arithmetic problem to solve. Because these problems used words to describe the mathematical concepts, you’d be lost without a good vocabulary to understand all of the words.

When the words for numbers enter into everyday language, they often add more idiomatic meanings. If you’re learning English as a second language, idioms and similar phrases might be confusing, because the words sometimes don’t match their more common, literal definitions (read more about idioms here and here). Today we’ll look at number-related idiomatic phrases and their explanations:

all for one and one for all
The Latin phrase unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno has been translated into many languages, and might be most famously associated with the comrades Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan, the Musketeers of the Dumas novel. It’s also the unofficial motto of Switzerland. When you use this idiom, you’re referring to the importance of working together and staying loyal to each other.

kill two birds with one stone
This refers to the act of achieving two different goals with one action. Related phrases are found in ancient Greek and Chinese literature, but we don’t know of any historical event that would have given rise to this expression.

third time’s a charm
The number three has long been associated with spiritual or magical significance (the Holy Trinity of Christianity, for example, or the repetition of chants done three times in rites and ceremonies). You might say this if you’ve tried to do something twice but not succeeded. It’s both a wish and a “good luck charm” that on the third try, everything will work out.

the four corners of the world
You might be wondering how the globe-shaped Earth can have corners, but remember that for a long time, people thought the world was flat, and were depicting it using mostly four-sided maps.

take five
This common expression, short for take a five-minute break, is one that frequently confuses new English speakers. “Take five what?” they ask themselves. When you’re learning a new language, it’s important to pay attention to slang and idiom, otherwise you’ll quickly lose track of the conversation.

at sixes and sevens
This phrase has been used since the mid-14th century to describe being confused or disorganized. In general, it’s used more in the UK than the US.

to be behind the eight ball
People who play the game of pool will immediately recognize that when it’s your turn and the cue ball is stuck behind the eight ball – the ball you can’t hit directly during most of the game – you’re in a bad situation, and that’s the origin of this expression.

a stitch in time saves nine
This is one of the oldest number-related expressions in the English language, and dates back to the days when people had to do their own sewing and mending. If you see a hole in your shirt, it’s best to fix it while it’s small (that is, taking one stitch “in time”) so that you don’t have a larger rip to sew up later (taking nine or more stitches). Today we use this expression to say that it’s better to fix a problem while it’s small than wait until it gets larger.

That’s the Spirit! Vocabulary to Enrich Your Conversations

October 31, 2011

In Mexico, Día de los Muertos is a modern holiday centered on All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day at the beginning of November; it now follows the Catholic church calendar, but has its roots in ancient Aztec celebrations. Cultures around the world have always had festivals to honor their ancestors, or to make offerings to the spirits of the dead to bring good fortune or avoid curses. In Japan, the dance-filled O-Bon-Dori festival has been going on every August since the 16th century, and people across China participate in Qingming in early spring each year, as they clean and sweep the family burial sites and leave fresh offerings and memorials.

In the British Isles at the time of the Celts, the end of summer was celebrated with harvest festivals. When Christianity arrived, the church tried to convert the traditional celebrations into religious observances, and combined the harvest feast with the feast of all saints, or “All Hallows Day” (November 1st). The spiritual aspect of the holiday soon took on a supernatural aspect, and now “All Hallows’ Evening” – shortened to Halloween – is traditionally seen as a time when ghosts and spirits are able to walk the waking world. In the United States and to a lesser extent in Britain and other countries, children dress up as ghosts and goblins (or today, as the X-Men and Harry Potter) and go door to door with lights, begging for treats.

We’ve got a whole pumpkin-full of treats for you today: a list of words that you can use to enrich your vocabulary, which all relate to the word “ghost” or “spirit.” Remember, your communication will be more interesting the more words you’re able to use – and not just when you’re communicating with the dead.

apparition (AH-puh-RIH-shun)

phantasm (fan-TAH-zum)

revenant (REH-veh-nuhnt)

poltergeist (POHL-tur-gist) note that the final syllable rhymes with “eye”

specter (SPEK-tur)

wraith (RAYTH)

This post has been written by a “ghost writer” on behalf of the Ultimate Vocabulary team, who have all been spirited away for the evening. But we’re sure they’ll be back … eventually. MWAHAHAHAHA!

Our Strange Lingo: A Humorous Look at Pronunciation

October 28, 2011

One of the major sources of frustration for people learning English is the frequent disconnect between the way a word is spelled and the way it’s pronounced. All languages evolve over time, of course, but English has come a very long way from where it started a thousand years ago. From its early Germanic and Norse elements, words were added over the years from Romance languages like French and Italian, which had completely different orthographies. As explorers visited and returned from the Middle East, India, and China, more words were added based on the objects and ideas found in those countries, and more ways of spelling and pronunciation were added to the mix. By the 20th century, English had become a kaleidoscope of colorful ways to put letters together, and most attempts to impose a more standardized match between spelling and pronunciation had failed. In the London magazine The Spectator, a poem attributed to Lord Cromer was published in 1902 that sums up all of the frustration caused by this quirk of the English language. We can’t change the rules of English spelling and pronunciation at this point, so we might as well laugh while we study them!

Our Strange Lingo

When the English tongue we speak.
Why is break not rhymed with freak?
Will you tell me why it’s true
We say sew but likewise few?
And the maker of the verse,
Cannot rhyme his horse with worse?
Beard is not the same as heard
Cord is different from word.
Cow is cow but low is low
Shoe is never rhymed with foe.
Think of hose, dose,and lose
And think of goose and yet with choose
Think of comb, tomb and bomb,
Doll and roll or home and some.
Since pay is rhymed with say
Why not paid with said I pray?
Think of blood, food and good.
Mould is not pronounced like could.
Wherefore done, but gone and lone –
Is there any reason known?
To sum up all, it seems to me
Sound and letters don’t agree.

Cross-posted at the Ultimate Spelling blog.

Are You Serious About Vocabulary Improvement?

October 27, 2011

To ensure that you get the most out of your vocabulary study, and make consistent progress in learning new words and how to use them, we recommend that you devote at least 15 minutes every day to vocabulary study. This study can happen during a lunch break at work, before a science lab at university, while you’re waiting for your child’s piano lesson to be over, or in the evening instead of watching that television rerun. If you make a commitment to daily study, you’ll soon see serious improvements in your vocabulary skills.

Someone who isn’t serious about a practice or pursuit is often referred to as a dilettante. They play around with a skill or art instead of putting in the effort to really learn it, usually just gaining a superficial knowledge of a topic. A dilettante often only stays with a course of study as long as it’s fun, and drops it once it becomes work. You can see this meaning of the word if you look at its etymology; the word comes from the Italian verb dilettare (“to delight”) and the earlier Latin root meaning the same thing, delectare (note the connection to the word delectable, meaning “delightful, delicious”).

While the word is often used in a derogatory sense, dilettante can also refer to someone who enjoys the arts in general, and who “delights in” following them. While these people are mostly still amateurs – that is, they are not the professional painters, musicians, or authors whose works they enjoy – they traditionally have provided much of the financial support required so that those artists could continue creating the art the dilettantes delight in. In England, the Dilettanti Society has been supporting artists since 1733.

Wander the World of Words With the OED

October 25, 2011

It’s time once again to check in with the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary to see what new words they’ve officially added to the English language …

Well, as it turns out, one of the new words they’re adding is songline, which describes something that’s been around for thousands of years. The Australian Aboriginal tribes have a tradition of using landmarks, petroglyphs, and ancient pictures and patterns on rocks to connect themselves to their landscape, creating songs to help them remember these mental maps. It’s a way of retaining their history through chants and stories, and also a way to chart their paths through the vast empty expanses of the Australian outback. According to legend, the first songlines were created by the gods during the Dreamtime, and those traces can be followed today – if you know the right songs.

Since the 14th century, the noun curate has been used to refer to a priest or member of the clergy who cares for the people in the region around a specific church, looking after their physical and spiritual health. The word comes from the Latin root curare, meaning “to take care of.” The new 20th-century meaning for the word also involves a measure of care, but now is a verb that describes the act of selecting objects or artists for a show. Someone who curates a museum exhibit, for example, is responsible for selecting which items to display, how they will be arranged, what signs and labels will be used to help visitors identify and understand the items, and how the exhibit will be advertised on the museum’s website.

Anyone dealing with websites and computers is aware of the problem of maintaining a secure site, and protecting information from hackers and data thieves. In response to this technological problem, the OED has added a technological slant to the noun security, which expands the meaning “to protect from unauthorized access” (formerly only used in a physical sense) to include internet safety against a virtual “break and enter” event.

In this post, we talked about carbon sequestration as a method of reducing global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In September’s updates, the OED added the new word biochar to the English lexicon. As you might guess from the two halves of this portmanteau word, biochar is the charcoal created by burning biological matter (plants, in this case) which can then be stored away.

We hope you’re storing all of these new words in your memory, because we’re sure you’ll have an opportunity to use them before the next OED update comes out.

Vocabulary Masters: The World Scrabble Championship

October 21, 2011

The 2011 World Scrabble Championship was held last week in Warsaw, Poland, and New Zealand native and two-time WSC winner Nigel Richards came out on top after playing words like insular, omnified, zenaidas, parodies, and angriest. This tournament, which has been held every other year since 1991, brings the top players from around the world to compete during five intense days of increasingly nerve-wracking challenges. While the top prize is only about $20,000 (US) some competitors spend the entire two years between events memorizing words, practicing placement strategies, and playing word-scramble and anagram games to help them quickly see the words hidden in a rack of tiles. They also compete in local and regional tournaments, and get a ranking assigned to them based on their scores and results.

The 2004 documentary “Word Wars” (inspired by the book “Word Freak” by Stefan Fatsis) follows four of the dedicated Scrabble players as they prepare for the 2002 US National Championship. These four men have essentially memorized dictionaries; they carry vocabulary flash cards with them, work crossword puzzles daily, and take “brain-enhancing” supplements to power them through the pre-tournament schedule. It’s a fascinating movie about talent, obsession, and vocabulary.

You’ll get an extra dose of vocabulary improvements when you watch the movie, because words and definitions used in the games pop up on the screen at regular intervals. If you can’t find a copy of the film, look for Fatsis’ book in the library, or look for a local Scrabble club. You can observe these “word warriors” in person, and might even be inspired to join the game yourself.

You might also be interested in the World Memory Championship – click here to find out more.

How to Improve Vocabulary by Reading

October 19, 2011

A simple technique, but one that’s often overlooked, is to increase vocabulary by reading. If you make an effort to pick up one new piece of reading material each day, you’ll find that the words you come across in this reading stay in your vocabulary, and the more you read the more words you’ll come across. Studies have shown that children who don’t spend time reading have a much smaller vocabulary than those who do, and the gap between the readers and the non-readers only increases over time.¹ This lack of reading skill and vocabulary is a problem in elementary school, but gets worse as the effects begin to impact a person’s ability to get into a good university, to qualify for well-paying jobs, and to advance in their career. A good vocabulary is the basis for future success; if you have children, we urge you to encourage them to develop a habit of reading. When this habit is learned in childhood, it will stay with them as adults.

Pay attention to both the quality and the quantity of things you read. Look for a variety of reading sources, whether newspapers, magazines, on-line articles, or print novels. The introduction of portable reading devices like the Kindle means that it’s easy to carry around an entire library in your bag, available whenever you have a free moment. Of course, you can also go to the library, where there are thousands of titles to choose from, or visit a used book store to find things that might be out of print.

When you’re traveling, look for lending libraries at airports, hotels, and hostels. Often you’ll be able to take a book from one location and drop it off at another, ready for the next traveler. If you’ve accumulated a lot of books that you’ve read several times and probably won’t read again, consider donating them to a women’s shelter (if they’re paperbacks) or a community library (if they’re hardbound) to share the wealth of words with people who don’t have the same resources. You might even get a tax deduction for this.

So turn off the television and pick up a book – you’ll read your way to an excellent English vocabulary.

¹ A. Biemiller. Language and reading success. Brookline: Cambridge, Massachussets (1999)

The Secrets of English Vocabulary Study

October 17, 2011

We’re sure you’ve seen the self-help books and websites that promise to “reveal to you the secret method to …” reduce your belly fat, or increase your muscle strength, or any of a hundred different quick-fix solutions. Perhaps you’ve even paid for them, and been disappointed to find out that the so-called secrets really aren’t all that secret, but instead just some common-sense advice (and an advertisement for an expensive product or supplement you need to buy). That’s why this blog is devoted to helping you in a straightforward way, with useful tips and easy exercises that will help increase your vocabulary skills. We’re not hiding behind cryptic promises or promising any magic solutions – just showing you how to get the most out of your study program.

One of the not-so-secret “secrets” to a good vocabulary study program, and one of the best ways that you can expand your vocabulary quickly and steadily, is to devote at least 15 minutes a day to learning new words. There are many ways that you can structure this study time. We’ll use cryptic as the vocabulary word of the day to illustrate some of these methods.

Look up the word’s definitions. Yes, that was definitions, plural. While you might think that you know what a word means, many words have multiple definitions and uses. Make sure you know the best way to use each word, and you’ll get the most benefit out of it. For example, cryptic can mean “having a hidden meaning” or “deliberately confusing” or “written in code.”

Look for synonyms and antonyms. By learning the synonyms and antonyms for one word, in general you’ll increase your vocabulary by anywhere from three to over a dozen words. In addition, because the words are all linked together by related meanings, you’ll find them much easier to remember and use.
synonyms for “cryptic” – enigmatic, convoluted, obscure, abstruse
antonyms for “cryptic” – straightforward, evident, manifest, obvious

Find ways to have fun with vocabulary. When you’re enjoying yourself, time will go faster, and you’ll be more involved in what you’re doing. If you’re afraid that vocabulary study means sitting down at a desk with a long list of weird words to memorize, trying looking at things from a different angle. In fact, try looking at them from both vertical and horizontal angles, and do a crossword puzzle. You’ll learn many new words from the clues and from the answers. If you do a cryptic crossword puzzle you’ll stimulate your brain to come up with creative solutions, which will entertain and educate you at the same time.

What’s the secret to your vocabulary success?

Vocabulary Study Tip #15: Little Things Add Up to Big Successes

October 13, 2011

Next time you’re found with your chin on the ground
There a lot to be learned, so look around

Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant?
Anyone knows an ant can’t
Move a rubber tree plant

But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie in the sky hopes

We know that sometimes vocabulary study can be a daunting process. There’s so much to learn, and often so little time to fit a study routine into your already-busy daily life. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. Even 15 minutes a day will add up over time, and you’ll discover that all of your small daily efforts have resulted in a large increase in your vocabulary skills. Take your inspiration from the ant in the song, and learn these four words today. If you don’t have time for all four, concentrate on learning one well. Remember, even a little progress is still progress.

antonym (AN-toh-nihm) noun
From the Greek roots anti (“opposite”) and onoma (“name”), this is the term for a word that is the opposite in meaning to another word. Antonym is the antonym of “synonym” (defined as a word with the same meaning). A quick way to increase your vocabulary is to study the antonyms of each word you’re learning. This will help improve your understanding of the meaning of the word and how it’s used, and will double or triple the number of words you know.

antecedent (an-teh-SEE-dent) noun
Some people confuse words with the prefix anti- (“opposite”) and ante- (“before”) but if you remember to study a word’s etymology – that is, the history of the word and what came before its present meaning and use – you won’t be one of them. The word antecedent means something that has “gone before” or “preceded” something else.

anthropology (an-throw-PAH-loh-gee) noun
This refers not to the study (note the suffix -logy) of ants, but rather of human beings.

antipathy (an-TIH-pah-thee) noun
Note: The ‘th’ sound is soft, as in the word ‘thing.’
If you’re feeling antipathy towards your study of vocabulary, it’s time to find ways to make it fun and enjoyable. This word means “intense dislike” (from the Greek roots anti- and pathos, “feeling”). To fall in love with vocabulary again, play some word games, read a good book, or even take a day off your study routine – but don’t forget to start it again the next day.

So any time you’re gettin’ low
‘stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant –
Oops! there goes another rubber tree plant!

from the 1959 song “High Hopes” written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn