Ultimate Vocabulary – Vocabulary Building Software

How to Write Effective Documentation

March 3, 2011

Yesterday we encouraged you to have fun with words and enjoy playing with multiple meanings as you practice your writing skills, as using descriptive vocabulary will add depth and substance to your composition. This is especially important if you’re writing fiction or poetry, but can also help in your spoken presentations to keep your audience attentive and interested. However, if you’ve been given the job of writing documentation or directions, it’s important to choose words based not on how beautiful or expressive they are, but on how well they quickly communicate accurate information to the reader. Here are three rules to follow when writing instructions, documentation, or anything else that another person will need to successfully complete a task:

1. Don’t assume the reader has the vocabulary you do.

All of the vocabulary you’ve learned in your independent study and from this site, added to the vocabulary you know because it’s used frequently in your job or field of study, gives you the ability to speak and write at a very high level. However, the people reading your instructions may not be at that same level. While you don’t have to “dumb down” your text, be sure you’re not using technical jargon. In other words, if you take the instructions you’ve written and read them out loud to a friend in another company, would that person have a reasonable chance of following them correctly? Obviously, if a piece of equipment is called a centrifuge, you need to use that word instead of saying “the thing that spins around to separate substances into layers by weight and/or composition.” But you can keep things clear by choosing the simplest words possible. For example, instead of saying “Verify the existence of sufficient funds on the credit side of the ledger to effectuate the purchase” you can say “Make sure there’s enough money in the account to buy it.”

2. Include more detail than you think you’ll need.

Remember that the person reading your directions may have never had to perform this task before. While your familiarity with the equipment or procedure means that the instruction to “switch the intake valve to neutral” makes perfect sense to you, for someone who doesn’t know where the switch is – if there even is a “switch” and not a button to press or a knob to turn – this could lead to wasted time and even costly mistakes. You’ll need to say something like this instead: “Locate the knob on the left side of the console labeled ‘IV4’ and turn it clockwise until the arrow lines up with the red letter ‘N’ marked at the top of the panel.”

3. Test your documentation by following your own directions.

One of the best ways to test your own instructions is to follow them exactly, pretending that you’re the end user. This will help you identify places where the details aren’t clear, or steps that you may have accidentally left out. If you have time, ask a co-worker to use the documentation for the same task while you’re observing them, and see where they have trouble.

English Vocabulary Practice: Words With Multiple Meanings

March 2, 2011

Sometimes we think it would be nice if all English words had a single meaning, so that communication would always be clear and direct and misunderstandings avoided. On the other hand, much of the pleasure of the English language comes from playing with words, using them to paint descriptive images or simply making a joke or pun. The flexibility of the English language comes in large part from the fact that many words do have several definitions, some related and others completely different. For example, consider this sentence:

Jennifer’s regal bearing as she was bearing the box of bearings to the customer was more suited to a procession than a delivery, but that has no bearing on the complaint the customer later filed.

If you’ve lost your bearings trying to work your way through this sentence, it’s not surprising. To lose one’s bearings means to get lost, usually temporarily. In this sense, the word bearings refers to your position relative to points of reference or direction. When you take a bearing you ascertain your physical location using a compass, a map, or the geographical markers around you (or a combination of the three). This phrase is also used in a metaphorical sense; you might need to get your bearings after being shocked by news of a tragedy, or learning something that radically alters your plans.

Your bearing also means your demeanor or posture, the way you hold your body while sitting, standing, or moving. A person’s bearing can be confident and self-assured as they stand in front of their audience while giving a speech. Someone can also have a haughty bearing, perhaps showing that they are overly proud and self-important.

The word bearing is the present participle of the verb to bear, or “to carry.” You might bear a burden of guilt for something you did to hurt someone else. Women in many African tribes bear heavy jugs of water on their heads.

When speaking of machines and other mechanical devices, bearings are things that reduce friction, such as the commonly-used ball bearings. We assume that Jennifer’s regal bearing allowed her to carry the box without spilling all of the ball bearings on the floor.

Bearing can also mean relevance. A judge might dismiss a piece of evidence if it has no bearing on the case, saying that it is not pertinent to the matter at hand.

Because the words you learn may have multiple meanings, and because many of those meanings may be useful to you, it’s a good idea to do some research when you choose a word to learn to make sure you know all of its current definitions. If you disagree, re-read this post, in which we’re bearing witness to the importance of appreciating and using the many possibilities of the English language!

How to Strengthen Your Vocabulary Skills

March 1, 2011

Acquiring an extensive English vocabulary doesn’t mean simply memorizing a list of words, though of course knowing more words is extremely useful. However, you need to also be able to use those words correctly and effectively, and in order to do that, you’ll need to have practice using them in context. You can also strengthen your skills by reading as much as possible, both to get exposure to how professional writers use words and to expand your vocabulary. One thing you’ll notice is that professional writers often use metaphor and simile to add texture and interest to their prose. We’ve talked about these literary tools before, and the ways you can enhance your own writing style; we encourage you to practice using metaphor and simile, and noticing their use in the texts you read.

Here’s a metaphor we’ve been thinking about, given the extreme weather we’ve been having around the world lately: “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” The origin of this phrase may date back to the practice of marking the seasons by the positions of the stars, something that all cultures have done. The rocks of Stonehenge in England, the pyramids in Egypt, and the temples of the Mayan city of Uxmal in Mexico were all aligned specifically to track the movements of the sun, planets, and stars. Our modern zodiac uses the ancient designations for the patterns of the stars in which people saw dragons and swans, heroes and symbols, and these were woven into the astrological calendar for the year. It’s possible that the constellations Leo (the lion) and Ares (the ram) were in specific areas of the sky at the beginning and the end of the month. Of course, a simpler explanation is that in many areas of the northern hemisphere the weather in early March is often blustery and stormy, then milder toward the end of the month. Whatever its origin, this phrase has been an English proverb since at least the 1600s. Charlotte Bronte used it in her second novel, “Shirley”:

He had come, indeed, for the express purpose of making himself charming and fascinating: rough portents had met him on his first admission to Fieldhead; but that passage got over, charming and fascinating he resolved to be. Like March, having come in like a lion, he purposed to go out like a lamb.

In the past we’ve talked about adjectives related to animals and their characteristics that have become standard ways of describing people. Knowing and using adjectives such as “leonine” (lion-like) will make your writing more colorful. How would you use the adjective leonine? You might be describing someone’s appearance – perhaps he has a broad forehead and thick, long red-golden hair. You could be describing a person’s temperament, either calm and noble or fierce and prone to roaring in anger. There are many ways you can make your speech and writing interesting and compelling, and we hope you learn to use them all.

Useful Books for Logophiles and Lexicographers

February 28, 2011

After yesterday’s post, you probably have us pegged as true logophiles (from the Greek logos, “words,” and philo-, “love”). It’s true, and we’re happy to share the love with you today, along with a set of books we like that were written by the lexicographers (from the Greek lexikon, “word book,” and graphos, “writer”) of the American Heritage Dictionary. The books in their “100 Words” series are short but focused studies of words that are important to know, whether you’re a high school student, a college graduate, or just someone who wants to use words correctly. The spring holidays are approaching, and these inexpensive books are ideal for tucking in your travel bag to review on the train home from university, on a flight to Mexico, on your car trip to visit relatives, or sitting on the beach.

Don’t be complacent about your vocabulary knowledge – there’s always more to learn, and a profusion of useful words that can make you sound more urbane. Read “100 Words to Make You Sound Great” and a sophisticated and flexible vocabulary will become the hallmark of your professional presentations.

There is a plethora of words out there that many people say incorrectly. Show your acumen by studying the words in “100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces” and your next presentation won’t be a debacle, one that causes you such embarrassment that you wish yourself in the antipodes.

If fancy restaurants intimidate you because you don’t know the difference between ganache and gazpacho, then pick up a copy of “100 Words for Foodies” and learn the language of global cuisine – especially useful if you’re traveling overseas!

“100 Words Almost Everyone Mixes Up or Mangles” will clear up all sorts of confusion for you. We recommend this book highly for anyone studying for the GRE or SAT, because these words often appear on those examinations. Reading this book is an expedient way to expeditiously improve your vocabulary.

Of course true logophiles will want a copy of “100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know” so that they don’t lose their sangfroid or find themselves uttering malapropisms, reduced to mere palaver or desultory conversation because they can’t find the right words.

English Vocabulary Practice: Hobbies and Interests

February 25, 2011

The English language is constantly growing and changing, in part because society continues to grow and change, and new words are needed to describe new inventions and discoveries. Sometimes what has been discovered is a new way to have fun, like scuba diving (popularized in the early 1950s) or snowboarding (which started in the early 1970s) or geocaching (first played in the year 2000). Our hobby is vocabulary improvement, and we’ve found some interesting words for you today giving the names for people with a variety of hobbies.

philatelist (fih-LAY-tuh-list)
In 1864 the French stamp collector Georges Herpin decided that the French word for stamp-collecting, timbremanie (“an obsession with stamps”) wasn’t quite right to describe his hobby, so he invented the word philately, using the Greek root words philo- (“love”) and ateleia (“without tax”). This second root word only makes sense if you know that letters used to be mailed either with postage or without, and if the sender had put postage stamps on the letter, the recipient would receive it without having to pay a postage tax upon delivery. A philatelist is a stamp collector, or someone who studies stamps.

bibliophile (BIB-lee-oh-file)
Another word formed using the Greek root word meaning love, a bibliophile is someone who loves and collects books. The Greek word biblos means a bible, or more generically, a book. This word also was originally used in France and became part of the English language in the early 1800s.

lepidopterist (LEP-ih-DOP-tur-ist)
If you look closely at a butterfly’s wings, you’ll see that they’re covered with tiny, glittering scales. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus gave the name Lepidoptera to the order of insects that include butterflies and moths in 1735, using the Greek words lepidos (“fish scale”) and pteron (“wing”). A lepidopterist is someone who collects butterflies.

spelunker (speh-LUNK-er)
The Latin word spelunca (“grotto, cavern”) gives us this word for someone who explores caves. Spelunking, caving, and potholing all describe the hobby of going down into holes in the ground, though these days professional cavers use the 1950s term spelunker to refer to an amateur or untrained explorer.

deltiologist (DEL-tee-AHL-oh-jist)
“Having a wonderful time – wish you were here!” is a phrase often found on the items collected by a deltiologist: postcards. Like many other words that were coined by and for hobbyists, it’s made out of two Greek root words, in this case deltos (“writing tablet”) and logia (“study”). Many deltiologists focus on a specific type of postcard, either by style or by topic. We know someone who specializes in collecting what he calls “boring postcards” of unremarkable buildings, landmark-free scenery, or extremely uninteresting tourist destinations such as parking lots or the birthplaces of people who are no longer famous.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these words we collected for you today!

English Vocabulary: A Discussion About Dialect

February 24, 2011

In yesterday’s post, we talked about some of the small changes in the meanings of words that might lead to larger problems when what you’re saying is not necessarily the same thing as what the other person is hearing. However, word meanings are not the only difference. Pronunciation and word choice change as well, and you sometimes have to adjust your ears to the local dialect. A dialect is a way of speaking a particular language that is specific to a certain group of people due to differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and/or grammar. People who live in Yorkshire and people who live in Texas will probably have difficulties understanding each other, even though they’re each speaking English. In general, a dialect can be thought of as a “flavor” of the parent language.

Speaking of dialect, we got this comment on last month’s post about the “correct” way to pronounce words in English:

How can you overlook the American Dialect Society? It’s small, but has existed since 1889. It has academics as members, and announces the “Word of the Year”. It’s everything the Queen’s English Society wishes it could be! The Shaw quote, hilarious though it may be, cites language as the estranging factor between US and British speakers, but I think attitudes are more important. Imagining that there could be only “one correct way” of speaking (usually: “my way”) shows a faulty understanding of how language works and develops; some people (*cough* Queen’s English Society) take this to extremes. They’re not endorsed by the Queen, by the way. Their name is ambiguous due to poor English.

The reader makes an excellent point about attitude and how important it is to realize that languages are constantly evolving, and that there’s a difference between something that’s ungrammatical and incorrect – or at least what the majority of grammarians can agree is so – and something that just follows different rules due to the era, the location, or tradition. Students are taught that it ain’t is an incorrect way to say it is not, but there are many regions where this language is accepted, and in fact this shortened form has been around for hundreds of years. Something may be heaps good in Australia, but that expression might not be understood by the average American. That same American might mention to his visiting English friend that he’d be late to the party because the dishes need washed, and the Englishman might conclude that his friend didn’t need to go to the party, as he was already having difficulty speaking!

We were also reminded that although we did mention in an earlier post that the American Dialect Society was going to announce their 2010 Word of the Year, we never checked back to see what their final decision was. They decided that app (short for “software application”) deserved that honor, and with the proliferation of programs available for everything from your phone to your refrigerator that’s certainly a good call.

We appreciate your feedback, and hope that you’ll continue to discuss the English language with us. If you have any topics you’d like us to cover, please let us know!

English for Travelers: Words That Might Confuse You

February 23, 2011

If you’ve ever seen the British comedy “Clockwise” you’ll know that traveling can be difficult, especially when words can mean two different things, and each person hears a different definition. “Do I turn left here?” you ask. “Right,” comes the response – and does that mean “yes, that’s correct” or “no, you need to turn right instead”? Many people are nervous about traveling in countries where they don’t speak the language, but choosing to visit an English-speaking country doesn’t remove all of the potential pitfalls. We’ve collected a few words that have different meanings in the United States and the UK (and some other places formerly part of the British Empire). They won’t necessarily get you lost, but you might find things easier if you know what’s what.

When you head out from the airport in Los Angeles, the taxi driver will put your bags in the trunk. When you travel from the airport to your hotel in London, the cab driver will store your luggage in the boot.

At a hotel in Bristol, there might be a welcoming gift of a small package of biscuits waiting for you in your room. But in Boston, those sweet treats are called cookies, and biscuits are what you might find served as part of a bread selection at a restaurant, small flaky round quickbreads that are usually not sweet at all.

If you’ve worked up an appetite on your walk to a restaurant in Canterbury, you can order an entreé as well as a main dish. You might not be as hungry if you drive when you’re visiting Cincinnati, so you can skip the appetizer and just order an entreé.

After you’re done with your meal at a restaurant in Miami, the waiter will bring you the check; however, in Manchester, you may need to ask for the bill.

If you’d rather go to a bar to watch the football game, you might see highlights of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl, but if you fancy a pint at a pub, your fellow football fans will be cheering for (or against) Arsenal.

Avoiding alcohol? Order a lemonade in Worcester, England and you’ll get a carbonated lemon-flavored drink. In Worcester, Massachusetts you’ll get lemon juice sweetened with sugar and mixed with non-carbonated water – and if this is what you’re looking for in Woomera, ask for a lemon squash.

You can enjoy your refreshing drink while sitting in the garden at your friend’s house in Gloucester, though back home in Gainesville you’d probably get up from your seat in the back yard and walk over to the little garden you planted with fresh herbs for a sprig of mint.

Even travel within your own country can be difficult! One of the first ATM (automated teller machine, or cash machine in the UK) networks in the United States was based in the upper Midwestern states, and was called “Take Your Money Everywhere” (abbreviated TYME machine). This caused problems for people from Wisconsin and Michigan who would visit other states, and ask their worried friends and relatives where the nearest “time machine” was …

Vocabulary for Success: Eponymous

February 22, 2011

One of the books we recently recommended gives the history of words such as “sandwich” and “silhouette” whose eponymous originators have often been forgotten. Eponymous is an adjective that designates someone whose name has been given to something else (from the Greek eponymos, “given-upon name”). For example, the restaurants Guy Savoy in Paris, Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, and Tetsuya’s in Sydney are all named after their founding eponymous chefs; the Julian calendar is named for the eponymous Roman leader who codified it (Julius Caesar); and the Elizabethan Era in British history is so called after the eponymous queen, Elizabeth I (even though Elizabeth II is currently on the throne). Many things have been named after their inventors (the Geiger counter, Morse code, the Venn diagram) but are so common and familiar now that although they’re still capitalized, we rarely associated the names with their eponymous inventors.

Some English adjectives come from eponymous figures, but are now not even capitalized. It’s interesting to trace the origins of these words, and remember the people, real and fictitious, who gave rise to the vocabulary we use today. Here are some examples:

quixotic (kwik-ZAH-tik)
Named after Cervantes’ gallant but foolish would-be knight, Don Quixote, this adjective describes actions or wishes that are extremely idealistic and romantic but not very practical.
Example: His quixotic efforts to clean up the city by choosing one neighborhood each week and walking around with a sign reading “Don’t Litter!” didn’t immediately solve the litter problem, but it did inspire local organizations to sponsor trash bins outside their buildings.

herculean (HER-kyu-LEE-uhn)
From the Greek hero Hercules, who performed seemingly impossible feats of strength and power that were not possible for mere mortals, we get this word meaning “extremely difficult, requiring extraordinary force.” It’s often used metaphorically to add humorous emphasis.
Example: I neglected to hire a gardener while I was traveling in Japan, and although the house-sitter had kept everything inside tidy, I was faced with the herculean task of clearing out the weeds when I returned at the end of the summer.

narcissistic (NAR-sih-SIS-tik)
The handsome young Narcissus was so enamored of his own beauty, according to Greek mythology, that he starved to death sitting by a pond, gazing at his own reflection night and day.
Example: The city council refused the millionaire’s offer to build a new city park because of his narcissistic demand to have statues of himself placed at every entrance.

draconian (drah-KOH-nee-uhn)
In ancient Greece, the lawgiver Draco was known for his harsh sentences and cruel punishments; the word now has the general meaning of “rigid, severe, oppressive, and strict.”
Example: Singapore’s laws may seem draconian, punishing people with jail time for littering or chewing gum, but they certainly keep the streets clean.

The word English is itself derived from the eponymous Germanic tribe, the Angles, who moved into what is now Britain in the first century AD.

The English Language and Gender Neutrality

February 21, 2011

Unlike many other languages, English is a relatively gender-free language. As we’ve discussed previously, students of the English language – unlike those who are studying German or French, for example – don’t have to remember that chairs are feminine and telephones are masculine, or that there are two ways of saying “yours” depending on whether “you” refers to a man or a woman. We do sometimes assign genders to certain inanimate objects (such as calling a boat or ship “she”), but in general don’t worry about whether something is classified as male, female, or neuter.

Of course, when it comes to people rather than pool tables or pencils, the issue of gender plays a larger role. Traditionally (referring both to the evolution of English and of the societies in which English is spoken), the masculine terms have been used to designate everyone involved, when speaking generally rather than specifically. “All men are created equal …” is now taken to ideally mean “all people” and references to “mankind” assume that the reader will mentally substitute “humans.” There’s a long-standing argument going on about the necessity and value of using gender-neutral terms such as “people” and “humans” rather than male-oriented ones, but that’s a discussion that’s far outside the realm of this vocabulary blog. In addition, some phrases are probably too entrenched in tradition to change by now – it’s unlikely someone will say “Person overboard!” in a crisis on a cruise ship. However, as the years go by English will continue to adapt to society; it would be interesting to jump ahead 100 years and see what changes have occurred.

One of the ways to avoid the gender conflict is to use neutral terminology like “one” or “they” (which can be used in both the singular and plural), and say things like “A student needs to know that they have grading options” rather than “A student needs to know that he has grading options.” Another is to adopt one of the newer sets of terms that have been created specifically to avoid gender designations, as shown below:

zie or ze or sie (pronounced zee) instead of she or he
hir (pronounced heer) instead of his or her
hirs (pronounced heers) instead of hers or his
hirself (pronounced heerself) instead of himself or herself

In the Middle Ages the word “fellow” meant “man” only; during the 1600s the term began being used a way to identify someone who was part of a particular society or organization, as in a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Since at that time only men were part of such societies, the word still had the overtone of “male person,” but today both men and women can be fellows. Fellow is also neutral when you’re using it as an adjective to mean “part of the same group” (my fellow employees doesn’t imply that all your co-workers are male).

Whether you choose to change your terminology or not, it’s interesting to think about the different ways to say things in the English language.

How to Improve Your SAT Skills Through Vocabulary Study

February 18, 2011

The latest testing schedule posted by the College Board shows that another opportunity for the SAT is coming up in March for many people in the US and around the world, and if you’re one of the people planning on taking the test, you’re probably right in the middle of your SAT study for the math, reading, and writing sections. A good vocabulary will help you to score high in all three areas.

Math. Some of the problems are “story problems” that require you to read and understand the situation and equation they’re asking you to solve for. If you have a good knowledge of basic vocabulary, you’ll be able to understand what you’re being asked to do, and will be able to work towards the correct solution.

Reading. Obviously, the more words you know, the better you’ll be able to quickly read and comprehend the text you’re presented with on the exam. There are several different parts to the reading section. In some cases, you’ll be asked to choose the best word or words to complete a sentence. Here’s an example:

The vandals caused thousands of dollars worth of damage when they __________ the historic monument.
a – revised
b – embellished
c – desecrated
d – exculpated

In others, you’ll read a short passage and answer questions about its content, tone, style, or meaning. Again, a comprehensive knowledge of vocabulary and etymology (to help you identify the meanings of words you’ve not come across before) are essential tools to completing this section correctly.

Writing. There are several parts to the writing section, including questions on grammar and spelling. If spelling practice is part of your vocabulary study (which it should be!) then this should pose little problem for you. And if you practice writing sample sentences with your vocabulary words (another excellent learning strategy) then you’ll have a good grasp on grammar as well.

The last part of the writing section is an essay. You’ll be given a topic and asked to write about it; it might be a single question, or it might be a quote to read and respond to. You’ll only have twenty-five minutes to complete your essay, so it’s important that you can both read and understand the question and/or quote and have a vocabulary that covers the widest possible range of subject areas so that you’ll have exactly the right words to use in crafting your answer. One of the best ways to expand your vocabulary in a general sense is to read as much as you can, on as many different topics as you can find. As an added bonus, you just might recognize the quote you’re given if the examiners have taken it from something you’ve already read!

Is there an SAT-related topic you’d like us to discuss or a question you’d like us to answer? Leave your requests and questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to help. Oh, and by the way – the correct answer is ‘c’.