Ultimate Vocabulary – Vocabulary Building Software

Are You Sure That’s How It’s Pronounced?

July 30, 2013

People who travel to other countries know how easy it is to make a little mistake in pronunciation that leads to a large communication problem. Whether they’re trying to remember their two years of Spanish classes or to pronounce the English word they don’t know like it’s spelled, travelers in any language can find that they’re getting into trouble when asking what they think are easy questions. If you’ve ever found yourself in hot water because you’ve asked for a banjo instead of a bain chaud, you’ll enjoy this BBC video of people describing some of the funny mistakes they’ve made in other languages.

Pronunciation is important in any language, and English is no exception. In order to improve your English skills, make sure that you’re practicing saying vocabulary words out loud, clearly and distinctly. Without making sure that vowel sounds are correctly pronounced, the words wonder and wander can get mixed up in the hearer’s mind. If you use an online dictionary, or software like Ultimate Vocabulary, you’ll have access to audio files that give you examples of how words are pronounced by native speakers. Listen closely and try to duplicate the sounds that you hear.

Many people tend to slur their words, which can cause problems for the listener. For example, someone speaking quickly might say the words ensure and onshore in a similar manner. When you’re working on your pronunciation, be sure to practice saying the words in context, keeping each word clear and separate as you speak. A good way to learn the rhythms of a spoken language is to listen to professional readers, such as those who record audiobooks. Listen to nonfiction audiobooks and you’ll get new information on a range of topics, and develop your English pronunciation skills at the same time.

Eric Sloan Explains 21st-Century Communication At www.EricsEstimate.com

July 28, 2013

These days, it’s all about the website. If you don’t have an internet presence, then you’re missing a lot of customer and client opportunities, since most people these days start their search for products and services on line. To find out how to communicate effectively through your website and how to use best the resources that modern technology has put at your fingertips to make the most of your business, a good place to start is Eric Sloan’s site. We asked him about modern communication styles, and about the importance of knowing the right words to use.

UV: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What’s your background in digital marketing and online communication?

ES: 10 years ago I began developing small websites and logos for some people that I knew. Really basic sites that I wouldn’t be proud of today, but it definitely gave me a strong foundation for web development techniques.

Soon after, I started work with a company as a website consultant. They sold websites and CRM software to real estate agents. This was my first exposure to Sales and Web Marketing. I found that I really had a talent for not only the sales and people side of things, but also for enhancing a website’s ability to convert traffic into leads.

The next company I worked for had a really large impact on my career. I was required to design and develop multiple landing pages per day and test them scientifically to make sure I was improving the effectiveness of the pages. The trouble was, this company had no testing software. I had to design and develop my own software for testing. Though a lot of work, this gave me a solid idea of how online testing works.

With this knowledge in hand I cut out on my own and started a small online marketing agency in Vancouver where I worked with local clients to improve their websites. The work that I did helped to convert thousands of additional leads and many of the campaigns are still running today.

Recently I’ve been hired as the Director of Marketing for a new venture called Urban Cultivator.

UV: Mark Twain is quoted as saying “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.” Many people focus on graphics and animations to make their websites stand out, but aren’t the words they use just as important?

ES: Graphics on the web can be a very touchy thing. On the one hand, your design can enhance your sales copy and build more trust with your visitors. On the other hand it can easily destroy your conversion rates. The key thing to remember is that design should be enhancing the copy, not the other way around.

For example, Craigslist is often referred to as having “no design”. This is far from the truth though. The design of Craigslist is meant to remove any distractions from the goal of the site: to provide easy and free listings to everyone.

Most designers are very focused on what looks “cool”. I’ve always been of the mind that good design simply helps a visitor accomplish a task. My advice would be to keep it simple and to remove everything on a page that is not needed.

All this being said, you can have a good conversion rate with good copy and mediocre design, but you can NEVER have a good conversion rate with a great design and mediocre copy.

UV: One of your recent posts urges people to cut the jargon and “write the way you talk.” Why don’t big words always impress people?

ES: If you’re writing a text book you need to write professionally and with jargon. However if you’re writing on the web, people like to be treated like people. Who wants to be reminded of a text book when reading your about page? The answer is nobody.

The trouble is that most companies think that if they write like a real live person (warts and all) they will be judged… and they will. But so what? The byproduct of writing this way is that you build a connection with your audience. Connections build trust, and trust builds sales.

By writing too “PC” or “text-book-like” you put up a barrier. That being said, I’m not advocating swearing and 3rd grade English on a sales page for medical equipment. You need to know your audience and that’s where good copy writing is key.

UV: There are a lot of free or low-cost web building and web hosting services out there that anyone can use to set up their own business website. A site like yours that has tips on how to make the most of this platform and avoid mistakes in communication can help, but do you find that people eventually have to turn to professional developers to run their business media?

ES: The biggest question I would ask to anyone who is looking at a low-cost or free web site is this: Are you intending to make money from this website?

If not, by all means there are a lot of free ways to have your voice heard, build an audience and make your mark on the internet.

But if you’re intending on using this website in a business then it needs to be at least partly done by a professional. Think of it this way, if you made your money as a mechanic would you use the cheapest, rustiest tools you could find? Hell no, you would be so slow at your job that you’d either get fired or have no clients.

Instead you would invest in well made, efficient tools that could help you do your job better. The same goes for the web.

UV: There’s at least one person reading this blog right now who has plans on starting a business soon. What are three things you recommend they do to start out?

ES: The first would be try to make mistakes. If you’re not making any mistakes in your business then you’re losing out on opportunities. Opportunities to learn, and opportunities to creat new things. A company that doesn’t make mistakes is just doing things that have already been done, and that is boring and not worth talking about.

The second would be to build a list. Every website needs a way to capture lead information. This is so you can continually market to these leads. If you’re not building a list, your not moving forward.

The third would be to ignore the hype. There will always be a new and shiny product or service that is said to fix your business and make you rich. The truth is that fundamentals continue to work:
* Do lots of email marketing
* Make connections with people by being real
* Create solid content that is worth sharing and talking about
* Oh, and TEST LIKE HELL.

A Bazaar Of Bizarre Words To Remember

July 24, 2013

Relying on spell-check and grammar utilities in your computer program isn’t the best way to make sure that you’re using the right words. Many words sound alike, and if you’re not sure of the correct spelling, you might accidentally insert one version, thinking that you’re using the other. If the incorrect word is still correctly spelled, your computer won’t catch the mistake, and if the word is the same part of speech, the grammar-checking utility won’t notice either. It’s up to you to learn the differences in spelling, pronunciation, and use of these often-confusing word pairs.

bazaar / bizarre
Pronunciation: buh-ZAHR / bih-ZAHR
Definition: an outdoor marketplace / strange or unusual
Example: We enjoyed walking around the huge bazaar in Marrakesh, but we thought the stall selling only cooked snails was a little bizarre.

grisly / grizzly
Pronunciation: GRIH-zlee / GRIH-zlee
Definition: disgusting, horrible / a very large bear
Example: After the grizzly attacked the campers, it was up to the park rangers to clean up the grisly remains.

magnate / magnet
Pronunciation: MAHG-nayt / MAHG-net
Definition: a wealthy person / something that attracts
Example: At the cocktail party, the publishing magnate proved to be a real magnet for all the aspiring authors in attendance.

rational / rationale
Pronunciation: RAH-shun-uhl / RAH-shun-AHL
Definition: sensible, logical / justification
Example: The rationale provided by the politician for his support of the new tax law doesn’t seem to be very rational.

regal / regale
Pronunciation: REE-guhl / reh-GAYL
Definition: royal, proud / to provide in abundance
Example: Each time Ellen came back from her dates with George, she would regale me with descriptions about how his regal bearing got them past the guards at even the most exclusive nightclubs.

urban / urbane
Pronunciation: UR-buhn / ur-BAYN
Definition: relating to a city / sophisticated
Example: Even for university students who were raised in small towns away from urban centers, it usually only takes a few months in New York or Paris for them to develop the urbane attitude that comes from living in a cultural metropolis.

Cross-posted on the Ultimate Spelling blog.

What Are Contranyms?

July 23, 2013

We’ll give out tips and techniques for English vocabulary improvement until our eyes give out and we can’t read or type any more – in other words, we’ll provide resources in the form of these blog posts so long as we don’t lose energy or resources. Confused? Well, that’s a contranym for you: they’re words or phrases that have two contradictory definitions. On the one hand, that’s quite useful; you only have to learn one word to get two ways to use it. On the other hand, and especially for ESL students, it means you have to pay careful attention to context to make sure you understand how and why the word is being used. We’ve collected a list of common contranyms (also spelled contronyms or referred to as auto-antonyms) and listed them below, along with their definitions. Practice using each form of the word in a sentence of your own, and you’ll eliminate any confusion.

seed
Definition: To sow seeds, or to take seeds out.
Example 1: They need to seed the lawn before the rain starts, or the park won’t be ready for visitors in time.
Example 2: Before making the sauce, seed your tomatoes or the texture will be unpleasant and the taste will be bitter.

garnish
Definition: To add something, or to take something away.
Example 1: It used to be parsley, but now microgreens are the garnish of choice for plates in trendy restaurants.
Example 2: Because he owes back taxes, the state government will garnish his wages for a year to get that money.

buckle
Definition: To connect together, or to fall apart.
Example 1: Does anyone in an airplane ever really watch the demonstration on how to buckle your seatbelt?
Example 2: When the truck hit the bridge support, the entire span started to buckle and fall into the river.

screen
Definition: To reveal or examine, or to hide.
Example 1: The temporary employment office will screen all candidates for suitability before referring them to the HR department.
Example 2: Many people use portable shelters at the beach to screen very young children from the harsh rays of the sun.

Which contranyms do you find to be particularly contrary and contradictory?

Study Guides And Strategies For All, Thanks To Joe Landsberger And www.StudyGs.net

July 21, 2013

If you’ve been looking for one site that covers everything you need to know to become more effective at learning and studying, you’ll find it at Joe Landsberger’s site www.StudyGs.net, “Study Guides and Strategies.” Not only does he provide information on learning methodologies, studying techniques, and both group and individual classroom issues, the site can be translated into dozens of other languages with a simple click of a button. This makes the information easily accessible to people around the world, providing an opportunity to share educational best practices with teachers and students worldwide. We talked to Joe Landsberger recently about the work he has done to develop this valuable educational resource.

UV: Back in 1996 when you first started the Study Guides project, the internet wasn’t a part of everyday life like it is now. Did you come up with the idea as a web-based information system, or was this something that you developed elsewhere and decided to move on line?

JL: Back in 1996 when I first started the Study Guides project, the internet wasn’t a part of everyday life like it is now. At a conference I spoke with a colleague from Rutgers who had a database on a disk–and I had the inspiration to put it on the Internet. At that time I was experimenting with Websites, and thought it was a perfect project/application for a Website. I received permission to do so, then edited and continued to develop other guides in a format conducive to a Webpage. Interestingly I developed a template back then that I follow to this day: consistent navigation, bulleted-style text, and an intuitive menu. It worked!

UV: One of the things that makes your site unique is that it offers translated pages as well as English versions. Do you have a background in working, living, or teaching overseas, or teaching English as a Second Language?

JL: Almost from the get-go, I started to receive international email from educators, students and even parents! Since I had a background in ESL, taught in a middle school in Togo West Africa, and generally was passionate about providing resources in “native” languages, I launched a translation project. The first was Chinese, then quickly into French, German, Spanish and Arabic. What a learning experience, especially with right-to-left scripts!

UV: How have attitudes in the United States towards education and learning changed in the last 20 years?

JL: I don’t know how attitudes in the United States towards education and learning have changed in the last 20 years, but I do know that traffic on my Website has never decreased, from comparable months and years. In 2012 there were over 12 million visitors.

UV: “Continuing education” has become a well-known phrase as more adults are being required to learn new skills to adapt to a difficult and competitive employment landscape. How can people best use your site to prepare for changing jobs, or even careers?

JL: In the world of “continuing education” students, as adults and younger, are taking responsibility to search and find strategies for improving nto only their study habits, but also job skills. For example, in a search on “time management” in Google, my guide is one of the most popular guides, out of over 1 billion Websites it is often listed second. However the key is that first by searching someone is interested in self-improvement, second, that guide’s popularity must mean it is effective. However, it will only be effective as applied and practiced. This is a lesson for all information on the Internet.

UV: We noticed that the summary you prepared for your presentation at the International Conference on Learning in London last summer included the fact that the most popular topic for visitors from Spanish-speaking countries was “concept mapping” while people in Sweden wanted more information on “managing stress” and the French asked for strategies for better “active listening.” Do you find that people in different countries have different educational goals and needs?

JL: Definitely!

Hey, Y’all – Got Any Pop In The Icebox?

July 16, 2013

Back when people only had their own feet, or maybe a horse, to get them from one region to another, populations generally tended to stay in the same area, developing their own local vocabularies and ways of speaking, or dialects. Sometimes the regional variations were so great that people who lived on one side of a mountain range couldn’t understand the language of the people who lived on the other side. With easier travel and global communication languages are (as always) evolving, and some local languages and dialects are disappearing. However, it’s interesting to see how deeply the historical habits have been established, and how where you grew up influences how you speak.

A new map of the United States created by Rick Aschmann shows regional Canadian and American dialects, a fascinating look at pronunciations and word choices in different areas. There are even audio samples that you can click on to hear the differences in the way people say the same words. Do you pronounce the words pin and pen the same way? What about the words cot and caught? Do the words father and bother use the same vowel sound? Click on the map to get more information and listen to the audio recordings.

Dialect isn’t just about how you say things, but also about what words you use to say it. You might put your can of pop into the icebox, or your can of soda in the refrigerator. When you take your nephew fishing at the bottom of the field, you’ll drop your line in either a brook or a creek, depending on where you’re from – and also depending on where you’re from, you might pronounce that last word CRIHK. If you’ve taken some peaches to snack on, you’ll have to get rid of the pit, the kernel, the seed, the stone … it’s so confusing to have all these different words for the same thing that we’re going to have to take a minute to sit down and rest on the chesterfield. The davenport. The sofa.

What words are only used where you live?

German ESL Students Benefit From Joerg Poehland’s Expertise At www.englisch-hilfen.de

July 14, 2013

Young adults in Europe dream of moving to the United States, fabled new land of freedom and opportunity, while their counterparts in the USA save their money to start a new life among the rich traditions of the Old World. Well, “Die Kirschen aus Nachbars Garten schmecken immer besser,” as they say – the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, according to the English proverb. Many students arrive for an overseas year and find that they’re not at all prepared for changes in lifestyle or language. That’s why learning the language of your new country is crucial, and why English language classes are popular in Germany and elsewhere. English teacher Joerg Poehland has put together a website that has all of the essential information needed to learn English correctly and easily. We asked him a few questions about the resources on his site, and on the use of English around the world.

UV: How long have you been teaching English in Germany?

JP: I have been teaching English for 25 years.

UV: Your site is written in German, but there’s also an English version that has the same information. Why did you decide to offer the site in translation?

JP: More and more users (their mother tongue was not German) asked to provide the information not only in German. So I decided to translate the site.

UV: The forums section gives people an opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics in both German and English. Do you find that the people in the user community are able to answer questions for each other, or do you step in to help out with problems or translations?

JP: At the beginning of the forum I stepped in and helped but now I don’t. We have some reliable users who are really good at English. They are happy to help. I only step in and delete postings and users who try to post “nonsense”. I try to read every single posting.

UV: As well as information on the English language, you also have sections on the history and culture of the major English-speaking countries. Do you find that many people who use your site are planning on moving to those countries, or are more people simply learning English to be able to work in today’s global marketplace?

JP: I think that most of the people who use our website would like to learn English.

UV: You’ve got a lot of great games on the site, and many of them are perfect for younger children. If parents want to help their kids get good English skills, how early should they start to focus on learning English?

JP: The early the better!

Parents should look for a kindergarten where English can be spoken – at least once a week.

Improving Vocabulary? An Offer You Can’t Refuse

July 9, 2013

In the last few months the trial of famous 1970s mobster James Bulger (known as “Whitey”) has been getting a lot of press in the United States. One of the things that has come out in testimony is interesting not because it talks about past crimes, but because it talks about how people used to talk about those crimes. In other words, there’s been a lot of old-fashioned “mob lingo” used – words that gangs and masterminds had in their vocabulary of slang. Crime doesn’t pay, as they say, but we think it would be criminal to let this example of the diversity of English vocabulary be locked away for good.

vigorish
This word of Russian Yiddish origin means the interest charged by a loan shark, or the fee charged by a bookie when a person places a bet.

dropping dimes
Betraying a fellow criminal by turning them in to the authorities, often anonymously.

rent
Demanding money from business owners using the threat of violence.

protection racket
Going around collecting “rent” and destroying businesses belonging to people who don’t pay.

boiler
A stolen car.

on the lam
Running away and hiding from the authorities.

Of course, using specialized words to refer to such activities isn’t anything new. A book called “The Canting Crew” was published in the early 18th century giving details about the vocabulary of the London underground – not today’s subway train system, but the “underworld” of beggars, thieves, and other unsavory characters who preyed upon the Ralph-Spooners (“fools”) in streets and taverns. According to the author, the book would help “all sorts of People (especially Foreigners) to secure their Money and preserve their Lives” in the big city. You can page through this fascinating document on line, if you like. Grab a cup of Adam’s ale to refresh you, and view the archived book here. Just remember to keep an eye out for Foyl-cloys and Free-booters!

What’s the World’s Longest Word?

July 2, 2013

Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherungsrecht is in the dictionary.

Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften isn’t in the dictionary, but it’s a common word.

However, Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz didn’t make it into the dictionary, and now it’s not even a word – though it was never really common, in any event.

These three German words, meaning “motor vehicle liability insurance act,” “legal companies providing insurance,” and “law regarding the delegation of duties for the oversight of cattle marking and beef labeling” are (or were) some of the longest words in any language. German, Finnish, and other languages have an advantage over English in this area, because they are agglutinative, meaning it is possible to form new words by combining whole or parts of other words together. In the worldwide “longest common words” competition, if that even exists, English comes in well behind the leaders.

For example, in Finland a kolmivaihekilowattituntimittari is a type of electricity meter (31 letters). French protesters can chant about government laws they feel have been passed anticonstitutionnellement (“unconstitutionally” in 25 letters). Italy has a quick response with the word precipitevolissimevolmente (26 letters) which means “as fast as you can.” The longest word in a standard English dictionary is antidisestablishmentarianism which does have 28 letters, but it’s not exactly common any more. It means “opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England” but since that issue was resolved over a century ago, we doubt anyone’s using this in a sentence today. Most experts agree that uncharacteristically (20 letters) is the longest English word you’re most likely to use in everyday conversation.

If you’re truly on the quest for long words, try looking at an atlas! Here are a few places you might travel to where they have to use extra-long signposts to point the way:

New Zealand
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Lat: -40.3480 / Long: 176.5321

Wales
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Lat: 53.225614 / Long: -4.197992

United States
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
Lat: 42.043811 / Long: -71.843918

Australia
Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill
Lat: -26.917172 / Long: 132.67004

Latitude and longitude are provided for your use in a GPS or other mapping system, because it might take you longer to say the names of these places than to get there!

Technology is Tops in Latest Oxford English Dictionary Entries

June 27, 2013

The information age and all of its associated technical tools has created changes in our lifestyles, work habits, and even the way we learn. But the English language is keeping up with this fast-paced evolution and adding new words to the dictionary so that we always have the language we need to describe what we see around us. Of course, with this latest batch of words that are all related to computing and the virtual universe, perhaps “see” isn’t the right word. No matter what senses you use to experience your world, you can always find the words you need to make sense out of it in the Oxford English Dictionary.

tweet
A single entry on Twitter; sometimes refers to any short message sent to someone else via text or SMS.

crowdsourcing
Using input, suggestions, and information contributed by a large group of people, generally using the internet, to come up with solutions or solve problems.

e-reader
A device that allows people to download and read books, magazines, and other “print” materials using a text display screen. Many e-readers also store those materials so that they can be read at any time.

geekery
An obsession with, or focused study and knowledge of, some subject that is uncommon or unusual, frequently related to technology.

liveblog
To comment and report on an event via an online blog or website while that event is taking place.

mouseover
The box or image (generally containing text or explanation) that appears when you move the pointer or cursor on a computer screen over a specified area that has been pre-programmed to display that popup.

defriend
To drop someone off your contacts list on a social media site like Facebook; now often used to mean cutting off communication with an acquaintance in the real world due to a disagreement.