Ultimate Vocabulary – Vocabulary Building Software

Mathematical Terms in English

March 14, 2012

Although many people automatically turn to calculators and computers to do their math for them these days, the knowledge of mathematics used to be extremely important in most areas of business, and words related to mathematical functions began to turn up in ordinary English conversations. While the percentage (see, a math term!) of the population that focuses on the intricacies of calculus and higher mathematics is relatively small, it’s useful* to learn the meaning of some of the terms found in the field.

When you’re looking at a fraction, the denominator is the number below the line that tells you how many pieces you’re breaking something into and considering. For example, with the fraction 5/8, you have 5 of the 8 parts of the whole. 8 is the denominator in this case.

A rhombus is a four-sided figure where all the sides are the same length. A square is a rhombus, as is a rectangle. The word comes from the Greek verb rhembesthai, meaning “to spin,” for in order for something to spin it needs to be of equal weight on all sides.

When mathematicians talk about the mean, they’re not talking about how their colleagues are picking on them. The mean (or average) is the answer you get when you add up the sum of all the numbers in a set, then divide that sum by the total number of numbers in the set. That is, the mean of the set (21, 30, 44, 50, 65) is 42, because 21 + 30 + 44 + 50 + 65 = 210 and 210/5 (the number of numbers in the set) = 42. This is different from the median, which is the middle of a set; in the list of numbers above, the median is 44 because it’s the one in the middle.

Permutations are all the ways that a single set of things can be arranged in different ways. For example, here are the permutations of the set (A, B, C):

A B C
A C B
B A C
B C A
C A B
C B A

The word comes from the Latin roots per- (“thorough”) and mutare (“to change”); this last root word is obviously the basis for our word mutation, which should help you remember this mathematical term.

No matter what field you’re in, there are always words to be learned from other areas of study. Keep your eyes and your mind open for these new English vocabulary words, and you’ll see how quickly the benefits add up.

* Or at least interesting. Well, we think so, anyway.

These Are Obviously Advanced Vocabulary Words

March 13, 2012

One of your objectives in vocabulary study should be to concentrate on quality, rather than simply on quantity, when it comes to the words you choose to learn. To obtain a professional-grade vocabulary, you’ll want to select words that are precise in meaning and that will clarify rather than obfuscate your points. If you’re not using a system like Ultimate Vocabulary that provides you with advanced levels for vocabulary study, a good place to start looking for words is at their origins, by looking up etymology. If you focus on one particular word origin or word root, you’ll be able to learn several related words that you can mentally group together, which will help you remember them in the future. We’ve turned our dictionary to words that start with OB and that have at their base the Latin prefix ob-. Although this prefix can add several seemingly contradictory meanings to a word, including towards, away from, against, near, and about, the general sense of a word using this prefix is “connected to [something].” Take a look at the words below – or should we say, observe the following:

obdurate (AHB-dur-et) adjective
Add the Latin word durus (“hard”) to the prefix ob- and you get a word that means “to be hard towards” – that is, to be adamantly opposed to something, stubborn.

obligation (ah-blih-GAY-shun) noun
Add the Latin verb ligare (“to bind”) and you get a word that means “to be bound to something” – that is, to be tied to it, required to do it.

obeisance (oh-BEY-suhns) noun
You’ll have to look backward twice for this word. First, add our prefix to the Latin verb audire (“to listen”) to get the verb to obey, then use the Old French version obeissant (“to be obeying”) of the verb; that leads you to the noun form of the word, obeisance, which means a bow or curtsey, signifying that you will be obeying the person you’re bowing to. If you need to obey someone, it’s because you have a tie or connection to them – an obligation, if you will.

oblivion (oh-BLIH-vee-uhn) noun
Add ob- to the Latin root livus (“smooth”) and you’ll get a word that can be used to mean “smoothed over” in the sense of “erased.” A state of oblivion means you’re not aware of what is around you, or what has happened in the past. Your memories have been wiped away.

obsolete (AHB-soh-LEET) adjective
In this case, the prefix ob- signifies movement away from the root word solere (“to be accustomed”), and gives you a word that means “out of customary use, outdated.”

Use these and other advanced English vocabulary words, and you’ll find there’s no obstacle to your success!

Vocabulary For Success: Be A Polyglot

March 12, 2012

While English may be one of the most commonly-spoken languages, it’s worth remembering that not everyone speaks English, so if you’re planning on traveling around the world for business or for pleasure, it’s a good idea to at least learn a few useful phrases in other languages. If you know more than one language, you’re a polyglot (PAH-lee-glaht); the word comes from the Greek roots poly- (“many”) and glossa (“tongues”). The nice thing about learning other languages is that you can often bring back words to use in your English conversations, as well. Here are some words you’ll encounter in other countries that are just as useful in English:

From France:

avant-garde (AH-vawnt-GARD) adjective
Originally a military term for “the advance guard” this word is commonly used these days to describe someone, particularly an inventor or artist, who is ahead of their time, innovative, and unlike others.

malaise (muh-LEZZ) noun
The word means “ill at ease” and is used to define a mental state of being uncomfortable.

prêt-à-porter (PRET-uh-POR-tay) adjective
This phrase translates as “ready to wear” and can be found in the fashion industry, referring to clothes that can be bought off the rack in stores (as opposed to being tailored and fit to an individual).

From Germany:

kitsch (KITCH) noun
This is a relatively new word that describes objects that are overly-gaudy, merely decorative, and otherwise useless.

Schadenfreude (SHAH-dehn-froy-duh) noun
Another word that entered the English language in the early part of the 20th century, this means “harm/joy” – that is, feeling happy at someone else’s troubles or misfortunes.

doppelgänger (DAH-pehl-gang-er) noun
Translated as “double-goer” this word is used to describe a stranger who looks eerily similar to someone you know; frequently it’s used for times when the person you know couldn’t possibly be right there.

From Italy:

diva (DEE-vah) noun
This Italian word for “goddess” is often used to describe opera singers or other female performers. In a more negative sense, it’s used to describe women (and sometimes men) who are very hard to please and who think they’re something really special.

sotto voce (soh-toh VOH-chay) adverb
The literal translation is “under voice” and means speaking quietly, in an undertone.

From Spain:

incommunicado (ihn-koh-myu-nih-CAH-doh) adjective
From the prefix in- (“not”) and the verb comunicar (“to communicate”), this word refers to someone who is prevented from reaching the outside world (or who chooses not to).

What to Look for in a Dictionary

March 8, 2012

There’s a good reason that people have associated dictionaries with vocabulary-building over the years, and why any student of a new language makes a dictionary their first purchase. Actually, there are five good reasons:

1. Definition
You’ll get the meaning of the word, and if it’s a good dictionary, you’ll have all the meanings associated with the word, even the ones that are out of date. For example, the word example can mean several things, including “something to be imitated” and “the representative of a larger group.”

2. Pronunciation
Print dictionaries will show you how a word is pronounced using what’s called IPA, or the International Phonetic Alphabet. This is a set of symbols covering all of the sounds a language makes, and once you can recognize the symbols, you’ll be able to correctly pronounce any word (see here for a full chart). Online dictionaries usually have an audio link you can click to hear the word pronounced correctly. Example is pronounced “ex-AM-pull.”

3. Combination
Often a word will be found in one or more phrases or idioms that are helpful to know. For example, for example, “for example” is one such phrase.

4. Origination
Knowledge of a word’s roots and origin are very useful when you’re trying to learn and memorize words and how to use them correctly. If you look in any dictionary, you’ll see that the basis for the word example is the Latin word eximere, which means “to remove.” If you look this up, you’ll see that the word exempt also comes from this root; to exempt means “to remove, to set aside.” This will help you remember the definition of example as something “set aside” as a representation or as something to be imitated.

5. Correlation
The quickest way to add new words to your vocabulary is to study synonyms and antonyms, and any good dictionary will give you at least one of each (where possible). Some synonyms for example are “illustration” and “prototype.”

Looking Backwards Helps You Get Ahead

March 5, 2012

One of the most important things to remember about English is that it’s a constantly-evolving language. Words are added as they’re needed, and as society and the world changes, some words fall out of use. Occasionally this happens because a word is no longer accepted in polite speech; sometimes it’s because new words have replaced older ones; and sometimes words disappear just because people don’t use them as much any more, or forget that they even exist. We think that it’s a shame when words are forgotten, even though they’re still as accurate, descriptive, and interesting as they were when they first entered the language. You can easily add interest to your vocabulary by looking for these forgotten words and bringing them back into use through your conversation, and they’ll be easy to remember if you link them to more current terminology and definitions. You can frequently find such words by reading older works of literature, and this will give you the added benefit of seeing how they’re used in context; if you just look for “archaic word list” on the internet, for example, you might just get a list of words with brief definitions. Here are five old words that can bring new life to your vocabulary study:

whithersoever (WHIH-thur-so-EH-vur) adverb
Definition: Wherever, to any place. This term comes from Old High German roots and by combining the words “whither” (where), “so” (in such a manner), and “ever” (at any time).
Example: With a new passport and ten thousand dollars, she set off to explore the world, following her impulses and going whithersoever her heart told her to travel next.

supererogation (SOO-pur-AIR-uh-GAY-shun) noun
Definition: The act of doing more than is required. This term was historically used in Catholicism, and comes from the Latin words super (“above”) and rogare (“request”).
Example: While most of the students did the minimum required to pass the class, Emily’s supererogation prompted the professor to write a special recommendation to the department head, with the result that Emily was offered a scholarship for summer overseas study.

tenebrous (TEH-neh-bruss) adjective
Definition: From the Latin tenebrae (“darkness”), this word means “shadowy, dark.”
Example: The children huddled shivering at the entrance to the haunted house, reluctant to move further into the tenebrous depths of the hallway.

repugn (reh-PYUN) verb
Definition: This word meaning “to resist, to oppose” comes from the Latin root pugnare (“to fight”), which it shares with the words repugnant and pugnacious.
Example: Many traditional religious leaders repugn the movement towards including women in the direction and performance of ceremonies.

hippodrome (HIH-puh-drohm) noun
Definition: From the Greek hippo (“horse”) and dromus (“course”), this was originally a Greek race course for chariots, but in the 16th century the term started to be used in France to mean a race course for horses with riders, and then was gradually applied to large arenas used for any horse show.
Example: Every seat in the hippodrome was filled at the finals of the Olympic dressage competition.

Playing With Words

February 29, 2012

Abnegation. Blithering. Concomitant. Discombobulated. Experiential. Flibbertigibbet. Galumphing. Hinterlands. Insurrection. Jollify. Kedgeree. Lollygag. Mitochondria. Nullification. Oblate. Phantasmagoria. Quiddity. Rapscallion. Synchronize. Tintinnabulation. Unbeknownst. Varicocele. Whirligig. Xeric. Ytterbium. Zany.

How many of these words do you know? They’re fun to say – and they’re even more fun to use. You can enjoy words because of their sounds and rhythms as well as their meanings, whether you’re speaking prose or poetry. Take pleasure in finding words that are new to you and incorporating them into your conversations. If you use words that mean exactly what you want to express, but in a creative way, you’ll impress the people you’re speaking with and intrigue them with your manner of expression, especially if the words are new to them as well. You might have to define words for people if they ask, but that’s a marvelous opportunity to start a conversation about the English language, or the book you read in which you found that word, or any other topic related to the vocabulary you’re using.

You can even make up words, if you want! The English language has grown over the years due to the incorporation of neologisms, or “new words” that have been created because someone found that they needed to be able to define or describe a concept, material, technique, item, or idea that had never been expressed before in English (or possibly in any other language). Whether a neologism becomes part of the official English language depends on how many people use it and over what period of time it’s used, but there are as many words that are no longer common as are being added to contemporary language every year.

Keep exploring the meaning of words, and you’ll always be able to say what you mean.

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory’,” Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t – till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’”

“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master – that’s all.”

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. “They’ve a temper, some of them – particularly verbs, they’re the proudest – adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs – however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!”

– from “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll (1872)

Are Stressed Syllables Causing You Stress?

February 28, 2012

As any student of a new language knows, there’s a big difference between being able to read and understand a word and being able to hear and use it in a conversation. Much of this distinction is due to how a word sounds when it’s spoken, which may be different from how the student thinks it should sound, or how they “hear” it when reading. Many languages have guides to pronunciation in the form of accent marks, which show how individual letters are to be pronounced as well as where the word should be stressed. Note that in this post, we’re using the word accent to refer to these marks (also known as diacritics), and the word stress to refer to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable.

For a good example of how stressed syllables affect spoken words, think of the words proceed and progress. As verbs, both these words (at least by US standards) have the stress on the second syllable:

They were asked to proceed (pro-SEED) to the exit.
(to proceed = to move ahead, move forward)

With each win, the team will progress (pro-GRESS) towards the championship.
(to progress = to advance, move forward)

However, when the words are nouns, the stress moves to the first syllable:

The proceeds (PRO-seeds) of the fundraiser will go to charity.
proceeds = money received from an event or transaction

Have you made any progress (PRAH-gress, [UK PRO-gress]) on the accounting summary?
progress = forward movement, advancement

If you only saw these words in written texts, you’d see no clue about how they were to be pronounced in different contexts. That’s why it’s so important that you make sure to look up all of the definitions of a word when you’re learning it, especially if the word can be used as different parts of speech. Proper pronunciation is the only way you’ll progress towards your goal of having the ultimate vocabulary you want.

Power Word of the Day: Platitude

February 27, 2012

Have you been working hard at your vocabulary studies, or do you need some motivation? Remember, genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration! Winners never quit, and quitters never win! Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today! Time and tide wait for no one! And if you don’t take the time to improve and expand your vocabulary, your conversation may be reduced to platitudes like these!

A platitude (PLA-tih-tood) is a saying that has been overused to the point of becoming almost meaningless. Using platitudes often gives the impression that the speaker can’t be bothered to really think about what they’re saying, and that they’re just filling space in the conversation – or worse, not really paying attention to the person they’re speaking to. If you use platitudes you may be communicating the message that you don’t really care enough about someone to say something personal and appropriate. You’ll be implying that they’re so dull, they only deserve dull phrases that you didn’t have to put in any effort to think about.

The noun platitude has its roots in the French word plat, meaning “flat.” Like champagne that’s been opened and left out on the table, a conversation full of platitudes is flat and dull. That’s why it’s so important to expand your vocabulary and improve your ability to use words creatively. If you want your conversations to sparkle, keep working on your vocabulary, and you’ll be ~~the life of the party~~ the focus of any social gathering because of your witty way with words.

Literally Butchering the English Language

February 21, 2012

When it comes to vocabulary building, you need to remember that it’s not just how many words you know, but how many words you can use correctly. As was pointed out in a recent blog post, using words incorrectly will give people a bad impression of your knowledge, skill, and general intellect. Unfortunately, we’re all in the public spotlight nearly every day, and everything we do and say contributes to the impression we make on other people. There’s an old quote that “appearances are everything” – but that only holds true if you never open your mouth. Once you start speaking, you’d better make sure that your speech is as sophisticated as the well-tailored outfit you’re wearing.

One of the best ways to learn how to use words is to read. In particular, read material written by skilled writers. If you clicked through the link in the paragraph above, you’ll find a blog written by one of the many language specialists out there. By looking for and reading articles and sites like this, you’ll learn more about specific English vocabulary words, and you’ll also be exposed to some of the most deftly-written English phrases on the internet.

Another good way to make sure your skill with language develops along with your vocabulary is to practice using new words in sentences. When you first learn a word, you’ll undoubtedly be using a print or on-line dictionary to find its definition. If you’re using a good dictionary, you’ll also be provided with one or more examples of how the word is used in a sentence. You can use the internet search tools to find more examples. Study as many as you can to get the best idea of how the word is used correctly, then start writing out your own sample sentences. Once you’re confident you know how to use the word, begin finding ways to include it in your conversations or presentations.

Appearances may not be everything, but if you appear to be someone who doesn’t know the meaning of the words you use, then you’re not making the positive impression you want.

Vizzini: He didn’t fall?! Inconceivable!
Inigo: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
– “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman

This Is Your Brain On Words

February 17, 2012

In a fascinating study published last month in the journal of the Public Library of Science, researchers found that they could track a person’s neural activity while they were speaking and “map” the shapes of the words as they appear on the displays. But what is even more fascinating is that these “maps” appear even when a person is simply thinking about the words. The scientists were able to reverse-map the output and reproduce the actual words the person was thinking. One of the eventual outcomes of this study and related research may be a system by which someone with a speech impediment is able to use a computer-assisted device to translate the words they’re thinking into audible words.

For some scientists, that’s only the beginning of brain-powered actions. A 2011 experiment (details published in the Journal of Neural Engineering) resulted in patients being able to manipulate the movement of a cursor on a computer screen merely by thinking of different vowel sounds. These patients had electrodes implanted in their brains to make this possible, and so far the direct manipulation of exterior objects requires this physical connection to the neural tissue. The word-mapping study cited above also required direct connection. Since most of us don’t have electrodes hooked to our brains, it may be quite a long time before we can accomplish such things through the power of our minds alone.

However, we can take the results of these studies and apply them to our current vocabulary study routines, no matter how “old-fashioned” they are. Because the brain is obviously extremely active in the use and reproduction of words, it’s logical to conclude that anything that increases the activity of the brain will help in the acquisition and practice of words. By both reading and speaking a word out loud, you’ll involve more areas of your brain and create a stronger image in your mind. And as these studies prove, you don’t even have to say the words out loud to practice them. You can do your vocabulary review in your mind and still get good results – something to keep in mind if you’re stuck in a boring-but-required meeting at work, perhaps?