Ultimate Vocabulary – Vocabulary Building Software

Personal Growth Through Vocabulary Study

February 15, 2012

A good vocabulary will give you the ability to maximize the opportunities you have to improve your situation at work, deal with people on a personal or professional basis, and get more out of the time you spend reading or studying. Many self-help gurus promote the importance of personal growth – we’re here to tell you that one of the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success and improve yourself is to improve your vocabulary. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the vocabulary skills you have now are what you’re stuck with forever! Take ownership of your vocabulary and study to improve your way with words every day.

In this post we talked about the word myrmidon, and today (to go along with the focus on ownership and personal growth) we’re going to review several more words that begin with the letters MY.

myriad (MEER-ee-ad) adjective or noun
Definition: Uncountable number, a great many.
Example: Her parents gave her a myriad reasons why she shouldn’t take a year off to live in France, but she decided to go anyway.

myopic (my-AH-pik) adjective
Definition: Nearsighted, but also in the sense of “shortsighted” (not able to see the possible results from actions, or only able to see what you want to see).
Example: With their myopic focus on reducing debt in the short term, many national leaders are ignoring the need for infrastructure development in the future.

mynah (MY-nah) noun
Definition: An Asian starling that has the ability to mimic and repeat spoken words.
Example: The owner of a mynah or parrot will often have to repeat words over and over to teach their birds to “talk,” but sometimes the birds will pick up phrases on their own.

mystify (MIH-stih-fy) verb
Definition: To confuse; or to make unclear.
Example: A good stage magician will be able to mystify the audience while doing even the simplest trick.

There’s no mystery to it: a well-planned and faithfully-followed vocabulary study routine will give you the confidence to say, “MY English language skills are absolutely top-notch!”

How to Be a Vocabulary Star

February 13, 2012

As we mentioned in the last post, there are many ways you can find new words to add to your vocabulary. Some people like “word of the day” calendars, or being sent a new word via e-mail every day. Other people prefer to follow a strict study routine and use a list of words that they’re given by an instructor every week. Many people learn words without even realizing it by playing word-based games like crossword puzzles or trivia games. If you remember that you’re surrounded by words that are just waiting for you in the pages of books, the subtitles of movies, and even the advertisements on roadside billboards, you’ll never run out of new and interesting words to learn. We cast our eyes to the heavens again for today’s post, and found more words for you that are related to the stars and planets.

martial (MAR-shuhl)
Like the other planets, Mars is named for a Roman god. Mars was a god of war (the Greeks called him Ares) and the blood-red appearance of the planet in our night skies made the name appropriate. From the name of the planet and the god, we get the adjective martial, which means “warlike” or “related to the military” (don’t confuse this word with marital, which means something else entirely!).

meteoric (mee-tee-OR-ick)
If you’ve ever seen a “shooting star” you’ll recognize the definition of this word in your memory of the flash of light across the sky, so quick that your eyes can barely follow. Meteoric means “very rapid.” A meteor is a piece of space rock (or debris) that burns up in the atmosphere, leaving a visible trail.

terrestrial (tuh-RES-tree-uhl)
Of all the planets in our solar system, only the Earth is not named for a god – when the planets were named, people didn’t realize that they were living on a planet themselves! The word “Earth” comes from the Old German word for “dirt” (erde). The word terrestrial has its roots in the Latin word for “earth” (terra). In general, when we use this word we mean “of the land” but also “based on Earth” – hence the word for an alien, extraterrestrial (extra- means “outside of”).

celestial (suh-LESS-tyal)
The opposite of terrestrial is celestial, meaning “of the sky, of the heavens” (from the Latin caelum, “heaven”). This word is used both in religion to refer to angels and gods and heaven in general, and in science to refer to stars and other objects in the sky.

Whether you get your inspiration from a higher plane or from your daily reading, keep adding new words to your vocabulary and you’ll soon be a star at communicating with your terrestrial neighbors.

Look Upwards, and Look Up Words

February 9, 2012

People who regularly use the Ultimate Vocabulary system for vocabulary study never run out of new words to learn, and those who make a habit of reading from a wide range of resources get constant inspiration and interesting words from the texts they find in bookstores, on line, or at the library. We highly recommend both approaches together to get the maximum impact and input on your vocabulary-building, but if you’re momentarily at a loss for words, then you can always rely on a dictionary and random chance. In other words, grab a print dictionary, open it up to any page, point your finger at the page, and where your finger lands you’ll find a new word to learn, practice, and use. And perhaps it isn’t just random chance that helps you choose the word; perhaps your choice is influenced by the stars. After all, many people throughout human history have relied upon the movement of the stars to predict or explain things that happen to or around them.

Astrologers and physicians (who were often the same people) in the Middle Ages believed that the position of the stars and planets at the moment of a person’s birth would determine their character, disposition, health, and future. Because of this, certain adjectives were derived from the names of the planets and other celestial bodies to describe people, and we use those words today – though not generally with the same underlying meaning. Here are a few examples:

saturnine (SAT-ur-nine)
This adjective means “gloomy, morose, grumpy” (often referring to facial expression). Originally this meant someone born under the influence of Saturn, which for a long time was believed to be the planet the farthest away from the Sun’s heat. This sort of person was also described as cold-blooded or dour, again because of the lack of heat, as opposed to someone with a “sunny” disposition.

jovial (JOH-vee-uhl)
The Roman god Jove, also called Jupiter (or Zeus in the Greek pantheon), was the chief of all gods and therefore the primary source of benefits and blessings. A person born under the planet Jupiter would therefore be very blessed, and therefore very happy. The word jovial means “cheerful, good-humored, happy.”

lunatic (LOO-nuh-tick)
As long as people have watched the moon change phases each month, they have assigned meaning to this change, with theories and superstitions connected to each aspect from the moon’s disappearance to its full display. One theory that persists even to the present day is that when the moon is full, people and animals get a little out of control and do things they wouldn’t normally do. The word lunatic comes from the Latin words for the moon, luna.

mercurial (mur-KYUR-ee-uhl)
If you were born under the planet Mercury, you’re someone who changes attitudes and opinions quickly and unpredictably, or so they say; the definition of the word is “changeable, erratic.” The planet Mercury was named after the Roman god Mercury (Hermes to the Greek) who was the gods’ messenger and known for his swiftness. Mercury, of course, is the planet that orbits the Sun the fastest.

DON PEDRO. Your silence most offends me, and to be merry best becomes you;
for out of question, you were born in a merry hour.
BEATRICE. No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but then there was a star danced,
and under that was I born.
– William Shakespeare, “Much Ado About Nothing” Act II Scene I

How to Enjoy Vocabulary Study

February 7, 2012

Do you hop out of bed each morning thinking, “I can’t WAIT to start my vocabulary study program today!” If you’re not enthusiastic about learning new vocabulary, then you might not be putting the energy into your study routine that will get you all of the results that you want and deserve. We’ve got some great ideas for you to keep in mind so that you’ll go into your study time upbeat and ebullient, not depressed and listless.

Try new things. One of the quickest ways to lose interest in a project is to do the same thing every day, over and over. If you’ve gotten in a rut, try out some new approaches to vocabulary study. If you’re not in the habit of doing the daily crossword puzzle (in your local newspaper or on line) then you’re missing the opportunity to have new words handed to you, ones that you probably wouldn’t think of looking up on your own. For example, you might see this clue: “Bubbling over with enthusiasm (9 letters).” If you came up with the word ebullient, good for you! Crossword puzzles can stretch your brain by requiring you to think of words you already know, as well as by teaching you words you didn’t know.

Look below the surface. Simply memorizing a long list of words and definitions won’t give you the best vocabulary. Learning words on a superficial level will make them harder to remember later, and definitely harder to use effectively. One way to focus on words and make them easier to recall is by learning more about each word. If you look up the etymology of the word ebullient you’ll see that it shares a root with the word boil – both come from the Latin word for “to bubble” (bullire). Once you know that, it’s easy to remember the definition of the word, and you can also create a vivid mental image that will further tie the word and meaning together in your memory.

Share the work, and the fun. If you find that you’re not motivated to study on your own, see if one or more of your friends is also interested in improving their vocabulary. You’ll probably find it easier to study if you have a partner who can quiz you, challenge you, and above all help you stick to your study plan. In addition, you can look for word-loving friends who like to play games such as Scrabble or Boggle, or the old party game Fictionary (also called simply Dictionary), and get together for a word game night once or twice a month. There’s nothing like fun with friends to build your enthusiasm.

Build on what you know. Vocabulary improvement can be a daunting task. There are so many words out there, and so little time (or so it seems) to learn them. One way to speed up the process is to group words together. Instead of just learning the word ebullient, take a minute to look up its synonyms, and you’ll be able to learn the words exuberant, enthusiastic, and effervescent (which can mean approximately the same thing), and the words apathetic and unenthusiastic (which mean the opposite).

Cheer up! Vocabulary study is only as difficult as you want it to be.

Rhyming Words (Or Are They?)

February 6, 2012

People learning English as a second language frequently have problems pronouncing words in English – not because they’re new to the language, really, but because English has so many different letter combinations that lead to the same sound. Worse, there are many letter combinations that are the same, but lead to different sounds. If you’re used to getting visual clues from words about how they’re pronounced, this will be very confusing and difficult to learn. Perhaps if you never needed to speak English, but only had to read and write it, this wouldn’t be so much of a problem, but with spoken English, proper pronunciation is very important. Not only will mispronouncing words lead to errors in communication, you’ll also give the people you’re speaking to a bad impression of your vocabulary skills, and even of your intelligence and overall professional capability.

One of the best ways to overcome these pronunciation issues is simply to research non-rhyming word pairs and practice saying them out loud. This will help you become familiar with the common ways letter combinations are used in different sounds, and as you learn more words, you’ll start to automatically flag any potential problems. We’ve located twenty pairs of words that look like they should rhyme, but don’t. How many of these can you accurately pronounce?

golf / wolf
youth / mouth
wallet / pallet
full / dull
lager / wager
beard / heard
bleak / steak
wind / mind
ninth / plinth
blood / food
load / broad
towed / vowed
mover / clover
timber / climber
worm / storm
shoes / does
eight / height
work / cork
verdict / indict
gone / alone

Read this post for some tips on how to perfect your pronunciation.

Word of the Day: Acquiescence

February 1, 2012

How is your vocabulary study progressing? Have you discovered that – no matter how much you grumble about the need to put in some daily study time – the best results come from regular practice? We’re sure of your eventual acquiescence once you realize the benefits of a focused and steady routine, even if you’re still loudly protesting the time it takes.

First of all, don’t think that you need to spend hours each day on your English vocabulary improvement program. If you have a good software package like Ultimate Vocabulary that’s been scientifically designed to target the essentials of vocabulary building and help you build a personalized study plan, then you really only need ten or fifteen minutes of concentrated attention to make quick progress. If you’re studying on your own, you might need to spend a half an hour a day on your studies, but you can break that into two. If you pick out a word or two from your morning newspaper and by the time you leave for work you’ll be able to have all the elements you need to review the word throughout the day.

Let’s use today’s word, acquiescence, as an example. Once you’ve selected your target word, take a few minutes to do the following:

Get a definition. Acquiescence means “silent agreement (to something)” or “agreement without protest.” Some words have several meanings depending on how they’re used, so make sure you’re familiar with all of the main definitions.

Find an example. Many dictionaries have sentences using the word in context, but you may have to search on line. Once you’ve found an example and understand how to use the word correctly, create your own sentences to practice.

Carl’s acquiescence to his supervisor’s constant demands led everyone to believe he was happy with his job, but in fact Carl spent all of his free time looking for another position.

Identify the related parts of speech. One of the best ways to memorize a word is to link it to other bits of information. In this case, you’ll find it easier to remember this word once you realize that there are several derivations of the noun acquiescence: the verb to acquiesce and the adjective acquiescent.

Learn more about the word. You can get more information about a word by looking up its etymology. When you know the origins of the word, you’ll also discover other words that are related to it. For example, acquiescence comes from the Latin root word quietis, which is where we get the word “quiet.” Once you know this, the definition becomes even more clear, and your understanding of the word will be much better.

Accept the fact that daily practice is essential to achieving an excellent vocabulary, and find fifteen minutes in your schedule to devote to this valuable routine.

Personalize Your Vocabulary Study for Quick Progress

January 31, 2012

It’s easier to become enthusiastic and involved with a study program – any course of study, not just English vocabulary – if you find reasons to be invested in that program. A good way to make sure you buy into the process is to review the benefits you’ll gain from putting the effort into it. Another way to make a connection with a program is to find ways to adapt it to suit your own personal needs and learning style. If you don’t feel as if you’re always fighting to fit your study routine into your daily schedule, then you’ll be more likely to invest the time and effort you need to get the full benefits of your study.

Speaking of fighting, have you ever come across the word myrmidon? If you’ve spent any time reading the Greek classics, you might remember that the Myrmidons were the warriors who supported Achilles in the Trojan War. They were fierce fighters who developed their superb skills by constant practice. Like today’s top athletes who devote hours each day to physical exercise, you’ll see quick improvement if you spend at least 10 or 15 minutes a day at the mental exercise of vocabulary study. Take a look at your schedule and find that quarter-hour slot; we’re sure there are 15 free minutes somewhere. Try to study at the same time each day to help you develop a routine.

Even people with advanced English vocabulary skills probably don’t use the word myrmidon very often. Today, the word refers in general to people who fight on behalf of someone, often as “enforcers” or as people who obey orders without question. There’s a negative connotation to the word, implying that someone who is a myrmidon doesn’t think for themselves, but just follows directions given by their superiors, like ants under the rule of a queen.

In fact, if you look at the etymology of the word, you’ll find that it’s traced back to the children of a princess named Eurymedousa who – at least according to one Greek myth – was turned into an ant by Zeus, and then had Zeus’ child, who became the first of the Myrmidons. Finding out some of these word histories will make you more interested in the words, and in the process of vocabulary study.

Above all, be sure you’re working as hard as an ant to build your vocabulary, one word at a time!

The Positive Impact of a Good Vocabulary

January 26, 2012

If you’re feeling like the time you set aside for vocabulary study is wasted, or that you’re just to busy to spend any time on learning new vocabulary words in the first place, then you might want to stop a minute and think about the benefits you can get from having a good vocabulary. There’s nothing better than focusing on goals and outcomes to give you new motivation to work harder on achieving the results you want. Here are three very good reasons to include English vocabulary study into your daily routine:

You’ll be able to read through more material with better understanding. Most people have mailboxes – both virtual and physical – that are filled daily with things they need to read and process. Often important tasks and decisions can’t be completed until the information in these documents is understood. With high-level vocabulary skills, you won’t be confused by unfamiliar terminology and slowed down by having to look up words or ask others for their meaning. This means that you’ll finish reading sooner than you used to, and that extra time can be devoted to accomplishing the items on your agenda for the day.

You’ll have more confidence and ability as a speaker. Having the right words at the tip of your tongue that express exactly the thoughts and ideas you want to communicate means you’ll never be hesitant to speak up. In addition, you’ll be able to put together speeches and presentations more easily and quickly, and will have the confidence that you’re using and pronouncing words correctly. Your skills as a speaker will lead your audience to have confidence in you in return, and gain you credit with your clients and your managers.

Your faster reading skills will lead to new knowledge and advancement. For many professionals, it’s important to keep up with the latest research and discoveries in their field. Additionally, most jobs change frequently as technology is upgraded or businesses take new directions. By having the vocabulary and reading skills to always stay on top of these developments, you’ll have a better chance at rising to the top of your field. When you’re the person that everyone else goes to for answers, you’ll definitely be the person picked for a promotion.

Are you motivated to get back into your vocabulary studies now? If one of the problems is that you’re trying to do all of your studying on your own, you might want to try the Ultimate Vocabulary system, which will give you guidelines, tips, direction, and the words you need to succeed.

The Winning Argument for English Vocabulary Study

January 24, 2012

In French, they call it l’esprit d’escalier, or “staircase wittiness” – it’s the perfect comeback that you could have used to get the better of the person you’d been arguing with, if only you’d come up with it before you walked out of the room. One way to make sure that you’re never at a loss for words is to increase your vocabulary by daily practice and study. If you think that you’d like to improve your ability to win in a war of words, then one thing you might do is start reading more books that have a lot of witty dialogue in them. By reading the carefully-crafted conversations that authors have worked on, you’ll get ideas about how you might phrase your own statements and retorts. Of course, this will help you in non-confrontational situations as well, and not just those filled with pejorative remarks.

Here’s a quick quiz: What does pejorative mean? One of the ways to learn new vocabulary is to first look at the word in context and see if you can figure out its meaning by how it’s used. In the preceding paragraph, we’ve given an example of how you might find yourself without a retort to answer someone, and referenced how vocabulary will help you in friendly as well as unfriendly conversations. Given that background, what’s your best guess as to the meaning of the word?

The other useful tool for analyzing a new word is etymology, or word roots; by knowing these you’ll be able to identify them in unfamiliar words and get a clue to what they mean. Unfortunately, this may not help you here, because pejorative is not related to any other common English word. However, if you look at the origin of the word, you’ll see it comes from a Latin verb pejorare, meaning “to make worse.” This will help you understand the definition of this adjective, which is “derogatory, belittling, dismissive, contemptuous.” Pejorative is also used as a noun, referring to a word or phrase that expresses such negative meaning.

Example 1: Simon Cowell was both liked and disliked for his unceasing flow of pejorative comments about almost every performance on the talent shows he judged.

Example 2: “Ambulance chaser” is a pejorative sometimes applied to lawyers who make a practice of visiting accident victims in the hospital to try to persuade them to sue someone, hoping to get money for themselves.

Memory Tricks to Increase Vocabulary

January 20, 2012

There are many ways to learn and remember new vocabulary words. Repetition is a common method, and writing out a word over and over and saying it out loud several times will definitely help that word stick in your mind. You can also increase your chances of remembering and later recalling a new word by using a mnemonic device.

Mnemonic (pronounced neh-MAH-nik) is an adjective that means “related to helping improve memory.” It’s also used as a noun, with the same pronunciation, and the meaning of “something that helps in remembering.” Here’s how the word is used in a sentence, first as an adjective and then as a noun:

Some memory-improvement courses focus solely on teaching you mnemonic tricks and ignore the importance of a healthy diet and adequate sleep.

The mnemonic HOMES is frequently used to help students remember the names of the five Great Lakes in North America (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior).

The word mnemonic comes from the name of the ancient Greek goddess Mnemosyne, ruler of memory and mother of the nine Muses. A good memory has been a vital element of personal and professional success for thousands of years; in fact, at one time all information had to be memorized and recalled as part of the oral tradition that early humans had before the art of writing was invented and widely used. Even today, many traditional storytellers and poets keep hundreds of works in their memories to relate to the next generation. People have been working on mnemonic tricks such as linking, visualization, and abbreviation since at least the 4th century BCE.

So how can you use mnemonic devices to learn new English vocabulary words? You have several methods to choose from, but we’ll focus on two that will help with most words: visualization and linking.

Visualization is a good way to remember nouns, action verbs, and most adjectives and adverbs. By involving your imagination and your visual cortex, you’ll trigger activity in more parts of your brain, which will help solidify the memory and make it easier to recall the word later. If you draw a quick sketch illustrating the word, that will make an even stronger connection; using your hands brings in yet more parts of the brain and its neural energy. To practice this technique, think about how you might create visual images for the words memorabilia and commemorate.

Linking is a useful way to remember words that can’t be easily expressed in visual format. For example, the word remember might be illustrated by a picture of a head with a “thought bubble” over it with something inside, but how would you know that’s supposed to be remember and not visualize or imagine or think, or even the name of the object in the bubble? Instead of trying to create a complicated picture, link the word to another word or concept. Learning synonyms is a good way to create these linked groups, because it’s easier to think of a set of three or four related words than one alone. Link remember to recall, remind, recollect, and retain. This way, you’ll be able to call to mind several words, expanding your vocabulary and training your memory at the same time.

Cross-posted at the Ultimate Memory blog.