Who is good with vocabulary?

jd015, welcome to A2K. I feel that there are two ways to increase your vocabulary. One, is with reading and noting words that fascinate you, and another is to do analogies.

It might help for you to tell us where you live, as idioms are also an important part of developing a good and workable vocabulary.

I know words like limacine and vadose.

I have always liked the words, "superannuated" and "antediluvian".

Nothing beats reading a wide variety of serious books. This apprach lets the student see the context the word is used in. Each discipline has its own specialized vocabulary, so wider your reading horizons the larger your vocabulary will become. Talking with people who have large vocabularies is similar to reading. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, bakers and candle-stick makers are all good sources.

When I was around 8 years old I read the dictionary from cover to cover. Of course, I forgot most of the words eventually, but some of them stuck. The problem with this method is that the student may have difficulty in understanding exactly how their new words are supposed to be used. The thesaurus can be used the same way.

I understand that you are in training for a competition, but in "real life" generally its better to use the simplest word available that clearly communicates your thought. To have a vocabulary of 100,000 words is almost useless so long as the average person only has a vocabulary of 2000 - 5000 words.

Reading is good , but its always someone elses ideas and all you do is parrot them. Words have layers of meaning and to truly appreciate these layers, you must own the words . Like, for example, use the word "fin de siecle" in a sentence without sounding like a complete tool.



Then find other words, ones you dont presently know, and begin to assume ownership by using them in your routine communication. The hardest thing , and the way you know youve accomplished your goals, is to use the words so seamlessly that people arent put-off by your augmented vocabulary. They arethere alongside of you and they understand the words via context and that youd share with them as equals.
The purpose of all language is to communicate, not to stand apart .

I know this is a contest, just dont make a lifes study out of
merely loading up on words and totally missing the communication aspect.

Gus uses the word vadose in his everyday speech because hes worried about watering his crops and he communicates that worry by letting us know how his vadose zones are doing up and down the swamp. Yet, we are not put-off. We attentively listen as he speaks about his soil water. He includes us, and by doing so, reinforces his "working vocabulary". That, and his daily dose of cognex.

I know some great words. How about ****sucker and mother****** and ****smoker. Those words kick ***.

many of those would not appear in the vocabulary contest kicky.

Really? That's just silly. Those are perfectly good words. All these other words are like antiquated words from ancient times. What is this, some kind of fin de siecle vocabulary contest?

See how smoothly he did that jd?? Kicky's yer word friend.

Ha Ha....these are all great suggestions....especially kicky's. I've been workin pretty hard at this. The NVC's website has a bunch of study materials and stuff from the princeton review, similar to things you guys have been suggesting.

www.winwithwords.com

Gettign ready for SAT/ACTs! AHH!
Test are coming up!

I think I'm going to watch "Akela and the Bee" to get some idea's

Read the OED.

AND then Sir Marhaus rode unto his shield, and saw how it was
defouled, and said, Of this despite I am a part avenged, but for
her love that gave me this white shield I shall wear thee, and
hang mine where thou wast; and so he hanged it about his neck.
Then he rode straight unto Sir Gawaine and to Sir Uwaine, and
asked them what they did there? They answered him that they came
from King Arthur's court to see adventures. Well, said Sir
Marhaus, here am I ready, an adventurous knight that will fulfil
any adventure that ye will desire; and so departed from them, to
fetch his range. Let him go, said Sir Uwaine unto Sir
Gawaine, for he is a passing good knight as any is living; I
would not by my will that any of us were matched with him. Nay,
said Sir Gawaine, not so, it were shame to us were he not
assayed, were he never so good a knight. Well, said Sir Uwaine,
I will assay him afore you, for I am more weaker than ye, and if
he smite me down then may ye revenge me. So these two knights
came together with great raundon, that Sir Uwaine smote Sir
Marhaus that his spear brast in pieces on the shield, and Sir
Marhaus smote him so sore that horse and man he bare to the
earth, and hurt Sir Uwaine on the left side.

Then Sir Marhaus turned his horse and rode toward Gawaine with
his spear, and when Sir Gawaine saw that he dressed his shield,
and they aventred their spears, and they came together with all
the might of their horses, that either knight smote other so hard
in midst of their shields, but Sir Gawaine's spear brake, but Sir
Marhaus' spear held; and therewith Sir Gawaine and his horse
rushed down to the earth. And lightly Sir Gawaine rose on his
feet, and pulled out his sword, and dressed him toward Sir
Marhaus on foot, and Sir Marhaus saw that, and pulled out his
sword and began to come to Sir Gawaine on horseback. Sir knight,
said Sir Gawaine, alight on foot, or else I will slay thy horse.
Gramercy, said Sir Marhaus, of your gentleness ye teach me
courtesy, for it is not for one knight to be on foot, and the
other on horseback. And therewith Sir Marhaus set his spear
against a tree and alighted and tied his horse to a tree, and
dressed his shield, and either came unto other eagerly, and smote
together with their swords that their shields flew in cantels,
and they bruised their helms and their hauberks, and wounded
either other. But Sir Gawaine from it passed nine of the clock
waxed ever stronger and stronger, for then it came to the hour of
noon, and thrice his might was increased. All this espied Sir
Marhaus and had great wonder how his might increased, and so they
wounded other passing sore. And then when it was past noon, and
when it drew toward evensong, Sir Gawaine's strength feebled, and
waxed passing faint that unnethes he might dure any longer,
and Sir Marhaus was then bigger and bigger. Sir knight, said Sir
Marhaus, I have well felt that ye are a passing good knight and a
marvellous man of might as ever I felt any, while it lasteth, and
our quarrels are not great, and therefore it were pity to do you
hurt, for I feel ye are passing feeble. Ah, said Sir Gawaine,
gentle knight, ye say the word that I should say. And therewith
they took off their helms, and either kissed other, and there
they swore together either to love other as brethren. And Sir
Marhaus prayed Sir Gawaine to lodge with him that night. And so
they took their horses, and rode toward Sir Marhaus' house. And
as they rode by the way, Sir knight, said Sir Gawaine, I have
marvel that so valiant a man as ye be love no ladies nor
damosels. Sir, said Sir Marhaus, they name me wrongfully those
that give me that name, but well I wot it be the damosels of the
turret that so name me, and other such as they be. Now shall I
tell you for what cause I hate them: for they be sorceresses and
enchanters many of them, and be a knight never so good of his
body and full of prowess as man may be, they will make him a
stark coward to have the better of him, and this is the principal
cause that I hate them; and to all good ladies and gentlewomen I
owe my service as a knight ought to do.

Friend: a person who is good terms with another.

So I guess he is.

I want to second this. It is the largest lexicon in history and it has word usage history that provide context over time. There is no faster (though I contend that reading other material is far more useful) way to take on a large number of words to your passive vocabulary than that. Pick the ones you like, and do exercises to add to active vocabulary.

It's geeky as hell but if you love words lexicons are your porn.

Back when I was working and obsessed with language (hmm, that is already 3 careers ago?) I used to do have a little routine that allowed me to play quick catchup with my Portuguese vocabulary (living in Brazil).

I'd take a Portuguese dictionary and make a long list of words I liked on my old Palm 3. Then I'd use small downtimes several times a day to look at 25 words a day. I'd look when in an elevator, on a bus, or any other small downtime.

This helped because repetition is more valuable than duration for memorization, I'd just look at my list, read a word and then run some context exercises in my head (mainly just using the word in a sentence) and move on.

I'd also do this with word pairings and context matchings so that I could translate between Portuguese and English more quickly, which really helped in certain high-importance live interpreting situations.

They have my picture posted on the website. winwithwords

Sorry, what is this OED?

The Oxford English Dictionary

You suggest reading a dictionary? Besides being mind-numingly boring, I also find I can't really tell how to use the words in a real sentence. Or does the OED have articles, as you posted above?