Choose Your Words Carefully
Contributed by Janette Siu on 10 September 2008 at 23:59In my favorite book of all time, a boy named Milo travels to the city of words, where he's asked to give a speech at the royal banquet.
"Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen," started Milo timidly, "I would like to take this opportunity to say that in all the--"
"That's quite enough," snapped the king. "Mustn't talk all day."
Shortly thereafter, the waiters bring Milo his lunch: a tray of the words in his speech.
"Dig in," said the king, poking Milo with his elbow and looking disapprovingly at his plate. "I can't say that I think much of your choice."
"I didn't know that I was going to have to eat my words," objected Milo.
"Of course, of course, everyone here does," the king grunted. "You should have made a tastier speech."
If we knew that we would have to eat the words we spoke or wrote, would we choose them differently? The smorgasbord of choices is nearly endless; words come in every flavor imaginable: spicy, savory, salty, sweet, and so much more. But how to delve into this prodigious buffet of vocabulary?
Memorizing words from a vocabulary list usually isn't the most effective way to learn them, because vocabulary lists lack a vital half of the meaning of a word. The denotative meaning (the one you'll find in the dictionary) is included, but not the connotative meaning (the implications of the word and its common usage). Hence, the best way to learn new vocabulary is to read! Read publications that use more advanced vocabulary, like the New York Times, or read an entertaining book that uses some words that are unfamiliar to you. Observe words in their natural habitat, a place called Context.
When you're looking for that "good word" to insert in your essay and lend it the proper flair, be careful not to pick a word if you aren't exactly sure what it means. Use a thesaurus only to remind yourself of the words you already know, rather than to find a fancier-sounding word that might not actually fit in your sentence.
With that, venture into vibrant vocabulary, and avoid falling victim to a malapropism. What is that? Try doing a little reading on the subject...