If you have a high school degree, then the American Heritage Dictionary thinks you need to know these 100 words. The list ranges from words like impeach (ooo! I know that one!) to tougher ones like lugubrious. I feel like my Linguistics degree definitely isn't paying off right now.
But come on, does a person really need to know all these words? How often do you use supercilious in a sentence when you could just say arrogant? Or quotidian instead of daily? I'll admit, they may be advantageous to know for reading or writing, but that's what the dictionary/thesaurus widget is for right?
The Senior Editor of the American Heritage Dictionary states that, "If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language." Well, I flat out disagree with that. It doesn't seem like it's appropriate to say you have a "superior command of the language" when a good percentage of your listeners would most likely have no idea what you're talking about if you said, "My quotidian life keeps me quite sanguine."
Mr. Senior Editor, I only have one thing to say to you: It seems churlish of you not to consider bowdlerizing your lexicon due to its chicanery. Take that.
8 comments:
i remember when i left high school (not "graduated" so much as "left", though by that time i had taken 12th grade english). my vocabulary was ridiculous! they made us memorize sheets and sheets of ridiculously unusable words. that doesn't mean i knew how to write. vocabulary has very little to do with command of the language. grammer and sentence composition are much more important. when i tutored freshman seminar at simon's rock, i read three or four freshman papers each week. let me tell you, vocabulary was NOT the problem. any tom, dick, or harry can grab a thesaurus and replace "sad" with "lugubrious" (though who would want to?), but not everyone knows how to write well. and haley, you are a good writer, so don't feel so bummed about your otherwise unusable linguistics degree (haha! JK, your degree is totally practical)
by the way, these are the ones i didn't know:
-abstemious
-bellicose
-bowdlerize
-expurgate
-fucidiary
-inculcate
-jejune
-moiety
-oligarchy (though maybe if i stayed in high school a little longer i would have known that one)
-unctuous
-winnow (why? why is this word important?)
-ziggurat
I must digg your article therefore more people are able to look at it, very useful, I had a hard time finding the results searching on the web, thanks.
- Joe
I seldom leave comments on blog, but I have been to this post which was recommend by my friend, lots of valuable details, thanks again.
I'm sure the best for you QPOpXgzc [URL=http://www.cheapguccireplica.tumblr.com/]gucci bags outlet[/URL] for more SelJSNMR [URL=http://www.cheapguccireplica.tumblr.com/ ] http://www.cheapguccireplica.tumblr.com/ [/URL]
buy vREUnjvA [URL=http://www.cheapdesigner--handbags.weebly.com/]replica designer handbags[/URL] to take huge discount hnZolwIH [URL=http://www.cheapdesigner--handbags.weebly.com/ ] http://www.cheapdesigner--handbags.weebly.com/ [/URL]
Due to this businesѕ liquiԁation process any furtheг гequests for warranty replacements cannоt be honоred.
Don't make the same kind of cookie cutter web sites for free.
Here is my blog post home business internet marketing
There are a person can easily reach it. The extra effort
goes a very similar sex drives, even if she is
or should be that you stay for the consequences for you in their hands and not
with your problems yourself.
Also visit my blog get your man back
Post a Comment