If you know the proper words for any given situation you can do a better job of conveying your thoughts.
Read more books and articles with substance (and less mindless pap) and you'll be on your way to learning the right words. Just be careful you don't pronounce something incorrectly in your head, and then speak that way in public. People will think you're ignorant.
There was an instance on a radio talk show when a man called in and mispronounced a word. You could've sworn Springer hit the radio airwaves as the guest relentlessly badgered the caller about his mispronunciation. It was awkward, to say the least. And you definitely don't want to be initiating awkward moments while trying to drum up business.
Depending on where you live or where you were raised, certain words may be pronounced in quaint and peculiar ways that are nonetheless considered correct in those locales. But sadly, the English language is quite rigid when it comes to acceptable pronunciations of certain words.
You can learn proper pronunciation by listening to intelligent people. If intelligent people are rare where you live, buy some tapes or visit some podcast directories.
It is common for self-styled bookworms to mispronounce words they read on books but do not actually hear. If you found a great word in a book that you're not sure about, check it out at Dictionary.com. Their pronunciation guide will help you Speak Precisely, and you can get more out of it through their premium service. It's just as simple as clicking on the word and hearing how it should be pronounced.
All things considered, you should be sure that before you use a word, you should know how to pronounce it and what it means. If you ask me, I'd listen to that heavy metal nonsense any day before listening to people blather on out of context. I use a lot of big words myself, but I always make sure I know how to use them before anything else.
If the occasion calls for it, though, you want to be keeping it short and sweet and saving the big words for another time. Don't turn a business deal into a urinating contest with needless use of big words. Only use a bigger word if it's the only word available to express exactly what you mean. Most people have very small vocabularies, and will tune you out if you start talking over their heads.
Shortcuts, or jargon can be used in certain occasions when talking to experts. Shortcuts save time. But that's why they call it jargon - if you use it when speaking to outsiders, it won't be jargon, but probably as good as Klingon. Caught you there with that Star Trek jargon - in other words, they won't understand it, but if you want to know specific jargon, industry-specific bulletin boards are nice to visit.
Speaking precisely isn't that hard. It's all about proper usage of words. That knowledge will only come with experience.
Read more books and articles with substance (and less mindless pap) and you'll be on your way to learning the right words. Just be careful you don't pronounce something incorrectly in your head, and then speak that way in public. People will think you're ignorant.
There was an instance on a radio talk show when a man called in and mispronounced a word. You could've sworn Springer hit the radio airwaves as the guest relentlessly badgered the caller about his mispronunciation. It was awkward, to say the least. And you definitely don't want to be initiating awkward moments while trying to drum up business.
Depending on where you live or where you were raised, certain words may be pronounced in quaint and peculiar ways that are nonetheless considered correct in those locales. But sadly, the English language is quite rigid when it comes to acceptable pronunciations of certain words.
You can learn proper pronunciation by listening to intelligent people. If intelligent people are rare where you live, buy some tapes or visit some podcast directories.
It is common for self-styled bookworms to mispronounce words they read on books but do not actually hear. If you found a great word in a book that you're not sure about, check it out at Dictionary.com. Their pronunciation guide will help you Speak Precisely, and you can get more out of it through their premium service. It's just as simple as clicking on the word and hearing how it should be pronounced.
All things considered, you should be sure that before you use a word, you should know how to pronounce it and what it means. If you ask me, I'd listen to that heavy metal nonsense any day before listening to people blather on out of context. I use a lot of big words myself, but I always make sure I know how to use them before anything else.
If the occasion calls for it, though, you want to be keeping it short and sweet and saving the big words for another time. Don't turn a business deal into a urinating contest with needless use of big words. Only use a bigger word if it's the only word available to express exactly what you mean. Most people have very small vocabularies, and will tune you out if you start talking over their heads.
Shortcuts, or jargon can be used in certain occasions when talking to experts. Shortcuts save time. But that's why they call it jargon - if you use it when speaking to outsiders, it won't be jargon, but probably as good as Klingon. Caught you there with that Star Trek jargon - in other words, they won't understand it, but if you want to know specific jargon, industry-specific bulletin boards are nice to visit.
Speaking precisely isn't that hard. It's all about proper usage of words. That knowledge will only come with experience.
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