photo by Calum Lewis

Bombastic element!

 

This phrase brought tears to the eyes of many. Primary school fights were a very funny spectacle. The ones with the greater number of weird-sounding ‘insults’ in their arsenal usually won.

 

The most hilarious part of it was that most of the ‘insults’ including the one above, had no meaning yet every exchange was a race - to be the first to unleash verbal hell.

 

Back to the phrase, the first word is actually what this is all about.

 

Being bombastic or grandiloquent implies using elaborate or high sounding words in ones speech, such that one comes off as showy or pompous.

 

A large word stock is no crime. Pouring it on someone who didn’t ask for it on the other hand, is not very endearing.

Personally, one of the most interesting aspects of any interaction with a person is their vocabulary – the many ways they can say something and how freely they do it.

In fact, it’s more than a personal taste. A healthy vocabulary is indeed a very valuable asset. Use of words is one of the many backbones of the art of song, poetry and writing – sometimes the only one. While it may not be the cure for corona virus, improving on yours is truly a worthwhile endeavour.

 

Three tips on how to do this.

 

Copy and paste

Just a fancy term for learning or better yet, ‘picking’ from someone. When someone uses a word you’re unfamiliar with or uses it in a way you’re not acquainted with and you like it, look it up and the ways it can used.

It could also be from movies, videos or other media – pick what’s helpful though. Practice it and consciously integrate it into your speech then it’ll stick. It’s a common and simple way of spicing up your vocabulary.

 

Dictionaries and other word books

Yeah, the big guys.

Word books offer more than just checking the meaning of words. From synonyms and antonyms, really helpful transcriptions to examples of usage of the word(s), it is a really invaluable tool to developing your word hoard.

It also offers description, in that words can be archaic, formal, slang and other categorisations.

 

photo by Laura Kapfer

 

Reading

Just reading stuff exposes you to a lot of words and ways they can be used. Poems, newspapers, books, blog posts(smiles) and other write-ups are obvious resources.

 

Unless it is with friends, being verbose or heavy with words doesn’t go well people. Using words just because you know them or because professors sound cool, can come off as overbearing or haughty. In the words of a friend...

 

...Simple is charming.

 

Is vocabulary even important?

Does wordiness or grandiloquence annoy you? or do you prefer it to being simple?

Do you have other ways to improve one’s vocabulary?

 

Comment.