GAB END OF THE YEAR LECTURE
Topic: BUILDING YOUR VOCABULARY
Compére: AYOOLA OJO
AGENDA
👉 Introduction of the speaker
👉 Lecture
👉 Questions and answers
👉 Vote of thanks by Dr Ganiu Bamgbose
IMPORTANT INFORMATION :
- No one is expected to interrupt the programme from the beginning to the end. Do not welcome the speaker, as this will be done by the MC. We should only react if the speaker so demands, and it must stop the moment he so says. Erring members will be immediately removed.
- If you have any question in the course of the lecture, send a private message to the MC (that is, to me) who will allocate a turn to you, and invite you to ask your question at the end of the lecture.
- At the end of the lecture, Dr GAB will give a vote of thanks, and we are not expected to repeat that so that the labs do not get unnecessarily disturbed. However, we can private chat the speaker to appreciate his effort.
Bidemi Gbadamosi is a classroom and virtual teacher of English language. Also, he is an avid reader, writer/content creator and editor. He deploys standard English as a veritable tool to raise the ante of people’s communicative prowess.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. As correctly stated by the compere, I am Bidemi Gbadamosi and will be your facilitator for this virtual engagement.
First things first, I would like to profoundly thank Doctor Bamgbose for affording me a platform to bring my capacity to the fore. I couldn’t appreciate you more, sir, for being a continuing role model and cheerleader.
Without further ado, let’s delve into the crux of the topic: IMPROVING YOUR VOCABULARY.
First off, it is instructive to note that, contrary to widespread perception, vocabulary doesn’t mean the use of “grandiloquent” or high-sounding words.
In broad terms, vocabulary means all the words that an individual knows or uses. This can be divided into two categories:
1) Active Vocabulary: The words that you use often.
2) Passive Vocabulary: The words that you comprehend but don’t use, or you rarely use.
In that connection, what is vocabulary development?
Vocabulary development is the process of acquiring new words to enhance communication. As such, this art is indispensable for effectiveness in written and oral communications in English.
What, therefore, are the benefits of improving your vocabulary?
1) If you have a vast vocabulary bank, you will appear educated and intelligent.
2). Having an extensive range of vocabulary will add richness to your speech and allow you to communicate your ideas effectively, coherently and persuasively.
3) If you are at ease with your vocabulary, people will be impressed and take their cue from you.
4) In conversational settings, having an expansive vocabulary keeps your audience attentive and captivated the whole time you’re speaking.
5) It will enhance people’s perception of you.
Last but not least,
6) An impressive vocabulary will equip you with supreme confidence in your various communicative engagements.
Going forward, I will share with the general public, actionable steps to broaden your vocabulary banks.
1) BE WORD CONSCIOUS: Read a lot and listen to well-rounded speakers. To be honest, vocabulary development and consistent reading are inseparable. That is, if you are indeed intentional about significantly improving your vocabulary, you must read on a consistent basis. To make this an interesting task, endeavour to read books that are related to your areas of interest. For example, if you are a sport enthusiast, read sport magazines. If you love to see movies, you can read the novels from which such movies were adapted. Also, reading editorials, columns from competent journalists, news items and the like will prove helpful. As for listening, visiting sites like Ted.com where diverse issues are being eloquently discussed will come in handy.
2) DON’T JUST LEARN A NEW WORD AND TRY TO REMEMBER THEM.: A notebook and pen are required in this regard. Whenever you stumble on a new word in the course of reading, write it in your notebook, look up the meaning in a standard English dictionary (the Oxford, Longman, BBC and Cambridge Dictionaries are preferable) and pay close attention to how it is deployed in the ample example sentences cited therein.
3) HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF WORD FAMILIES In addition to number 2, learn different forms of that new word you have just come across. For example, if you look up the meaning of comprehension, which is a noun, you can as well look up the meanings of comprehend and comprehensible, which is a verb and adjective, respectively.
Below is an ample instance of how the word embodiment is correctly deployed.
From Long-term Dictionary of Contemporary English
the embodiment of something
Someone or something that represents or is very typical of an idea or quality
SYN epitome
He is the embodiment of evil.
embodiment
Examples from the Corpus
the embodiment of something
a) When Colangelo arrived the embodiment of all that was Arizonan was Sen.
b) Mrs Thatcher appeared to see herself as the embodiment of revenge upon a whole generation of social engineers.
c) On the contrary: I took great delight in my thinness and saw it as the embodiment of my strength and virtue.
Thus,
Doctor Bamgbose is the embodiment of tenacity and industry.✔
Doctor Bamgbose is an embodiment of tenacity and industry. ❌
4) TRY AND LEARN AS MANY SYNONYMS AS POSSIBLE OF THE NEW WORD YOU KNOW. For instance, embodiment is synonymous with personification, epitome and archetype. Thesaurus.com will come in handy in this regard.
5) CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO USE ANY NEW WORD YOU LEARN.: This is absolutely crucial. Having learnt a new word, you have to create an opportune moment to use it in speech and writing. From experience, chances are you will forget any new word you fail to use often, unless you revert to your notepad.
WARNING!: As much as number 5 is paramount, it behoves me to also urge the general reader to resist the inclination to misapply a word, in a bid to merely impress your readers and listeners. You could end up misinforming and misleading them! Practically speaking, don’t portray a noun as if it were an adjective, or use an adjective as if it were a verb, and so on.
For instance, many Nigerians are used to saying something like:
Bimbola is a talkative.❌
She is a mediocre.❌
With recourse to the English lexicon, talkative and mediocre are adjectives, and adjectives cannot be preceded by indefinite articles (a/an), unless they are succeeed by nouns. Hence:
Bimbola is talkative (an adjective).✔
Bimbola is a (indefinite article) talkative (adjective) girl (talkative is succeeded by a noun, girl).✔
Similarly, we have:
She is mediocre.✔
She is a mediocre member of staff. ✔
Very quickly, let me afford the general reader a slew of commonly misapplied words in our clime.
1) FAR-FETCHED
I can bet that almost everyone on this platform has read or heard someone say/write something like:
The reason for her absence is not far-fetched; she was indisposed yesterday.
Am I right, ladies and gentlemen? ✋
Well, the truth is, the use of far-fetched in that context is wrong because when you say something is “not far-fetched,” it doesn’t mean it is obvious or not hard to find. Thus, the statement should be correctly rendered as:
The reason for her absence is obvious(or not hard to find); she was indisposed last night.
When something is far-fetched, it is unconvincing, unbelievable or impracticable. As in:
The entire narrative sounds far-fetched. ✔
Thus, not far-fetched can only mean the opposite: practicable, probable and believable. Take note that it is extremely rare for native speakers to say not farfetched, even in the right sense.
Another pervasively misapplied word is ramifications. As often as not, an overwhelming majority deploy this word to mean “aspects,” “facets,” “dimensions,” and whatnot. As in:
May God bless Tobi in all ramifications. ❌
Instead of:
May God bless Tobi in all facets/dimensions/aspects/spheres of life.✔
Ramifications means an unwelcome consequence of a development. It is synonymous with “repercussions,” “consequences,” and implications.” Hence, you could say:
The murder of the senator’s daughter will have grim ramifications for the entire community.✔
Another word is opportune.
Many a time, I have heard Nigerians say something like:
I was opportuned to discuss with the senator yesterday.❌
This is decidedly bad grammar because opportune is an adjective and shouldn’t be inflected with d as if it were a verb. Two, opportune (synonymous with suitable or appropriate) cannot be used to qualify human beings! Technically speaking, it is used to refer to times and developments. Thus:
I was privileged(not opportune) to discuss with the senator yesterday. ✔
This is an opportune (qualifies time) time/moment to discuss politics.✔
The opportune (qualifies a development) arrival of the police defused the tension.✔
For emphasis’ sake, do not use OPPORTUNE to qualify humans!
To round off this aspect, the general reader should also quit using the word BOGUS as if it means *substantial or *huge* In every sense of the word, it means fake or counterfeit.
To reiterate, ascertain how to correctly deploy new words before you use them in speech and writing.
Let’s proceed from here. To also raise the ante of your vocabulary, you must get yourself acquainted with more of professional English than basic English, as instanced below:
BE = Basic English.
PE= Professional English.
BE= Talk about
PE= Discuss. 👍
BE= I need some help.
PE= I require some assistance.👍
BE=It seems he will depart for London presently.
PE= It appears he will depart for London presently.👍
BE=Talk more
PE= Elaborate.👍
BE=fix the problem.
PE=resolve the issue.👍
BE=try
PE=endeavour👍
BE=Tell/let me know
PE=inform👍
BE=get
PE=obtain/receive👍
BE=I think
PE= In my opinion/I believe.👍
BE=about
PE=approximately 👍
BE=deal with
PE= handle.👍
BE=look at
PE= examine.👍
BE=so
PE=thus/therefore👍
BE=as soon as possible
PE= at my earliest convenience/opportunity.
Finally for tonight:
For you to sound impressive and write dexterously, you must have the presence of mind to use what the authorities on English call extreme or non-gradable adjectives; instead of their conventional or commonplace gradable counterparts.
GA= Gradable adjectives
EA= Extreme adjectives
GA= (very) bad
EA= appalling, atrocious👍
GA= (very) good
EA= magnificent, superb, sterling👍
GA= (very) beautiful
EA= exquisite, stunning, gorgeous. 👍
GA= (very) important
EA= crucial, vital, critical, essential👍
GA= (very) hungry
EA= starving, famished.👍
GA= (very) hot
EA= scorching, sweltering (of heat); scalding (water).👍
GA= (very) annoying
EA= exasperating👍
GA= (very) sad
EA= miserable, depressed, devastated👍
GA= (very) dirty
EA= filthy, squalid 👍
GA= (very) intelligent
EA= brilliant.👍
GA= (very) exciting
EA= exhilarating, fascinating👍
GA= (very) silly
EA= ridiculous👍
At this juncture, it is absolutely vital for the general reader to take cognisance of the fact that Extreme Adjectives cannot be modified by intensifiers like very, too and so. On the contrary, they can be modified by the adverb absolutely. By deduction:
This policy is very crucial to the success of my business.❌
This policy is absolutely crucial/vital/critical to the success of my business.✔
That was a very brilliant performance by Chelsea.❌
That was an absolutely brilliant performance by Chelsea.✔
She lives in a very magnificent building.❌
She lives in an absolutely magnificent building.✔
My first experience as a pilot was very exhilarating.❌
My first experience as a pilot was absolutely exhilarating.✔
Stephanie appeared very gorgeous last night.❌
Stephanie appeared absolutely gorgeous last night.✔
You look very ridiculous in these pyjamas. ❌
You look absolutely ridiculous in these pyjamas.✔
Owing to time constraints, let’s take questions. 😊
Q1: We notice people using quotes of popular people such as achievers in their various endeavours, their words and how they are structured. Do we consider those quotes as part of vocabulary developments?
A1: If such quotes are nourished with uncommon and exquisite words, why not? It could as well serve as a veritable avenue to broaden your grammatical range, as well as your audience’s.
Aside from that, people also deploy quotes to add compelling substance/reference points to their treatises.
Q2: Sir, are the words, ‘ branch ‘ and ‘ chanced ‘ used appropriately in these statements:
a) I will branch your place when coming back.
b) I will do the work if I am chanced.
A2: First off, note that you can’t “branch” at somewhere. To the best of my knowledge, only inanimate objects like trees and roads can “branch.” For this reason, the appropriate phrasal verb to enlist in this context is stop by or call at.
I will call at your place when coming back.✔
I will stop by your place when coming back.✔
Next, it is utterly wrong to portray CHANCED when you mean to say you (don’t) have the chance to do something.
When enlisted as a verb, CHANCED can only mean RISKED or HAPPENED BY CHANCE.
As in:
Mr. Smith chanced (risked) riding his motorbike without a helmet.✔
They chanced to be living on the same street (their living on the same street happened by chance).✔
Thus, you ought to say:
I will do the work if/when (as the case may be) I have the chance. ✔
In this case, CHANCE is depicted as a noun; not a verb.
I will do the work during my free time/spare time.✔
Q3: Having a wide vocabulary is good. But sir, would you rather we use less commonly used words (turgid words, here) when having formal discussions with our students?
If yes, won’t there be communication gap?
And if no, won’t these students think less of us, especially when they had expected their teachers to be their natural mentor.
A3: Sir, in the course of conversing with your pupils/students, I would rather you enlisted a healthy mix of exquisite words and everyday expressions, with a view to forestalling a breakdown in communication, as you rightly opined, and also to avoid the pitfall of sounding grandiloquent.
This is a tried and trusted strategy I have always deployed as a teacher with 8 years’ teaching experience.
Q4: Sir, can one use idioms in a constructive sentences that will be comprehensive enough in public speaking?
A4: The general reader should take cognsicane of the fact that idiomatic expressions are figurative and, in effect, cannot be demystified logically/literally. For example, if I say tonight’s lecture will stand you in good stead, not everyone will understand that I mean it will prove advantageous or beneficial going forward.
By the same token, it is advisable to steer clear of idiomatic expressions that are not used in everyday conversations, to prevent the avoidable ramifications of communication breakdown, in the course of public speaking.
On the other hand, such idioms can be employed in writing, of course, in a bid to expand your target reader’s grammatical range. In this case, they can easily resort to a reputable online or paperback dictionary — unlike during public speaking when such might not be convenient because of distraction.
As for conventional, everyday idioms, it won’t be out of place to enlist them over the course of public speaking.
I still have more questions but I encourage individuals with questions to chat the lecturer privately and ask their questions.
We have to allow our lecturer drink some water at this juncture. It’s been an interesting time.
May I bring in Dr GAB to give the vote of thanks.
Vote of thanks
On behalf of everyone who has benefited immensely from this exceptionally great lecture, I wish to express my gratitude to Bidemi Gbadamosi; my friend, my colleague and my dear aburo!
I subscribe greatly to competence and not mere certification. It might interest everyone here to know that our erudite guest lecturer doesn’t have any certificate in English. His competence is the consequence of personal development.
A number of persons who know how much influence I enjoy in the Nigerian academic space wondered why I chose one who doesn’t have a PhD in English for such lecture and my response to such innocent curiosity is that I could not think of anyone who would do this better than Abidemi if competence be the yardstick.
I am sure we all have no exception to this, having enjoyed his lecture for 2 hours.
I thank you, Bidemi. I pray the Lord continue to increase you in knowledge and prosper you with this gift He has endowed you with.
Thank you so greatly!
Dr Ganiu Bamgbose.
Mr Bidemi:
Thank you most graciously, Doctor GAB, for your resounding plaudits.
With regard to all participants, I couldn’t appreciate you more for granting me an audience. On this account, I wish you a fruitful 2020.
Have a good night’s sleep, sirs and mesdames. 🙇
©GAB English Lab 2019
1 Comment
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