30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary

As professionals it is our duty to not only close deals that make all parties happy, but also come across as intelligent, able, and trustworthy individuals. One of the many tools we can put to use is a better vernacular. The best way to accomplish this: learn Latin. If you don't have time to watch the West Wing, I suggest going online and downloading a list of Latin and Greek roots. Study them, and you'll be surprised as to how many new words you will be able to decipher and include in your current vocabulary. For instance, do you know what the word gregarious means? If you knew Latin you would! Here’s the breakdown: “greg-” – social and “-arious” alot of. We can deduce that gregarious translates to someone who is very social. Another example: Vapid. The Latin word vapidus translates to bland or flavorless. A vapid individual would therefore be “boring” or possibly without passion or feeling. I hope this helps – I have to give my wife the English teacher all the credit. She does this with her students every year and it’s quite effective towards increasing their SAT/ACT scores and is a great weapon against the overall degradation of the English language. And who knows the next time you hit the drive through you may find yourself uttering the phrase: “Da mihi sis bubulae frustrum assae, solana tuberosa in modo gallico fricta, ac quassum lactatum coagulatum crassum.” Give me a hamburger, french fries, and a thick shake.”   All the best to you!  Dan