Question

If you understand the meanings of many words, you can be said to have a "good vocabulary." Words are the basis of thought. We think with words, we understand words, and we communicate with words.

A large vocabulary is a significant asset. It allows us to use precise words that say exactly what we intend. In addition, we understand more effectively what we hear and read. A large vocabulary also enables us to score well on employment and intelligence tests. Lewis M. Terman, who developed the Stanford-Binet IQ tests, believed that vocabulary is the best single indicator of intelligence.

In the business world, where precise communication is extremely important, surveys show a definite correlation between vocabulary size and job performance. Skilled workers, in the majority of cases, have larger vocabularies than unskilled workers. Supervisors usually know the meanings of more words than the workers they direct, and executives generally have larger vocabularies than employees working for them.  

Having a good vocabulary at our command doesn't necessarily ensure our success in life, but it certainly gives us an advantage. Improving your vocabulary will help you expand your options in an increasingly complex world.  

Vocabulary can be acquired in three ways: accidentally, incidentally, and intentionally. Setting out intentionally to expand your word power is, of course, the most efficient vocabulary-building method.  In addition, with all of the technology and tools at our disposal, such as the Internet, Siri, Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, it is easy to look up and expand our vocabulary daily.

Consider your childhood--who/what was the most influential component of you developing your vocabulary? Explain.  

How strong is your vocabulary?

Answer 1

The most influential component in developing the vocabulary:

The most influential person in aiding the development of my vocabulary was my 6th grade English teacher. In an effort to improve every student's command of the English language, the teacher gave reading assignments and encouraged students to read novels. The objective of the reading assignment was to identify new words and their meanings. Each student made a list of words they discovered while reading, and at the end of the week, there was a discussion of every new word that a student learned.

This exercise inculcated a tendency among all students to learn more new words and their meanings. Besides, the reading assignment, the English teacher also urged students to watch movies to pick out idioms and phrases that would aid in communicating. This seed of being fascinated with the English language only grew every year. Now the urge to learn words in a subject not only helps in improving the vocabulary but also in the comprehension of the subject in detail.

Vocabulary strength: On a scale of 1 to 10, the vocabulary strength would be 8.5.