You may have seen regular columns about new words and their meanings in Readers Digest. You can also subscribe to services which send you a new word every day.
Notebook Trick Leaned In School
At school in Latin class the teacher taught us to take a small A6 notebook which was light enough to carry in our pockets and write down new words we learned and take out the pocket book to read when waiting for the bus to school so that we learned the new words effortlessly.
Learning Vocabulary
I did the same for French and English.You can do the same with Spanish or any other language you are learning. Or teaching.
Toastmasters International
At toastmasters International the Grammarian is often called Language Evaluator. You might think that Language evaluator sounds more friendly than the scary word Grammar. However, I feel that Grammarian, or Grammar Police makes the job clearer than Language evaluator.
Some clubs give a certificate or gift to the appointment holders such as evaluators. Other will present a small ceriticate of thanks. Some will give you a round of applause. Others send a thank you by email or whatsap.
The Challenge Of Finding New Words
The first task of the Grammarian. (I use that word because it is shorter and quicker to type) is to give the word of the day. All speakers try to remember and use the word. They may either use it conventionally or inventively.
However, if you use an everyday word they have learned nothing new. But if you use a long complicated word they have trouble using it in a sentence, pronouncing it correctly, and remembering to use it.
Oxymoron
I used to use the word oxymoron regularly. I though as Grammarian it was useful to introduce a term or rhetoric. I allowed the use of the word oxymoron, a contradiction. The word itself was very rarely taken up.
But many people thought it fun to select an oxymoron from a list I wrote on the whiteboard in advance. It gave them something to look at if they arrived early or had to wait for a late start. it saved me wasting time and turning my back on the audience. Alternatively I would ask a volunteer to write on the white board. The short list was seriously funny, military intelligence, pretty ugly, plastic flowers.
Clubs In Singapore
I have used this word at clubs in the UK and also visited more than 75 clubs in Singapore, several times at my own two clubs. I am a member of Tampines Changkat Advanced and the President for 2019-2020 oof Braddell Heights Advanced.
Listing Word Used
I wish I had kept a note of clubs visited and which word I used. I shall start a new notebook now and do that. I can list the words at the top of the page from the front of the book. At the bottom of the page I can list the clubs visited using this word.
In addition, at the back of the notebook I can list the clubs. With 75 clubs, a page per club would take too much space. In a small notebook I could just write three columns on the back page. Club name, date, word used.
Ensuring The Word Is Used
At one time this year I was promoting an event, a workshop for Toastmasters, and was obliged to go around the room speaking to as many people as I could before the start of the meeting during the 15 minute networking session. I found myself frequently introducing myself and the word of the day. On one occasion somebody asked me to write it down and show them the spelling. They copied it onto their speech which was in their hand. The person beside them, not to be outdone, copied the word onto their programme sheet.
Later in the same meeting I told everybody to write down the word. I went around the room asking each person to say the word in a sentence. This worked well, got audience involvement. I have since made this my policy, to either get them to write down the word, or to say it in a sentence. If the room is small and you have fewer than 20 people you can pick people in the audience, go clockwise around the table, or left to right along the rows.
I have got in the habit of asking them to write it down on the programme or add it to the opening of their speech. They can pop it into a prepared speech. Or use it in an impromptu speech (called table topic because it is sometimes a mystery subject drawn from the table or a bag. They can also use the word to describe the speaker who has just spoken and their subject matter (she gave gave us thoughts for the future action - we must think about what she said in future). Or use it in the introduction to another speaker,
At Funchun toastmasters club in Singapore, my word of the day was changed on the day to reflect the programme theme.
Futures fast forward future.I did not find anything interesting in the word fast or forward but took the word future. I was able to give the audience news, that the plural word futures in finance is a noun and describes buying substances and crops not yet harvested such as cocoa and oil. This involves risk, fixing a price before the quantity and quality is known, guaranteeing the price for the seller, insurance for them, buying a crop whose price is agreed now for a crop which will be available in the future. This was a new concept I taught them, a word which nobody used, but they will recognize and understand. Instead several managed to introduce into their speeches the conventional everyday sense of the word future😃, talking about the present plans for the future and the future development of individuals, clubs and society.
Flag of Singaore.
Many clubs in Singapore, knowing their members are often native Mandarin Chinese speakers with English or Singlish as a second language, have a large paperback dictionary. However, they may not get it out, because they forget or have other urgent tasks. Or they think as a native speaker I don't need it.. I find it handy to consult the dictionary.
If I don't have a word of the day, I can flip through the dictionary. If I want to find synonyms (similar words to the core word) I can read down the list. If I am nervous or flummoxed or tired I could read out aloud from the dictionary. It tells me whether the word can be both a noun, with several meaning, or a verb, and an adjective.
I could ask somebody else to read the definition. That gives me a break, creates a variety of speakers for the audience to watch, involves another so at least one person is listening and learning.
They notice, or I point out, that the club has a dictionary which any speaker or member or guest is free to consult..
If you are asked to be a Grammarian or Language Evaluator when visiting a club, you can ask for the dictionary and look up a word. So, no need to be afraid to be the Grammarian.
Volunteer
If you are visiting a club and want to make yourself useful, noticed, helpful, reciprocate for receiving a welcome and free food, volunteer to give a word of the day.
For speed, you might wish to print out the word of the day, or carry an A4 sheet of paper with the word of the day written large and neatly in black felt tip pen. I learned from a teacher in London, Lorna, that as a teacher its is easier and quicker to carry your own black felt tip pen and a washable board marker all day every day.
If you have two copies of the word of the day, one copy can hang on the wall behind the lectern, or in front of the lectern, attached by Blutac (which you carry with you or attach to all four corners of the back of the sheet of paper before leaving home.
The second copy of the word goes on the back wall so it can be seen as a reminder to every speaker standing behind the lectern.
Carry A MarkerYou don't want to delay or hunt for a pen, to look inefficient, allow the class to mutter whilst you look for the pen, nor risk writing on a board with an indelible marker and then have to hunt for alcohol to remove it.
You could write down a new word of the day in your notebook every day. Then if you visit a club in the evening, you have a new word ready prepared.
Invite Angela
If you see me or want to invite me, you can be assured that I can find a word of the day and make it simple or challenging for the audience.
I often add my taboo non-word of the day which is actually. I remind everybody:
"That was ..."
One of the speakers, Hyder, who is often a language evaluator, gave a speech after my word of the day oxymoron. In case we had missed it, he used a phrase and added - 'that was an oxymoron'. If they are inventive or want to gain credit that's is useful. You can ask the speakers simply to use the word, or to point it out in addition. However, they may not want to lose time by adding that explanation each time, especially if in a timed section or a meeting running late.An alternative is to ask the speaker or the audience to tap on a desk once or tut and/or nod in acknowledgement.
Taboo Word Actually
The word actually can actually be used correctly to contrast what you expected and what actually happened. But do not drop the word actually into every sentence, or several sentences, because it takes up time and can an actually be annoying, and some people actually use it as many as three times in one sentence, and you actually lose track of what they are saying as you actually count the number of times they say actually.
You can also do the same using your phone and consulting dictionary.com and a thesaurus online.
I hope you can now speak up, be a grammarian, and find and record new words every day. Even if you don't want to do so, you know how it is done.
Useful Websites
Toastmasters find a club
Facebook polyglots
- Bilingual dictionary
- Collegiate dictionary (American)
- Learner's dictionary (mostly British)
- Electronic dictionary
- Encyclopedic dictionary
- Monolingual learner's dictionary
- By sound
- Reverse dictionary (Conceptual dictionary)
- Visual dictionary
- Satirical dictionary
- Phonetic dictionary
Pronunciation
About the authorAngela Lansbury is the author of twenty books including the classic Wedding Speeches and Toasts, the best seller Etiquette For Every Occasion, and the self-published Quick Quotations.
She has been a long-term member of Harrovian Speakers and HOD Speakers in London (since 2005) and more recently a member of Braddell Heights Advanced in Singapore (President July 2019-2020 June).
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