Expanding that vocab!

[SkyboundTerror]

So I recently started reading through a dictionary and I'm highlighting words that I didn't know exist.

... I've been highlighting a lot. I don't find it boring but I also feel there may be a less tedious way.

 

Has anyone else done this before, or do you have any other methods of learning new words?

[Feelwell]

I've picked up a fantastic amount of words from reading books, mainly ones that have a society that has adopted a language. (Eg. Warhammer 40K, they use Gothic, which is mainly Latin. Through the books I learned quite a few of the words, root words that have obvious English counterparts, and could deduce the meanings through their use.) 

Reading in general really helps.

Studying another language that is associated with English really helps, though it's a bit of a big thing to do. French was mandatory learning when I was younger, and connections could be drawn between it's words and English words, since English is a mish-mash of other languages. German and Latin are the best examples.

[Sarcastic Coffeecup]

George R.R Martin's lingual legerdemain is very wonderful to read and my vocab came buckets.

My advice is to read books.

[PastryOfApathy]

1 minute ago, Sarcastic Coffeecup said:

My advice is to read books.

What do I look like? Some kind of fucking nerd?

[Newt]

As others have stated, reading can expand your vocabulary significantly. I also learn new vocab when I write by looking up synonyms if I get stuck on wording.

[Sarcastic Coffeecup]

6 minutes ago, PastryOfApathy said:

What do I look like? Some kind of fucking nerd?

Yes

[DrDingo]

Today a friend of mine came to me and said he discovered a new word. It went like this:

"I found out a new word yesterday. It's like when a person is sorta a bit like a male and a female but you can't tell"

"You mean a hermaphrodite?"

"Yeah, something like that"

[Endless/Nameless]

I too, like big words.

3 hours ago, SkyboundTerror said:

So I recently started reading through a dictionary

Someone is bored. 

[Alexxx-Returns]

I started playing this word game on my phone called Word Puzzle. Shows me lots of words I never knew before especially on the harder boards. And it's gotten me being able to pick out big words in a jumble of letters which is cool.

 

The other thing was I started studying medicine. There's new words for literally EVERYTHING. It's like learning a totally new language that is somehow still not a new language.

[#00Buck]

Fancy words are over rated. 

[Luka]

That's what I did back when I was still learning English.

Then I got fluent, so I stopped doing that. Now I don't use nearly as many fancy words as I used to...

[Feelwell]

5 minutes ago, #00Buck said:

Fancy words are over rated. 

I am positively flabbergasted, that such a trite, uncouth and irreproachably crude opinion. I shall demand an audience with his lordship to demand recompense for such grave wounds you hath inflicted upon this pleasant society.

[#00Buck]

1 minute ago, Feelwell the Rabbit said:

I am positively flabbergasted, that such a trite, uncouth and irreproachably crude opinion. I shall demand an audience with his lordship to demand recompense for such grave wounds you hath inflicted upon this pleasant society.

Word. 

[Luka]

52 minutes ago, Feelwell the Rabbit said:

I am positively flabbergasted, that such a trite, uncouth and irreproachably crude opinion. I shall demand an audience with his lordship to demand recompense for such grave wounds you hath inflicted upon this pleasant society.

That such a trite, uncouth and irreproachably crude opinion what?

[Feelwell]

1 minute ago, Luka said:

That such a trite, uncouth and irreproachably crude opinion what?

I uh, timed out halfway through writing it. I was going to say "came from such a positive member of society." but then I guess my brain remembered I was talking about @#00Buck

[#00Buck]

22 minutes ago, Feelwell the Rabbit said:

I uh, timed out halfway through writing it. I was going to say "came from such a positive member of society." but then I guess my brain remembered I was talking about @#00Buck

I live under the bus. 

[Feelwell]

1 hour ago, #00Buck said:

I live under the bus. 

Is it your personal swamp?

[#00Buck]

Just now, Feelwell the Rabbit said:

Is it your personal swamp?

Is that an anime reference? 

[Vallium]

6 hours ago, DrDingo said:

Today a friend of mine came to me and said he discovered a new word. It went like this:

"I found out a new word yesterday. It's like when a person is sorta a bit like a male and a female but you can't tell"

"You mean a hermaphrodite?"

"Yeah, something like that"

Androgynous, you plebs

 

(Easy way to tell is it has 'andro' and "gyn' both meaning male and female respectively...and I couldnt tell you off my head but '-ous' by context is probably a state of being; such as porous or ambiguous)

[Vallium]

OT: ...I actually have a fairly decent to good vocabulary. English and writing had always been my strong suit and I always do and did like the flow of words. As others pointed out, the easiest way is reading books, its the easiest way to acquire new verbage in the right context and concept and learn to use it smoothly in day-to-day writing or speech patterns. (my coworker thought it was strange that I used the term "influx" and quite honestly Id be surprised myself, too)

I tend to pick things up as I go and Im always vainly attached to how I word or write things, its almost a bit narcissistic, sadly (Yeah this post is sort of showing that off, oops). Heck, I spend plenty of time in this forum that should tell you I enjoy writing and elaborating thought patterns and processes. Whenever I get into a rhythm that isnt simply casual I tend to use a lot of intellectual language to drive my point across and its why I was fairly well at essays and such in school.

 

As for the OP, Id have to say the nerdy hobby is not exclusive to you. I may have done the same a few times in the past out of sheer curiosity (and maybe a mix of boredom). But overall picking up new terms is a nice way to spice up your communication skills. 

I kind of enjoy the English language for the same reason many hate it, there's several ways to say the same word or more appropriate uses of the same word given certain situations, language is an amazing way to visually paint an image, to show what you want people to see rather than tell them a bland, monotonous statement

[FlynnCoyote]

My words using ability is already... really, like, good and stuff.

 

[Derin Darkpaw]

I have a very practiced memory so I remember a lot of words that I hear, but usually I find that I don't have a great knowledge of the exact denotation of those words so often times I look up large words before I use them to be sure that I am actually using them correctly.