words
Monosyllabic words should be used when talking to most teenagers, right? I say NO!
Teens are not idiots, however the media has influenced us in such a way that we teens have a tendency to dumb ourselves down. This is probably because using words such as "extol" of "fraudulent" in day to day conversation is going to get you some strange looks from you're fellow teens (especially here in Asia- for some reason still unknown to me). These decent words are not difficult or complex in meaning, so what keeps them form daily use?
Well, in my opinion, the adaptation of a wider vocabulary (in place of a slang infused one) is hindered by the fear of ridicule. It is very difficult for one to be different especially during the formative years. I was one of those so called "weird" kids. Growing up, I could not help myself from gobbling up information from books and other media. Most of my classmates thought I was strange, and few shared my interests. I was not exceptionally intelligent, I was, and still am very average in terms of IQ but using more precise words allowed me to score better in my essays and helped me pass my 'O' Levels.
I think that we should all pick up the habit of learning a few good words here and there, to make the quality of writing and speech just a little bit better. I'm not suggesting that everyone adopt a vocabulary saturated with jargon, all I'm recommending is that we all speak and write in decent English (or any other language). I'm sure that we would all benefit as knowing better words would allow all of us to express ourselves more accurately and effectively.
*See, I said all of that without using difficult words. It's not perfect but it works!
Teens are not idiots, however the media has influenced us in such a way that we teens have a tendency to dumb ourselves down. This is probably because using words such as "extol" of "fraudulent" in day to day conversation is going to get you some strange looks from you're fellow teens (especially here in Asia- for some reason still unknown to me). These decent words are not difficult or complex in meaning, so what keeps them form daily use?
Well, in my opinion, the adaptation of a wider vocabulary (in place of a slang infused one) is hindered by the fear of ridicule. It is very difficult for one to be different especially during the formative years. I was one of those so called "weird" kids. Growing up, I could not help myself from gobbling up information from books and other media. Most of my classmates thought I was strange, and few shared my interests. I was not exceptionally intelligent, I was, and still am very average in terms of IQ but using more precise words allowed me to score better in my essays and helped me pass my 'O' Levels.
I think that we should all pick up the habit of learning a few good words here and there, to make the quality of writing and speech just a little bit better. I'm not suggesting that everyone adopt a vocabulary saturated with jargon, all I'm recommending is that we all speak and write in decent English (or any other language). I'm sure that we would all benefit as knowing better words would allow all of us to express ourselves more accurately and effectively.
*See, I said all of that without using difficult words. It's not perfect but it works!
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