Expand Your Verbal Intelligence
The most common method of thinking in the Western world is verbal thinking. Although nosotros accept a range of intelligences including numerical, musical, spatial, emotional, verbal and kinaesthetic intelligences, it is verbal intelligence that we depend on well-nigh. We tend to think and express ourselves in words.
It can be argued that mastery of the use of words and verbal intelligence is the near important skill we develop because acquiring further skills depends on our comprehension of language. A tremendous proportion of the early learning for an infant is in developing verbal skills – learning to speak, to empathise speech, to read and to write. Whether a baby is brought upwardly in Beijing, Madrid, Sydney or Moscow it will surely spend thousands of hours acquiring expertise in its native linguistic communication. He or she volition go proficient with the amazing range, power, complexity and sophisticated subtleties of language. Nevertheless, once a sure competence has been acquired most people cease developing verbal skills.
Studies have shown that there is a potent correlation between people's abilities with words and range of vocabulary and with success in their called fields. People who can express themselves conspicuously are perceived as more intelligent and higher condition. They are accorded greater respect. So why do nosotros not continue to enhance our exact skills? Why practise we end doing what nosotros spent nearly of our early years doing?
The trouble is that we take our verbal abilities for granted. In one case we accept mastered reading, writing and speaking we move on to other things. We have acquired the nearly important tool in our mental toolbox. We depend on it for all sorts of tasks merely nosotros rarely sharpen it. It makes amend sense to maintain, enhance and extend the tool. Here are some ways we tin can do that.
ane. Get a adept lexicon and thesaurus
Two of the about loyal companions on your desk should be a lexicon and a thesaurus. Use the dictionary to learn the meanings and derivations of new words you encounter. Also utilize information technology to check the verbal meanings and spellings of words that you are not certain of. The thesaurus is very helpful whenever you are writing and demand an alternative to a word in order to avert repetition or to achieve a variation in meaning. Your estimator probably offers a spellchecker and a thesaurus and so by all ways utilise them merely they should exist seen as handy digital aids to be used alongside the mighty concrete volumes.
ii. Read
It may seem silly to advise someone who is reading this text that they should read, but in the mod world we are so decorated with work and nosotros are bombarded with so much information by TV broadcast, phone and internet that reading books and articles can be squeezed out of our agenda. Reading the works of actually expert writers is one of the best ways to develop our abilities with words. Modern and classic novels, leading non-fiction books and top quality newspaper and magazine articles are all important sources for us. How often do you find time to read poetry? Try some new poems and re-read old favourites for inspiration and appreciation of the sublime skills of the poet.
Reading works that are well written helps at two levels. It will increase our agreement of concepts and our acquisition of cognition and at the same time it helps develop our core skills at comprehension, vocabulary and expression. Most of our reading should be speed reading so that we are taking in the data rapidly. At that place are various books and courses on speed reading. However, when we occasionally come across a piece of text which is extremely cogent or well written nosotros should re-read it, taking time to examine what it is that makes it so successful. We should enjoy the words and metaphors that the author uses, analyse his or her arguments, underline the key points and possibly make a annotation to mimic some of this style in our own writing.
If you are fortunate plenty to take a partner who likes reading so try reading aloud to each other. Choose an interesting short piece and read it for your partner with feeling and accent. Children learn by listening to their parents or teachers read and by reading to them. We can do the same and information technology should be a pleasurable action. When you have read the slice you tin discuss it with your partner. What did each of y'all exit of it? What aspects of the writer'southward manner did yous like almost? What points did the author make and exercise you lot concur with them? Play at being students over again.
3. Capture new words
There is a regular feature in the Reader'due south Digest magazine entitled, 'It pays to expand your Word Power'. It is sound advice. Whenever we crash-land into new words nosotros should turn to the dictionary and spend a moment learning the meaning and derivation of the word. Information technology is easy to skip new words and race on through the text so we demand discipline if we are non to lose this opportunity.
Say we come across the discussion philology. It means the science of language and its historical development. Information technology comes from the aboriginal Greek word philos, meaning a friend, and the Greek word logos, pregnant a word – so philology'south roots means love of words. While we are in this section of the dictionary we might notice that philanthropy, philately, combo and philosophy all use the aforementioned Greek root of philos and they all refer to the love of something. If nosotros practise this we are on our fashion to condign a philologist, someone who loves words and the studies the science of language.
As you build your vocabulary you lot should endeavor to apply the new words in context as this helps you to remember them. However, information technology can look pompous or pretentious to utilize many long and obscure words in everyday speech. The main do good of having a big vocabulary is the ability to use a discussion with exactly the right meaning at a time when it is appropriate. A secondary do good is that we better understand intellectual writing. There are many guides to skillful writing style and yous have to discover ane that suits you. In general it is better to keep your written and spoken sentences short and clear. But practise not hesitate to occasionally apply an unusual word when it conveys exactly the pregnant yous require.
4. Write, rewrite and edit
Nosotros all write, whether it is a text message on a prison cell phone, an e-mail message or a novel, and we tin can all amend our writing. A skilful way to meliorate your writing is to read over what you have written and enquire yourself these questions:
- Does what I have written limited exactly what I mean?
- Will it exist clear and comprehensible to the reader?
- Tin can I get in more concise or more accurate?
Nosotros should look for superfluous words and sentences. Well-nigh of our digital photographs can be improved by cropping in society to focus on the subject area. In exactly the same way, about of our written work can be improved by cutting out unnecessary or repetitive elements.
5. Play with Words
Children acquire language by playing with words, testing, experimenting, making mistakes and being gently corrected. Nosotros should adopt a playful attitude towards words and treat them as friends. Word games volition increase your exact dexterity and intelligence rating. Many standard IQ tests use give-and-take puzzles. Anagrams, cryptic crosswords, lawmaking-breakers, word searches, dingbats (also known as rebuses) and other verbal conundrums are excellent mental exercise. Scrabble is ideal in this regard. If you desire to play it seriously you lot volition have to learn many obscure brusque words that use the high value letters. The lexicon game is uncomplicated just fun. One person reads out a definition from the lexicon and others have to identify the discussion. The reader tin cull a common word merely start with one of its less common meanings.
Exercise improves your performance with word puzzles which is i reason why people tin can prepare for IQ tests and improve their scores in them.
half-dozen. Listen to Yourself
In only the same manner that yous critically review your draft writing in order to acuminate it, you should endeavor to do the same with your speech communication. If it is possible, try to view some video clips of yourself speaking. This is particularly useful it you are rehearsing for an of import talk or presentation. Most people are surprised to discover that they display a number of errors or bad habits in their everyday speech. For example many people pepper their talk with filler words or phrases such as 'like,' 'well,'or 'you lot know'. Hesitation, repetition, rambling and mumbling are other common faults.
Rudyard Kipling wrote, 'Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind.' They can paint amazing images, inspire and intoxicate. If you continually work on developing your range of words and skills with words then you will reap the rewards. Accident your mind!
Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/expand-your-verbal-intelligence.html
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