August 2012: Authentic Journeys

Synonyms for ‘Great’ – Expanding Vocabulary and Conversation Series

Do you want to expand your vocabulary? Try using synonyms to bring richness and variety into your spoken English.

To help build the skill of using synonyms, I have posted synonym games on my Facebook page. The synonyms listed here are compiled from the contribution of browsers to my Facebook page.

Here are some useful tips to help you use synonyms:
• Write out the sentence that you want to use or repeat it multiple times.
• Choose a word to replace with its synonym.
• Look up the definition of the synonym.
• Does the definition convey what you want to say?
• Try using synonyms in your daily conversation to build up your vocabulary and range of expressions.
• More ideas and tips in the introduction post to this series, click here.

Today’s word: 'Great'

Some synonyms of ‘Great’ are:

Awesome*
Amazing
Capital
Cool*
Cracking*
Enchanting
Extravagant
Fab*
Fabulous
Fantabulous*
Fantastic
Groovy*
Incredible
Marvelous
Massive
Mind-blowing
Out of this world*
Outstanding
Prodigious
Stunning
Stupendous
Terrific
Wonderful

Those marked with (*) are considered more like "slangs" than formal English.

Not everyone will agree that the words in this list are synonyms, as the original word may not express a similar thought or evoke similar emotions. That’s alright. To expand our vocabulary and range of expression, we must take risks and try new ways of conveying our thoughts and ideas. It’s a trial and error method. It’s also about finding our own voice and using the words that we feel is apt. This identifies us as ‘unique’ individual, and helps us to find our personality while speaking English.

Look out for more in this series. Thanks to all my Facebook friends for participating!

Feel free to add more ideas to this synonym list in the comments section.

Author, Jennifer Kumar, is a coach helping Indians to communicate better with their American counterparts and understand American language and culture. For more details about her services, click here.

Sufi Swarup is a freelance writer and editor in Bangalore, India.

Tips and Exercises In Using Synonyms
Previous post - Synonyms for horrible

How to Write Good E-mails

All Posts on English Tips

Synonyms for ‘Horrible’ – Expanding Vocabulary and Conversation Series

Today’s word: ’HORRIBLE’

Some synonyms of ‘Horrible’ are:
• Awful

• Atrocious
• Cruel
• Deadly
• Detestable
• Dreadful
• Gross
• Hideous
• Horrendous
• Horrifying
• Terrible
• Vicious
• Bad
• Ugly

Not everyone will agree that the words in this list are synonyms, as the original word may not express a similar thought or evoke similar emotions. That’s alright. To expand our vocabulary and range of expression, we must take risks and try new ways of conveying our thoughts and ideas. It’s a trial and error method. It’s also about finding our own voice and using the words that we feel is apt. This identifies us as ‘unique’ individual, and helps us to find our personality while speaking English.

Look out for more in this series. Thanks to all my Facebook friends for participating!

Tips and Exercises In Using Synonyms
Next word in series - "Great" (with synonyms)

How to Write Good E-mails

All Posts on English Tips

Synonyms Bring Diversity and Personality to Language

While helping Indians in India communicate better with Americans, one of the most common requests I receive is, “Can you help me improve my vocabulary?”

The way I see it, the main reason this question pops up is because people want to express their thoughts in multiple ways to add clarity. Sometimes, the first word or sentence that comes to our minds does not convey the meaning that we want to convey or is not understood by the hearer. Repeating the same words over and over again is not an effective technique. Naturally, expanding one’s vocabulary is one way of overcoming this hurdle.

For example, let us observe this conversation between A and B:
A: He procrastinates his work.
B: What does that mean?
A: He procrastinates his work.
A repeats the same sentence because he does not know another word (synonym) for ‘procrastinate.’ But, B still does not understand A.
Now, let us imagine that A knows a synonym for the word ‘procrastinate’. The conversation would continue this way:
A: I mean to say that he postpones his work.
B: Alright.
B is able to understand A when A uses a synonym for ‘procrastinate’.

One way of expanding our vocabulary is to learn and use synonyms. Synonyms are words that have a similar meaning. Synonyms can add different depths of meaning and expression to otherwise bland statements.

Here’s an example:
‘I need your help to complete this task by tomorrow.’

Update Using a Synonym:
'I need your assistance to complete this task by tomorrow.'

Another example:
‘Being punctual is important for our success.’

Update Using a Synonym:
'Arriving on time is important for our success.’

To help build the skill of using synonyms, I have posted synonym games on my Facebook page. In the weeks that follow, I will post words and synonyms as suggested by my Facebook friends. These will not be traditional synonym dictionary entries. I have a few tips to share on the use of synonyms:
• Write out the sentence that you want to use or repeat it multiple times.
• Choose a word to replace with a synonym.
• Look up the definition of the synonym.
• Does the definition convey the meaning of what you want to say?
• Try using synonyms in daily conversations to build up your vocabulary and range of expressions.

I hope these tips and forthcoming posts will be useful in expanding your vocabulary. Please share any thoughts or feedback in the comment section below.

Thank you.

Author, Jennifer Kumar, is a coach helping Indians to communicate better with their American counterparts and understand American language and culture. For more information about her services, click here.

Sufi Swarup is a freelance writer and editor based in Bangalore India. Contact Sufi at chris.sufi@gmail.com.

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Impact of Globalisation and Multiculturalism

Travel hardly remains anyone's dream for long - it easily becomes one's reality with so many options and opportunities to move around, from one country to the other. It could be just for a holiday, a break from the norm. It could be to obtain better education, for a better profile, job and income. Or it could be for business, wanting to expand or build relations outside. Whatever it is - to succeed, develop in personal or business terms or simply "be better" they all seem to converge into a term we all may be familiar with, and that is 'going global'.

But, what does it mean to go global, or be global? To visit a foreign country, you may require translation services to understand a foreign language. But in most countries to date, the common traveller no longer worries too much if they already write and speak good English. For further 'international' education, it is necessary, or rather, compulsory, to be able to communicate and understand everything in the English language. The same applies in business, where you can only build trust and partnership abroad only if you understand fully what is going on... And how would you be able to, if everyone doesn't speak the same language?

Yet, why the English language? Is it because it is easiest to understand, or is it a result of historical 'cause and effect'? Is it dependent on which country has the current steady stance in the economy, or simply the subconscious takeover and absorption of popular culture, through films, songs and the lives of 'Hollywood' or English-speaking celebrities that have been, and still is so widely commercialised?

The reason really is probably the combination of all those possible reasons above. Even more so, it is not hard for anyone to deny that with a certain language, a certain culture or personal trait is carried with it. For example, globalised businesses such as McDonalds or Starbucks have brought about the culture of fast food consumption and standardisation of food and drink choices that it hardly makes a difference if you visited their outlets in many other parts of the world.

Even though this is the case, it is really an ideal and not the reality of life. We live with a few generations amongst us at any given time, and arguably, there will always be a need to hold on to specific beliefs, practices or traditions. This is to say that going global does not mean a cultural takeover all together. As much as we feel the need or necessity to converge and make all things 'common', we will also find the need to hold on to our sense of belonging, amongst family and people. For example, when you have been away from home and family for so long, without practice of even just your language, wouldn't you feel disconnected from your grandparents when you do decide to visit them on one occasion then?

The beauty of every language is that each has a unique way of expressing objects or feelings that other languages would not be able to capture completely, or compensated with a string of many other words to describe one or two puzzling foreign words via translation services. This is something global businesses have picked up upon to make it work - again, with simply McDonalds as an example, while you may find the standard menu, in Muslim countries you will not find bacon burgers, and portions and celebration menus (such as The 'Prosperity' burger in conjunction of Chinese New Year are all dependent and based on its locality. And of course, any promotional bids and advertisements would be done in the Standard English, and the local language, to cater to everyone. Don't you agree it's nice to have the best of both worlds?

[sic] [concluded]
The links in this blog are not paid links nor are they services patronized by Authentic Journeys. This post is submitted by a guest blogger.

Previous Guest Posts:
Embracing Cross-Cultural Identity: A Work of Art
Communication in an Intercultural Setting
Three Tips for Overcoming Culture Shock

Mealtimes in the U.S. Culture

While a majority of the families in the U.S. follow particular mealtimes, there are others who have erratic mealtimes. This is mostly due to varied work schedules and other commitments that conflict with ‘normal’ mealtimes.

I grew up in central New York. The culture that existed there during my childhood still exists in the north east part of the U.S.

Breakfast: 6:30am - 7:30am
Breakfast is anywhere between 6:00am - 7:30am depending on when one goes to school or work. Nowadays, some schools offer breakfast so, children may not have breakfast before going to school. They eat breakfast at school between 7:30am – 9:00am. Working individuals may not eat breakfast at home. They may eat it ‘on the go’ by stopping at drive-through and having coffee and/or some handheld sandwiches.

Lunch: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch is typically between 12:00pm – 1:00pm. Of course, there are exceptions. Some schools schedule lunch starting anywhere from 10:00am – 1:00pm. If possible, office-goers leave their offices by 11:30am or 11:45am to avoid long queues at 12:00pm. Some people may have lunch after 1:00pm, but, that is rare. Rarer still is to see people have lunch after 1:30pm. Generally, those who have not eaten lunch by 1:30pm will skip lunch. At work, some may elect to eat at their desk while working. This is called a 'working lunch.'

Coffee, Tea, or Snack Time: 3pm – 4pm
If possible, working people may take a ten (10) minutes break for coffee or some snacks. Many children return from school at this time, and generally are greeted at home or day care with snacks (crackers, cheese, fruits, sandwiches, and others) and drinks (milk, juice, soda, and others).

Happy Hour: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Working people who do not take a break during their office hours may choose to go to a bar or restaurant after office hours for ‘happy hour.’ Although happy hour is well-known for alcoholic drinks, it is not always so. Drinks (cocktails or mocktails) along with salty snacks are had while socializing with colleagues or friends before going home.

Dinner: 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Dinner time used to fall at 5:00pm or 5:30pm but due to the chaotic traffic and the change in office hours, dinner time has moved to a later time in the evening. This being said, it’s rare to hear of Americans having dinner on a regular basis after 8:00pm or 9:00pm. If they have dinner after the ‘normal’ time, it’s considered an exception to the rule.

Midnight Snack: 12:00am
Because Americans eat dinner so early, they may sleep early, wake up in the middle of the night, and have a snack and go back to bed, or eat a snack just before going to sleep at 9:00pm or 10:00pm.

Other Mealtime Etiquette
Talking about mealtimes, Americans are known for brushing their teeth after meals. It’s rare that Americans would brush their teeth upon waking in the morning. Brushing at least twice a day after meals is common. Some people take a toothbrush and paste with them to work, store it in their desk, and brush their teeth after lunch. Rinsing one’s mouth in a public restroom is not done in the US (unless no one else is in the room and no one is looking). Even, those who brush their teeth prefer to go into a private toilet with private sink or make sure that no one else is in the washroom while brushing. This is because Americans typically do not like to hear or see others spitting or making some of the choking sounds that can be heard while brushing teeth. Because of this, wash basins (known as ‘sinks’ in the U.S.) which are common sights in dining rooms in India are only found in bathrooms or kitchens in the U.S.

Note on Indian vs. American English: The terms “office timings” or “work timings” are popular in India. The American equivalent to this phrase is “office hours” or “working hours”.

Author, Jennifer Kumar provides cross-cultural consulting for employees and businesses in India interacting with Americans. Contact her at authenticjourneys at gmail dot com.

Editor, Sufi Swarup, is a freelance writer and editor based in Bangalore, India.

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