Building a Better Vocabulary

Overview

Course No. 9373

What is the difference between specious and spurious? What does bombast have to do with cushion stuffing? Would you want to be called a snollygoster? The hallmark of a powerful vocabulary is not simply knowing many words; rather, it’s knowing the exact word to use in a specific context.

This course offers a research-based and enjoyable method for improving your vocabulary, whether you want to enhance your personal lexicon, articulate yourself better professionally, or deepen your knowledge of English. Through 36 engaging lectures, you’ll explore:

• The etymology and morphology (history and structure) of words

• Cognitive science techniques for memorizing new terms

• Nuances of familiar words you thought you knew

• A practical framework for lifelong vocabulary growth

By the end, you’ll kindle a passion for the beauty of language and gain confidence in reading, writing, and speaking.

Video Lessons

1. Five Principles for Learning Vocabulary (33 min)

Master core techniques: definition, context, connections, morphology, and semantic chunking.

• The Spelling-Meaning Connection (31 min)

Decode English’s morphological system and organize a vocabulary notebook.

3. Words for Lying, Swindling, and Conniving (30 min)

Explore terms for deceit, from charlatans to double-dealings.

4. Words That Express Annoyance and Disgust (32 min)

Study irksome behavior and excess, from vexing to sickly sweet.

5. Fighting Words and Peaceful Words (31 min)

Delve into conflict/harmony terms like melee and Latin roots bell/pac.

• Going Beyond Dictionary Meanings (32 min)

Reinforce recall with games and graphic organizers.

• Wicked Words (32 min)

Generate words using the Latin prefix mal- (e.g., malicious, maligned).

• Words for Beginnings and Endings (32 min)

Distinguish naive vs. pretentious; learn why we say immortal (not inmortal).

9. Words Expressing Fear, Love, and Hatred (32 min)

From agoraphobia to misanthrope, rooted in Greek/Latin.

10. Words for the Everyday and the Elite (30 min)

Describe the mundane (*ho-hum*) and the refined (*hoity-toity*).  

• Words from Gods and Heroes (32 min)

Link myths to words like *Herculean* and *Gordian knot*.  

• Humble Words and Prideful Words (34 min)

Explore *hubris* and terms for self-perception.  

• High-Frequency Greek and Latin Roots (32 min)

Spot roots like *eu-*, *dys-*, *man*, and *therm* in unfamiliar words.  

• Words Relating to Belief and Trust (33 min)

Compare *apostle* (Greek *stellein*) vs. *apostate* (*stenai*).  

• Words for the Way We Talk (34 min)

From *laconic* Spartans to *loquacious* storytellers.  

16. Words for Praise, Criticism, and Nonsense (32 min)

Learn terms like *jeremiad* (from the prophet Jeremiah).  

• Eponyms from Literature and History (32 min)

Discover words inspired by figures (e.g., *sandwich*, *sideburns*).  

18. Thinking, Teaching, and Learning Words (31 min)

Examine language acquisition (e.g., why kids say *"I winned"*).  

19. Words for the Diligent and the Lazy (32 min)

Contrast *tenacious* vs. *pertinacious*; explore Latin *fac-* (to do/make).  

20. Words That Break and Words That Join (30 min)

Study *rupt* (break) and *junct* (join), including *Janus words* like *cleave*.  

21. High-Utility Greek and Latin Affixes (29 min)

Unpack *abdicate*, *antediluvian*, and *absquatulate*.  

22. Cranky Words and Cool Words (30 min)

Differentiate *irascible*, *testy*, *stoic*, and *stolid*.  

• Words for Courage and Cowardice (32 min)

From Latin *cor* (heart) to Yiddish terms for recklessness.  

24. Reviewing Vocabulary through Literature (33 min)

Test knowledge with characters from Wilde, Tolkien, and more.  

• Words for Killing and Cutting (31 min)

Analyze *caedo*-based terms (*genocide*, *homicide*) and *seg/sect* (to cut).  

26. A Vocabulary Grab Bag (31 min)

Enjoy standout words like a phrase for "take it or leave it."  

• Words for Words (30 min)

Explore *shibboleth*, *dialect*, *vernacular*, and *jargon*.  

28. Specialty Words for Language (30 min)

Delve into *spoonerisms* and linguistic categories.  

• Nasty Words and Nice Words (30 min)

Trace *nice* (originally "ignorant") to modern usage.  

30. Words for the Really Big and the Very Small (32 min)

Compare *capacious* vs. *commodious*; Gulliver’s *Brobdingnagian/Lilliputian*.  

31. Spelling as a Vocabulary Tool (32 min)

Review spelling’s three layers: alphabet, pattern, and meaning.  

32. A Medley of New Words (30 min)

Quiz yourself on recent terms and onomatopoeia like *shush*.  

33. Building Vocabulary through Games (30 min)

Reinforce learning with interactive word games.  

34. Words English Borrowed and Never Returned (30 min)

Discover loanwords that enriched English.  

• More Foreign Loan Words (29 min)

Add French, German, and Spanish terms to your lexicon.  

36. Forgotten Words and Neologisms (35 min)

Revive archaic gems and explore new words (*meme*, *muggle*).