The whole sum of words that you acquire during your lifetime makes a huge impact on your ability to form thoughts, and create different kinds of relationships with other people. Words that you hear from people in your clique, words that you absorb through reading, words that you learn while studying are all building material for your ideas and thus, for interaction with other humans. How to get rid of unnecessary scrap in your vocabulary?
Parasite Words
Take a voice recorder and talk for a few minutes without preparation on the topic “What is the best attitude to lead a healthy life?”. You may use any language that you would like to polish: whether it is your native or not, it does not matter. Then, listen to the tape. You will be horrified to hear how many of the words that you said, you do not remember saying at all. They are called parasite words or fillers. You literally fill the space with words, until another thought comes into your brain. If you want to make your everyday speech prettier, try to use less of such words.
Here are some examples of fillers: like, you know, so, actually.
Lazy Words
Start by erasing words that do not express the full extent of your thought or add nothing to the table. Such words have long lost their attractiveness and ability to render the true emotion behind them, just like a pair of old shoes that have seen better days. If your thought process includes these words all the time, your brain becomes too lazy to think for alternatives, and does not work to the maximum of its power.
Examples of such words are the following: very, good, bad, great, really.
Offensive Words
To establish a healthy interaction with other people, one needs to stop thinking in offensive concepts and using offensive words. Some of the words may seem innocent enough, but they can easily offend other groups of people who did not have the same experience as the talker. So let us be tolerant! Instead of carelessly talking away, you can get help from euphemisms that will alleviate the heavy impact of your words.
For example, it is better not to use the words relating to death speaking to someone who has recently lost a loved one. Passed away, gone to the meet the lord, met their untimely end, resting in peace.
Brainiac Words
Most times, the easy concepts in your brain can be expressed in simpler language. Academic style is a must-know brick in the wall of your education. It is useful for showing your level of knowledge to the professor, but it is not an option for thinking and talking. Using sophisticated words in your everyday speech not only may bring others to think you are obnoxious, but also to a failure to properly address your issue or explain your opinion. And, of course, thinking about complex ideas using complex words tires out your brain.
Examples of such words may include: baffling, blunder, egregious, loquacious, transcendent.