A more expressive vocabulary
Students who have already been learning English for several years have a good grasp of grammar and cope fairly well with the reading that is part of the course. If they are serious students, learning English for a purpose, they will want to get on and pass their exams. What holds them back is the lack of an accurate and appropriate vocabulary in which to discuss topics from climate change to the Olympics, from the history of their town to their hopes for the future.
These students need to distinguish better between words they already know, but where their understanding of the full range of meaning and use is incomplete. They need to activate words in their passive vocabulary to enrich their writing and speaking, and they need to master words that are completely new.
There is a word, autonym, that means ‘a word that describes itself’: examples include short and polysyllabic. Long and monosyllabic are the opposite. So too, sometimes, is the word interesting, used (as it very frequently is) in learners’ writing: rather than passionate engagement with a topic, what it conveys instead is ineffable dullness:
The documentary makes interesting viewing.
We had an interesting discussion over lunch.
A far greater level of interest is conveyed simply by substituting another word for interesting:
The documentary makes compelling viewing.
We had a stimulating discussion over lunch.
Eric G. Young on 09 Apr 10As this article from Webdesigner Depot aptly puts it, "Infographics can be a great way to quickly reference information." Infographics take advantage of the adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and the can give broader appeal to a message by tapping into the appetites of visually-oriented consumers.\n\nI find infographics particularly useful to help explain difficult or complex topics, and frequently make use of graphics applications like "mindmaps" in my own work. In fact, I wish my primary field would embrace more creative ways of conveying information to consumers and students. The legal world might be surprised to discover how much more interesting and informative the information would be.\n\nThis article contains infographics aimed primarily at web designers and those with a fairly advanced knowledge of technology. However, there are a number of infographics, such as no. 14, which I think do an excellent job of explaining how different social media outlets can be used by a business to attain different marketing goals. It takes no particular technical skill to understand the information displayed in no. 14, which is what makes it a good infographic for anyone.\n\nIf you are interested in this topic professionally, or you just want to look at some interesting graphics that convey information, check out the article. It's worth a look.
