Build Your Vocabulary (1948)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] however your committee will continue to investigate and hopes to present a definite recommendation at next month's meeting of the Civic assoc appreciation thank you Mr Hanson Mr chairman Mr chairman Mr Willis I want to talk about uh I think we need a playground here on the West Side uh we need it because uh because we need a place for our boys and girls to play a playground Mr Willis has an important idea to express but he lacks the vocabulary to express it finding the exact words to fit your ideas is one of the first steps in building your vocabulary people can be interested in new ideas when those ideas are expressed in well selected words this use of exact words to communicate your ideas applies to written words as much as to spoken words hi Dad would you be interested in oh what's the matter oh nothing something go wrong at the meeting yes I sort of made a what's on your mind son I thought you might like to read my term paper before I hand it in tomorrow well yes of course our public parks monuments or playgrounds huh much of the juvenile Del quency in our community can be traced to our lack of public playgrounds and our lack of a planned recreational program we are not without our public parks but they are landscape monuments rather than playgrounds plan for the direction of youthful energy into character building channels why Pete you express your ideas very well but uh this isn't the way you talk is it well that depends but you see this is a term paper and well as I understand it when you're talking or writing you use words that fit the occasion but here the words you use they sound good and uh they seem to be the right words to say what you mean well that's I well that's what I where'd you learn all those words well you see I keep a vocabulary notebook it's a good way to learn new words to increase your vocabulary so you can express your ideas better whenever I come across a new word reading or listening to someone I write it down later I put it in this notebook let's see I write down the pronunciation and the definitions of each word and then some synonyms but then of course I try using the word you using the word correctly a few times is what really fixes it in your vocabulary and a good working vocabulary helps you to be more explicit will you certainly surprise me with your vocabulary yes indeed be more explicit so Mr Willis began a vocabulary notebook in a business-like way first he considered the context in which the word was used now where did I hear that from Mary she was talking about redecorating this room dear I think we ought to put a balance over the window it would make it more dramatic don't you think a balance would be effective h balance must be some kind of decoration but do I have to bother with all these special words maybe I'd better I certainly want to have a say in how the house is decorated ah Valance short curtain as the valance over the top of a window h a valance would look good up there maybe this will help me understand what Mary's talking about Valance had only a single meaning other words like vasate have many meanings the only way to tell which meaning is intended is from the context in which it is used synonyms fluctuate waver oscillate under wait a minute too many words mean nearly the same thing but still they're different nobody can learn all those words I'm going to bed but next morning Mr Willis found he couldn't escape unfamiliar words when his wife called oh John Yes dear will you stop at the library and get me that anthology of plays all right dear Anthology why does everybody in this family use these fancy words in the morning newspaper he found words that looked familiar enough yet when he studied them their meanings weren't explicit even in his work he began to be aware that he used words that he could not Define precisely that it is not feasible to allocate necessary production facilities feasible allocate excuse me Mr Willis there's a gentleman here from the ABC printing company he wants to discuss their new electrotyping process with variable type fonts um I'll tell him you're busy to come back later Al electri allocate anology feasible Al electri allocate explicit you know Dad explicit a good workking vocabulary helps you to be more explicit well I guess I need this Anthology an anthology of modern plays this is the book Mary wanted Oho so that's what an anthology is a collection now what else came of my trip to the library each of us has certain interests which we need to share with others if we know the special vocabulary we will understand what people are talking about and other people will understand us this book will help Mr Willis have a say in the decoration of his home this book on the fundamentals of printing will help him in the conduct of his business books on special interest subjects help us build the vocabulary we need to talk the language of others and that's not the only language I'm going to talk at the next meeting of the civic association I'm going to sell my idea or my name isn't Willis the chair recognizes Mr Willis Mr chairman ladies and gentlemen for many years now our city council has wavered between a policy of no parks and beautiful but useless Parks the time has come to present the council with an ultimatum an ultimatum demanding for the West Side yes people can be interested in new ideas when those ideas are expressed clearly and effectively increased knowledge of words has enabled Mr Willis to think through his ideas more logically and to present them more effectively to an appreciative audience we will show them that it is feasible that the city budget is nothing more or less than a plan for spending our money a plan which can and must be adapted to meet our needs words that we choose carefully to say what we mean choose for the audience and the occasion help us gain support for our ideas and not only in speaking effective use of words helps us think and write more forcefully and with more interest when we prepare term papers and other school assignments command of words helps us contribute to debates and discussions we communicate more quickly and more effectively being skilled in the use of words AIDS Us in selling ourselves when we look for jobs whenever we're around people a good vocabulary helps us say what we mean and understand what others mean Pete has developed his skill in communication through words just as Mr Willis has just as you can by being alert to words by using words that say exactly what you mean by building your vocabulary to see that program carried out then we can achieve our goal by going before the council and making our demands [Applause] explicit [Music]