Have you ever watched Cougar Town? There was one episode that stuck out to me because it included a reading and vocabulary joke, with a buried lesson.
In Season 6, Courtney Cox’s (Friends) character Jules asks her friends to challenge her. Their challenge to Jules is simple: she must read a book from cover to cover.
She later says, “I can’t read a book because I don’t own one.”
Her friends then lay down several books in front of her.
Jules retorts, “I just can’t focus enough to read a book. They’re so boring. I mean, 30 seconds after I crack it open, I’m sound asleep. You know exactly what I mean, right, Laurie?”
Laurie, the token ditzy blonde friend, replies. “I don’t. I’m a voracious reader.”
Jules: “How do you even know what “voracious” means?”
Laurie: “From reading. I love reading.”
Jules: “Oh, you guys probably think I’m a voracious idiot.”
[insert laugh track here]
The lesson: don’t be a “voracious idiot”. Make sure you know and understand how to properly use words like voracious. And yes, that means reading books and articles too ;^) Start with our article: The Inextricable Relationship Between Vocabulary and Reading which explores how improving your vocabulary can help you become a more avid and voracious reader.
As the collective intelligence of your social and vocational communities increases, your ability to carry your weight in verbal and written exchanges hinges upon word usage. And creating a regular practice (ahem – Vocabulary Zone) of augmenting and unleashing better words, will empower you to navigate and establish a higher status … with voracity.
Written by Greg Ragland, President, CEO of CommEdge LLC producers of Vocabulary Zone and the corresponding Vocabulary Certifications: College Preparedness, Ph.D. Vocabulary and Executive Level Vocabulary