How to Learn Big Words by Watching Movies and TV


Honestly, who doesn’t get a thrill out of using a big, sophisticated word in casual conversation? Yes, this can be a challenge for those of you who don’t love carrying around a pocket thesaurus everywhere. But here is what we can suggest: watch a lot of TV and movies. We owe some early self-awareness and articulation to an unwavering love for television and movies. If you racked your own brain you too would be spewing out vocabulary diamonds courtesy of Cher Horowitz, the kids of Capeside and Bayside High and of course your favourite villains. Words can dazzle anyone and maybe even get you bumped up a full letter grade on that pesky English paper.  Below are a few of our personal favourites:

Spo•rad•i•cal•ly
adverb

Josh: Be seeing you.
Ty: Yeah, I hope not sporadically.

The word sporadic is poetically defined in the classic teenage comedy Clueless. Cher Horowitz, in a valiant effort to makeover her friend Ty, tries to enhance her vocabulary with a new word each day. In the process she expands all of our minds, by stating: 'Sporadic means once in a while. Try using it in a sentence today,' and that we continue to do. Every once in a while bringing this gem out into conversation will make you think of how proud she’d be.

Trove
noun

Arielle (in song): Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold?

Defined in the Little Mermaid as Arielle spiritedly sings the classic song Part of Your World. A trove is a collection of objects. Our dear Arielle has a treasure-trove of mostly human objects she has collected and hid away from her father. In a slightly creepy stalker move she adds a statue of her love interest Eric to said trove. No judgment, we all have our “trophies”.

Ves•ti•bule
noun

Chandler (thinking): I'm trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre. Is it a vestibule? Maybe it's an atrium. Oh, yeah, that's the part you should be focusing on, you idiot.

This word is classically used in the Friends episode “The One with the Blackout.” During a blackout Chandler Bing gets trapped in an ATM vestibule with a famous model. Chandler is mostly tongue-tied (aside from offering the model gum) but he manages to provide us with a fabulous word for describing our lobbies, hallways and entrances. When you ask people to meet you in your vestibule, colour yourself impressive.

De•vi•ant
adjective

Gina: Well ‘Sinead O'Rebellion.’ Shock me shock me shock me with that deviant behaviour.

Introduced to us in Empire Records when Gina mockingly reacts to the fact that angst filled Debra has just shaved her head in the bathroom. Debra replies, “God that is so clever. I swear you get smarter the shorter your skirt gets.” Indeed Debra, we all just got smarter.

Cat•a•ton•ic
adjective

Sloan: You saw me? I thought you were catatonic or something.

Catatonic is one of the more sophisticated words used in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It is used to reference the state of paralysing shock experienced by Cameron after he realizes he is going to get found out for “borrowing” his father’s precious Ferrari. This word is useful when cleverly describing a particularly drab/boring individual, as in “that person sends me into a catatonic state.” BAM.

Syc•o•phant
noun

Frederick: I thought we liked stripes this year.
Cruella De Vil: What kind of sycophant are you?
Frederick: Uh... what kind of sycophant would you like me to be?

Cruella De Vil, who we all know from 101 Dalmatians, delivers this gem and finding ways to be as cool as to incorporate it into a conversation is a challenge that you should accept. It’s particularly enjoyable when the brownnoser you’re describing doesn’t understand the phrase and/or you are truly enraged by their incessant need to please. Throw on your fur coat and your disdain.

Bar•bar•ic
adjective

Slater: My great-grandfather was brave too. He was a bullfighter.
Zack: That's cool.
Jessie: Nah, bullfighting is barbaric.
Slater: No it isn't, bullfighting's a sport.
Jessie: It would only be a sport if the bull has a sword, too.

Thank you Jesse Spano, beloved Saved by the Bell character for showcasing how to powerfully incorporate this into daily vocabulary. If she said it once she said it a million times, up there with referring to AC Slater as a macho and chauvinistic pig, sometimes she wasn’t that sophisticated. Yes, she may have made feminist seem annoying and whiney, but she at least provided us with some delightful terms to utilize along the way.

Sol•ace
Noun

Joey: I didn't intend for this to happen, Dawson.
Dawson: Joey, what you intended does not provide me any solace!

Those pesky kids of Capeside, particularly the ever exhausting Dawson Leery were repeat offenders when it came to conducting mundane conversations with profoundly adult words. Yes, it’s okay to be jealous. This particular gem comes from the pivotal episode “The Longest Day,” when Pacey and Joey decide to reveal to Dawson the feelings they have for one another. We revisited this episode recently; Dawson thinks Joey’s at the library, but she’s really making out with Pacey in a boathouse! Obviously the truth is revealed and Dawson loses himself in sorrow but not before he yells out the above; that poor guy couldn’t get any solace!

Verbosely yours,

Us

No comments :

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...