A few weeks ago, Laura and I decided to re-watch the entirety of Downton Abbey. We adore the series and if memory serves, this latest viewing was her fourth. It was my second. Granted, Laura has been aboard the Downton train since its inception. She, along with my mother, have been avid fans who harken back to the days of 2011 when it initially aired on PBS. I’ll confess that I ignored much of the hubbub. The brouhaha. As my mother filled me in on the show, I secretly thought she was mispronouncing Downtown, as in Downtown Abbey. As it turns out, she was correct and I was incorrect. Downton Abbey is a fictional estate located in Yorkshire County, England (filmed at Highclere Castle). It’s an excellent show, but not one without its drawbacks. It’s those drawbacks I wish to discuss in this post today.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever watched Downton Abbey – if you haven’t, just know that it’s based in England and many of the characters are “high society.” While I’m currently thinking of a few as I write this post, I’m primarily thinking of one – Mary. Her character was the highest of all society sounding and as I used to relax and watch the show, she’s the one I’d become the most annoyed with. Sometimes Lord Grantham as well, but really, I should’ve been annoyed with the writers of the show because Mary et al were simply following their lines. The writing befuddled me – why did the writers dumb things down so much? I used to tell Laura it was because of the American audience as they might not appreciate pretentious sounding speech, which didn’t make much sense. First, the show aired in Britain before it did the United States, and second, there’s nothing wrong with having the characters speak with language that offered a bit more formality, as I’m certain the way language was spoken during the late 1800s and early 1900s. And by “formality,” I mean, not so stupid sounding. Instead of, “When did you get here?” you’d say, “When did you arrive?” It’s mostly a vocabulary thing. I actually used the more formal sounding, “speak with language,” a few lines above as opposed to “talk with words.” Can you imagine me writing a post and using a sentence that reads, “People should really talk with words that are better”? What would you think of me?
Because I’m me and because I enjoy sharing with you thoughts that are annoying, I figured I’d discuss just a few simple words that can be easily replaced in anyone’s vocabulary right this moment. By enhancing a person’s vocabulary, that person will present better, sound more intelligent, and hold more credibility when having credibility matters most, e.g., asking for someone’s hand in marriage, being interviewed for a job, teaching students at a university. There are obviously additional instances when sounding intelligent and exhibiting credibility matters, but off the top of my head, the examples I gave are just fine. Simply put, a person shouldn’t sound basic if it can at all be helped.
Let me begin by linking to a page that offers some excellent information that describes informal vs. formal verbs, transitions, emphasis words, letter expressions, abbreviations, and slang. If you’re over the age of 18, you’ll want to review this page. It’ll assist with your maturing and with your enjoying the fruits of those scenarios I described above (credibility, etc…).
Next, I’ll take some of the information from the page I just linked to and turn it into readable and easily understood examples. My hope is that you’ll come to appreciate a more educated and formal sounding repertoire as it pertains to your speech. I’ll randomly pull from the list on the page.
Go Up/Down vs. Increase/Decrease
Informal
These prices really went up a lot lately. I think they should go back down to make people happy.
Formal
These prices have increased a lot lately. I think they should decrease once again to make people happy.
As you can see, it doesn’t take much to sound slightly more elegant when speaking. Don’t say things like, “The level went up.” Instead, say, “The level has increased.” Right? Or am I just crazy?
Doubt vs. Suspect
Informal
I doubt that politician is telling us the truth.
Formal
I suspect that politician is hiding the actual facts from us.
Or
I have strong suspicions that the politician is hiding the facts from us.
I use suspect so much more often than I use doubt or any other word that might be somewhat appropriate in cases such as these. Suspect clearly has a better sound to it. It’s a more descriptive word. Also, can you tell how you’d likely use the sentence with doubt in it when speaking with friends or family, but when out in public, you might want to consider using the sentences containing suspect or suspicions?
Put Up vs. Tolerate
Informal
If you put up with this, your children will be next.
Formal
If you tolerate this, your children will be next.
The line above is actually the name of a song written by the Manic Street Preachers. Put up is probably the most informal phrase out there. And besides being informal and terrible sounding, it’s got far too many meanings. Tolerate, on the other hand, sounds nice and is more succinct.
Watch the song in its entirety. I think you’ll enjoy it. It begins slowly, but picks up about half way through.
But vs. However
Informal
I like her a lot, but she smells horrible.
Formal
I like her a lot, however, she smells horrible.
Using the word however will truly set you apart from everyone who doesn’t have the inclination to use such a word. I’m guessing you don’t hear it in usage all too often. That’s a good thing because if everyone used it, we wouldn’t have the chance to shine like we do, or plan on doing.
Also vs. In Addition
Informal
I attended a community college when I was younger. Also, I attended a university.
Formal
I attended a community college when I was younger. In addition, I attended a university.
I can’t imagine anyone speaking to a friend like this, but it sure would be fun to try. Use in addition when speaking in front of a crowd or when writing a letter. Or, I suppose, when trying to make a political or economic point while arguing with those who are on the other side.
Bad/Good vs. Negative/Positive
Informal
I wasn’t expecting such a bad response. In the future, I’ll be looking for something good.
Formal
I wasn’t expecting such a negative response. In the future, I’ll be looking for something much more positive.
Do you know who uses the words good and bad in their vocabulary? Kids in grade school. And that’s because they don’t know any better. Admittedly, I’ll use those words while speaking ultra casually with friends (on the mean streets of Maine), but really, anything is better than stooping to that level. Find something – awful, horrible, terrible, great, perfect, wonderful. Anything. Imagine Mary (the Earl of Grantham’s daughter) from Downton Abbey uttering something such as, “Well, that’s just bad!” Wouldn’t you prefer hearing something like, “Well, that’s simply abominable!” I mean, c’mon.
Right/Wrong vs. Correct/Incorrect
Informal
Yes, that’s the right answer. I’m happy to see you’ve cleared the hurdle of being so wrong all the time.
Formal
Yes, that’s the correct answer. I’m happy to see you’ve cleared the hurdle of being so incorrect all the time.
This is something we as a world need to move past. Gone are the days of saying things like, “Yes, you’re right!” The reason being is that right is a very basic word that provokes little interest and intrigue. The same with the word wrong. In addition, both of these words offer multiple meanings which adds risk to their usage. Less risky and more intriguing (and more precise) alternatives are correct and incorrect.
Smart vs. Intelligent
Informal
If he was such a smart student, he would have earned an A!
Formal
If he was such an intelligent student, he would have earned an A!
Back when I was attending high school, I’d say things like, “Yeah, my friend is really smart. Smarter than me.” Today? I say things like, “Yeah, my friend is super intelligent. Much more intelligent than I am.” Notice the “I am” at the end of the second sentence as opposed to “me.” Think about that for a moment. Read the sentences over again and consider why I changed what I had initially written.
Smart is far too common of a word to use in everyday language. “Hey smarty pants!” “Boy, that’s a smart suit!” “My legs were smarting this afternoon.” “Does your son have the smarts for it?” “I had a smart shooting pain up my arm earlier today.” “If you pay up smart, you won’t have to worry about it anymore.” Do you see how using the word smart isn’t all that smart of a choice? It can be confusing and if your goal is to be understood easily and to sound like you attended a private school in Connecticut, go ahead with intelligent.
Hard vs. Difficult/Challenging
Informal
I find it very hard to complete this task.
Or
I find this task very hard.
Formal
I find it very difficult to complete this task.
Or
I find this task very challenging.
I complain about people using the word hard the most. It was overly common in Downton Abbey and I have no idea why the writers of the show included it so frequently. It’s such a stupid word. First off, when saying hard, most people say it in such a way as to be ambiguous. If you read the sentence, “I find this task very hard,” what does that even mean? That the task is physically hard, like you can knock on it? Like it’s a nut? Or does it mean that the task is challenging? I think it’s best to swap out hard for either difficult or challenging. I know it’s tough, but it’s a must. And believe me, I find myself correcting myself all day long when attempting to sound a little less rough around the edges, so don’t feel too bad when you realize you’ve been more informal than you’d like.
This was one of those posts where I’m sure I unintentionally came off as a huge jerk. The goal with using an expansive vocabulary and replacing informal words with more formal ones, especially when writing and public speaking, isn’t to sound pretentious, but to elevate your correspondence and discussions to such a degree as to evoke a marked recognition. It’s also something that may help our entire culture. If you haven’t noticed, things in this world are dumbing down at a rapid pace. If you were a person who were to care about such a thing, why not be part of the solution? Speak with eloquence at any chance you get. Make your speech infectious. Converse with friends, family, and colleagues and watch as they begin incorporating formality in their own speech. Not only will you be helping yourself and your “crew,” you’ll be helping make the world a better place.
Again though, please take a look at the big list of potential vocabulary to see what the cool kids are using.
