₦airaland Forum

meobizy:
Two reasons;

1. If people buy a newspaper they want to enjoy the articles within. It’s why journalists write the lengthiest of stories which keep the person busy reading all day. Thank God for the internet; news is now served in bite-sized portions because people have things doing in their lives.

2. The bigger the words used the more readers rate the journalist as higher learned over contemporaries.

Something I hate which people do is they complain that subject matters are overly complicated. When anyone tries to oversimplify things those same people nag that the concept is too basic then try their best to revert whatever the case was back to its original form. Thus continues the never-ending cycle of simplify, complicate, simplify, complicate, ad infinitum.

You're right. Your reason no. 2 has said it all. Some news paper and magazine managers will even point out clearly in writing guidelines. A writer who uses big words is hardly rejected. Thanks.

Nigerian Columnists with Their Love of Big Words

marenx The Writer

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In the middle or beginning of most Nigerian columns, a savvy reader feels like the author is saying nothing but 'just' playing with words.

I read many Nigerian columnists--my favorite is Sam Omatseye.

On The Nation newspaper of 21/6/2011, Gbenga Omotoso wrote the following overloaded sentence in the first paragraph of his column titled "Memory of May 29":

"Members of the Armed Forces, resplendent in their ceremonial uniforms, mounted colourful parades in Abuja where President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe--courtesy of his granny--Jonathan was being ushered into office and all the 26 states where governors took the oath of office."

This fluffy sentence is the third and the longest among other ones in the first paragraph of the piece.

I wonder why the editor didn't see it and wonder why most columnists are afraid to use simple English.

The following words shouldn't appear in the sentence:

-Resplendent: You're to mention ceremonial uniforms further in the sentence, so no need of using 'resplendent.' Let your readers imagine how the Armed Men look.

-Colourful: The word colourful simply means full of colours, but again you should impress your readers by letting them guess. If not, create a different sentence to describe the ceremonial uniforms and how the Armed Forces looked in them.

-Courtesy of his granny: Must you tell your readers why Azikiwe is added to the president's names at their own expense? If yes, you're writing without minding your readers. Remember your title is "Memories of May 29" not "Why Azikiwe is Added to the President Names."

Now, read the sentence again and notice how its structure has to be changed.

The unifying element of the sentence is "The members of the Armed Forces in their ceremonial uniform." They are in Abuja where President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan was being sworn into office and they are in all the 26 states where governors were also being sworn into office.

Here is how the sentence should read in the paragraph:

President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan was being sworn into office in Abuja while all the 26 states governors were being sworn into office in their respective states.

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The importance of writing in simple language is the reader will believe you mean what you said and he'll believe you want him to understand it and he'll know you're not joking.

Here I used a qoute from Don Roff:

"I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it."

Thanks for reading my words. Have a nice thought.

Be smart.

Be positive. Be great. Be real. Be right.

Show you're positive.

Make yourself a source of joy to people. Be a good influencer. Change people lives today.

You can make things happen, support things that happen and promote things that happen. The choice is yours to begin, not to relent; to observe, not to stumble; to plan, not to waste time; to try, not to procrastinate; to right the wrong; not to wrong the right; to be real you, not to be someone; to be rich, not to be poor....

(X). USE THIS IS UNQUESTIONABLE

It means the same as it's undoubted, it's indisputable, it's undeniable, it's undoubtable or no doubt. It simply means yes or right used after someone made a statement especially about himself or someone. It's a superlative of most of the connectives.

The result?

The talker bubbles to be with you. See it at work:

Talker: Mr. Mat is the one worthy to manage the company.
You: It's unquestionable.

But the connective may be difficult to understand if a talker isn't vast in English vocabularies. Use no doubt to clear all doubt.

Talker: My patience has finally rewarded me. I'm now a chief executive officer.
You: It's unquestionable. No doubt.

You can use both unquestionable and no doubt when you aren't certain if a talker understands as featured in the above example.

Talker: My wife delivered a baby today. I'm a father.
You: It's unquestionable. There's no doubt about it.

Whether you say no doubt or there's no doubt about it, you're saying the same. The thing is make sure you say it. It leaves a great impact in the talker.

Now having understood the usage and the meaning of the connective, let's practice with more examples.

Mr Dale (your boss): This medicine isn't good for pregnant women and the situation can be terrible if we don't inform our regular customers.
You: This is unquestionable Sir.

Notice you can say This is unquestionable.

Talker: I've spoken to our spokesman. He said there's no cause for alarm. Medical doctors and pharmacists will issue the medicine with another to eliminate the adverse effect.
You: This is unquestionable Sir.

Understand the connective further through the following story....

Our society was terrifying with kidnappers everywhere. Our parents warned us never to reach a remote area. Three of us, Mil, kunle an I weren't in a remote area though we were coming from it. Kunle saw his uncle and his uncle saw him.

We began to argue on what to say should his uncle ask to know where we came from.

--What if we say we went to a block industry? Kunle asked.

--To do what? Buy blocks? the wisest one among us asked back.
--What if we say we were sent to ask for the price of a block?
--This isn't convincing. This is questionable, he said.
--Ok, what if we say we went to school?
--To do what in school on Saturday?
--We should say we were sent to give a message to a school gate man.
--Your uncle can ask a school gate man to know if it's true.
--We will then tell him we didn't see the school gate man. And if he asks to know who sent us, we will mention the name of someone he can't reach.
--This is some how unquestionable, he said.

Notice the opposite of unquestionable: questionable. And you've noticed you can say This is some how unquestionable. This usage can go a long way to mean you should understand the talker first before using the connective.

What if you say it's unquestionable when even the talker knows it's questionable?

The answer is you fool yourself.

Speak for a good purpose. Speak to persuade, to educate, to entertain, to praise, to cure, to enlighten.

(T). USE "I MUST CONFESS I FEEL I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU"

I can't hide that this can be controversial when used carelessly. However, when controversy arises, you can hide in the fact that you're joking. So be free! Success is yours.

Use the connective when a talker announces his success that surpasses yours. Example:

Talker: I'm now a chief medical doctor.
You: I must confess I feel I want to be like you.

In that aspect you may be a medical doctor but not a chief medical doctor or something else lower in rank than a chief medical doctor: otherwise you fool yourself.

The following story may help you understand the case.

When you enter a shopping mall, a former best friend of yours appears from a shop. He knows you're a graduate. However, when you say you bag Ph.D., he says he must confess he feel he wants to be like you while he's richer than you.

Bagging a Ph.D. can be a big success to many richest men, how will you feel since you don't really know what he actually means?

I must say you'll feel he kids you, won't you?

Yes, you will.

The same if you tell a talker.

But what if he isn't your friend but someone older than you?

You'll know he's joking for the sake of appreciation.

Understand the dos and don'ts of the connective and you can use it for the best effect.

Want to see how you can jazz it up?

Here are three examples:

Talker: I bought a house in the commercial nerve of the city.
You: I must confess I feel I want to be like you.

Talker: I'm now an employer not an employee.
You: I must confess I feel I want to be like you.

Talker: I'm an exporter of strawberry to 5 African states. I'm building a multi million dollars business in Africa.
You: I must confess Sir, I feel I want to be like you.

In all the three conversations above, you motivate a talker.

And the result?

A talker appreciates himself and becomes interested in you.

You want to be successful like a talker who bought a house in the commercial nerve of the city, like a talker who becomes an employer, and like a talker who's building a multimillion dollar business in Africa. All. Everyone wants you to want to be like him.

Poor men want you to say a rich man will go to hell. Rich men want you to say a poor man worth nothing. Yours is, therefore, to say what one wants you to say if you want to be his best.

Be his best first and become powerful before saying what you want.

Testimony: Mr. Fomson is the most educated fellow in town. When he says he bagged his Ph.D. in the United States of America, someone says, "Sir, I must confess I feel I want to be like you." A few days later Mr. Fomson meets the man and volunteer to to sponsor his education.

In the world of knowledge, there's one basic truth: everything you tell someone has a resulting effect.

Unlike Mr. Fomson, someone won't give you such booty. However, your relationship with him may last to help you in one way or the other.

If yours is to wait for a talker to say something for you to support him, believe me, you have a bright future.


(U). USE "HOW CAN HE/SHE/THEY EXPLAIN THIS?"

Talker: My colleague left his duty post for just an hour. Before his return, a mini Tiger generator had been stolen.
You: How can he explain this?

Though the connective can provoke a question such as "Explain what?", you can say he may be asked to pay for the generator set. Done.

Afraid another question may arise? No.

Whether it arises, you've, however, connected yourself with the talker. Not only that, you have influenced the talker and anyone there to reason. You may not know you've outstood yourself from the crowd.

Another good example:

Talker: He doesn't appreciate my help, and I knew he's planning something fishy. Then he stuffed me in a car trunk. I almost died from suffocation.
You: How can he explain that? I mean how can he escape that.

Notice that an interviewer usually looks smarter than an enterviewee. A listener usually looks smarter than a talker. But the smartest one among them all is he who supports or encourages a talker. For he makes peace and creates a civilized and democratic environment. Here's a proof.

Dan and Ray left five persons in the parlor and stopped in a tiny room.

Continue making people happy and the reward is abundant.

You're going to learn how to use 'O!' to improve your relationship with someone.

A different but more effective way to use THANK YOU



Every person has the power to
make others happy

marenx The Writer


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Many years ago I ask myself these questions: how can I become an influencer? How can I be a source of happiness to others?

I look at my life. I can't speak better. I mark that weakness. I checked myself again. I don't have much money. I mark that weakness.

Now I need a cheapest way to achieve my aim. I try the law of scarcity. My being scarced means reading and writing alone. Friends see me once or twice a week. Sometimes they don't even see me. But whenever I appear, I try to showcase my intelligence. I continue doing this well.

Soon many boys say they want to be like me. I get an intellectual nickname. So the law of scarcity works.

I continue amassing cheap ways to make people happy. This article exposes one of them: how to use thank you.

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We say thank you after receiving help, after receiving greetings and after delivering a speech but that isn't the only use of thank you.

Good men and women speak to communicate, inspire and motivate.

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And if you motivate talkers, you fascinate, please and inspire them.

To do it well, you can use THANK YOU.

If someone speaks well, you can say "It's interesting", "It's wonderful" and "Wow!"

But here say "Thank you."

There're two good reasons for doing that.

1. Saying "Thank you" isn't flattering.

If you say "It's interesting" or "It's wonderful", you don't mean to flatter but someone may think you mean. If you say "Thank you", you don't sound sophisticated but your target is honored.

Note: saying "It's interesting or "It's wonderful" isn't bad. But the point is you need to avoid being suspected of flattering. (I uncover how to use "This is wonderful" correctly on this platform.

2. A word isn't effective to anyone who doesn't understand what it means. Almost everyone in English-speaking country understands what "Thank you" means.

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William Arthur Ward said:

"Every person has the power to
make others happy."

Thanks for reading this post. Have a nice time.


(X). USE MUST HE/SHE/THEY be DIFFICULT TO SUCH EXTENTS?

Your response improves or mars you. Using this connective, however, gives you assurance of rich improvement.

Guess why?

You render your talker a good opportunity to talk civilizedly.
Now let's see it in display...

Talker: when I came late today, I greeted my boss, but he refused to answer.
You: Must he be difficult to such extent?
Talker: He didn't even give me a privilege to apologise. I am certain he formed a bad opinion about me.

The talker may go on revealing more information following your use of the connective.

Learn more from the following examples too:

Talker: My man put off the TV as soon as I sat on the couch. I missed my favorite TV show again.
You: Must he be difficult to such extent?

Talker: He bought my info product but he couldn't use it effectively. He took to social media telling his followers that my product doesn't deserve it price.
You: Must he be difficult to such extent?

Use it to approve someone's suggestion, employ it to praise someone's idea and say it to promote someone's wit.

How to use this exclamation to instantly improve your relationship with someone, to joyfully make yourself the most happiest person


marenx The Writer



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I can say it: it's O!

You're going to learn how to use 'O!' to improve your relationship with someone.

You'll be able to use positive expressions such as:

1. O your words are impressive!
2. O it really makes sense!



Of the four major employments I got as a teacher three are as a result of pleasing people not myself.

I don't speak for my existential interest. I don't speak to outclass my listeners. I speak to please, praise and cure.

Using the exclamation O! In my positive speech helps me to achieve that.

Use it to approve someone's suggestion, employ it to praise someone's idea and say it to promote someone's wit.

I stand close to a customer one day in the grosary store when someone at the door says, 'I can go to the National Museum to scream ice-scream.'

'Scream ice-cream?' the customer asks. 'This is a good example of both assonance and alliteration.'

I say, 'O man, you're intelligent.'

The customer, who was haggard, now looks vigorous. He starts telling me how he understands alliteration and assonance when he was studying English in Unijos.

I use the exclamation to approve his idea and we become friends.

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In written form O! Can be Oh!

William Arthur Ward, an American motivational writer, said:

"Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate."

Thanks for reading. Have a nice day.

7. It's unprecedented of you to talk to me in this manner.

8. The fact you don't want to solve this problem in the court of law is existential.

9. I'm afraid, your arrival is unprecedented.

10. I can feel your existential touch in this painting.

https://www.nairaland.com/7094354/use-these-two-elite-class-vocabularies#112986932

The fact you don't want to solve this problem in the court of law is existential.

One day a student wanted to write French test but he didn't have a pen and there was my pen on a desk in front of him. He said, "Sir, let me use your pen." I didn't know when I said "No" because of anger.