Enriching Our Word Power

Remember vocabulary tests in school?  The tests were usually given on a Friday so you would have all week to practice using the words in writing sentences or, God forbid, the teacher would call upon you to stand up in front of the class and use a test word in a sentence.

Grandmom would encourage the grandkids to empower our vocabulary.  She would give us a word and a dictionary.  Throughout the day we were to use the "daily word" as often as we could.  Grandmom regretted giving us "hilarious" and "ridiculous" because we found everything either hilarious or ridiculous. 

Sam loves using "big" words as Mike likes to call them.  Oftentimes I will come across a word in a book I am reading and call upon Sam to help me with its definition.  We pride ourselves with our vast knowledge of "big" words.  Mike, on the other hand, insists on just saying what we mean instead of flowering our conversations with "big" words.

One time on a fence job Mike was using digging post holes in loose material.  The deeper he dug, the more dirt and rocks would collapse in and around the post hole.  Sam suggested to Mike to get out of the quagmire.  Mike responded, "I would if I knew what that was."  Mike got out of the quagmire.  I've even heard him use "quagmire" in a sentence.

Another fence job in the subdivision had the boys working along the road.  Most neighbors would stop and visit and go on their merry way.  An east side neighbor, who shall remain nameless, drove by with her nose in the air.  Sam turned to Mike and said, "Well.  She must not know we are the landed gentry."  Mike cocked his head and asked, "Land of gentry?  What does that mean?"  Hence another vocabulary lesson for Mike. 

No worries because Mike is a good sport about us chuckling at his expense.  The meltdown would begin if he ever attempted to enrich his word power in a Reader's Digest magazine.  Sam and I rarely get all ten words matched correctly to the definitions but Mike doesn't need to know that.....