Hot Words

I named the following Vocabulary activity as "Hot Words", because all the words studied in the excercise are either misused, overused or should just not be used!
My students really enjoyed it and it was actually perfect for a 90 minute class because after each set of words, we'd discuss them and at the end of the exercise I had the students make their own sentences.

The Handout:

1. We repurposed the product to create synergies and expand its parameters. Now we need a new marketing plan with an iconic logo and theme.

_______________ : an image immediately recognizable.

_______________: the parts of a complex organism working together.

_______________: a neologism / invented word.

_______________: a term in math often misused to mean “boundaries”.

2. Pursuant to our teleconference yesterday, I expect you to interface with the relevant parties to complete the project.

_______________: individuals or groups coming together for discussion.

______________: following, or in accordance with.

_______________: pertinent.

 

3. Our uber publicist cannot seem to relate to the national media and so is creating a dichotomy between our client and the press. National media outreach does not appear to be the publicist’s forte.

_______________: it’s a bird! It’s a plan! No, it’s ____________man .

_______________: the chasm you find between Liberals and Conservatives.

*Did you know? Alibi is a legal term meaning “elsewhere.” This is the “plea of having been elsewhere at the time when any alleged act took place.” We use it informally to mean “excuse.”

4. Our sales department has a myriad of problems that are beginning to affect our profits. Please dialogue with the manager there and try to incentivize him and his staff to do a better sales job by paying closer attention to the affective side of persuasion.

____________: relating to the emotional side of a person.

_____________: a great number.

______________: a discussion between two people.

_____________: a made up word that means nothing.

 

*Did you know? You could be noisome without being noisy? The word has nothing to do with noise. It means “offensive”, “disgusting” and “harmful”. Noisome comes from “annoy”.

 

5. As per your instructions, I am making the office more user-friendly by putting less people in the reception area and creating more viable conditions.

______________: easy to use

______________: capable of growth

_____________: use this with weight or amount

 

6. A very unique thing occurred to me businesswise; the stock market collapsed and decimated my savings. My adviser said it was ephemeral, however.

____________: once meant killing every tenth of something

_____________: does not take a qualifier because it is the only one of what it is

_____________: passing, short lived

 

Teachers' Guide / Answers

Remember to explain to your students that the "chosen" words are not incorrect, just should be avoided being over used!

1.We repurposed the product to create synergies and expand its parameters. Now we need a new marketing plan with an iconic logo and theme.

iconic : an image immediately recognizable. It means very famous and well known but should be only used represent religious symbols. In this case, "an iconic" can just be removed from the sentence.

synergies: the parts of a complex organism working together. This word is correctly used however it's important to know that although very commonly used in the Business World, this word actualy originates from Biology. "the parts of a complex organism working together"

repurposed: a neologism / invented word. This means to give a new purpose or use. According to the Merrium Webster, this word was first used in 1984.

Parameters: a term in math often misused to mean “boundaries”. It's all about making sure you are pronunciating it correctly! Parameter is the more specific mathematical term whereas perimeter refers to "limits".

 

2. Pursuant to our teleconference yesterday, I expect you to interface with the relevant parties to complete the project.

Interface : individuals or groups coming together for discussion. This is a noun, in this sentence is used as a verb.

Pursuant : following, or in accordance with. This word is used / should be used in more legal terms or relating to law. 

 relevant : pertinent. Correctly used here, but sometimes overly used. Another synonym could be "appropriate"!

 

3. Our uber publicist cannot seem to relate to the national media and so is creating a dichotomy between our client and the press. National media outreach does not appear to be the publicist’s forte.

uber : it’s a bird! It’s a plan! No, it’s ___________man . This is a German word meaning "super". Mostly used in slang but widely emerging in the Business world now as well. Just be careful not to overuse it!

dichotomy: the chasm you find between Liberals and Conservatives. Although this is a synonym of "division", it just means a lot more. Almost like a "deeper division". Also is a syllable more than "division", so if you are using it in spoken English, think twice!

4. Our sales department has a myriad of problems that are beginning to affect our profits. Please dialogue with the manager there and try to incentivize him and his staff to do a better sales job by paying closer attention to the affective side of persuasion.

affective : relating to the emotional side of a person. Remind students here about the difference between "effective" and "affective".

myriad: a great number. Greek

dialogue : a discussion between two people. Dialogue is better used as a noun. To have a dialogue would be better than using it as a verb as in this case.

incentivize : a made up word that means nothing. this is a corporate jargon, very nicely explained in the Urban Dictionary. Check it out!

 

5. As per your instructions, I am making the office more user-friendly by putting less people in the reception area and creating more viable conditions.

user-friendly : easy to use It's better to use "accomodating" or "comfortable" here. "user-friendly" is better used with programs/equipment/computer related etc.

viable : capable of growth Viable means "able to survive". In this situation, "workable" would be a much better choice of word.

 less : use this with weight or amount Less is used with a non count noun. In this case, you need "fewer".

 

6. A very unique thing occurred to me businesswise; the stock market collapsed and decimated my savings. My adviser said it was ephemeral, however.

decimated : once meant killing every tenth of something

unique : does not take a qualifier because it is the only one of what it is Something which is "unique"is already one of a kind, adding "very" is really not necessary!

ephemeral : passing, short lived