Yesterday, we talked about the best TIME to learn a new word.
But do you know the best WAY to learn a new word?
It’s NOT the dictionary…
SOBER
Prague.
Late Sunday morning.
I was sitting with a few Vig Village members at The Irish Times restaurant, waiting for my Irish breakfast sandwich to arrive.
On the table, there was a drink menu.
One side said, “Cocktails.”
The other side said, “Sober Call.”
“What does ‘sober’ mean?” asked one of the Vig Village members.
“It’s the opposite of “drunk” I replied.
But I didn’t know what ‘sober call’ meant.
So I asked our Irish waiter.
“Non-alcoholic drinks,” he said.
“Ah ha,” I said.
TALKING TO HUMANS
In my humble but dangerous opinion, asking a human is the best way to learn a word.
You hear the real pronunciation (not from an actor or robot).
You get a simple answer (not seven definitions you’ll never need).
You can ask for more information if you don’t understand.
The human can demonstrate or show you what it means.
And the question can turn into a conversation which will help you remember the word forever.
For example…
“I think I’m sobering up. Who wants a Guinness?”
Cheers,
Mr. Vig
Planet Earth’s Most Dangerous English Teacher
P.S.
There’s another way to use “sober.”
It’s very common and very useful.
Want to know what it is?
Go to today’s Atomic Homework to find out.
