You SAY You Wanna Remain “Quick of Mind” Through Your 60s, 70s, and, Even, Your 90s? HERE is The GAME for YOU!

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Friends,

 

This is a POST for my very DEAREST Friends on ye old farang pub, my most Special Friends, and YOU know who you are. I am speaking to my SEPTUAGENARIAN cohort, of course, as well as to anyone here, in particular.

 

I hereby throw down the gauntlet to all you SEPTUAGENARIANS reading these glorious words.

(and what is the demographics of this group anyway?)

 

I bring you a message of hope and a fun challenge designed to prevent the further dwindling of the scope and breadth of your existing English vocabulary, however meager it might be!

 

Nay, Gentlemen, I propose a competition which can REJUVENATE not only your mind, but also your body and soul.  Language is what makes us human. It’s an indisputable fact. The more words at your fingertips the more human you may see yourselves, though others may not.

 

Of particularly note, there seems to be a septuagenarian golpher in this pub who often seems to imply that he knows more words than we.  I do not know about WE, but I believe he knows more English words than me, if only by the hair of his chinny chin-chin.

 

I am not saying that we should expand the breadth of our English vocabulary for the sole purpose of impressing others on this forum, for such would be a fool's errand.

 

Let’s just say that such a challenge as I intend to present to you now is one that you might find fun, one that might keep you out of trouble, and one that is worthy of your time, unlike some other pursuits in Pattaya which may be considerably less worthy.

 

In addition, I had once thought of taking up this challenge, myself, but then soon realized that I lacked the motivation to carry it through. But now, if I can find just a few others to climb this mountain with me, perhaps this is the incentive that has, hitherto, been lacking.

 

Without further discussion, the following explains how you play this challenging game, and I hope you are able to enjoy it, “Long Time”:

 

Now I realize that some of you may say to yourselves things like, “I will NEVER use all those words. Those words are not even the words I will use when talking to my friends about “a good lay”, meaning a good lie in the context of golfing.”  But I warn you that, if you even THINK such thoughts, then you are missing the entire purpose and spirit of this game.

 

Also, as I shared in my recent somewhat-related OP, let’s keep in mind that people aged 70 and 80 still retain sufficient linguistic ability to significantly improve their English vocabulary. In that great OP, I shared a graph demonstrating that vocabulary and linguistic ability only begins to taper off gradually, maybe a total of 10 percent by age 80, beginning at its peak at age 55 or 60. Therefore, please keep this in mind while playing The GAME.

 

THE GAME…..

 

This game is designed to maintain your knowledge of English vocabulary skills, your cognitive abilities, and your overall feeling of adequacy as you live your everyday lives.

This game does not promise you a rose garden, just as Patsy Cline never promised, either.

 

Setting up the GAME….

 

a. Please open your browser, if you have one, and search with google-search for the term ANKI.

b. Click on “ANKI-powerful, intelligent flashcards”.

c. Click on DOWNLOAD (Please note that ANKI is free for use only for the OSes Windows, Linux, and Android.  If you are using the Apple OSes, then I pity you because ANKI for Apple OS is NOT free (Jobs was a control freak, and users must pay the price). Anki is free for Linux, Windows and Android. After clicking on the DOWNLOAD button, and using Anki for Windows as our present example, (and please choose the ANKI 2.1.65 Qt6 download, by the way, please just follow the easy instructions to setup this app on either your computer or your mobile device.  IF you intend to use ANDROID, then please just refer to GOOGLE PLAY’s directory of Android apps, and set it up on your phone or Android tablet..Easy Peasy, even a child can do it.

d. You will need to set up your personal ANKI account using a User ID, which is your email address, plus some password of your choosing.  Simple.

e. After you have set up your ANKI account, after having installed ANKI on your computer, your phone, or your tablet, then you are ready to go.  And we will now proceed to the next step which is….THE GAME!

e2. I suggest that you set up ANKI on ALL of your devices so that you can play this game “everywhere you go” using phone, laptop, desktop, and tablet. Some guys like to play this game with all those cute young things in Pattaya, even, on their mobile devices!!!!

 

f. The next step:

Please find this link by using your browser:   https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/2430987595

What is this link?  This is the ANKI Vocabulary Flashcard Deck:  “GRE Master Word List - 5000+ Words”

 

HOW TO: How do I add this flashcard deck to my ANKI app:  Please open your ANKI app on your DESKTOP computer.  THEN…Click on this link.  The link should automatically be downloaded and installed to your ANKI app.  If this does not work, then…download this link to your computer and open ANKI app.  Next, go to FILE and click on FILE.  You will see a menu. Click on the IMPORT button in this menu.  And….You are SET and ready to play.

 

Gee! I just hope I haven’t overlooked any important steps. If I have, then please let me know, or, just post a question to the ANKI SUPPORT forum.  Everybody on the ANKI support forum is super helpful!  Believe me.

 

When first beginning to play this game, many of you will begin to crab and complain, saying, “This Game is just too EASY!”.  But, please do not fret.  ANKI will remember the words you know, and ANKI will soon begin to show you the words you DON’T know, and, very soon, you will stop your complaining.

 

You know, Guys, for the past three years, during our lockdown, I have been trying to play this GAME with the washerwoman that maintains our GuestHouse, and she loves it. Fun as this has been for me, I would rather play this game with you.  ANKI has a fantastic statistics function which allows two or more players to compare notes, concerning their respective progress. This is NOT a contest. I repeat, I do not envision this GAME as being a competition. Here in Asia, in this culture, we do not like to compete, so much as we prefer a more collective and inclusive experience with our aging friends.  Again, this is not a possing contest (intentional typo)!

 

You know, Guys, that some of you may have occasionally been given the impression that some of my comments and posts were a bit weird, even though you were just too polite to voice your concerns.  This is why I decided to devote a few hours to document and share this GAME with you.  You have been nice to me, and I want to reciprocate in my own way.

 

By the way: This TOPIC, this POST, is DEFINITELY NOT a Joke!  I will post below a screenshot of this game running on my computer.  I uploaded this flashcard deck to my computer several years ago, but lacked the intestinal fortitude to persevere to the bitter end. During the lockdown, I lost my mojo, I think.  But now ...I'M BACK, completely reinvigorated, and I want to see what happens if I play this game several times per week for the foreseeable future. 

 

About the ANKI algorithm for effective “spaced-repetition” practice, ANKI works BEST if you never miss a day. Med Students around the world swear by the effectiveness of the ANKI app.  I have been using it for many purposes during the past decade, such as for teaching, etc.

 

So anyway, I wish you luck and enjoyment playing this GAME, and may the best person WIN, meaning you.

 

Hoping you stay cognitively fit,

While keeping me updated of your progress in the comments below,

Yours truly,

Gamma 

 

NOTE:  ENJOY!  This is my gift to you that keeps on giving.  Obviously, I did not type up this OP on my NOTE4. And so, hopefully my writing has improved a bit, resultantly.

 

I am sure all of the above represents effort on my part which I know will prove to be time well spent.

 

The flashcard deck linked above (The GRE Master Deck) has been created by some kind soul using BARRON'S GRE vocabulary list, as well as his own additions, so he says. And I dearly hope that this offering will not be too easy for your purposes.

 

FINAL NOTE:  This OP is a follow up to my previous OP, “Linguistically Speaking”, in which many of you commented concerning various strategies you use to stay Cognitively Fit.  After reading your comments, I felt compelled to provide you with what I consider to be an even better option, even though I realize it is probably not for everyone. Still, kindly give it a try before you pass judgment.

 

The person who maintains the ANKI app, IMHO, is a SUPERHERO, and a NICE Guy! Likewise, the guy who maintains the AUDIO Function for ANKI (AwesomeTTS) is a heck-of-an awesome dude, and I have corresponded with him on several occasions, years ago.

 

Lastly:  ALL constructive comments and criticism is most welcome in the comments section below!

 

WOW!, Guys, I just glanced at the clock and I was shocked to see that I have put 2.5 hours of my time into this labor of love, explaining the rules of this GAME, for you, and for FREE. No thanks is necessary…Of Course!  (I had considered waiting for a Sunday Morning to post this OP, but I just couldn’t wait…I was THAT excited to share this GAME with you!)

 

At least, I DID wait for the start of the Raining Season here in Thailand when this GAME will be more entertaining.

 

And, as you can plainly see, I held myself in check, and I used NO BIG WORDS in the composition of this OP.  Hope one of you will congratulate me on this, too….

 

Additionally, I realize that there are some super-smart guys in this pub. So, I can accept that this GAME may not be sufficiently intellectually stimulating for you. I know it!

 

As ZELDA would often say: “She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn’t boring.”

 

 

FINIS….

 

Oh!…just one more thing:  This OP has been brought to you by the Chinese tea harvesters slaving away in the mountains of Sichuan.  Speaking of Tea, it pays to always choose the best one can afford.

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I neglected to mention above that you can use the BROWSE function, within the ANKI App, to see a complete listing of all vocabulary within any flashcard deck.

 

You must be using ANKI on a desktop or laptop computer to use the Browse function, I believe.

 

ANKI is quite a mature and versatile piece of software with many more functions than most power users will ever use.

 

The sky is the limit with ANKI.

 

Enjoy.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

One more point:  Many of you enjoy doing crossword puzzles.

 

If you refer to the ANKIWEB page, linked HERE: https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/

 

You will probably find a deck/decks created by others to improve your crossword-puzzle vocab.

 

Personally, I find doing the crossword a waste of time, but I appreciate that others cannot do without one or two in the mornings.

 

Will Shortz is a maniac.

 

There is an ANKI Search Engine on this page to help you find the flashcard deck more suited to your interests.

 

I chose the GRE Master Deck because I was concerned that some here might tell me that I was making life too easy for them.

 

Please also note that you can easily create and upload your own spreadsheet of things to be learned to your personal ANKI account.

 

I have created many decks for others for various purposes.

 

Creating a deck is time-consuming but the advantage is that you know what you are getting.

 

Using ANKI, by the way, is THE fastest way to learn how to read Thai script.

 

But, the MAIN Reason I posted this OP here is because THIS OP is intended for SEPTUAGENARIANS (why did they add a U to this word, anyway?), and NOT for language-learners.

 

Probably nobody in their right mind will use all of the vocabulary from the GRE MASTER list while out on the links. Well, maybe one in this pub might, but certainly not most not most of us.

 

Personally, I like to listen to guys that use BIG WORDS...but only when they know how to string them together, and string them beautifully.

 

That's the difference, really.

Syntactic Complexity is good, and Big Words are often more concise.

But if you cannot string them together with brevity and clarity, then better to just by another Hemingway.

 

I once knew a guy from a small island on the equator.  He studied for his PhD at the uni near here. He LOVED big words, and he had memorized them all.  Unfortunately, when he tried to use the words he had memorized, his sentences, paragraphs, and chapters were stilted....

 

Such a pedant was he!

 

Therefore, feel free to learn vocabulary in Barron's GRE List. But, also, check the dictionary for example sentences, too. And then write a few of your own. It can't hurt, painful as the process might be.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

In addition, while reading this OP carefully, you will note that I mentioned Chinese Tea of Good Quality at the end of my submission, and there was valid reason which pertains to the entire thrust of this Topic.

 

There are very many peer-reviewed studies which demonstrate a positive correlation between tea consumption (i.e. caffeine consumption) and cognitive function including verbal skills, memorization, and more. Please feel free to search and download the multitude of pertinent research available on the internet.

 

Keep in mind that a little caffeine goes a long way.

Too much and one's anxiety level increases to the point that the intake of caffeine becomes counterproductive for most intellectual pursuits.

 

And, when writing, by all means, feel free to imbibe in a cuppa...

But, even when one is composing, as I say, a little goes a long way.

 

I even believe that tea is particularly good to get the aging brain up to speed.

Feel free to run your own experimental trials using between one and five cups of tea.

You might be surprised.

And, my tea has gotta be from China, or it doesn't seem to have the desired effect.

 

 

[Surasak]

"WHY"?

[zzaa09]

te·di·ous

adjective

adjective: tedious

1. too long, slow, or dull; tiresome or monotonous.

   "a tedious journey"

    

    

    

   dull·ard

   noun

    

   1. a slow or stupid person.

      "he was caricatured as a dupe and a dullard"

[GammaGlobulin]

21 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

te·di·ous

 

adjective

adjective: tedious

1. too long, slow, or dull; tiresome or monotonous.

   "a tedious journey"

    

    

    

   dull·ard

    

   noun

    

   1. a slow or stupid person.

      "he was caricatured as a dupe and a dullard"

Dullard is a wonderful and, in my opinion, highly underused word in the English vocabulary.

 

These days, due to PC, we just cannot use the word dullard as much as we should.

 

Please Note:  I still recall the first time I encountered the word 'dullard" while reading one of my favorite novels:

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling...a great book by my then favorite author, Henry Fielding.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

3 hours ago, Surasak said:

"WHY"?

"WHY?", you have asked.

 

Thank you for the question:

 

a.  In this case, since my target audience is, if only partially, Old Geezers like me, I KNOW that ANKI can be very helpful for helping us to memorize/learn more effectively.  If ones powers of memorization might be waning, then ANKI can be very helpful.  And, there are PLENTY of ready-to-use flashcard decks, created by other users, from which to choose on a whole host of diverse subjects.  You just need to use the ANKI flashcard deck search function to easily and quickly find what you are seeking, some list of vocabulary or facts that tickles your fancy.

 

So, THIS is why I posted this OP in the pub; it has been proven to be helpful even for us old geezers.

 

b. If you mean WHY did I choose to post the link to the GRE VOCABULARY MASTER WORDLIST flashcard deck?  Well, this deck is quite challenging. If you attempt to memorize the list of words included in the deck, then you will see.  I chose NOT to post the link to the SAT vocabulary deck(s) because I did not wish to criticized for making things overly easy. Maybe I can add a link to the PDF document showing the vocabulary contained in the GRE MASTER LIST in near future.  But let's first just take a look at a sample of the FIRST 5 words, as they pop up in the ANKI app while using this flashcard deck:

 

PRETERITION:  1. The act of passing by, disregarding, or omitting.
2. (Law) Neglect of a testator to mention a legal heir in his or her will.
3. (Christianity) The Calvinist doctrine that God neglected to designate those who would be damned, positively determining only the elect.

 

SENTENTIOUS: pithy; terse; concise; aphoristic

 

DISCURSIVE: (of a person or writing) digressing; rambling (without any clear plan)

 

DESUETUDE: A state of disuse or inactivity

 

PERIPETEIA: A sudden change of events or reversal of circumstances, especially in a literary work

 

b2.  I have ALREADY stated in the OP that any who wish can easily choose a much easier ANKI flashcard deck containing easier English vocabulary to suit the needs of almost anybody.  So, I do not think that I am being a vocabulary snob, in this case.

 

c. Why is it important for everyone, not just Old Geezers, to push themselves, especially when we are young, to engage in an academic-word learning program of self study, and to maintain this self-study throughout our lives?  I think the answer is obvious. Please refer to the extensive literature, on line, as my fellow-alumnus Chomsky always tells us.

 

d. One additional reason I posted this topic in the Pub is because this is good entertainment for old guys (as well as young guys), and it might be helpful health-wise, and it can really help people in many ways to learn and memorize important facts of life that we need to know, such as the names of all automobiles manufactured in any given decade between 1900 and 1970, with an IMAGE of each auto included in the deck, together with key facts about each auto. I do not know if a flashcard deck as specific as this already exists on ANKIWEB, or if you might need to create your own.  So then...go ahead and create your own deck, and then if it is good enough, you can upload to the ANKI inventory of available decks, with your name on it.  Certainly this is one activity that can be helpful to both you and others.

 

e. Another important reason:  Some old geezers, like me, may not know that this ANKI app exists.  And, we know that old guys who come to Thailand sometimes struggle to learn how to read Thai script.  They have never learned a language before, and they feel intimidated by the prospect.  I just want these old guys to know that ANKI exists to help them learn Thai script and to fit in more easily while retiring here, and make their lives easier when doing things like ordering a meal from a menu written in Thai script.

 

I actually have a few more valid reasons for creating and posting this OP in the Pub, but I do not wish to be viewed a being overly tedious in my writing.

 

This OP is not a joke post, and maintaining optimum cognitive function is no joking matter.

 

SO THEN, thank you very much for providing me the opportunity to reply to your question WHY, because if you had not asked, then you would not know.

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I realize that some of you may come to the conclusion that I have posted this OP in a slightly jocular fashion, and you would be correct, because I am at heart a rather playful fellow when it comes to writing, not unlike one of my heroes, Mr. Twain.

 

But still, I am definitely, in no way, joking about the importance for learners, worldwide, of this amazing software app ANKI.

ANKI has truly helped countless millions around the world.
I am exceedingly grateful to the developers and maintainers of this software.

 

SO NOW, please let me post the link to the ANKI SUPPORT FORUM:

 

https://forums.ankiweb.net/

 

I would say that 99.99 percent of guys on this forum are serious about learning.

The comments are ALWAYS helpful.

This forum is, also, well maintained.

 

I am NOT JOKING, People.

 

If you experience a problem using ANKI, or you have an observation to make concerning the ANKI app, just post respectfully, clearly, and concisely on this forum, and you will get an almost-immediate helpful reply.

 

During the past decade, I have become ever-more grateful for having access to the use of this app (for FREE, too, on Windows, ANDROID, and LINUX.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

One more reason, one among many, that I chose to post this TOPIC here, rather than post it in any Language-related forum, is because I know that there are a few grandfathers in the Pub who have grandchildren. And, it is sometimes the case that one's grandchildren may experience difficulties in school which are directly related to their lack of understanding about the best ways to memorize information which is presented to them in school.

 

Therefore, I wished to suggest to these grandfathers that there is help at hand, and that grandfathers might pass this information along to the children they care about most.

 

Let me relate just one anecdote I am most familiar with:

 

I once had a Chinese lady tell me that her son was completely unable to memorize English vocabulary.

She told me that she was at her wit's end, and had been losing sleep due to the worry involved.

 

Being an exceedingly helpful person, by nature, I sent her the link to the ANKI app.

I even offered to spend my time, for FREE, to create a few flashcard decks for her son, which ate up quite a few hours of my time.

 

To make a long story short, as I often try to do, the upshot of this potentially divisive mother-son issue was that her son learned his English vocabulary, flawlessly. English became her son's favorite subject in school.  He graduated with honors from his high school.  And being an intellectually gifted child, he was later accepted at Harvard under its early admissions program for students showing particularly strong academic performance.

 

This just goes to show that:  Often, when a student suddenly is given the tools to excel in one subject, his success spills over in ways that help him to perform in all of his school subjects.

 

ANKI app is, therefore, really nothing to sneeze at.

And, the ANKI app works great for all ages.

 

I hope that, through posting this topic here, at least one or two of you might give ANKI a try.

 

I love ANKI...I DO!

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

One more important point about the use of the app ANKI, as it pertains to the Pub.

 

Some of you might be asking the question:  Do I need to significantly above average intelligence in order to memorize almost anything, including the GRE MASTERLIST of 5000+ vocabulary words.

 

The answer is definitely.."NO".

 

ANKI use an algorithm based on the proven method of spaced-repetition.

 

I am convinced that even a 10-year-old of average intelligence could use the ANKI app to learn all 5000 words in the GRE list within a reasonable period of time.

 

When I was at university, many moons ago, I was attending at a time of great experimentation using various methods of learning.

 

One thing we discovered just through working with pigeons is just how effective some of these learning techniques can be. These days, as we know, the behaviorists (Behaviorism) have been almost completely pushed aside by new theories, but only superficially.

 

ANKI, and other learning apps, still performs well partially based on the same old idea of stimulus-reward.  We peck at the correct answer after being presented with a stimulus, a vocabulary term, we peck at the correct or incorrect answer, and then we are negatively or positively rewarded accordingly.

 

Also, the algorithm of spaced-repetition is extremely effective for memorization and for maintaining in memory what one has already memorized. Forgetting what we have learned is less easy. The link between the word and its definition is more persistent in memory.

 

Also importantly is the fact that one can use ANKI pretty much mindlessly, if one wishes.  One need not spend a lot of effort "thinking about" the correct answer. In fact, if one wastes time thinking about the correct answer, more than a fraction of a second in most cases, then ANKI actually does not work for the learner as effectively as it otherwise can.

 

So, what I maintain is that ANKI is quite suitable for old geezers like me who like to learn new facts, even a plethora of either obscure or non-obscure facts, but who are just too tired to bother thinking, or find the effort of thought just too taxing.  These guys would prefer to just sit in a coffee shop and use the ANKI app for five minutes each day, and then, at the end of a 90-day period, be possessed of many new facts that they had never anticipated they were capable of learning.

 

Sometimes, they might even wish to impress their fellows during morning coffees with the breadth of their newly acquired knowledge.  And, doing so is FUN, for some.

 

With regard to learning the GRE masterlist, ANKI does provide, of course, the basic function to easily adjust the number of new vocabulary words that it presents to the learner, per day.  Therefore, it is a simple matter of dialing down this number to its lowest setting: maybe one or two new vocabulary terms per day.  In this case, you will see one new word per day, and you will also see the words you are in the process of learning, as well as a few words that you have already mastered.

 

I do not wish to go on and on about this because the best way for you to understand the ANKI app is to use it.

 

As John Dewey famously (or infamously) maintained throughout his ignoble career as a two-bit philosopher:  The best way to learn, and the ONLY way to learn, is... "Learning by Doing".  I have always thought such nonsense could have only been proselytized so insistently by someone who was a dullard.

 

(And this is the way one uses the word, DULLARD, in a sentence.  I add this sentence because one of you commenters posted the word dullard in a comment above.)

 

 

[geisha]

6 hours ago, Surasak said:

"WHY"?

Oh my God, him again !!! 

[GammaGlobulin]

OK, FINE....

 

And NOW, a word about this all-too-important concept of DELIBERATE PRACTICE, of which the use of the ANKI app is a perfect example:

 

What, actually, IS this concept of DELIBERATE PRACTICE?

 

Well, before I give you the formal definition, I just want to say that any good golfer is already familiar with the term or the concept of deliberate practice.

 

Do you think that a golfer scores below par for the course because he spends all his time practicing easy golf shots?  NO, that would be ludicrous. Great golfers practice, over and over and over, the most difficult shots, they work tirelessly to correct their weak points, their improper form.  This is the concept of deliberate practice, and deliberate practice is NOT fun.  Only the practice of easy shots, or re-learning what we already know, is FUN.

 

And ANKI definitely is a perfect example of DELIBERATE PRACTICE because ANKI faithfully, day after day, week by week, month after month after month, consistently ONLY asks you to practice what you DON'T already know.

 

And THIS very hard work, with no easy work, is what makes ANKI effective.

 

After stating the above, do you think it is really necessary for me to give you the formal definition of DELIBERATE PRACTICE?

YES!:  "Deliberate practice is defined as being effortful in nature, with the main goal of personal improvement of performance rather than enjoyment, and is often performed without immediate reward."

 

Therefore, Guys, when using the ANKI app, day after day, you WILL make RAPID progress. But, PLEASE, just be MINDFUL of the fact that DELIBERATE PRACTICE is NOT FUN.  If deliberate practice were fun, many more of us would consistently shoot under par, even on the more difficult golf courses.

 

For some reason, the process of memorization is not fun. If you do not agree with MHO, I respect your different point of view.

 

 

 

 

[bunnydrops]

ANKI is great. I have used it for years. Mostly now for studying Thai. In the past for Spanish and Trig. Not much help for those that are a bit ver·bose

[GammaGlobulin]

11 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

ANKI is great. I have used it for years. Mostly now for studying Thai. In the past for Spanish and Trig. Not much help for those that are a bit ver·bose

Thank you VERY much for your comment in support of my opinion concerning the many benefits of using the ANKI app.

 

As for verbosity, it's just not my bag, Man.

 

Speaking of mnemonic strategies for learning Trig functions:  What do you know about that teacher who was suspended for dancing in Math class while chanting...  SOH-CAH-TOA?    (ANKI is certainly safer than doing that!)

 

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2021/10/california-teacher-suspended-over-offensive-native-american-imitation.html

 

Thank you for your comment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

As promised above, attached here is a text file exported from ANKI showing the entire GRE MASTERLIST.

 

In fact, when you see the entire list, you will realize that this BARRON's GRE vocabulary list is, with a few rare exceptions, definitely a PIECE OF CAKE.

 

Therefore, anyone choosing to use this deck should be able to finish it posthaste.

 

And furthermore, if you are interested in blowing your mind memorizing some difficult English vocabulary, then you will need to search for a more difficult deck, using the ANKI search function.

 

Personally, I find this list to be kind of a letdown after all my unintended hype about it.

 

Still, this deck will definitely be useful for the many good non-native-English speakers who enjoy this Pub forum. And so, this deck is my gift to them. Please ENJOY your practice.

 

(I am really surprised by this list because I have come across far more challenging vocabulary prep lists for the GRE. And, call me lazy, but this is the first time I have exported this list from ANKY to a text file. Sorry about that!)

 

What we REALLY need in any suitable list are more words like EPISTEMOLOGY, and so many more.  Otherwise, such a list is just not worth its salt.  But that, ironically speaking, is just my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected Notes GRE MASTERLIST.txt

Edited July 5, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

In light of my previous comment, what is needed to play "The GAME", as originally proposed in the OP, is a more challenging wordlist for all the many wordsmiths either lurking or posting on the forum.

 

During the past hour, I have been googling a suitable list of ACADEMIC VOCABULARY composed of words that are critical for comprehension of academic writing at either the PhD level or the research level.

 

Of course, I am aware of the Academic Word List (AWL) compiled by A. COXHEAD, and copied by many in the year 2000. However, the AWL is quite short, and seems to be compiled for those non-native-English speakers, such as ESL learners preparing for TOEFL, who are about to enter their undergrad years at university.  Such a list is just completely unsuitable for playing The GAME.

 

I will continue to search for a better list of academic vocabulary. When I find a suitable list, I will create an ANKI flashcard deck, and publish it on ANKIWEB.

 

Better yet, I am quite certain there are those on this forum who already know of a FAR BETTER wordlist, even without searching the internet.

 

The list must be composed mostly of academic vocabulary which is commonly encountered in academic textbooks in the Social Sciences and the Natural Sciences, but NOT in Economics textbooks.  Economics, after all, is not a science.

 

If someone here can post an excellent wordlist in the comments, then I will use it in compiling a list to be published on ANKI.

 

If you know of a vocabulary list already existing on ANKIWEB, please link in the comments. That would be the preferable solution....(no need to reinvent the wheel, as they say).

 

Please kindly refer to this link if you wish to know more about COXHEAD and her AWL...  https://www.victoria.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/1626131/Coxhead-2000.pdf

 

She is a prof based in NZ, and she knows a heck of a lot about wordlists and also about ESL learners.  She is very well known and well respected in her field.

 

You will find that the AWL existed before her work, and that she seems to have worked on a New Academic Word List (NAWL).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[save the frogs]

sorry, have not used ANKI

but this may be of use, particularly to language learners.

 

there's an chrome extension called Talk-to-ChatGPT

and an app called Gliglish, an AI-based language teacher

 

she is having a conversation using these apps. 

you can program debates. 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Just now, save the frogs said:

sorry, have not used ANKI

but this may be of use, particularly to language learners.

 

there's an chrome extension called Talk-to-ChatGPT

and an app called Gliglish, an AI-based language teacher

 

she is having a conversation using these apps. 

you can program debates. 

 

 

Thank you, but this is not the resource I need to find a suitable wordlist composed of much more advanced Tier-2 and Tier-3 vocabulary.

 

Here, we are not really concerned with the teaching of language, nor the strategies for teaching languages, not the teaching of ESL students.

 

The interest here is in finding a suitable wordlist for use with the ANKI app, one which is advanced enough so that daily practice of such list will be interesting to native-English speakers.

 

If you have any suggestions, please post here.

 

And I will continue to search, as well.

 

It is possible that a suitable wordlist has already been created and posted on ANKIWEB.  If you know of one, that would also be helpful.

 

 

[save the frogs]

ok sorry.

i got nothing.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

14 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

ok sorry.

i got nothing.

 

OK...But...THANK YOU....and...I think I might have just found something of interest to "some" of the old geezers (like me, of course) in the Pub:

 

Here is a deck I found published on ANKIWEB.

 

The title of the flashcard deck is "Lifelong Learning - Advanced English Vocabulary"

 

The link for this deck which is a cinch to download and install on ANKI app is here:  https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1748072575

 

I have now downloaded and installed this deck on my ANKI app, and I have also exported the complete vocabulary contained therein to a text file, which I will attach to this comment.

 

As the title of this deck suggests, this wordlist might be suitable and interesting for many in the Pub.

However, if you ask my honest opinion, for many guys in their 60s and 70s, native-English speakers who have done a lot of reading throughout their lives, and also for the guys who love to do crosswords, this GRE-based wordlist will be anything BUT a fun challenge.

 

Fortunately, however, the attached vocabulary list DOES include the word "TURGID", because one of the commenters above implied that my writing style was verbose.  I would have preferred that he had used the more appropriate adjective, turgid, to describe my writing.  So, maybe the attached vocabulary list will be of some use to him.

 

In conclusion, If someone here believes that the attached LIFELONG-Learning-vocabulary offering might be of use, then download the flashcard deck, and have at it.  I am sure that some here will appreciate it.  (By the way, this flashcard deck is very long with 8000 entries, it seems, and it might take about a minute to download and install, as a result of its size.)

 

I do hope this deck might bring happiness to at least somebody here.

The creators of ANKI flashcard decks, some of them at least, truly do spend a great deal of effort, and hundreds of hours, if not thousands of hours, on deck creation before publishing on ANKIWEB.  So...thank you for your work!

 

 

 

 

Selected Notes LIFELONG LEARNING -Advanced English Vocabulary.txt

[save the frogs]

You want games?
I got a game.

Ladies & Germs ... 

expand your vocabulary with the Aseannow Vocabulary Multiple Choice Quiz Game Show!

 

Is GammaGobulin:

a) verbose

b) turgid

c) long-winded

d) bombastic

e) cheeky

 

[GammaGlobulin]

23 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

You want games?
I got a game.

Ladies & Germs ... 

expand your vocabulary with the Aseannow Vocabulary Multiple Choice Quiz Game Show!

 

Is GammaGobulin:

a) verbose

b) turgid

c) long-winded

d) bombastic

e) cheeky

 

You forgot item "f)"

 

f)  all of the above

 

But seriously, and thank you for your reply, I think I have hit upon a solution.

 

Please let me explain, if you have the time to listen.

 

aa.  First, I did as you suggested.  And it was a good suggestion. I DID consult an AI for guidance.  Unfortunately, Google's Bard was not much help. He just gave me the same old books I already knew.  And he also mentioned the Academic Word List (AWL), which I had spoken of in one of my previous comments.

 

However, after much discussion with Bard, he finally coughed up a wordlist of only 10 words which are these:

 

"I understand. Here are some more advanced vocabulary words that you might not know:

• adumbrate: (v.) to foreshadow or hint at something
• apperception: (n.) the process of understanding something through one's own experience
• circumspect: (adj.) cautious and wary
• conundrum: (n.) a difficult or puzzling problem
• discombobulate: (v.) to confuse or bewilder someone
• eldritch: (adj.) strange or unearthly
• esoterica: (n.) the study of esoteric subjects
• frivolity: (n.) the quality of being silly or trivial
• hermetic: (adj.) sealed or closed off from the outside world

These are just a few examples of the many advanced vocabulary words that are available. I hope this helps!"

 

Now, as you can see, I think Bard is really getting somewhere on this project.

 

For example, truth be told, I did not know the meaning of adumbrate and eldritch.  Therefore, I would most definitely add these two to my perfect MasterList for flashcard deck creation.

 

Therefore, again, thank you for your suggestion.

 

bb. But here is where your suggestion really paid off:

 

As soon as I thought about the idea of adding only the words I did not know to some grand vocabulary flashcard deck, it immediately hit me. It was a true Aha moment.

 

I was suddenly struck with the insight that I could create my OWN personal English vocabulary flashcard deck which would be more challenging to ME!

 

cc. Let me explain how you, TOO, can EASILY create your own personal ANKI English-vocabulary flashcard deck using the two GRE decks that I have already linked in my comments above:

 

a. Just download both text files.  (Importantly, the words adumbrate and eldritch are in these lists, BUT, most unfortunately, the word apperception is MISSING from the GRE lists.)

b. Next, import these two text files to your favorite spreadsheet program, and mine is GOOGLE SHEETS.

c. Then, methodically go down the list of about 12,000 entries, row by row, while deleting all vocabulary terms that you already know.  This might take only an hour of quick work.

d. After completing step, c, then you might be left with a few words, or more, depending. Let us say, for arguments sake, you are left with 500 words out of the original 12,000, that you do not know, and that is being very optimistic.  You can proceed on to step 'e'.

e. You really should have chosen GOOGLE SHEETS as your spreadsheet of choice.  Why?  Because, you need to be using GOOGLE SHEETS in order to upload your spreadsheet to the ANKI deck you are creating.  You just need to NAME your deck after clicking the CREATE DECK button. And then go to the IMPORT function.  And then upload your spreadsheet to the deck you just named and created.  

f. So, really, it's as simple as that.

g. But, your are NOT finished yet!

h. After you have your flashcard deck working on ANKI app, then you will probably want to add audio for each vocabulary term in your deck.

i. How To:  How to add audio to your flashcard deck?  It's easy. Just use the ANKI browser to open your deck, and then select ALL of the words in the deck. Then, just hit the ADD TTS AUDIO TO SELECTED NOTES button.  Here, you will see a menu giving you choices of various ROBOT VOICES.  I always choose Google Translate Voice, just because Google's Female Voice is better than that of BAIDU SPEECH or IBM Watson, to name but two of the many ROBOT VOICES available.

 

Well, there you have it, my friend.

 

This is the best and easiest way to create an ANKI flashcard deck containing all the GRE vocabulary that you might not know, and NONE of the GRE vocabulary that you already know.

 

 In my case, I have not yet tried to estimate, by careful analysis of the entire two posted text files, how many words I will have in my final and personal GRE-exam-related flashcard deck.  However, at the present time, as I write these words, I can only tell you that I only notice a very few that I am able to add to my personalized ANKI vocabulary flashcard deck.

 

I am not ashamed to list a few here.
I am old, and I am not so easily embarrassed by my ignorance, as I once may have been. That's just one of the many blessings of the aging process.

So here are a few....

 

Acarpous  (HaHaHa!  Even the spellchecker used on the forum does not recognize this word!  When I type acarpous, all I get is a long red line under acarpous. Really cracks me up!)

Arabesque  A posture in which the body is supported on one leg, with the other leg extended horizontally backward.

Luculent     (of writing or speech) clearly expressed.        Clear, lucid, crystal clear, limpid, pellucid, unambiguous

 

So, just guesstimating, which is not even a real word, I think my final vocabulary flashcard deck might have about 60 words in it.

 

Probably not worth the effort of creating and uploading an ANKI deck.

 

Still, there might be some useful words in the two text files that some might wish to use on this OP, such as the word...LOGORRHEA. I dunno, because I cannot speak for what words others might or might not wish to use here.

 

So, in conclusion, I think the two text files are still fun.

And, some of you might wish to upload the relevant decks which have already been created on ANKI.

 

Hey!

I spotted another word I am not sure about...

Sure, it is clear to all of us what the word lucid means...

But, the word PELLUCID?

Clearly, this is a word worth knowing....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[save the frogs]

33 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

eldritch: (adj.) strange or unearthly

haha. never heard that word.

i'm sure it's used in the harry potter books. 

[novacova]

OMef’nG! blow hard ????

[geisha]

16 hours ago, geisha said:

Oh my God, him again !!! 

That was meant for GammaGlobulin , sorry !!

[GammaGlobulin]

6 hours ago, geisha said:

That was meant for GammaGlobulin , sorry !!

No harm done.

All constructive comments are definitely welcome.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I believe I have found, after a laborious search, a flashcard deck which will not only be of interest to older folks on this forum, but may prove of some significant value to the youngsters here, as well.

 

This flashcard deck is all about learning "Greek and Latin root words (with English examples!)".

 

What is the justification for spending time learning Greek and Latin root words, I hear you asking:

 

"About 80 percent of the entries in any English dictionary are borrowed, mainly from Latin. Over 60 percent of all English words have Greek or Latin roots. In the vocabulary of the sciences and technology, the figure rises to over 90 percent. About 10 percent of the Latin vocabulary has found its way directly into English without an intermediary (usually French)". (Dictionary.com, October 2015)

 

Therefore, it seem only logical that those who seek to attain a better level of reading comprehension will be interested in using such a flashcard deck as this to improve their understanding of English vocabulary by spending time memorizing Greek and Latin roots.

 

During my time in the city where I live, I often see old farang men sitting in coffee shops for hours and hours, gassing away about nothing in particular, and every time I pass by one of these coffee shops, I am reminded of a gaggle of hens. Yet, it need not be this way.  If only each of these guys were to bring their phones with the ANKI app installed, they could actually improve their minds through the memorization of Greek and Latin roots. And, no longer would they feel such guilt at whiling away their lives, gassing, without much to show for it at the end of each day.

 

For the youngsters here, even the very young, we know that learning Latin and Greek roots early in life can pay off big dividends when these kids begin Med School, or even when they begin their science classes in high school.  Maybe this list is a bit too long for the young ones, but, the beauty of the ANKI app is that it is easily customizable.  And, with just a bit of time and effort, one can choose the roots one wants to learn most.  

 

In my humble opinion, this flashcard deck is the best I have found on ANKIWEB for learning Greek and Latin roots. But, please feel free to search for a better one if you do not wish to take my word for it.

 

Here is the link to this flashcard deck:  https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1805911436

 

I have already installed this deck on my ANKI app, and I have found that there is no audio function included. And, in my opinion, audio is not actually that helpful, anyway, for Greek and Latin roots memorization.  We all know that Latin is a dead language, after all! 

 

As I have previously done with the three (or was it two) other ANKI flashcard decks I linked above, I will export from ANKI a text file comprised of ALL of the cards in this deck and attach the text file to this comment.

 

You may be surprised, but I once had a Chinese student who had memorized an impressive list of Greek and Latin roots. She became a true whizz at correctly guessing some rather abstruse vocabulary that she had never seen before.  In fact, she, when she was just about to graduate 12th-grade, put me to shame, vocabularily speaking.  Where is she now?  She is going gangbusters at a top university in the USA, some school like U. South Carolina, maybe.

 

Therefore, my advice is, when sitting in a coffee shop near the back gate of CMU, pull out your phone and use ANKI to review just five or ten minutes of Greek and Latin Roots.  Five a day just might keep the doctor away..

 

It might take you only 10 minutes, total, to download the ANKI app to your phone, and then add this deck to your ANKI app.

 

If you do not like this flashcard deck, then there are thousands of others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected Notes LATIN AND GREEK ROOTS.txt

[Farmerslife]

Prolixity, Mr.G? Is there a concise version of your OP?

 

I fear my presence on this thread is but that of an ultracrepidarian. 

[GammaGlobulin]

6 hours ago, Farmerslife said:

ultracrepidarian

Thank you for this word, ultracrepidarian, which is a perfect example why we need to use the "LATIN and GREEK ROOTS" flashcard deck which I linked in a comment above, together with the entire number of entries for this flashcard deck attached as a text file.  https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1805911436

 

"Origin

early 19th century: from Latin ultra ‘beyond’ and crepida ‘shoe, sandal’, with allusion to the remark ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret ‘the cobbler should not judge beyond his shoe’, attributed to the painter Apelles of Kos in response to criticism from a shoemaker in Pliny the Elder's Natural History (AD 77)." (https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/)

 

Concerning a more concise version of the Original Post, perhaps I will edit it down a bit, and then re-post it in a future comment on this thread.

Still, all in all, I feel that, for my taste, the Original Post is already abbreviated enough, as is.

 

Thank you for your suggestion, however!!!

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by GammaGlobulin