Verbal Succ ess Power ®

Words Course
By: Greg Ragland
Organized by: Osama Bin Amer
LESSON 1
In this lesson, we are going to look at
vocabulary words that denote polite behavior.
These words are civil, courteous,
and cordial. Each of these words means
“polite,” but are used in more nuanced and
specific ways than simply saying “polite.”
When you act civil toward another person,
you are polite, but in a rather cold and formal
way. Two people who don’t like each other
may act civil, but not friendly, toward one another.
If you want to say “genuinely polite and considerate,” you should use the word
courteous. When someone is described as courteous, it implies that the person
has good manners and consideration for others.
The word cordial goes beyond the word courteous when speaking about
politeness and good manners. Someone who is cordial with others is polite, and
also warm and friendly. Cordial can also be somewhat formal, especially when
used as an adverb. An invitation to a party or event may say, “You are cordially
invited,” which means, “You are formally (and warmly) invited.”
So, if you were asked how you feel about your new coworker, and the two of
you were polite, but didn’t particularly like each other, you may reply, “We’re
civil to one another.”
If you were describing someone who is genuinely polite and considerate, you
would say the person is courteous.
And if you were describing a warm, though somewhat formal, relationship
between two people, you would describe it as cordial.

LESSON 2
Do you know a more sophisticated way of saying 100% certain? Here are two
great words to know: Categorical and unequivocal.
If something is categorical, it is certain, absolute, and without possibility of
change. Often in the media, we hear of somebody categorically denying
something, which means denying it completely and unconditionally, without
any qualifications; it is a complete and total denial. Categorical is often used to
reject any suggestion of guilt or involvement in something nefarious (bad), as
in, “I categorically deny any involvement in these plans.” Unequivocal means
that something is completely clear, with no room for any misunderstanding. If
you give someone an unequivocal answer to a question, your answer can’t
possibly be misinterpreted. Unequivocally is best used to describe how you will
answer a question. If you answer a question unequivocally, you are not trying
to hide anything (or equivocate)--you are being straight, clear and forthright.
To recap: Politicians are known for avoiding straight answers. If a politician is
asked a “yes-or-no” question, but he or she fails to provide a yes or no answer,
you could say, “Why can’t he just answer the question unequivocally (without
room for misinterpretation), with a yes or no answer?” If a politician is asked if
he had been involved in a scandal, he would probably say”NO, I categorically
(absolutely) deny any involvement.”

LESSON 3
If, in a court of law, you were categorically and unequivocally denying guilt, you
would be attesting to your innocence. What are some other words you might
use to declare, state, or prove that something is true? The
words attest, assert, affirm, aver, avow and contend are used to formally
state that something is true, often in an official capacity.
Attest can refer to giving testimony in a court of law. Attest is also used to
mean that something has shown something else to be true, correct, or genuine.
For example, “I can attest to his talent,” or, “His career success attests to his
talent.” Attest is similar in meaning to assert, affirm, aver, and avow (all “a”
words).
To assert means, “To declare boldly, forcefully, and categorically.” Sometimes
you need to assert your point of view, so that people will respect you and
believe you. You can also assert yourself if you’re trying to gain respect and
recognition. For example, a new employee might assert him or herself in a
meeting, by confidently putting forth new ideas. To affirm means confirm or
corroborate that something is true. “No one believed that there was an accident
until I affirmed I saw it happen.”
Aver means “to state confidently.” When you aver something you have verified
the truth and veracity of your statement, and you know it to be 100% certain.
Avow is similar to aver because it also means “to state that something is true,”
but avow is best used to state, and often to admit, guilt or culpability.
Avow should be used to state an open declaration. Here’s an example of correct
usage for attest and avow: “I attest that he is innocent and was with me last
night.” “I avow that I am guilty of the crime.” Again, avow tends to be used to
state guilt or to acknowledge something bad.
Finally, contend means to maintain or assert you point of view. While the “a”
words we just discussed simply denote stating or declaring something, when
you contend something, you may have to argue in defense of your statement.
For instance, “I disagree with your view, and I contend that democracy will
spread around the world.”

LESSON 4
In lesson you will learn words that describe freeing someone of
guilt? Exculpate, exonerate, vindicate and absolve are words you can use in
the context of freeing or relieving someone.
Exculpate means, “to free from guilt.” You may have heard the Latin phrase
mea culpa, which translates to “my guilt, my fault,” and you have most likely
heard the word culprit, “someone who is guilty.” To exculpate is “to free from
guilt.” Exculpate and its synonym absolve are formal terms. Exculpate is often
used in legalese to discuss release from blame, while absolve is often used in
the religious setting to forgive someone’s sins.
Exonerate is similar to exculpate in its meaning, “to absolve of guilt,” but
exonerate also means “to release from an obligatory debt or duty.” Exonerate
essentially means “to clear.” For example, “The judge exonerated (cleared) him
of all charges and related punishment.”
To vindicate is to clear someone of guilt or suspicion. Vindication refers to the
evidence used to vindicate someone. For a memory trick, note how vindicate
sounds a little like “win the case.” If you win your court case, you will be
vindicated and proven to be free from blame in a court of law. When a judge
exonerates (frees, clears) someone of all wrongdoing, he also vindicates that
person.
To recap: If you wanted to say “free from all blame,” in a very formal way, you
would use the word exculpate. In a trial court, a jury would exonerate someone
if they thought he or she was not guilty of committing a crime. The evidence
presented to the jury would vindicate the defendant. The person would be freed
and absolved of participation in the crime.

LESSON 5
In this lesson, we’ll focus on words used to describe a difficult situation or
problem. These words are: quandary, predicament, dilemma and conundrum.
Quandary is a good word to use when faced with a problem that has no easy
solution. If you had a quandary on your hands, you would have a hard time
making a decision. Quandary is similar to predicament and dilemma, with
slightly different applications.
Predicament is best used to denote a situation that is difficult to get out of.
Dilemma is best used to denote a situation where you have to make a difficult
decision between two alternatives. Quandary is best used to describe a state of
not being able to make a decision.
A conundrum is an intricate and difficult problem with a seemingly impossible
solution.
One more word to note here is qualm. A qualm is the feeling of doubt or
uneasiness that you feel when faced with a quandary, predicament, dilemma or
conundrum.
Let’s review: If you flew to Chicago to give an important presentation, but you
forgot your presentation slides back at your office, you would be in a ---
predicament (difficult situation). If you were responsible for hiring a new
employee and you liked two candidates equally, this would be a ---- dilemma
(difficult choice). If you received two great job offers and you could not, for the
life of you, decide which one to take, you would be in a real ---- quandary (state
of not being able to make a decision). And finally, making last minute travel
plans during the holidays can prove to be a real ---- conundrum (difficult
problem).

LESSON 6
In this lesson we will review two words you should use when discussing the
gathering of information: cull and glean.
Cull is a phrasal verb, which means that it is always used in the context of
culling something from something else. When you cull information, you collect
and gather information from various places. Another definition of cull is “to
remove selected things,” so when culling information, you could look at it as
discarding worthless or unnecessary information, and keeping only the
important information about a particular thing. A systems analyst, for
example, may cull information from extensive data to form a concise report.
Glean is used in a similar way, but refers specifically to obtaining small
amounts of information about something, over some time. When you glean
information, you may have a hard time putting together the whole story. For
example, “From what I was able to glean, we may be firing our ad agency, but I
don’t have all the information yet, so I’m not sure.”
To recap: Use the verb cull when you are gathering information from various
sources to put together the full story. Use the verb glean when you have only
limited information, obtained over a period of time, and you don’t necessarily
know all the facts.

LESSON 7
In this last lesson, we will review two verbs that mean explain. These two verbs
are elucidated and illuminate. Elucidate is related to the English word lucid,
meaning “clear and easy to understand.” When you elucidate something, you
make it more clear and easy to understand. Elucidate is a good word to use
when you want to sound a little more formal or sophisticated. For instance, “I
didn’t quite get your point. Could you elucidate?” Both lucid and elucidate are
derived from the same Latin word that means, “Light.” So, when you elucidate,
you shine light on something that was previously dark or unclear, so now it is
clear and easily understood. In the same vein, illuminate means “to shed light
on something,” both in the literal and figurative sense. The adjective
illuminating is also great to use when describing something that provides
information to make something easier to understand, as in, “That article
provided some illuminating (clarifying) information on the reasons for the
recession.” To recap, use elucidate to say, “clarify” and use illuminating to say,
“Clarifying.”