Story of the Day 4/ 30/ 2012

It is important to have a good vocabulary.

I was helping Sarah study for her Etymology test. Helping means I hold up flashcards and she signs what the word means to me.
One of the words she has is " affectation".

I explained how it works, to her.

Today, a man called me to ask some questions. His new son had failed his infant hearing screening test. t
Twice.
He was concerned about what to do. He wanted to make sure he sounded intelligent about everything.
He was careful to refer to the next step, the test, by the correct name. The BSE ( Brain Stem evoke ) test- which actually has more than one name. And he was also very concerned , because , as he told me, they ( at the hospital) would have to " seduce " his kid for the test.

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"He meant to say 'sedate'". I explained" But he would have come off as more intelligent if he had stuck to simpler vocabulary and used it correctly. You know, the word 'sleep'.