by 19 people |
Sound Smarter Today!
Ever feel like you were out of the loop in a conversation? Do you wish people would think that you were smarter than you actually are? Well you are in luck! Now you can appear to be more intelligent with a few easy tricks.
MAJOR UPDATE COMING SOON SO STAY TUNED!!!
MAJOR UPDATE COMING SOON SO STAY TUNED!!!
MAJOR UPDATE COMING SOON SO STAY TUNED!!!
NEW SECTION:
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY GET AWAY WITH MADE UP WORDS! (under vocabulary section)
Recently Added:
It's vs. Its
Sound smart in this lens:
1) Your Appearance
2) Conversations
3) Vocabulary
4) Good Grammar
5) Quotes
6) Pi
7) Rubik's Cube
Your Appearance
Look smarter, feel smarter
Conversations
Here are a few suggestions:
Politics:
I know very little about politics. But in order to counter this, I learn about a topic very well, like global warming for example. Thus, let's say people are talking about politics,
I'll change the subject and start discussing global warming, which I know a lot about.
Read up on Global Warming
News:
This one is pretty simple. Don't want to be bothered by reading newspapers or watching the news. Don't worry, this is were late night television comes in to play. Usually, the opening monologue of a late night talk show host will poke fun at current events topics. So go ahead and watch some Letterman or Leno or Conan or Kimmel, it'll do you good and make you laugh as well.
Sports
My peers often talk about sports, which is unfortunate for me because I do not follow them. I did, however, follow it about 10 years ago, I any knowledge I have from back then, I use.
For example, if someone is talking about how amazing of a baseball player Albert Pujols is, I'll automatically compare him to Luis Sojo. I can probably succesfully compare Luis Sojo to any player from any sport, but that takes talent.
Some more tips!
Using the term "In and of itself" is very important. In fact, correct usage of the word is not in and of itself important, but the mere fact that you use it is vital.
Read the rules
Some Smart Books!
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
Every time I pass by this book in the bookstore, I always want to by it. It is about a guy who tries to read the entire encyclopedia, from volume A-Z. Somebody please read it and tell me how it is!
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Amazon Price: (as of 01/01/2010) 
Mental Floss Presents Condensed Knowledge: A Deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again
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Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 01/01/2010)
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How To Impress Anybody: Sound Smarter Than You Are About Everything from Aerodynamics to Zen Buddhism
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Amazon Price: $16.00 (as of 01/01/2010)
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Vocabulary
A tip: Try to find words that are interesting and fun sounding. Those will be easier to memorize. (for example: spoonerism, bombinate)
In order to find more words, check out Word of the Day Archive and click on a random month.
Here are a few to get you started: (from dictionary.com)
felicitous: apt or appropriate; also, delightful.
didactic: conveying instruction; teaching some moral lesson.
paragon: a model of excellence or perfection.
quixotic: foolishly impractical; also, capricious, impulsive.
hector: to bully or harass.
bombinate:to buzz, hum, or drone.
New Word of the Day
Make Up Words!
For example in Jason Mraz's song 'I'd Do Anything' he sings, "Ain't no thing. I can be lacubrious with you.
Now, "lacubrious" is not a real word, but he passes it off as it is.
But that won't work in conversation.
In conversation you need pair it off with an antonym
For Example
"Lying in the park all of yesterday, I felt nothing but lackadaisical and lacubrious.
Keep in mind, lackadaisical is a real word, and by pairing it off with lacubrious, it gives an impression that they are both real words
Go ahead, try it!
365 New Words-A-Year Page-A-Day Calendar 2007
Some people have comic strip page-a-day calendars. Impress your coworkers by showing off your smarts!
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100 Words To Make You Sound Smart
Don't want to search through dictionary.com? Here are some handy words already compiled for you!
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Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 01/01/2010)
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Good Grammar
1) Who vs. Whom
An epic battle indeed, with Who usually ending up the victor. But, it is very important to learn this correctly. 'Who is used when regarding the subject of a sentence, while 'Whom ' is used regarding the object of a sentence.
To figure out which is the correct form if you are in doubt, just simply substitute the 'he/him' instead of "who/whom." If 'he' fits, then 'who' is the correct form. If 'him' fits, then 'whom is the correct form.
For example:
Who wants free money?
He wants free money, so 'Who' is correct
Whom can we point at and laugh?
We can point and laugh at him, so 'Whom' is correct
Click here for more practice!
2) Good vs. Well
This one isn't too bad.
Simply put:
Good is an adjective, which describes a noun or pronoun
Well is an adverb, which describes verbs
Some examples:
I write well
The food was good
3) It's vs. Its
I actually never bothered to actually learn the rules of this one until a few months ago, and I'm really glad that I did. For the most part, the average person doesn't know the difference, but you want to be better than average, right? Right.
It's is a contraction of it has of it is
Its is a possessive pronoun.
(note: usually when a word is in the possessive form, it contains an apostrophe such as the duck's. Here, even though it is possessive, there is no apostrophe.
Examples:
1) It's a great day to be me.
(contraction of it is)
2) The duck didn't recognize its friend, the dog.
(possessive form of the word)
Soon to be added!
effect vs. affect
More to come!
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
A great book on punctuation!
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Amazon Price: $8.64 (as of 01/01/2010)
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Quotes!
When I mean quotes, I am not referring to movies or television quotes. Everybody knows those. I mean profound ones, or at least profound sounding (Don't worry if they don't makes sense to you, they probably won't make sense to the recipient either)
Don't want to go through the hassle of memorizing quotes? Make up your own! And attribute them to someone else! (someone made up, you don't want to fake quote Mark Twain and have someone call you on it)
Example:
"Yeah, I forgot who said it, I think it was Roger Tome, but "The bane of mankind is the rise of the ego"
Or something like that
Quotable Quotes
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/31/2009)
The Wise and Witty Quote Book: More than 2000 Quotes to Enlighten, Encourage, and Enjoy
Amazon Price: (as of 12/31/2009)
Mankind's Greatest Quotes: Mankind's Wisdom from Aristotle to Zimmerman
Amazon Price: $11.95 (as of 12/31/2009)
Great Quotes from Great Leaders
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
Pi
Inedible but just as delicious
For some reason, people are genuinely impressed when someone can recite the many digits of pi. I highly suggest memorizing it to 50 places. Having trouble memorizing it? Relax, it takes time. Don't rush yourself.Once you memorize it, you will need to insert it into everyday conversation. There are a few simple ways to do this.
1. If someone talks about pie, the baked good, your window of opportunity has opened. Go for it!
2. Instead of saying, "Going to the movies is 10x better than reading a book" say, "Going to the movies is 3.14 times better than reading a book" Someone will undoubtedly try to show you up by reciting pi to as much as they know. The will, for example say, "Don't you mean 3.141592653?" To which you reply, "No, I meant 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971" Your awesomeness will prevail.
Go here to start memorizing!
This band has a song about Pi. Useful for memorizing
A cute and clever song about Pi
Pi Products
The Joy of Pi
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Amazon Price: $10.08 (as of 12/31/2009)
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Magnum, P.I. - The Complete First Season
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Amazon Price: $47.49 (as of 12/31/2009)
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Rubik's Cube
Easier than you think
Rubik's cubes are a great way to impress people. They look complicated when in reality they are simple enough for one to be decent at solving. There are many guides online that teach one how the tips and tricks of solving one. It does take some practice and memorization. However, the reward will be great. People will definitely think that you are smart. There is one problem, though. You might come across someone who will solve it faster than you. I am that guy. So be careful when you unleash your abilities.Check Out My Lens On The Rubik's Cube!!
Read about the history of the Rubik's Cube
A great solution guide
A great site on speedcubing
Rubik's Cube
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Amazon Price: $10.77 (as of 01/01/2010)
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Winning Moves Rubix Cube 3X3 1 ea
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Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 01/01/2010)
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Give Me Feedback!
Let me know what you think, what you would like to see
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- tdove tdove Jan 19, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
- Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!
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- gpower2llc gpower2llc Jun 23, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
- Good stuff! Thank you.
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- marieke marieke Jun 20, 2007 @ 5:27 am
- I like your lens!
And if people sound smarter they can get famous on the internet. See my Squidoo page.
:-)
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- neiimii neiimii Jun 9, 2007 @ 7:34 am
- Great lens, 5 stars from me! Check out my lens at Nintendo Interactive Gaming
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- Oosquid Oosquid Jun 9, 2007 @ 5:26 am
- An essential lens because everyone should learn to talk proper like what I do! 5 stars.
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