CPE VOCABULARY IN PICTURES

 Let´s put your vocabulary to the test. Can you name these? Give it a try.

Check your answers in our Pictionary Page.

Visit our Facebook Page for more free activities.

Read More →

On Concision

Concreteness, compactness, concision--put it any way you like--is something that good writing is based on. Or you may call it, as Jacques Barzun did in the title and content of an important book, “Simple and Direct,” which comes pretty much to the same thing. I myself have always been astonished at an overstuffed sentence and inscrutable paragraph, wondering about how many respectable authors can lack clarity and require poring over a certain piece of their writing, sometimes in vain..

There are of course subjects that are beyond the comprehension of the general reader (though not as many as one might think), but I am concerned with matters that could be made perfectly clear, but egregiously aren’t.

To be sure, there have been great writers to whom long and complicated sentences came naturally—one thinks of Proust and Henry James, for example—and who could get away with it. Yet that is mostly in fiction, whereas I am thinking chiefly of exposition.

But not exclusively.  Even in verse, for instance, how powerful through its brevity is William Norman Ewer’s poem running thus in its entirety: “How odd/ Of God/ To choose/The Jews.” I am, of course, not advocating that all poems should be four lines of monometer, but merely instancing a salient example of what concision can do.

Everyone concedes that concision is mandatory in the witty retort. Famously, when the Earl of Sandwich said to John Wilkes, “’Pon my honor, Wilkes, I don’t know whether you’ll die on the gallows or of the pox,” Wilkes replied, “That must depend, my Lord, upon whether I first embrace your Lordship’s principles or your Lordship’s mistresses.” This could be even more compact without the “must” or the plural “mistresses,” but much depends precisely on a mere two extra syllables to make the answer that much stronger.

 That kind of economy--mandatory in the retort, aphorism or epigram--can be just as effective in various kinds of writing. While we are at it, isn’t it interesting that under he entry “Concision,” the Heritage Dictionary offers a bit from, of all people, Henry James: “the quick, direct discrimination of this eye, which explains the vivid concision of his descriptions.”

Even the fact that we have such synonyms or near-synonyms as concise, terse, pregnant, testifies to the importance of the matter. Here let me recall the most famous historic instance of concision, Julius Caesar’s “Veni, vidi, vinci,” which echoes down the centuries undiminished in stature. And it behooves us to remember that Caesar was, among other things, quite a writer. By the way, in that verbal triangulation, while “I came” and “I conquered” are potent enough, it is the “I saw” that is the most unexpected, most striking, and most suggestive of all.

The next most famous piece of historic concision is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, whose terseness stood out even more powerfully coming after Everett’s lengthy oration. Granted, concision is not easy. Recall Woodrow Wilson’s “If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.”

The opposite of “concise” is, of course, “verbose,” and we know, or ought to know, how insulting that is when judiciously applied. It was of David Copperield that Robert Graves pointed out that, just by cutting every “little,” it could be made, I forget exactly how many pages shorter. That was a reflection mostly on Dickens’s sentimentality, but, indirectly, also on his wordiness. And for lack of concision in speech, we have terms like garrulity, loquacity, talkativeness and, if you look up the last-named in the dictionary, a bunch of other synonyms. Needless to say, what is offensive in speech is just as culpable in writing, probably even more so.

Admittedly, there are some specious excuses, such as your writing being paid by the word inducing you to become wordier. But that is surely a shabby excuse, even granting that in our culture, or lack thereof, writing can be shamelessly underpaid. The sound of one’s own voice, whether in talk or in writing, makes for a poor love object, as even unsophisticated hearers or readers will readily concede. Absolved only is dramatic effect, as when in “King Lear” the word “kill” or the word “never” is repeated several times; extreme rage and extreme grief are accorded the privilege of such iteration, on the stage as in life.

In any case, repetition is not the same as prolixity. The former will make you boring, but it is the latter that makes you inept. There are further possible reasons for verbosity. Greed, flattery, evasiveness, mendacity and other undesirables come to mind. To return to “King Lear,” it is the unloving daughters that are wordmongers; the loving daughter is wonderfully concise.

 I forget who it was that summarized the play as “a man has three daughters, which proves sufficient to drive him insane.” That kind of concisions—except when, as here, as a joke—is manifestly undesirable. And for comic purposes, verbosity can be immensely effective. Think of Polonius or, better yet, of Cyrano in the monologue of the nose. Conversely, though, there is the line in a play that—quite undeservedly—always gets a laugh. It is when, after some long, rambling speech by one character, another replies with “No shit?” Although the terseness there is reinforced by scatology, I consider it no laughing matter.

But there is also love. Lovers are traditionally allowed, or even expected, to give vent to their emotions in a flow, even torrent, of impassioned words. Here eloquence, rhetoric, hyperbole, and all kinds of high-flown comparisons tend to be pardoned, whether in writing, utterance, or artful susurration. All this, however, only for the beloved person’s eye or ear; everyone else’s stomach might be justified in turning.

But I must stop before readers of this blog post accuse me of lack if concision.

Read More →

CAE/ CPE Using synonyms

Using synonyms is a good way to improve your speaking and writing. In the CAE and CPE exams try to use synonyms when writing to avoid repetition, show off your high level of English and make a good impression on the examiner. 

Writing exercise.

Rewrite the following, using synonyms for nice: 

Yesterday was very nice. I had a nice meal at a nice restaurant with some very nice people.

I had a whale of a time yesterday. I had a delicious meal in a posh/5-star restaurant with some enchanting/charming people.

*Adapted from "Speak Out" by Frances Eales and Steve Oakes.

Read More →

The $63,000 Question

Today we are going to talk a bit about value. Tulane's got a pretty hefty price tag, as you probably know by now. It's similar to other private schools in cost, and we do all we can to provide our students with a substantial amount of both need based and merit based aid. But when all is said and done, what really makes the price you pay for a Tulane degree worth the financial investment? We all know getting a college degree is mega important. So here are a few of the many reasons why I truly believe the investment you make in Tulane is both long-lasting and exceptionally worthwhile. For more value-based stuff to check out, see our 4More micosite we just launched.

Real life prep in the classroom, too- like our trading class,
where you trade a million bucks of the University's endowment! 

1) Real life prep. Tulane goes to great lengths to make sure we get you prepared for life after college. Whether its our success coaches or our Career Services Center, Tulane comes up with creative and innovative ways to make sure when your four years are up, you have options lined up for you. I'll give you a great example of this- last month we held our second annual Career Wave here on campus. Career Wave is a day-long event here on campus that brings big name speakers and hosts a slew of networking events, career panels and brainstorming sessions for future grads. We had people from the NBA, the NFL, Gilt Group, Saks, LinkedIN, you name it. Check out this video of the day's events here. I even make a cameo!

2) The Tulane Network. Last week, our students heard from Tulanians who are making it in the sports management field. This week, Tulane will host a "Tulane to Hollywood" panel. Executives from The Weinstein Company, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, CBS and many others will be on campus to share their tips with our students as to how to be successful in the entertainment industry. Interested in a career in Social Justice? There's a panel for that this week as well. Thinking about taking your career international when you gradate? We've got you covered next week too. I am telling you, Tulane truly goes to great lentghts to expose you to a wealth of career options and ways to expand your network right here on campus.

3) 5th Year Masters. So a career may not be the first thing you want once graduation comes? No problem. Thanks to Tulane 5th year masters programs, our students can stay one additional year and graduate with a masters in a field of their choice. From English to Accounting, Biomedical Engineering to Finance, we will advise you through the whole process to make your resume that much stronger and your education base that much broader. You can find out more here. Bonus- the 5th year is at a discounted tuition!

4) Advisers. From the get-go at Tulane, we have you covered when it comes to advisers. We're not going to hold your hand here (no college should) but we are going to be sure that any time you need help or need guidance, we are here for you. That starts with your academic advisor who will help you in everything from registering for classes to finding a future career. Don't know what you want to study? Our Exploratory Studies program will expose you to everything we have to offer. Past that, you'll have the opportunity to meet with a success coach here at Tulane. I can't tell you enough how valuable and helpful our success coaches are. From help with declaring a major to navigating the world of internships, our coaches are truly here to help you with all things that life throws at you. See more about them here.

Seriously, our advisors are great. You'll meet with yours at New Student Orientation in June, like these 2017ers did.

5) An alumni base like no other. 120,000 alumni all over the world. Alumni clubs in 68 domestic cities. And a national name brand that carries a lot of weight. Because so many students travel so far to attend Tulane (the average freshman comes from 944 miles away!) so many travel far when they graduate. You'd be hard-pressed to find an alumni base at any school that is as broad and wide as Tulane's. From Crawfish boils for thousands of alumni in NYC to networking events for the film industry in LA, Tulane's alumni are always ready to throw their resources (and job openings) right back at Tulane undergrads.

6) Flexibility- I think this is one of Tulane's best selling points. As an applicant, you can apply directly into any of our five undergraduate schools, or you can apply as undecided. We don't view the applications any differently, and you are not at a disadvantage if you apply as undecided. Once you get on campus, we keep that same flexibility for our students. You are welcome to take courses across all five schools in any major you choose. When you know what you want to study, you just tell your academic advisor and you are automatically in that school. You'll never have to apply to be in the Business School or apply to be pre-med, for example; all majors and schools are open to everyone. This leads to around 40% of our students double majoring (or even triple!) and allows for flexibility in your academic experience, because after all, 70% of college students will change their major at least once. I changed my major 3 times when I was a student at Tulane (and even more in my head!) and still had no problem double majoring in four years.

Just six quick things I think truly show the value of a Tulane degree. Now that I think about it, this will likely be a part of a series- we haven't even gotten into our size, professor accessibility,  research, New Orleans, etc. There are so many great attributes at Tulane that make this place worth every penny.

Here's one of my fraternity brothers, Brett, back in town recruiting for his Bloomberg. Our alumni love to hire our grads.

Read More →

Topic 91. If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask? Why?

If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask? Why? Use specific
reasons and details to support your answer.

Sample essay.

If I had the opportunity to sit down and meet one of my idols or heroes, I could come up with
hundreds of questions to find out what they did to get where they are, but in particular I like to
have asked Helen Keller, what would she have made of the technology available today to blind
and deafblind individuals?

When Helen Keller was nineteen months old, a serious illness almost took her life. She survived
the disease had left her both blind and deaf. Her education contributed to her first teacher, Anne
Sullivan. Anne taught Helen to finger spell, and manage to let her understand the meaning of
words. Imagine how hard it is for a person both blind and deaf to relate words with real world
objects, although she never had a chance to see those objects!

Another teacher Mary Swift Lamson who over the coming year was to try and teach Helen to
speak. This was something that Helen desperately wanted and although she learned to understand
what somebody else was saying by touching their lips and throat, her efforts to speak herself
proved to be unsuccessful. However, Helen moved on to the Cambridge School for Young Ladies
and later entered Radcliff College, becoming the first deaf blind person to have ever enrolled at an
institution of higher learning.

After World War Two, Helen spent years traveling the world fundraising for the American
Foundation for the Overseas Blind. They visited Japan, Australia, South America, Europe and
Africa. Her hard work and achievements was widely recognized throughout the world, and she
was acknowledged as "the Miracle Worker".

If Helen Keller were born today her life would undoubtedly have been completely different. Her
life long dream was to be able to talk, something that she was never really able to master. Today
the teaching methods exist that would have helped Helen to realize this dream. What would Helen
have made of the technology available today to blind and deaf blind individuals? Technology of
today has enabled blind and deaf blind people, like Helen, to communicate directly, and
independently, with anybody in the world.

Read More →

Why Religion?

What is religion really about, and do we truly need it? An atheist wonders and asks these fundamental questions.

Obviously, a thinking person has to wonder why the universe exists, and, concomitantly, why does mankind? Also, why here on earth and, apparently, nowhere else? Which, of course, raises the consequent question: Is there a God? That may be where questioning must begin.

First of all, why should there be monotheism rather than polytheism, which satisfied humanity for so many centuries? And why has religion taken, as it still does, so many different, contradictory forms? And why has this diversity begotten so many atrocities, from the Inquisition to suicide bombing, from wars to more wars?

Furthermore, why does the Judeo-Christian Bible (there are others) state that God created Man in his image, which, among other consequences, has given rise to much laughter among the many who have sneered at the representation of God as a fatherly, white-bearded gentleman seated on a throne and exuding either severity or benevolence. Yet this would be the image in which we are created.

I have tended to concentrate my astonishment, for need of focus, on T. S. Eliot, a man of talent and intelligence, perhaps even genius, who went from making fun of the Church to becoming a good Anglican, ostensibly believing in such things as heaven and hell.

Now, heaven and hell may have had some credibility before astronomy and geology, not to mention space travel, became what they now are. Search the heavens, as we now can, for a place called Paradise; the earth, for a place called Hell. Nothing bib- lical anywhere.

Nietzsche and his likes came up with the idea that God was dead. Where then is his grave? On the highly questionable notion that the Almighty could die, some trace of his tomb must exist somewhere. But where?

I know well enough what religious belief is for. We all want to belong to a community, or fraternity, or club, to counteract isolation, loneliness, dejection. That is what, undeservedly, makes a Church so attractive. Yet just because I pray and sing hymns with a bunch of others, are they really my kin? Do they give a rap about me and I about them? Anyway, how much do we really share with Muslims, Buddhists and so many diverse religions differing from ours? And does either sharing or not sharing make us right?

Clearly, religion has its uses. Chiefly because without it, humans would be even less well-behaved, law-abiding. governable; have less of a sense of right and wrong, good and evil, and lack a moral directive. But then why does so much evil exist nonetheless, how could a civilized nation have perpetrated the Holocaust, and how can to this day so many deny that it ever existed? Persons who are not manifest idiots.

To be sure, there is all that stuff about free will with which God allegedly endowed us. But how free is free? Free to declare something white black or vice versa? Free to dispute that one plus one make two? To believe in the resurrection of the body after it has been cremated or rotted underground? Has there not always been a great contradiction between going to heaven upon death or not until Judgment Day?

That clever cuss, Tertullian, came up with the notion of faith as belief in the unprovable, of “credo quia absurdum,” which is why it is called faith, because it takes absurd things to be true—on faith. Nice enough, but that means that we can throw logic out the window, doesn’t it?

Granted religion, especially Roman Catholicism, is a kind of free spectacle for the poor, who cannot afford the real theater. Well, if it is really that sort of art for art’s sake, how can it have anything to do with God?

Still and all, why does the world exist? Why do we exist? How can we have developed so much knowledge and knowhow, so much philosophy and science? How come there are no motorcars on Mars?

There is no incontrovertible explanation for these things, despite the many millennia of time to come up with indisputable answers, which would seem like an argument for agnosticism rather than atheism. That, however, means ignorance about basic matters, and is ignorance really bliss? The very least God could have done for us is instill in us belief in his existence. Yet just to think of the multitude who still capitalize the noun and pronoun pertaining to him. How absurd!

Let me cite one significant example. A man as smart as William Buckley responded to my letter of condolence at the decease of his wife with the declaration that he could not go on living without his belief in an otherworldly reunion with her. This from a highly educated, extremely intellectual human being! Was one to pity him? Envy him? Ignore him?

What can certainly be said for religion is that it has inspired some very great music, painting, sculpture, and literature. That is, even if not necessarily voluntary, a huge gift bestowed on us. But are we to carry gratitude to the point of irrationality? Or do you really believe that God sees the sins—even the tiniest peccadilloes—of billions of human beings and lets them get away with it? Out of the candy box with your hand, Sonny, when it isn’t even your box and can do such harm to your health. To say nothing about your ineligibility for salvation.

Read More →