The Words You're Using Wrong
Stop making these common vocabulary mistakes that change how people perceive you.
About this video
Stop making these common vocabulary mistakes that change how people perceive you.
Full transcript of The Words You're Using Wrong
You’ve been using these common words wrong your entire life. And it’s subtly changing how people perceive your intelligence. Let’s start with the most common mistake: Jealousy versus Envy. If your coworker gets a promotion and you want it, that’s not jealousy. That is envy. You desire something you don't have. Jealousy is the fear that someone will take what is already yours. Like a partner talking to an attractive stranger. Next up: Poisonous versus Venomous. If you bite it and you die, it is poisonous. Think of bright dart frogs in the rainforest. But if it bites you and you die, it is venomous. Like a striking cobra or a black widow. What about Sympathy and Empathy? Sympathy is looking down into a dark hole and saying, "That looks bad." Empathy is climbing down into that hole to sit beside them. Empathy requires shared feeling, not just polite pity. Now, let's measure distance: Farther versus Further. "Farther" with an A is for physical, measurable distance. Throwing a ball farther down the field. "Further" with a U is for metaphorical distance. Like looking further into a complex mystery. Finally: Continual versus Continuous. Continual means it keeps happening, but with breaks. Like your phone buzzing with annoying notifications all day. Continuous means it never stops. An unbroken stream. Like a river flowing steadily toward the ocean. Why does any of this exactness actually matter? Because words are the lenses through which we view reality. Blurry words create a blurry understanding of the world. The difference between knowing a word and knowing its precise meaning... ...is the difference between making a noise and actually making a point.