Guys,

I will not be around today.  My grandfather turns 90 today.  I will spend much of the day driving to a party for him.

While I am on the road, here is a repost.  Of course, if you have never read this… it is a new post.

It is an answer to the most common question I get about the new vocabulary series, Word Up!

Do I need Visual Latin to use Word Up?

Do you want to sound smart?  Then listen to old Earl Nightingale, who once said, “Before you do anything else, master your language.”

I have taught Latin and Greek for years.  I know, from experience, that these languages will boost your understanding of the most powerful language on the planet – English.

Latin and Greek generate over half of the vocabulary in the English language.  When it comes to multi-syllable words, or “big words”, as my students call them, Latin and Greek produce ninety percent of English vocabulary!

Imagine the power you will have over the English language if you learn Latin and Greek!

But learning Latin takes time.  Learning Greek takes even more time.  If you are a busy person (and who isn’t?), it will take a long time.  Does that mean you do not get to master English?

Of course not.  

There is a short cut.  

Instead of learning Latin and Greek, you could learn the Latin and Greek roots.  This takes almost no time!  In a few minutes you could learn a root that is the source of five, ten, or fifteen English words!  

For example, the Latin word bassus means low.  From this one Latin word come

the following eight English words: base, abase, basement, bass, bass-relief, bassoon, debase, and abasement.  Why do we call the lowest part of a house the basement?  Because it comes from the Latin word for low… bassus!

You now know that English words containing bas likely refer to something low.  Did you learn Latin while reading this post?  

No.  You didn’t.  You did, however, use Latin to empower your knowledge of English.

The new series Word Up! The Vocab Show is a short cut.  Do you want to learn hundreds of powerful English words without learning Latin and Greek?  Check out Word Up! The Vocab Show.  

Of course, you can learn Latin if you want to.  I can help with that as well.  You can check out our award winning series, Visual Latin.  

But, remember this.  You do not need to learn Latin and Greek to dominate English.  You just need to learn the roots!  Word Up! The Vocab Show will take you there.