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Shannon News, 30 October 1923, Page 2

At the age of IS or 20 a modern boy or girl's vocabulary consists of three words, it was suggested by Mr Frank Jones, of Birmingham, in a lecture to the teachers' vacation course in London. These words are "nice" and "top hole" (the only words of commendation), and "rotten" (for the opposite). This very nearly approached the limited vocabulary of the farm labourer, said Mr Jones. "Nice," as a description of -a sunset, a sago pudding, and a sonata displayed a paucity of words. The lecturer said one of the saddest things ! he ever saw was a class of girls being taught to gush about lyrical poetry they did not understand! "It is contrary to the nature of an Englishman to gush, and you remember the story of the boy who, impressed with a spectacle, burst into ecstacy with the "words, 'My hat!' and was reproved by his brother with the words 'Don't gush!' " English was a. bread and butter subject for children, and the gulf Which separated classes of society was pronunciation. If they could level up pronunciation; they woul have got over five-sixths of the social difficulties. Mr Jones suggested that a good plan was to get the boys to keep a word book and jot down evei-y new word they found. "You will find it will give you a lively time, but you can always say, 'Well, my boy, look it up.' One boy looked up 'antediluvian,' found it was before the flood, and wrote "Noah lived antediluvian.' "