RuneScape Forum Archive | Your First Story

[#1B04O0PHT]

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The Five Levels of Vocabulary
Hello, Aura here. In my (usually) humble opinion, there are five different levels of vocabulary, into which most words can be divided. In this lesson, I will show what they are, instruct you on which occasions they are recommended for, and show you the pros and cons of higher vocabulary.
Level One: This is the base, the writing tender used by your average person on the street. Stressing basic nouns and verbs, adjectives are placed as the minority. Description is probably dull and vague, the speaker usually resorting to motions or prior knowledge of a situation to convey their point. If you use this kind of dialect in general, that doesn’t make you primitive. However, if you use said dialect in your epic tale of great warriors per say, you should be working very hard to improve.
Level Two: This is, believe it or not, how many intelligent people talk in general. Though a prodigy might have a twelve-letter word in every sentence, most intellectuals do not speak like that. Most novices write at this level, along with some others, usually those whose writing is okay. Nouns and verbs become more complex, describing in more detail. Adjectives that pique the readers’ interest spring from the page, not awe-inspiring, but passable. As long as you are writing on such a dialect, there is no desperate need to improve. Though moving up just one level would really help you. So, you should only concentrate on improving at this level if you have no other atrocious problems.
Level Three: Now you’re talking. Literally. This is the minimum level for a really professional story to be on. The pros do write like this, for the most part. All words blossom, similes often become redundant, as a word will describe itself. The adjectives are great. The mark of an elite writer, you need to be here.
Level Four: This is the zone. You don’t improve from here, for the most part. Almost all your words are perfect for the situation, blending in and

04-Jun-2008 06:35:12

[#1B04O0PHT]

Posts: 3,111 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

supporting the scene. There really isn’t much to say here. Just, way to go.
Level Five: Not really sure why I included this. Anyway, this is (surprisingly) not such a good place to call home. This is when so many intricate and unknown words have crept into your vocabulary that most can’t understand you. The people who talk like this are those brilliant geniuses I discussed in Level Two. It’s practically impossible to leave this stage, but its practically impossible (from a theoretical angle) to get here. So, as I said, I really don’t know why I’m saying this.
Okay, now that those are out, the question is where they should be used. Here are my suggestions:
Your average epic story: Levels Two, Three, or Four. A combination of Four and Three would be the best, leading to the sprinkling of moderate to longish words. Two is acceptable, seeing as not everyone can achieve that high.
Your average epic short story: Levels Three, Four, and FIVE! This is the only time you are allowed to use level five more than once a page, but be very careful with it. The point being that to make a short powerful, a higher vocabulary amplifies your conveyance. But make sure to hold your Five in check. By the way, this topic includes Romances, Horror shorts, and Tragedy/Drama.
Your really long epic story: Levels One, Two, Three and Four. The reason you are allowed to use a cheap Level One is because many readers don’t have the patience to read this long if the words are offsetting. However, if you find you are turning your story mediocre by the influx of low-level words, halt all post production and revert back to your original method.
Your Noob Story: Levels One, Two and Three. No offense to any Noob Story writers, but this genre generally caters to a populace of lower, er, intelligence. Don’t hurt me! But anyway, if you are using the low humor that resides in a Story of a Noob, don’t use large words. Nothing ruins a comedy more than a reader having to look up the main

04-Jun-2008 06:35:55

[#1B04O0PHT]

Posts: 3,111 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

word of a punch line. This applies to almost all comedies.
And now, I will show you the practical pros and cons of having a higher vocabulary. Take a simple paragraph, and add some literary skills. Watch.
“Agent Smith ran on the path. Rain fell on his head as he went. He ran through a forest before coming to a clearing. He saw a man standing there. Neo, His foe. He jumped at Neo, punching at him. Neo dodged, kicking Agent Smith so hard, he flew into a tree. He died.*
Okay, so I exaggerated a drop. Now, we use a slightly better vocabulary.
“Agent Smith hurried down the path. Rain fell on him as he ran. His path led him through a forest. He reached a clearing, and saw a figure standing in the center. It was Neo, his enemy. He leaped towards the man, fist flying towards him. Neo rolled backwards before kicking at the Agent with his foot. The blow sent Smith flying through the air. Crashing into a tree, his life left him.”
You see this around this forum, don’t you? And now, for a good (Maybe too much so) vocabulary level:
“Agent Smith hurried down the path. Torrents of rain cascaded on his head as he charged. The circuitous path led him to a verdant, if soggy, forest. A clearing marked the end of his arduous journey, revealing a figure resplendent amid the gray of the storm. This was Neo, his nemesis. He launched himself at his cognizant target, a harbinger of imminent attack. Neo implemented an impeccable roll, lightly landing on his feet. He lashed out with his leg, which connected with Smith’s abdomen. The Agent was now engraved into a tree, entombed by the force of the strike. His life force slowly ebbed out of his tortured frame.”
As you can see, there is a fine line between too much and not enough. If you don’t get it****-read the lesson. So, the best way to find out what style suits you the best, experiment. And if anyone wants to know how to raise his or her Vocabulary, I have one word for you, my friend: Read!

04-Jun-2008 06:36:46