Communication Strategies

noun A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this phrase, 'purposes' is a noun referring to the reasons or intentions behind someone's actions.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun. In this phrase, 'cross' is an adjective indicating a situation where two or more things are in opposition or conflict with each other.

preposition A word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. In this case, 'at' is a preposition indicating a specific location or position.

• The two departments seemed to be working at cross purposes, unable to align their strategies.
• It was clear that they were at cross purposes when they couldn't agree on a plan.
• They were totally at cross purposes, like two ships passing in the night.
• Their relationship was strained, as if they were constantly at cross purposes with each other.

verb to convey or exchange information, thoughts, or feelings through speech, writing, or other means

• Effective leaders must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with their team members.
• We need to communicate better if we want to avoid any misunderstandings.
• Dude, we gotta communicate more if we're gonna pull off this project.
• In a relationship, it's important to communicate not just with words, but also with actions.

noun a demonstrative pronoun or adjective

adjective serving to demonstrate or prove

• The teacher used a demonstrative pronoun to point out the specific noun in the sentence.
• She showed me with this demonstrative how to fix the issue on my computer.
• I used that demonstrative thingamajig to get the job done.
• His demonstrative actions spoke louder than words, showing his true intentions.

noun educational materials or methods

• The professor's approach to teaching involved a strong emphasis on didactics.
• The didactics of this course are pretty straightforward.
• I'm not a fan of the didactics in this class.
• The didactics of life can be learned through experience.

adjective having the effect of allaying suspicion or hostility, especially through charm or wit

• Her disarming smile put everyone at ease during the business meeting.
• His disarming charm made it easy to open up to him.
• She has a disarming way of getting what she wants without anyone suspecting a thing.
• The artist's use of disarming colors created a sense of calm and tranquility in the painting.

adjective describing something that reveals or discloses information

• The disclosive nature of the report revealed crucial information about the company's financial status.
• I didn't expect the disclosive details to be made public so soon.
• The disclosive tea that was spilled at the party last night was unbelievable!
• Her disclosive actions opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the project.

verb to spread or disperse something, especially information or knowledge

• The organization's main goal is to disseminate accurate information to the public.
• I'll disseminate the details of the event to everyone in the group chat.
• Let's spread the word and disseminate this news on social media.
• The artist's work aims to disseminate a message of hope and unity through their paintings.

noun a part of something that is designed to be held by your hand

verb to touch, hold, or move something with your hands

• She carefully grasped the handle of the teapot and poured the hot water into the cup.
• Can you please help me carry this box? It's too heavy for me to handle alone.
• I can handle the pressure, no problem.
• He knew he had to handle the situation delicately to avoid any conflict.

adjective using force or authority in an insensitive or harsh way

• The court criticized the prosecutor for his heavy-handed approach during the trial.
• The teacher was heavy-handed with the students who were misbehaving.
• The coach is a bit heavy-handed when it comes to training us.
• The company's heavy-handed tactics in negotiations left a bad impression on their business partners.

noun a verb phrase meaning to hesitate or speak evasively

verb to hesitate or speak evasively

• During the meeting, the committee members continued to hem and haw over the budget proposal.
• Stop hemming and hawing and just make a decision already!
• Quit hemming and hawing and just pick something, dude.
• She always hems and haws when it comes to making important life decisions.

noun a restraint or hindrance

verb to restrain or prevent from advancing

• It is important to not hold back any information during the investigation.
• Don't hold back, tell me everything that happened.
• Just let it all out, don't hold back.
• Sometimes we hold back our true feelings to avoid conflict.

verb to refuse to take notice of or acknowledge; disregard intentionally

• It is important not to ignore any warning signs of potential safety hazards in the workplace.
• I know you're busy, but please don't ignore my messages.
• Dude, don't ignore me when I'm trying to talk to you.
• Sometimes we choose to ignore the truth because it is too painful to accept.

noun a mark impressed on a surface

• The candidate made a strong impression during the job interview.
• I got the impression that she didn't like the movie.
• His new haircut really made an impression on everyone at the party.
• The artist's use of color left a lasting impression on the viewers.

noun a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term in office

• The inauguration of the new president will take place next week.
• Are you going to the inauguration ceremony this weekend?
• I heard the inauguration party is going to be lit!
• The inauguration of the new project marked a new beginning for the company.

noun an indirect or subtle suggestion, hint, or implication

adjective insinuative (having the quality of insinuating)

• The lawyer carefully avoided making any insinuation during the cross-examination.
• I didn't appreciate the insinuation that I was lying about my whereabouts.
• Don't listen to her insinuations, she's just trying to stir up drama.
• The dark clouds were an insinuation of the impending storm.

adjective describing something that interrupts or disrupts a process or activity

• The constant interruptive behavior of the audience made it difficult for the speaker to deliver their presentation.
• Stop being so interruptive during the movie, it's annoying!
• Don't be such an interruptive jerk, let me finish my story!
• Her thoughts were like a stream of interruptive whispers, always breaking her concentration.

verb to reveal or disclose something that was previously hidden or secret

• He did not let on that he knew about the surprise party.
• She didn't let on that she had already seen the movie.
• I didn't let on that I had the answers to the test.
• The detective didn't let on that he had solved the case until the very end.

verb to treat something as unimportant or trivial

• It is inappropriate to make light of someone else's struggles.
• Don't make light of the situation, it's serious.
• She always makes light of everything, it's annoying.
• He tends to make light of his own mistakes to avoid feeling guilty.

noun a type of finely chopped or ground food, such as meat

verb to chop or grind food, especially meat, into very small pieces

• The chef carefully minced the garlic for the sauce.
• I asked my mom to mince the onions for the salad.
• I can't stand when people mince their words, just say what you mean!
• The author minces no words in his critique of modern society.

verb to speak or act in an evasive way; to deceive or stretch the truth

• It is unethical for a witness to prevaricate while under oath.
• Don't prevaricate about your whereabouts last night.
• Stop prevaricating and just tell me the truth!
• His excuses were like a web of prevarications, impossible to unravel.

verb to respond to a gesture or action by making a corresponding one

• It is important to reciprocate the kindness shown to you in a professional setting.
• If someone invites you to their party, make sure to reciprocate the invitation.
• If your friend buys you lunch, you gotta reciprocate and get them back next time.
• In relationships, it's crucial to reciprocate love and affection to maintain a healthy bond.

noun a person who remonstrates or protests

adjective expressing strong disapproval or protest

• The teacher's remonstrative tone made it clear that she was not pleased with the students' behavior.
• My mom gave me a remonstrative look when she saw the mess I made in the kitchen.
• The boss's remonstrative comments really got on my nerves.
• The dark clouds in the sky seemed almost remonstrative, as if warning of an impending storm.

noun a continuous sequence or series

adjective describing something that continues without interruption

• The teacher reminded the students not to let their sentences run on for too long.
• I tend to let my stories run on and on without realizing it.
• I hate when people's stories just run on forever, it's so boring.
• His bad luck seemed to run on endlessly, with one misfortune after another.

noun a feeling of discomfort or lack of confidence in social situations

• Her shyness often prevents her from speaking up in large group settings.
• Don't worry about your shyness, we all get nervous sometimes.
• His shyness around girls is so obvious, it's kind of cute.
• The garden's shyness in the shadow of the towering skyscrapers made it feel like a hidden oasis.

noun the study and interpretation of texts in regard to their linguistic and tonal style

• The study of stylistics focuses on analyzing the linguistic choices made by writers to convey meaning and style.
• Studying stylistics helps you understand how authors use language to create different effects in their writing.
• Stylistics is all about how writers put words together to make their writing cool and interesting.
• Exploring stylistics is like uncovering the hidden artistry behind the words on a page.

verb to determine or locate the position of something by measuring the distances to two other points

• In order to accurately determine the location of the earthquake epicenter, scientists used triangulation to triangulate the exact point.
• We can triangulate our position by using landmarks to figure out where we are.
• Let's triangulate where the party is tonight so we can meet up.
• By triangulating different sources of information, we were able to piece together the truth of what really happened.

adjective describing a question or request that has not been posed or made

• She offered her opinion even though it was unasked for.
• He gave me unasked advice on how to fix my car.
• She just started sharing unasked gossip about our coworker.
• The unasked question lingered in the air, creating tension between them.

adjective not justified or deserved

preposition not expected or appropriate in a particular situation

• The rude comment made by the guest was completely uncalled for.
• I think his reaction was totally uncalled for.
• Dude, that was so uncalled for!
• Her behavior was like a storm, fierce and uncalled for.

noun a thing that is seen, especially something unusual or shocking

adjective relating to sight or seeing

• The company hired a visual designer to create a new logo for their website.
• I love watching visual effects in action movies.
• That new video game has some sick visuals.
• The artist used vivid colors to create a visual representation of her emotions.

noun a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone's feelings

• It is never appropriate to tell a white lie, even in a professional setting.
• I told a white lie to my friend about liking her new haircut.
• I totally dropped a white lie to get out of going to that party.
• Sometimes a white lie can protect someone's feelings without causing harm.

noun a person or thing that is being talked about or referred to

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• I explained the concept of the earth to the group of scientists.
• I told my friend all about the earth and its wonders.
• I schooled my buddy on the earth and how it works.
• I had to bring him back down to earth and explain things in simpler terms.

noun the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech

• The oracy skills of the students were evident during the debate competition.
• She's really good at oracy, always able to express her thoughts clearly.
• I need to work on my oracy game before the presentation.
• Oracy is like a tool that helps you communicate effectively in any situation.

noun the act of ending a relationship by ghosting someone but doing it in a kinder and more respectful way

verb to end a relationship by gradually reducing contact and communication in a gentle and considerate manner

• In modern dating, Caspering refers to a more gentle way of ghosting someone.
• I heard Sarah was Caspering John by slowly fading out of their conversations.
• Don't be a Casper, just be honest with them.
• His Caspering behavior left her feeling confused and hurt.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or a state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used to specify a noun as definite or indefinite

• Her comments really touched him on the raw during the meeting.
• What she said really hit a nerve with him during the conversation.
• Her words really got under his skin and bothered him a lot.
• The movie's portrayal of loss and grief really touched viewers on the raw.

verb To move a discussion or decision to a later time or separate location, typically outside of a public setting.

• Let's take this discussion offline and schedule a meeting to resolve the issue.
• Let's take this offline and talk about it in person instead.
• Hey, let's take this offline and hash it out over coffee.
• It's better to take personal matters offline and not discuss them in a public setting.

verb The action of engaging in sidebar conversations or discussions during a main meeting or event.

• During the meeting, he kept sidebarring with other colleagues, causing distractions.
• Stop sidebarring with your friends and pay attention to the lecture.
• She's always sidebarring when we're trying to have a serious conversation.
• His constant sidebarring with different opinions made it hard to come to a decision.

verb action word that expresses a state of being or an action

adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

• The scientist conducted an experiment to determine if the two samples would be saming in their chemical composition.
• I'm not sure if our tastes in music will be saming, but we can give it a try.
• I doubt our fashion sense will be saming, but who knows?
• Their personalities seemed to be saming, as they both had a love for adventure and spontaneity.

adjective showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people

• She was always a bit shy in social situations, preferring to observe rather than participate.
• I noticed he gets a bit shy around new people, but he opens up once he gets to know them.
• My friend is super shy when it comes to talking to their crush.
• The new student was shy like a deer caught in headlights, unsure of how to navigate the unfamiliar environment.

noun a political approach that emphasizes the need for a strong central government led by a charismatic leader

• The rise of authoritarian populism in recent years has raised concerns about the erosion of democratic norms.
• Some people are drawn to authoritarian populism because they think it will bring about quick and easy solutions to complex problems.
• Authoritarian populism is just another way for those in power to control and manipulate the masses.
• The dark cloud of authoritarian populism looms over the country, threatening to overshadow the voices of the marginalized.

adjective providing information or knowledge; informative

• The pamphlet contained informatory content about the upcoming conference.
• The email was very informatory, it had all the details we needed.
• The website had some really cool and informatory stuff on it.
• Her gestures were so informatory that I could tell exactly what she was thinking.

adjective Pauciloquent is an adjective that describes someone who speaks very little or uses few words.

• The pauciloquent speaker delivered a concise and impactful presentation.
• He's not one to ramble on, he's quite pauciloquent when he speaks.
• She's not much of a talker, very pauciloquent in conversations.
• The artist's pauciloquent brush strokes created a sense of mystery in the painting.

noun A term used to describe the act of posting vague or ambiguous statuses on social media in order to elicit attention or sympathy without providing specific details.

• The act of vaguebooking, or posting ambiguous status updates on social media, can lead to misunderstandings.
• I hate it when people engage in vaguebooking on Facebook, just say what's on your mind!
• Stop vaguebooking, just tell us what's really going on!
• Her vaguebooking was like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces.

noun a written or visual work that presents a detailed and comprehensive analysis of a particular subject

• Long-form journalism is a style of writing that delves deep into a subject, providing in-depth analysis and research.
• I love reading long-form journalism articles because they really go into detail about a topic.
• Long-form journalism is like the marathon of writing - it takes time and effort, but the end result is worth it.
• In a world of short tweets and quick news bites, long-form journalism stands out like a towering oak tree in a forest of saplings.

verb to reduce the intensity or level of something, typically by turning a dial or control

adverb used to describe the act of reducing something by turning a dial or control

• In order to reduce the intensity of the situation, it is advisable to dial down the emotions.
• Hey, can you dial down the volume on the TV? It's too loud.
• Dude, you need to dial down the drama. It's not that serious.
• Sometimes we need to dial down our expectations in order to avoid disappointment.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it)

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

article a word that is used with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun

• The presentation was designed to be understood even by non-speakers, with explanations provided on non-speakers.
• I'll make sure to simplify my explanation for the non-speakers, with extra details on non-speakers.
• I'll break it down for the non-speakers, giving them the lowdown on non-speakers.
• His gestures were so clear that they spoke volumes even on non-speakers.

noun a term used in literary criticism to describe the practice of judging a work based on the emotional responses it evokes in the reader or viewer rather than its artistic merits

• The literary critic warned against committing the affective fallacy when interpreting the poem.
• Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment and fall into the affective fallacy trap.
• Don't get all caught up in your feelings and make the affective fallacy mistake.
• Just because a story makes you feel a certain way doesn't mean it's immune to the affective fallacy.

adjective relating to or characterized by affiliation or association

• The affiliative behavior of the team members contributed to a positive work environment.
• She always has an affiliative attitude towards her classmates.
• The group chat is full of affiliative emojis and inside jokes.
• His affiliative nature was like a warm blanket on a cold day, comforting everyone around him.