Online Word Games Aid Writers and Speakers
Word Games Aid Writers and Motivational Speakers
How to Turn Online Games Into Improved Vocabulary and Better Writing
Entertaining and challenging online word games can give writers and speakers a competitive edge. Knowing how to make the most of the experience is key.
While education and practiced communication skills create the foundation for excellent creative writing or public speaking, less traditional resources, like free online word games, can also provide a lasting benefit.
Creative Writing and Public Speaking
Great writers and captivating speakers avoid redundant expression. Echoing tired adjectives, overusing the same verbs and repeating identical nouns are all considered taboo habits by the most effective speakers and writers. There is nothing motivational about bland and repetitive written or spoken words, but breaking free of such creative shackles can be difficult with a limited vocabulary. Online word games can help.
The web is flush with word teasers, puzzles and timed challenges, but not all are created equal. Some are fun but not structured in a way that provides word-building skills. Yet others offer a choice of skill levels that are not only entertaining and challenging, but provide the player with the opportunity to expand his or her vocabulary and increase writing and speaking confidence.
Prose Writers and Public Speakers Need Words
While it is possible to be too verbose when writing or giving a speech, it
is not possible to be too knowledgeable. Eloquence comes from the possession
of a vast resource of words and an understanding of the meanings and the
usage of those words. While word games are unlikely to provide a definition for
an unknown word, simple exposure can be a catalyst to learning it.
Keeping a notebook and a pen or pencil handy when playing the game is
what works. Jotting down unfamiliar words at the game’s conclusion will insure
remembrance, and a dictionary will provide definitions for future reference. New
words can be researched and later added to a master list. With familiarity, the
vocabulary will continue to grow until utilization of the fresh words becomes
comfortable. In the meantime, there’s plenty of enjoyment in playing the game,
and as a bonus, the more words learned, the higher the game scores.
The Best Online Games for Learning Words and Having Fun
Pogo.com is one online resource with excellent word training games. The best games are those that wrap the learning experience in a fast-paced entertainment, and one game that has it all is Word Whomp Whackdown.
Word Whomp Whackdown is an expanded version of its less
difficult cousin, Word Whomp. In Whackdown, letters are jumbled in a small
to large formation depending upon the chosen skill level, and the object
is to find all of the available three-to-six-letter words. If the player finds
enough words to reach the bonus speed round, a new set of individual words
is presented for unscrambling. The important attribute of Whackdown is that
at game’s end it displays the words that haven’t been found, or in the case
of the bonus round, it displays the final word the player failed to unscramble.
Other word games like Tumblebees and Qwerty are fun to play
and also feature scrambled letters with which to create words. But they
don’t reveal missed words, and it is the revelation of those unsuccessful
words that is the key to learning. If played at the "Hard" level,
Whackdown’s library of words is extensive. Even the best writers and
speakers are bound to get stumped from time to time when playing the
game, but even in failure, new words are absorbed.
Word Craft is another, slightly more difficult, Pogo.com word game.
Its structure and timing differs from Word Whomp Whackdown, but both
games display words the player failed to complete. Each game is timed,
but in Word Whomp Whackdown, the faster the words are found, the
more time will be earned on the clock. Word Craft’s timing is static, which
can result in games that take a long time to finish. But both
Word Whomp Whackdown and Word Craft provide a fun,
beat-the-clock challenge as they teach.
Online Word Games Have Real Benefits
It’s easy to simply memorize unfamiliar words in order to better word game scores, but doing so serves little purpose to writers and speakers. Without learning the definition and common usage of a new word, its inclusion in the memory is nothing more than strategic game play. Remembering and investigating the word is what provides true benefits.
All writers and motivational speakers seek to hone their skills and garner respect for their work, and utilizing online words games to relax and learn is a viable way to broaden writing and speaking capabilities. That there is a great deal of fun to be had in the process is a welcome bonus everyone can appreciate.
Sources:
Word Whomp Whackdown and Word Craft photos provided with permission by Pogo.com, Electronic Arts’ casual games website
All games mentioned are the property of Pogo.com, Electronic Arts
A Notebook, a Dictionary and a Great Online Word Game Improves Writing and Public Speaking
Fun to Play, Word Whomp Whackdown Leaves a Lasting Impression on the Vocabulary
The copyright of the article Word Games Aid Writers and Motivational Speakers is owned by its author, Tricia Spencer.
Permission to republish any part of the article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Word Craft Is a Word Game Challenge With Benefits
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