Make Your Point > Archived Issues > VOLUBLE

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explore the archives: Voluble people are born talkers: to be voluble is to talk a whole lot. Voluble looks like volume, and both come from the Latin volvere, meaning to roll or to turn around. But voluble doesn't mean talking at a loud volume--it means talking readily, talking quickly, talking fluently, as if the words are rolling off your tongue. You can be loud or quiet when you're voluble. What I'm saying is, when you think of voluble, yes, think of volume, too, but think "quantity," not "loudness." When you do mean that people are loud talkers, call them v___f_r__s! make your point with... "VOLUBLE" Voluble people talk fast and talk easily, as if words are rolling out of their mouths. And voluble things have a whole lot of words that all flow out easily. Pronunciation: VOLL yuh bull Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a voluble thing" or "a voluble person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was voluble." or "He's voluble.") Other forms: volubly, volubility How to use it: Although this word can be neutral--"at the museum, we had a voluble tour guide"--it's often negative. To call people voluble is to hint, perhaps, that they just won't shut up, or that they're talking so smoothly they don't really mean what they're saying, or both. Talk about voluble people and tongues, or voluble words: voluble descriptions, voluble prose, a voluble style of writing or speaking, voluble lectures and speeches, voluble support and dissent, voluble praise and criticism, etc.  You might be voluble with or among certain people, voluble in certain situations, or voluble on a certain topic or on the phone or on Twitter. And you can be voluble in saying something: he's voluble in supporting that plan, she's voluble in criticizing that choice. Occasionally we'll talk about a voluble emotion or attitude, meaning it's expressed in a fluent outpouring of words: voluble joy, voluble grief, voluble haste, voluble excitement. examples: I hate to see an otherwise cheerful and voluble child take up a pencil only to get nervous and write nothing. Shakespeare's more voluble characters, like the nurse from Romeo and Juliet, remind us that the plays are meant to be watched rather than read: those long streams of dialogue are as entertaining to watch as they are tedious to read. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "voluble" means when you can explain it without saying "glib" or "talkative." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I'm quiet (in a certain situation or about a certain topic) but voluble (in a different situation or about a different topic)." Example 1: "I'm quiet in a large group but voluble when there are just a few of us." Example 2: "I'm quiet about sports but voluble about books." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. License Plate Words! You’ve spotted a cluster of three letters on a license plate. Keep all three letters together—don’t insert any letters between them—but add any letters you like to the left and/or right of the cluster to form words. For example, when you spot the cluster CKG, you can form BACKGROUND and BACKGAMMON (and all their related words, like BACKGROUNDER and BACKGAMMONING, for a total of 8 possible words). We’ll move from easy to hard clusters as the month goes on. (For the curious, you can generate a complete list of answers using a tool like this one.) Let's play! Our previous question: If you spot the cluster BST, you can use it to form 179 words. Give yourself a minute or so. How many can you think of? Possible answers: You may have thought of ABSTAIN, ABSTRACT, CURBSTONE, DUMBSTRUCK, GOBSTOPPER, LOBSTER, MOBSTER, OBSTACLE, OBSTREPEROUS, OBSTRUCT, SUBSTANCE, SUBSTITUTE, and/or TOMBSTONE. Try this today: If you spot the cluster CCO, you can use it to form 164 words. Give yourself a minute or so. How many can you think of? review today's word: 1. The opposite of VOLUBLE is A. SOFT-SPOKEN B. PLAIN-SPOKEN C. SHORT-SPOKEN 2. She praised the performance volubly, as if _____. A. she were getting paid by the word B. she worried no one would hear her C. it had offended her in some way she couldn't express Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A