Vocabulary Building: Implication – Definition and Usage

Vocabulary Building: IMPLICATION – Meaning and Usage

The word “implication” in English is usually used to describe an implication (an implied meaning) of some word or phrase. In the context of language it means “to connect parts of a sentence by introducing some other words”. A perfect example is this: “The man loves his dog”. Here the word “he” is used to connect the subject “he” with the verb “love” and to bring about an implication in the sentence which connects the subject and the verb.

By bringing in the word “dog” in this example we have given an implication for the part of the sentence which has been left out (the verb) by the conjunction “he”. We are left with the main idea, which is that the subject (he) loves his dog. However, we cannot assume that he loves his dog by himself alone. There has to be something which has brought about the idea of love between him and his dog, and that thing has to be something concrete (something which we can call an implication) for us to use as a word for it in our sentences.

Another way of thinking of Vocabulary Building is to think of it in terms of finding the definition of the word

We have already established that by bringing in the word “dog” in the example above, we are able to bring about an implication, or “connotation” of the word. The dictionary definition of the word is therefore “a domesticated dog used for hunting”. We then add in a definition for the word which is “a dog bred for hunting”.

We are then in a position to determine what this dog means to the man who owns it, and whether this man considers his dog to be his best friend, or simply a best friend whom he just keeps around for the sake of convenience. Both of these are part of the definition of the word, and both are important. But it is only the usage of the word that we must concern ourselves with in this example. It is easy enough for us to bring in the word dog into our conversation without necessarily thinking about what the meaning of it is. But when we do, we get into a whole other subject, and it may prove rather more difficult for us to drop the subject of definition altogether.

In fact, there are times when it would be better not to use a word at all

I am not talking about using the word “dog” here, although the example may serve its purpose if we were to do so. I am talking about when we use words as a mere noun, such as “a dog”, “an dog”, “a group of dogs”, “a man’s dog”, “a woman’s dog”, etc. This sort of use is called anementia, for sure. We just do not have the vocabulary to describe such uses, and therefore we never really get around thinking about the implications of such use, beyond the mere reference to the word. In such cases it would be better not to use the word in the first place.

Another example is when you see somebody reading a book with a stethoscope on

You glance over the text, and you immediately make the mental comparison to your hearing device – the stethoscope. So why don’t you make the same comparison in learning your French? By making the comparison in this case to your hearing aid, it will help you to remember the word more easily, and you will also have the added mental association of the device as well. This is one of the many ways that vocabulary can be built, and it can also come in handy in other situations, as well.

When you look at a situation in life and you cannot make a clear association between the word you are trying to remember and the thing you already know, try an example. If you are at the supermarket, looking for a toy for the child in your care, and you can find the right word without having to look through hundreds or even thousands of words, try this example – the milk. As long as you can use the word to mean the same thing, you will have successfully made a new association for the item you are trying to remember.