Communication and Discussion: English Vocabulary List

to have a casual and light conversation without sharing a lot of information

"They confabulated about the old times."

"The two old friends sat on the porch and began to confabulate about their shared memories from high school many decades ago."

to talk a lot about unimportant things and in a way that may seem foolish

"The child prattled on about his toys."

"The toddler continued to prattle on about his day at the park without noticing that his mother was not really listening to every word he said."

to discuss the terms of an agreement with an opposing side, usually an enemy

"The generals parleyed before the battle."

"The two rival gang leaders agreed to parley in neutral territory to discuss a possible ceasefire and end the violence between their groups."

to aimlessly talk a lot

"They palavered for hours without agreement."

"The politicians spent hours in a pointless palaver without actually making any real decisions or solving any of the pressing problems facing the country."

to make random, meaningless sounds

"The baby babbled happily all day."

"The confused patient began to babble nonsense after waking up from the anesthesia and the nurses could not understand a single word that he said."

to talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way

"He prated endlessly about his achievements."

"The annoying guest would not stop prating about his expensive car and large house making everyone else at the dinner party feel uncomfortable and bored."

to have a casual conversation, often involving gossip

"She nattered on the phone for hours."

"My aunt loves to natter on the phone with her friends for hours about absolutely nothing important or interesting to anyone else."

to talk excessively or thoughtlessly

"Do not blab our secret to anyone."

"Please do not blab about the surprise party to anyone because we want it to be a secret until the day of the event."

to reveal someone's wrongdoing or misbehavior to others

"The child tattled on his older sister."

"The younger brother constantly tattles on his older sister to their mother hoping to get her in trouble for even the smallest rule violations."

to talk persistently, often in a tedious or annoying manner

"He yakked on the phone all night."

"My coworker yakked on the phone for nearly an hour about her weekend plans while I was trying to finish an important report before the deadline."

to chat casually for an extended period, often in a lively manner

"They gabbed all afternoon over coffee."

"The teenagers spent the entire afternoon gabbing on their phones instead of doing their homework or studying for their upcoming exams at school."

to speak formally and at length, especially in a public setting

"The politician orated for two hours."

"The politician loves to orate in front of large crowds but his speeches are often long and boring and do not contain any real substance or new ideas."

to speak or express opinions in a lengthy, fervent, or pompous manner

"He spouts nonsense."

"The motivational speaker continued to spout cliches about success and happiness as if he had discovered some profound secret that no one else had ever known before."

to engage in light, playful, and teasing conversation or exchange of remarks

"They bantered playfully during lunch."

"The two coworkers enjoyed a friendly banter during their coffee break teasing each other about their favorite sports teams and recent dating lives."

to do or say something to purposely hurt or disrespect someone

"His rude behavior affronts everyone at the party."

"His rude behavior at the dinner party affronted the hostess who had spent all day preparing the meal."

to loudly brag and exaggerate, trying to impress or intimidate others

"He gasconades about his imaginary achievements often."

"The young soldier liked to gasconade about his bravery in battle even though he had never actually seen combat."

to express great pride in one's achievements, success, etc.

"The winner crows about his victory proudly."

"The winning team crowed about their victory long after the game had ended annoying their defeated opponents."

to brag and exaggerate loudly

"He rodomontades loudly but never takes action."

"The politician's speech was full of rodomontade but lacked any concrete plans or realistic proposals for solving problems."

to exaggerate something for emphasis or to achieve a specific effect

"She hyperbolizes every minor inconvenience dramatically."

"The salesman tended to hyperbolize about the benefits of his products making claims that were simply not true."

to make something seem more important or noticeable by highlighting it

"He plays up his role in the project."

"The media decided to play up the minor scandal because it would attract more viewers and increase their ratings."

to express oneself using impolite language

"Do not cuss at your teacher ever."

"The frustrated driver began to cuss loudly when another car cut him off on the busy highway."

expressing feelings or opinions, loudly and forcefully

"The protest was vociferous."

"The vociferous protesters shouted slogans outside the government building and their loud chants could be heard from several blocks away."

to suggest or assume the existence or truth of something as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief

"The theory postulates the existence of dark matter."

"The scientist postulated that there might be other intelligent life forms in the universe but he admitted that he had no direct evidence to prove it."

to specify that something needs to be done or how it should be done, especially as part of an agreement

"The contract stipulates a delivery date."

"The contract clearly stipulates that both parties must give at least thirty days written notice before terminating the agreement for any reason."

a coded message intended to be understood by a particular group while remaining unnoticed or ambiguous to others

"The politician used a dog whistle phrase to appeal to some voters."

"His speech contained a dog whistle that only certain groups could understand."

to talk at length in a tedious or annoying way

"They jawed about politics at the pub."

"The two old men sat on the park bench and continued to jaw about politics for hours without ever agreeing on anything at all."

to utter something hesitantly or with uncertainty

"His voice faltered during the emotional speech."

"The witness began to falter when questioned about the inconsistencies in his testimony, making the jury suspicious."

to shout loudly and emotionally, often expressing distress, anger, or frustration

"The baby bawled loudly for his bottle."

"The baby began to bawl loudly when his mother left the room because he was very attached to her and did not like being left alone with strangers."

to mock with contempt

"He scoffed at the warning of danger."

"He scoffed at the idea that he might need help with his homework because he thought he was smarter than everyone else in the class."

to express one's opinion

"I opine it is good."

"The professor was asked to opine on the current state of artificial intelligence research."

‌to offer an explanation, advice, or one's opinion on something

"She proffers her help to the elderly neighbor."

"The guest proffered a gift to the host as a token of thanks for the wonderful dinner party."

to suggest something in an indirect manner

"He insinuated that she was lying."

"During the argument he cruelly insinuated that his sister had only gotten the job because of her appearance and not her qualifications."