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Trump's English skills ranked worst of all candidates
Washington Examiner ^ | 3/18/16 | Anna Giaritelli

Posted on 03/18/2016 7:10:05 PM PDT by markomalley

Donald Trump's use of vocabulary and grammar is more elementary than that of other candidates, according to a new study that compared the candidates' English language skills.

The New York businessman's grammar was comparable to a 5th grader's, lower than the average 6th to 8th grade levels used by Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, as well as Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, according to a newly released Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute study.

Sanders scored highest in vocabulary, and was ranked at the level of an 11th grader. Trump was most comparable to a 7th grader, while Clinton, Cruz and Rubio were all ranked between 9th and 10th grade.

"This analysis shows the changes that candidates make in the level of their speech according to the type of speech," wrote report analysts Elliot Schumacher and Maxine Eskenazi. "It also reflects each candidate's combination of personal delivery style and their analysis of the level of the audience they want to address."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich was not included in the survey, and Rubio has since suspended his campaign following a loss in Florida's primary Tuesday.

The in-depth analysis even compared this year's candidates to previous U.S. presidents. Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan both boasted the highest cumulative speaking skills with averages hovering around a 10th grade level.

George W. Bush's grammar was rated worse than Trump's, ranked between 4th and 5th grade. But where Bush faltered in grammar, he made up for in vocabulary, which was at a 10th grade level.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: dirtyandinarticulate; grammar; idiocracy; lincoln; reagan; trump; vocabulary
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To: Yaelle
He reminds me of all the older, often Holocaust survivor, Jewish businessmen from my then office’s NYC headquarters.

The Donald is a Mensch!

121 posted on 03/19/2016 2:06:58 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE

Ugh,... ah, ummm, ........let me say .....ugh, ...ah, ....umm, that Republicans .... ah...umm...are all ah.....racists.


122 posted on 03/19/2016 2:12:06 AM PDT by faucetman ( Just the facts, ma'am, Just the facts)
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To: markomalley

I correct grammar for a living. The conclusion here is incorrect. Trump has his own style of speaking and it’s not ungrammatical.


123 posted on 03/19/2016 2:19:22 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: firebrand

And as far as vocabulary, he has used a few words that I had to look up. The other candidates, zero.


124 posted on 03/19/2016 2:21:17 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

As Andrew Breitbart said about someone once, “He speaks in iambic pentameter.” Then he did a hilarious imitation.


125 posted on 03/19/2016 2:23:35 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: altura

The example you give is actually vernacular in the British Isles. No one would put “I” in its academically correct place in a sentence like that. And only pedants do it here.


126 posted on 03/19/2016 2:27:22 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: afraidfortherepublic

You are no doubt referring to the famous incomplete sentences. It’s a fast way of talking, leaving the rest of the sentence to the listener and actually making more sense than it would otherwise.


127 posted on 03/19/2016 2:30:37 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: Georgia Girl 2; Yaelle

Yes! As he says, Cruz can debate but he can’t talk. Amen!


128 posted on 03/19/2016 2:36:48 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: ealgeone

You forgot “folks”.


129 posted on 03/19/2016 2:45:20 AM PDT by NathanR
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To: Katya

Scott Adams has really had some good insights this election season. It has been quite interesting. He’s a smart guy in general, was a PacBell engineer before becoming a cartoonist full time, as I remember. I used to subscribe to Dogbert’s New World Order Newsletter. The idea being that when Dogbert attained his goal of being supreme ruler of the Earth, the subscribers would of course be part of the ruling class. This back in the late 90s. It was quite witty and fun, beyond the daily cartoon. Often written from the perspective of Dogbert, of course.


130 posted on 03/19/2016 2:58:30 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: ealgeone

Make that four. Remember “my”.


131 posted on 03/19/2016 3:04:11 AM PDT by HotKat (Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed often and for the same reason. Mark Twain)
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To: markomalley
Yep - he's a smart communicator - hard to be "nuanced" when speaking plainly and not going into highbrow lecture mode. He speaks to the People, not down to them...
132 posted on 03/19/2016 3:49:56 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
No.

The first question successful public speakers ask themselves is "Who is my audience?"

You're assuming he's a one trick pony. I doubt it.

133 posted on 03/19/2016 3:54:20 AM PDT by gogeo (Donald Trump. Because it's finally come to that.)
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To: RightLady

Heck, for all we have seen of his transcripts and exam grades, Obola DID flunk out of every English class he ever took/attended/was offered while he was registered.

(We till don’t even know what he took! )


134 posted on 03/19/2016 4:43:41 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Yaelle

I have the same impression here, and I know exactly what you are talking about. Part of Trump’s style is a typical NY directness, unlike anything you would find on the Pacific Coast.


135 posted on 03/19/2016 6:35:50 AM PDT by PUGACHEV
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To: FreedomPoster

agreed... I particularly like his books, “How to fail at almost everything and still win big” is a must read in terms of creating systems for success.


136 posted on 03/19/2016 8:49:22 AM PDT by Katya (Homo Nosce Te Ipsum)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

“I’m talking about vocabulary. His is unbelievably limited. That will put him at a tremendous disadvantage in negotiating with foreign leaders”

Ronald Reagan - “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Succinct, simple, to-the-point and written so a 5th grader could understand.


137 posted on 03/19/2016 8:51:00 AM PDT by sergeantdave ( If not you, who? If not now, when?)
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To: ealgeone
then he can only use three words...I, uh, um.

I object! He can use seven words: "Let me be clear, I, uh, um."

138 posted on 03/19/2016 10:13:50 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (Who can actually defeat the Democrats in 2016? -- the most important thing about all candidates.)
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To: sergeantdave

Reagan spoke articulately and beautifully. “Tear down this wall” was memorable, but not a good example of how he spoke. I lived in CA throughout both of his terms as governor and elsewhere during both terms of his presidency. Don’t be so simplistic.


139 posted on 03/19/2016 11:13:30 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

“Don’t be so simplistic.”

Don’t be stuffy.


140 posted on 03/19/2016 1:35:20 PM PDT by sergeantdave ( If not you, who? If not now, when?)
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