- Two lists of essential English vocabulary were compared: the 1953 General Service List (2,284 words) and the 2023 New General Service List (2,809 words), showing a shift from concrete to abstract terms.
- About 600 words were dropped and over 1,100 added over 70 years, reflecting changes in daily life, such as the removal of 'telegraph' and addition of 'computer', 'website', and 'blog'.
- Concrete words related to manual tasks (e.g., 'flour', 'wheat', 'fork') were replaced by abstract concepts (e.g., 'mortgage', 'legislation', 'analysis'), indicating a move away from physical to systemic engagement.
- Adverbs nearly doubled in the new list, focusing on degree and certainty (e.g., 'absolutely', 'somewhat'), showing a need for precise language in a more complex world.