ArtPage on Praise

praise - Expression of admiration, commendation, or approval. Praise indicates a person's positive attitude, and provides recognition and encouragement.

Praise is one of the most effective and immediate ways of rewarding people for their efforts and successes. It can also increase the praised person's motivation to excel. A cycle of increasing achievement can be established: rewarding efforts increases motivation, leading to more successes, and making effort more desirable, and so on. Praise is an important tool for teachers, critics, and everyone else for that matter, not least of which are parents! Because praise is powerful positive reinforcement, psychologists consider it a powerful stimulus for learning desirable behaviors (e.g., producing art, writing about art, curating, conserving, designing, crafting, etc.)

The gestural sign for "praise" from The Simplified Sign System: for hearing, but nonspeaking, persons and their caregivers, as published in 2001 by N. Kissane, J. Bonvillian, and F. Locke.

Did you know that the world has never had too many artists or art lovers? Think about it. And when a greater number of artists and art lovers are better at it, what could be more wonderful? What are you waiting for? Praise be to all good efforts! (All of your relatives, teachers, friends, and I are [or would be when knowledgeable and inspired] proud of you for reading this, by the way.)

The best praisers choose their words and actions of praise carefully from situation to situation. Each possible praising phrase and action may be more or less appropriate depending on the recipient, as well as on the situation.

Here's are hundreds of expressions of praise:
[Reading this list to the end can be intoxicating or nauseating, so beware!]

A big hug.
A big kiss.
A big smile.
Absolutely . . .
Admirable.
Aesthetically pleasing.
A job well done.
All right!
Amazing!
A+ work!
Artistic.
Astonishing.
Astounding.
Awe-inspiring.
Awesome!
Bang-up job! [dated?!]
Beautiful!
Beautiful work.
Beautimaximus! [ A combination of beauti- from beautiful and maximus from Latin meaning "the most"]
Bingo!
Blue ribbon work!
Bravo!
Breathtaking!
Brilliant!
Capital!
Choice.
Classic.
Completely . . .
Congratulations!
Cool!
Couldn't be better!
Crackerjack! [dated: 1910s-1940s?]
Cracking good. [English, as in what Wallace says to Gromit.]
Creative job.
Cutting edge stuff.
Dandy. [dated: 1930s-1950s?]
Decorative. [Uh-oh, no edge?!!]
Delightful.
Different! [But don't JUST say that!]
Distinctive.
Dynamite!
Eureka!
Everything I hoped for.
Exactly.
Excellent!
Exceptional performance.
Exciting!
Exemplary.
Exquisite.
Extraordinary!
Fabulous!
Fantabulous! [a combination of fanta- from fantastic and -bulous from fabulous] -- thanks to Luis Jorge Santos of Colombia
Fantasmagorical!
Fantastic!
Fantastic job.
Far out! [dated: late 1960s-1970s]
Fascinating.
First-class.
First-rate.
Five star rating.
Flawless.
Frame-worthy work!
Get's to me.
Give props. [dated: late 1990s-2000s, from "proper respect", this was coined in the West Coast USA music business, and means "to honor or owe respect to"]
Glorious.
Go ahead!
God-like!
Gold medal for you!
Good!
Good for you!
Good job!
Good thinking .
Grade A.
Grand!
Great!
Great craftsmanship!
Great discovery!
Great idea!
Great job!
Great listening.
Great quality!
Great work.
Groovy. [dated: 1950s-1960s]
Hip hip hooray!
Hip. Very hip. [dated: 1950s-1960s]
Holy Scrahmohly!
Hot dog!
How clever.
How did you learn to do that?
How neat!
How nice!
How smart!
How thoughtful!
Hurray for you!
Huzzah! [or Huzza!]
I appreciate you.
I can't wait till _____ sees this!
I commend you.
I couldn't have done it better myself.
I knew you could do it.
I knew you had it in you.
I like it.
I like you.
I love it!
I love you. [Be CAREFUL!]
Impressive.
I'm proud of you.
I'm REALLY proud of you.
Incredible!
Inspiring.
Interesting!
I respect you / what you do.
I salute you.
I trust you.
I've never seen anyone do it better.
Keep going!
Keep up the good work.
Look at you go!
Looking good!
Magnificent.
Marvelous.
Matchless.
Mighty good.
Miraculous!
Mmmmmm!
Neat!
Nice going.
Nice work!
Nifty.
Notable.
Not bad.
Nothing can stop you now!
Now you're flying!
Now you've figured it out.
Now you've got it.
Okay!
O my . . .
One more time and you'll have it.
On the ball.
On target.
Oooooo!
Out of sight!
Outstanding.
Outstanding performance.
Oy vay! [Yiddish]
Pat yourself on the back.
Peerless.
Phat! [dated: 1990s-]
Phenomenal!
Pleasing.
Positively . . .
Precious.
Preeminent.
Prime.
Radical! [or just Rad!] [dated: 1980s-1990s]
Remarkable!
Remarkable job.
Revolutionary.
Right again!
Righteous!
Saintly!
Sell it to ME!
Sensational!
Sharp.
Sheesh!
Significant.
Singular.
Smart.
Smashing! [English]
Smokin!
So . . .
Spectacular!
Splendid.
Staggering.
Sterling. [English]
Striking.
Stupendous!
Sublime.
Such . . .
Super!
Superfine.
Superior effort.
Super job!
Superlative.
Super star!
Super work!
Supreme!
Surpassing your previous achievements.
Surprising.
Swell. [dated: 1930s-1940s]
Take a bow!
Tasteful.
Tastey.
Terrific!
Thanks for being honest, caring, doing your best, helping, trying so hard.
Thanks for sharing. [Teacherese]
That's correct.
That's great art.
That's incredible!
That's it!
That's quite an improvement!
That's right!
That's special.
That's splendid.
That's the best.
That's the right way to do it.
That's the way!
The time you put in really shows.
This counts.
Thoroughly . . .
Thoughtful.
Thumbs up.
Topnotch.
Tops.
Totally . . .
Thumbs up.
Transcendent!
Unbelieveable!
Unique.
Unqualified . . .
Unsurpassed.
Utterly . . .
Way to go!
Well done.
What a genius!
What a good listener.
What an imagination!
Whatever you've been eating (or drinking or doing) I'd like to eat (or drink or do) some too!
What I like most is . . .
Without a doubt . . .
Without reservation . . .
Wholesome [Uh-oh, no edge?!!]
Wonderful.
Worthy.
Wow!
Wwwwahhhhhwww!
Yessss!
You are responsible.
You belong [here].
You brighten my day.
You came through.
You care.
You did it that time.
You figured it out.
You hit THAT nail on the head!
You learned it well.
You made it happen.
You make me happy.
You make me laugh!
You mean a lot to me.
You mean the world to me.
You must have a great Muse!
Your ______ is [or will be, or would be] so proud of you.
You're a big help.
You're a good friend.
You're a great example.
You're a great kid!
You're a joy.
You're a real trooper.
You're a shining star.
You're a treasure.
You really make my job fun.
You're a winner!
You're A-OK!
You're beautiful.
You're so brave.
You're catching on.
You're darling.
You're doing a good job.
You're exciting!
You're fantastic.
You're fun.
You're getting better every day.
You're getting there.
You're the greatest!
You're growing up.
You're hot!
You're important.
You're incredible.
You're on target.
You're so kind.
You're #1.
You're on the right track.

You're on top of it.

You're on your way.
You're perfect.
You're precious.
You're sensational!
You're special.
You're spectacular.
You're very talented.
You're the best!
You're tops!
You're unique.
You're wonderful.
You should be very proud of yourself.
You tried hard.
You've discovered the secret!
You've done this before, haven't you!
You've got a friend.
You've got it.
You've got what it takes.
You've made progress.
You've made my day / week / month / year / decade / century / millennium
You've outdone yourself.
You've really grown.
Yowzer!
Zowey!

[There are a lot here, but (as with the number of artists) there could never be too many. Got any terms of praise to add to this list? . . Email them to me! - Michael Delahunt]

[[I wonder if there's a need for my lists of expletives and pejoratives. Hmmm . . . . ]]

Feel free to copy this list in an email to the editor of the local newspaper or your school's parent newsletter, with a suggestion that parents are given some or all of these along with a recommendation to post the list where they'll be sure to read it now and then.

Also see aesthetics, analysis, art therapy, assessment, attitude, bias, effort, empathy, enthusiasm, evaluation, genius, homage, interesting, love, and posthumous.

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