boast: often suggests ostentation and exaggeration: ready to ~ of every trivial success; but it may imply proper and justifiable pride: the town ~s one of the best hospitals in the area.  骄傲pride是中性词，不一定贬义


brag: suggests conceit, crudity, and artlessness in glorifying oneself: boys ~ging to each other.  crudity粗糙粗鲁    （artless字面意思是没有技巧，表示人不谙世故，容易惹人不快或得罪了，是幼稚的委婉说法，如she was curiously artless她单纯得令人难以置信，如an artless, naive girl一个率真无邪的女孩）  glory极端的光荣荣耀，或美丽壮观


vaunt: usually connotes more pomp and bombast than boast and less crudity and naivete than brag: used the occasion to ~ the country’s military might.  （pomp是气派排场，如礼服装饰音乐等，如all the pomp and ceremony of a royal wedding皇室婚礼的盛大场面与仪式；bombast是华而不实的言辞、大话means words which sound important but have little meaning, used to impress people，如a bombastic speaker大放厥词的演说家，如there was no bombast or conceit in his speech他的演讲没有夸大其词和自吹自擂。 两个词的词形十分相似，应该很好记）


crow: usually implies exultant boasting or blatant bragging: loved to ~ about his triumphs.  另外，crow作名词表示乌鸦，作动词表示公鸡啼鸣  （exult欢跃狂喜to feel or show great happiness，如to exult at a success因成功欣喜/an exulting heart欢跃的心情，如 'we won!' she exulted"我们赢了！"她欣喜若狂道）


boast自夸: 常表示炫耀夸张；但也可表示正常合理地骄傲，brag吹牛: 表示自负粗糙幼稚地夸耀自己，vaunt夸耀:  比boast多了些排场词藻，比brag少了些粗糙幼稚，介于二者之间，crow夸耀啼鸣: 指欢腾吵闹着夸耀


记忆方法: 1）首字母BBVC棒棒我材<==自夸

         2）自夸的意思是口头表达骄傲mean to express in speech pride in oneself or one's accomplishments.