It's good to build your vocabulary--whether you're an ESL student or have been speaking English for your entire life. I remember wanting to build up my vocabulary when I was a lit major (studying literature/reading) in college. There was a lot of big vocabulary in the books I was required to read. Then, when I was in graduate school, I had to read a lot of difficult journal articles, so learning how to improve my vocabulary, even as a native speaker of English, became important. I have a few tips for helping you build up your vocabulary, no matter what level you're at in your English learning or reading abilities. Whatever you choose to do to build your vocabulary though, remember that context is king--- in other words, don't forget to put your vocabulary in context. This will help you retain (or keep) the vocabulary you are learning, but also help you use the vocabulary correctly in real world situations. Tip #1 Learn the parts of speech Trust me. This will help you as you do the other activities listed below. Learning the parts of speech basically means that you know the difference between a noun, verb, and adjective. You could also learn the difference between an adverb, article, and preposition. Knowing these grammatical terms will help you have a better chance of using your new vocabulary correctly. Here's a good website to help you get started in learning the parts of speech. Tip #2 Use google images This is a strategy especially good for those first starting to learn English, but it can also be helpful for those of us who are more advanced. In fact, it's one I used the other day! Basically, if you know the word in question is a noun (eg. -tion suffix; see more about suffixes below), you can type the word into google images and get a picture of the word. There are studies that say that learning words with images makes them last longer. You could also google new words in general and that can work in a pinch (in an emergency), but I don't recommend generally googling words as you might get searches you aren't intending. It's safer to go with a good online dictionary. (More on that in a moment.) Tip #3 Read! Read! Read! You don't need to start out reading difficult journal articles or even large books. Start small. Maybe read more blogs--- like this one! Here's a link to another great blog that you might enjoy, especially if English is your second language. After reading a few simple blog posts, I suggest you try out engoo. This is one of my favorite websites to help students build their vocabulary. You can pick your level and read through the vocabulary before reading the article. This is a GREAT thing to do with a tutor or a friend. If news articles aren't your thing, or you'd like to challenge yourself a little more, here's a list of suggested books you might want to check out at your library or buy at a used bookstore. Tip #4 Watch movies with subtitles This can be a really good way to discover new words, too. I especially like this one because you're able to see new words in context and hear how new words are pronounced. I suggest subtitles because you can see how the new words are spelled. Tip #5 Make a list of new words I used to keep a notebook with me and whenever I came across a new word while I was reading, I'd write it down. Then, later, I'd look it up in my little red dictionary, which I bought from Barns and Noble. I found that the dictionary was mostly useful, but sometimes the definitions were confusing or didn't help me see how I could use the new word in real life. I suggest looking up new words in the Learner's Dictionary. It keeps the definitions simple, has a pronunciation button (very useful!) and always gives two or three examples of how you can use the word in the real world. When I was a lit major, I used to put my new words (with definition) into a small bucket and each day, before I went to school or work, I'd pick a word from my bucket and try to use it at least once in my every day speech. I wasn't always perfect, but I did my best. Tip #6 Memorize meanings of common prefixes and suffixes Prefixes are groups of letters that appear at the beginning of many English words and suffixes are groups of letters that appear at the end of many words. Learning them will help you quickly guess the meaning of new words or build your own. Here are some of the most common:
I hope these tips help you build up your vocabulary! A word of caution
It's okay to use a translator once in a while, but I don't recommend using one for LARGE vocabulary words as there are often words in English that are not in your native language and vise versa, so the translator may lead you in the wrong direction.
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