How to improve your vocabulary
This was originally published on Blogger. It is based on my post on Yada, a defunct thread-making app. Please note that this is based on my personal experiences.
English is my second language. Sometimes, I struggle with some words while reading certain printed materials or Web articles. My mystified self would be my encouragement to check certain words in an online dictionary to read their definitions and check their example sentences.
So, I wonder... Are you like me who is curious about those unfamiliar words? If so, then follow these steps for improving your vocabulary:
- Read often. Pick any reading material available at home. It can be a book, a magazine, a Web article, or a social media post about topics that you are interested in.
- Highlight or list down words that you are unfamiliar with. Use a highlighter if you prefer marking words that you have just discovered. Use a notepad if you prefer listing them down. Consult a dictionary (like Merriam-Webster or The Free Dictionary) for definitions and example sentences. You can do the same with phrases and idioms. When in doubt, check the usage notes (if applicable) to know how to use certain words.
- Try to pronounce the words correctly. Online dictionaries (like those aforementioned) often provide audio for most English words. When in doubt, tap or click the speaker icons to listen how they sound like.
- Study other forms of those words. Many English words have alternative forms like plurals, conjugations, adjectives, and adverbs. Learn those forms to expand your vocabulary further!
- Use those words in a sentence. Write your own if you can. When in doubt, find some example sentences in the dictionary.
- Find synonyms and antonyms in the thesaurus. Know what words are similar and opposite to other words.
- Learn the origins (roots) of those words. With etymology, you can find out the words' original languages and the earliest years of usage.
- Try to translate English words into another language and/or vice versa. This is useful if you are fluent in another language besides English.
- Learn some loanwords, archaic/obsolete words, jargon, and slang. There are words from other languages, from specific periods of time, with specialized uses, and with a specific place or group.
- Try to use words that you learned when speaking and writing. If you already understand them, try to apply them in real life! Your family and friends might be curious about the words that you have just learned.
- Play word games. I recommend doing crossword puzzles and word searches to enrich your vocabulary. You can search for websites or mobile apps dedicated to word games like these.
- Be consistent! Do these steps whenever you can. The more you learn new words, the larger your vocabulary.