Vocabulary Learning Tips

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The Ten Best Vocabulary Learning Tips

Read, Read, Read! Most vocabulary words are learned from context. The more words you're exposed to, the better vocabulary you will have. While you read, pay close attention to words you don't know. First, try to figure out their meanings from context. Then look the words up. Read and listen to challenging material so that you'll be exposed to many new words.

Improve your context skills. Research shows that the vast majority of words are learned from context. To improve your context skills pay close attention to how words are used. Using ESLPodcast will give you many examples of how that word is used in context.

Practice, practice, practice. Learning a word won't help very much if you promptly forget it. Research shows that it takes from 10 to 20 repetitions to really make a word part of your vocabulary. It helps to write the word - both the definition and a sentence you make up using the word - perhaps on an index card that can later be reviewed. As soon as you learn a new word, start using it. Review your index cards periodically to see if you have forgotten any of your new words.

Make up as many associations and connections as possible. Say the word aloud to activate your auditory memory. Relate the word to words you already know. For example, the word GARGANTUAN (very large) has a similar meaning to the words gigantic, huge, large, etc. You could make a sequence: small, medium, large, very large, GARGANTUAN. List as many things as you can that could be considered GARGANTUAN: Godzilla, the circus fat lady, the zit on your nose, etc. Create pictures of the word's meaning that involve strong emotions. Think "the GARGANTUAN creature was going to rip me apart and then eat me!"

Use mnemonics (memory tricks). For example, consider the word EGREGIOUS (extremely bad). Think EGG REACH US - imagine we've made a mistake so bad that they are throwing eggs at us and a rotten EGG REACHes US. Such funny little word pictures will help you remember what words mean, AND they are fun to make up. Also, find out which learning style suits you best. Everyone learns differently!

Get in the habit of looking up words you don't know. If you have a dictionary program on your computer, keep it open and handy. America Online and other internet services have dictionaries and thesauruses on their tool bars. Find them and look up any word you are not absolutely sure of. Use a thesaurus when you write to find the word that fits best.

Vocabulary Learning Tip Seven: Play with words. Play Scrabble, Boggle, and do crossword puzzles. These and other word games are available for the computer, so you are not dependent on a partner to play. Also, try out the Franklin Electronic Dictionary that features built-in word games.

Use vocabulary lists. For the serious vocabulary student, there are many books that focus on the words most commonly found in standardized tests, such as the SAT and GRE. There are also many interesting word sites on the Internet, many of which will send you a word a day by email.

Take vocabulary tests. Playing games, such as the ones on this site, that test your knowledge will help you learn new words and also let you know how much progress you're making. Offline sources for vocabulary tests include SAT prep books (we recommend "10 Real SATs" by ETS), and the Reader's Digest Wordpower section.

Get excited about words! Come to appreciate the sometimes-subtle differences between them. Do you know the difference between something that denotes something else and something that connotes something else? If not, go look it up. Learn to say what you really mean and discover the joys of being able to express yourself in writing. Your future can depend on how rich your vocabulary is. A good vocabulary will make a difference on the standardized tests, like the SAT and GRE, that could determine whether or where you go to college. It will also determine the quality of your communication. So be in it for the long pull. Let building your vocabulary be a lifelong proposition. Remember: "In the beginning was the word." Until you have a word for something, it does not exist for you. Name it, and you have made your reality richer.

Source: sheppardsoftware.com

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Dr. Franz's Tips on Learning Vocabulary

(So You Will Never Forget It)
Vivian Franz, Ph.D.

1.Cardinal Rule: Learn vocabulary in context. Don't merely try to attach meanings to words. It is unlikely that you will remember isolated words and dictionary meanings. Instead, use context. Example: integral/adj./necessary, being an essential part of something. "Mealtimes are an integral part of family life."

2. Read with two books, the book you are reading and a dictionary, so you can learn words new to you in context. Whenever possible, write word meanings right in your book.

3. This is important. Review vocabulary new to you within three hours of your first exposure to it. This means that when you study vocabulary you must schedule time for review. You must make review a part of your on-going study plan. Review is essential to remembering. If you wish to retain information, you must review.

4. When you come to a word new to you, practice these steps: See it. Say it. Hear it. Write it. Use all four senses to help you remember. (If you could smell it, that would probably also help.) You are taking new information to your brain. When you look at the new word and say it aloud, you hear it. If it is academic, write it. See it, say it, hear it, write it.

5. Don't try to memorize long lists of words with prefixes and suffixes. Learn two or three examples of each, then apply what you know. For example, pre means before: preview, preschool, precede (go before). Cide, as a suffix, means killer: homocide, insecticide, fungicide.

6. Be a word detective. Look for parts of the word you already know. Consider the word "incontrovertible." Say: "in" means not. The "controv" part may be related to the word "controversy." If there is no controversy, it is not able to be questioned. It is indisputable.

Additionally, look for word families or related words. Then use the context with the above techniques to unlock the new word. Whatever you do, don't just pass over the word that is new to you!

7. Finally, you can make up your own "tricks" to help you remember troublesome words. Hubris means arrogance. Think of someone you know who is arrogant. Attach the word to a name. A good name for "hubris" is Hubert. "Arrogant Hubert," for example. Again, use context to help you.

Remember, you are not learning for a test; you are learning for a lifetime. Whether we like it or not, people judge us in part by how we write and how we speak. In addition -- think about it -- the only thing we have in life that can't be taken away from us, as long as we remain healthy, is what we know. All material things can vanish. But, if we know a lot --principles, concepts, ideas, facts -- we will probably always be able to solve problems, to cope, to take care of ourselves and others. Isn't that what we really want?

Now, review this within three hours, so you will remember.

Source: thudscave.com