How to enrich your English vocabulary
Learning vocabulary is not only logically necessary, it must also be continuous. We must always be learning vocabulary. Also, you can make yourself a scholarly personality as a teenager, and also why not, even in your seventies. It is good that little by little you create the habit that helps you learn and use the most necessary words that will make it easier to communicate, write and think. So keep reading for more concrete advice on how to build your vocabulary.
ÍNDICE DE CONTENIDOS
Read with enthusiasm. If you are in school, once you drop out, you run the risk of losing the habit of reading and therefore learning new words, and you could become stagnant and even regress. Because unfortunately, it is usually easy for many to stop reading.
Recommendations
- You can try reading a new book a week or reading an English newspaper every morning. Draw a frequency and a rhythm, the one that best suits your needs and your time with it, you will develop a reading routine that will benefit you enormously.
- It is advisable to read all kinds of literature so as not to pigeonhole yourself. Read classics. Read new fiction and read old fiction. Read poetry. Read Herman Melville, William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, etc.
- There are many classics available for reading on Project Gutenberg and LibriVox. Read online magazines, essays, and blogs on a variety of topics. Read record reviews and fashion blogs.
- Have your new word register ready. Look for the words you don’t recognize to write them down. Before a new word tries to decipher its possible meaning in the context of the sentence, then it is good to use the dictionary to confirm its definition.
- You carry your small notebook with you to quickly write down unfamiliar words and then more easily identify them. If you hear or see a word you don’t know, be sure to look it up.
Use the dictionary
Reading the dictionary is an interesting practice, you will always find words and expressions that you did not know existed and that can replace some words that you use too often. This will give you fluidity and brilliance in your dialogue.
It is vitally important that you become a quality dictionary to make it more interesting, so find yourself a dictionary that contains extensive explanations about the origins and uses of words, since these will greatly help you remember the word and enjoy using your dictionary.
Of course, you should read the thesaurus often. It is important that you look for the synonyms of the words that you use the most to use it and give agility to your oratory.
An effective formula for expanding your vocabulary is to look up a certain number of new words in the dictionary every day. There are those who advise 20 words a day. Everything will depend on you, on how many you are able to learn daily. If you use more words than you will be able to remember, given your possibilities and time, it is likely that very soon you will get discouraged and this can be counterproductive. No one knows yourself better than you and what are your real possibilities,
Sticky notes at home
- Use the sticky notes around your home. Along with learning words from the dictionary, sticky notes are often an extraordinary complement. Hang up a post-it with the definition of a particular word that you hope to memorize on it or any other utensil, so you can study it while you prepare your morning cup.
- Add a new word to each plant in the house so you can study while you clean it.
- It is also advisable to carry cards when you are watching television or carrying out other tasks. I mean, you should always be building.
Writing
- If you can include yourself in WhatsApp or create collective media on your own with people who know English, who are studying it, or even with native speakers, it will allow you an extraordinary daily practice in writing English. If you normally avoid writing notes or writing emails group emails or participating in group discussions, you should change your habits and write more.
- When writing, try to use adjectives and precise nouns as if you were on a test. The best writers aspire to conciseness and precision. For this, it is good to have the thesaurus at hand. From experience, you shouldn’t use three words when one is enough. A word is a useful addition to your vocabulary if you reduce the number of words in a sentence.
Gamification
It is good that you build word puzzles and practice word games. For example, word puzzles are a great source to increase your word learning because puzzle creators will often need to turn to a variety of unusual words to make sure they fit their puzzles and are interesting.
Learn some Latin
Some experts advise learning a little Latin. Although it may seem like a dead language, knowing a little Latin is a great way to learn the roots of many words in the English language and can help you discover the meaning of a wide range of words you don’t know. There are Latin learning resources online, as well as many texts (check out your favorite used bookstore).