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In many ways, a language is<\/em> its vocabulary. Other skills, such as grammar, pronunciation, etc. all revolve around correct, meaningful use of words. To master the English language, you need to know a large volume of English vocabulary. This is especially important on the TOEFL, where you can\u2019t stop to look up a word or ask someone to explain it. Vocabulary is an important part of all four TOEFL skills: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. When you practice each skill, you have many different opportunities to build your vocabulary as well. So let\u2019s look at the best strategies to help you improve your English vocabulary!<\/p>\n Having a large vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve English communication skills for non-native speakers. However, for those who speak English as a second language, remembering all of the vocabulary you\u2019ve learned (and adding new words to the mix) can be a challenge. Thankfully, there are a number of simple tools to build your English vocabulary<\/a> fast.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at some of the best practices for learning new words. However, keep in mind that while you can easily learn a new word, you can forget it just as easily if you don\u2019t regularly use it. This is why we\u2019ll also cover some tips to help you remember words in the long-term.<\/p>\n Written English tends to use more vocabulary words than spoken English, so reading is a great way to build your vocabulary quickly. When reading to build your vocabulary, underline unfamiliar words. If you are reading something on your computer, copy the passage into a word processing file and underline it electronically. Once you\u2019ve underlined all the unfamiliar words in a passage, try to guess the meaning of the words from context. Then look up the new words in a dictionary. Were you right, or at least close? Once you\u2019ve defined the new vocabulary, reread the passage. That way, you can fully understand new vocabulary in context.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re up for it, use English language dictionaries<\/a> where all the definitions are given in English. If this is too hard, use dictionaries that translate words into your native language.<\/p>\n A word journal is simply a place for you to jot down new words, definitions, and even hints about how to pronounce or remember new terms. How you choose to organize your journal is completely up to you.<\/p>\n For some people, simply writing down new words and then looking them up later is good enough. For others, noting down a brief definition, pronunciation notes, and even pictures will help them better remember the meaning of new words.<\/p>\n Writing down the context along with the new word is a good learning practice. Learning one definition at a time<\/strong> (the definition that suits the context) will also help avoid confusion. Some words have different meanings depending on how and when they are used, so you don\u2019t want to overload your brain with too many definitions all at once.<\/p>\n However, a word journal is useless if you don\u2019t have it with you when you encounter new words. If you leave your journal at home, you probably won\u2019t be able to remember the new words by the time you get back from school or work. That\u2019s why you should try to always keep your journal with you. As soon as you hear or see a new word, write it down.<\/p>\n If you have time, write down any additional notes that help you remember the meaning of the word. You know your learning style the best!<\/p>\n Learning new words doesn\u2019t have to be all about hitting the books and taking notes. There are many entertaining ways to improve your English vocabulary as well. Here are just a few fun tools to get you started:<\/p>\n If you learn new vocabulary only through reading, you\u2019ll run into a problem: You often won\u2019t know how to pronounce new words or recognize them when you hear them. To avoid this problem, you want to be able to mentally connect the spelling of new vocabulary to the sound of new vocabulary.<\/p>\n One thing you can do is take new words you\u2019ve read and type them into Google Translate<\/a>. Then click the speaker icon, which looks like this:\u00a0 It\u2019s also good to learn written and spoken forms of words by listening to natural speech. Listen to things that have both audio and transcript. TED Talks<\/a> are very good for this. Many (but not all) videos on UpWorthy<\/a> come with transcripts too. And there are sites like Ororo.tv<\/a> that have lots of subtitled English language videos. You can even find vocabulary-focused ESL study guides for English film on sites like ESLnotes<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s one thing to learn how to spell a word, perfect your pronunciation, and then learn the definition. It\u2019s something else entirely to remember how to use the word and recall its meaning months or even years later. So, let\u2019s look at a few ways to help cement new words in your memory bank:<\/p>\n You could use the words actively in a conversation or writing. It helps if you see them when you read new texts and hear them when you listen to English speech repeatedly. This is truly the best way to keep the words in your memory!<\/p>\n There are several ways to practice using new vocabulary in writing. I\u2019ve already mentioned posting to English language message boards in an earlier post<\/a>. This is a great way to share your written ideas with others, get feedback, and perhaps even get advice on how to use new vocabulary. Online debate clubs<\/a> give you a chance to write out your arguments and share them with people. Journaling is good too. To get feedback on your use of vocabulary in your journal, consider showing it to a teacher, tutor<\/a>, fellow English student, or pen pal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether you decide to have a word journal or take diligent notes from your English class, you should regularly look back at what you\u2019ve written. Ideally, you should review new words that you\u2019ve jotted down daily. However, if you don\u2019t have the time, try to look back at new vocabulary words at least once a week.<\/p>\n A straightforward way to improve your spoken English vocabulary is to talk to real people. This can be done through conversation<\/a> exchanges<\/a>. Consider joining an English conversation club<\/a> with other English students as well. You could even make your own. And of course, word games like Apples to Apples or Mad Libs<\/a> are also a fun way to learn and say new vocabulary words.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to remember that building your vocabulary takes time. Since everybody learns at their own pace, it\u2019s hard to say exactly how many new words you should try to learn per week or month.<\/p>\n However, don\u2019t try to learn too many at a time. If your brain gets overloaded with new information, you\u2019ll end up forgetting the vast majority of it. Instead, find a pace that works best for your schedule and learning style.<\/p>\n Finally, you can find dozens of great online resources to help you improve vocabulary. Below you will see a couple free and paid resources to get you started:<\/p>\n In many ways, a language is its vocabulary. Other skills, such as grammar, pronunciation, etc. all revolve around correct, meaningful use of words. To master the English language, you need to know a large volume of English vocabulary. This is especially important on the TOEFL, where you can\u2019t stop to look up a word or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13604],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630,13660],"class_list":["post-1359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocab"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n1. Add New Words to Your English Vocabulary<\/h2>\n
Improve English Vocabulary Through Reading<\/h3>\n
Start Using a Word Journal<\/h3>\n
Participate in English Vocabulary-Based Activities<\/h3>\n
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Learn English Vocabulary by Listening<\/h3>\n
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\u00a0Google Translate will then \u201cread out loud,\u201d saying the words you typed. Many online dictionaries also have a clickable speaker icon so that you can play an audio file of a word.<\/p>\n2. Retain English Vocabulary Words<\/h2>\n
Practice Using Words in Speech and Writing<\/h3>\n
Review Your Notes Regularly<\/h3>\n
Say New Words Out Loud<\/h3>\n
3. Pace Yourself<\/h2>\n
Resources for Improving Your English Vocabulary<\/h2>\n
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