How to Enrich Your English Language Vocabulary
Love words., Look up words you don't know whenever you encounter them., Use a Thesaurus., There are many computer programs and websites that have ways of giving you a short "Word of the Day" list with new words every day., Get a personalized Google...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Love words.
You have to really want to learn new vocabulary if you're going to succeed. , After encountering and looking up a word several times, you should eventually be able to remember its definition.
Try them in your regular conversation so you will be sure when and where to use them. , A thesaurus is a great resource which enables you to know the more advanced equivalent of basic English words. , Try going to www.dictionary.com.
Scroll down and click on "Get the Word of the Day e-mail".
If you enter all of the required information, you will get a new e-mail every day with a word, its definition, and an example usage sentence. , Search for "word of the day" in the search box, and pick some of the content choices that you'd like to have on your homepage.
We recommend Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com), Dictionary.com, and Wordsmith.org.
When you log on to your homepage, there will be a list of new words every day. , Read all genres of books.
When you come across a word you don't know, read the sentences around the word and try to figure out what it means from the context.
Check your guess with a dictionary.
This doesn't mean you should start reading medical textbooks or other books with lots of new words on every page.
Set aside time each day to sit down with your book.
Enjoy yourself! , Try Boggle, Scrabble, or Catch-Phrase.
There are so many great games out there to teach you new words.
If a friend comes up with a word that you don't know, ask them what it means. , Using your new vocabulary is not only fun, but a great way to remember all these new words.
Try to use at least three new words a day when communicating with anyone. , Many words in the English language come from Latin or Greek words.
When you combine these Latin or Greek words, you get new words in English.
For example: astro ("astron" meaning "star") + logy (logos meaning "speech") = astrology (meaning "telling of the stars").
Buy an etymological dictionary (meaning "a dictionary of word origins"). ,, It's good to practice using your new words.
With a web connection, your conversation partner does not need to live near you.
You can email, chat, and even phone each other using your computers.
A friend who understands that you are learning can help you practice, use new words in your conversations, and offer you advice.
Since talking to a friend is fun, it won't feel like work! If your friend wants to learn your language, too, it will be easier for both of you to understand each other's mistakes. , -
Step 2: Look up words you don't know whenever you encounter them.
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Step 3: Use a Thesaurus.
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Step 4: There are many computer programs and websites that have ways of giving you a short "Word of the Day" list with new words every day.
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Step 5: Get a personalized Google homepage and click on "Add Content".
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Step 6: Play word games with friends.
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Step 7: Use the words you learn when you're talking to people or writing letters or e-mail.
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Step 8: Learn roots
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Step 9: prefixes
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Step 10: and suffixes.
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Step 11: If you learn any romance language (eg: French
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Step 12: Spanish
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Step 13: Italian)
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Step 14: or Latin or Ancient Greek
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Step 15: these will help you immensely with improving your vocabulary
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Step 16: especially the two ancient languages here because so many complicated English words are derived from words that are simple and commonly used in them.
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Step 17: Find a friend who speaks English.
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Step 18: Listen to the radio
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Step 19: watch television
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Step 20: or find a podcast that you like in English
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Step 21: and practice understanding the language when spoken
Detailed Guide
You have to really want to learn new vocabulary if you're going to succeed. , After encountering and looking up a word several times, you should eventually be able to remember its definition.
Try them in your regular conversation so you will be sure when and where to use them. , A thesaurus is a great resource which enables you to know the more advanced equivalent of basic English words. , Try going to www.dictionary.com.
Scroll down and click on "Get the Word of the Day e-mail".
If you enter all of the required information, you will get a new e-mail every day with a word, its definition, and an example usage sentence. , Search for "word of the day" in the search box, and pick some of the content choices that you'd like to have on your homepage.
We recommend Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com), Dictionary.com, and Wordsmith.org.
When you log on to your homepage, there will be a list of new words every day. , Read all genres of books.
When you come across a word you don't know, read the sentences around the word and try to figure out what it means from the context.
Check your guess with a dictionary.
This doesn't mean you should start reading medical textbooks or other books with lots of new words on every page.
Set aside time each day to sit down with your book.
Enjoy yourself! , Try Boggle, Scrabble, or Catch-Phrase.
There are so many great games out there to teach you new words.
If a friend comes up with a word that you don't know, ask them what it means. , Using your new vocabulary is not only fun, but a great way to remember all these new words.
Try to use at least three new words a day when communicating with anyone. , Many words in the English language come from Latin or Greek words.
When you combine these Latin or Greek words, you get new words in English.
For example: astro ("astron" meaning "star") + logy (logos meaning "speech") = astrology (meaning "telling of the stars").
Buy an etymological dictionary (meaning "a dictionary of word origins"). ,, It's good to practice using your new words.
With a web connection, your conversation partner does not need to live near you.
You can email, chat, and even phone each other using your computers.
A friend who understands that you are learning can help you practice, use new words in your conversations, and offer you advice.
Since talking to a friend is fun, it won't feel like work! If your friend wants to learn your language, too, it will be easier for both of you to understand each other's mistakes. ,
About the Author
Alexis Evans
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow lifestyle tutorials.
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