How to Improve Your Vocabulary for SSC Exams
Improve your visual vocabulary/phocabulary., Understand word roots., Learn the origins of words., Play word games., Take online word quizzes., Build your contextual vocabulary., Use word lists.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Improve your visual vocabulary/phocabulary.
It is often said that a picture conveys more than a thousand words.
It presents an image which our brain can more easily relate with.
Using a picture or mental imagery can help a student connect with a certain word and memorize it.
For example, one can relate the word "veracity"
which means truthfulness, with the image of Mahatma Gandhi.
Similarly, the word "intrepid"
which means fearless, can be associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh. -
Step 2: Understand word roots.
Word roots are the simplest forms which can't be broken down any further.
Understanding word roots definitely helps a student to develop a strong link with the word to be memorized.
It also helps one to simultaneously link the same word root to other related words, thereby creating a web of words.
One such web of interlinked words can be woven using the word root "bio"
which means "living" or "alive".
Abiotic (non living), biology (study of living beings), biodiversity (presence variety in various living forms) etc. are a part of this web. , Language has a definite sociocultural and historical context.
Quite often it is from this context that words originate.
Viewing words in the context which they originate from is indeed an interesting and potent method.
The word "laconic"
which means brief and to the point, has its origin in a place earlier known as Laconia.
The word "salary" derives its origin from “salarium"
the quota of salt which was given to Roman soldiers as monthly wages. , Scrabble, crossword puzzles, hangman, jumbled words etc. are some all time popular word games.
These games make the task of vocabulary improvement, which at times seems a little tedious to some, joyful and entertaining.
You need not shy away from such games, as often work made fun gets done. , Playing word quizzes, which are available on many websites, can help a student zero in on the right word from the given options.
The experience of attempting these quizzes is quite similar to what one finally experiences in the exam.
The great benefit with such quizzes is that a lot of words can be learned in limited time. , Reading is an activity which can do wonders to a student's vocabulary.
While reading newspaper editorials, weekly magazines, fictional and non fictional works etc., a student is bound to come across new words.
These words must be looked up in the dictionary and a database of such words should be prepared.
For better comprehension and recall, one can also include, in this database, the sentences (context) where such words appear.
This method is certainly the most appropriate one for developing usage skills. , Quite often students rely on memorizing standard word lists containing high frequency words as a time saving and highly productive method of vocabulary improvement.
The words starting with "SPICE" letters (S, P, I, C & E) are considered to be the most important ones from the exam perspective.
Memorizing them does make a lot of sense.
However, it is noteworthy that this method has but limited efficacy in terms of improving one's overall verbal ability skills, such as word usage. -
Step 3: Learn the origins of words.
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Step 4: Play word games.
-
Step 5: Take online word quizzes.
-
Step 6: Build your contextual vocabulary.
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Step 7: Use word lists.
Detailed Guide
It is often said that a picture conveys more than a thousand words.
It presents an image which our brain can more easily relate with.
Using a picture or mental imagery can help a student connect with a certain word and memorize it.
For example, one can relate the word "veracity"
which means truthfulness, with the image of Mahatma Gandhi.
Similarly, the word "intrepid"
which means fearless, can be associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
Word roots are the simplest forms which can't be broken down any further.
Understanding word roots definitely helps a student to develop a strong link with the word to be memorized.
It also helps one to simultaneously link the same word root to other related words, thereby creating a web of words.
One such web of interlinked words can be woven using the word root "bio"
which means "living" or "alive".
Abiotic (non living), biology (study of living beings), biodiversity (presence variety in various living forms) etc. are a part of this web. , Language has a definite sociocultural and historical context.
Quite often it is from this context that words originate.
Viewing words in the context which they originate from is indeed an interesting and potent method.
The word "laconic"
which means brief and to the point, has its origin in a place earlier known as Laconia.
The word "salary" derives its origin from “salarium"
the quota of salt which was given to Roman soldiers as monthly wages. , Scrabble, crossword puzzles, hangman, jumbled words etc. are some all time popular word games.
These games make the task of vocabulary improvement, which at times seems a little tedious to some, joyful and entertaining.
You need not shy away from such games, as often work made fun gets done. , Playing word quizzes, which are available on many websites, can help a student zero in on the right word from the given options.
The experience of attempting these quizzes is quite similar to what one finally experiences in the exam.
The great benefit with such quizzes is that a lot of words can be learned in limited time. , Reading is an activity which can do wonders to a student's vocabulary.
While reading newspaper editorials, weekly magazines, fictional and non fictional works etc., a student is bound to come across new words.
These words must be looked up in the dictionary and a database of such words should be prepared.
For better comprehension and recall, one can also include, in this database, the sentences (context) where such words appear.
This method is certainly the most appropriate one for developing usage skills. , Quite often students rely on memorizing standard word lists containing high frequency words as a time saving and highly productive method of vocabulary improvement.
The words starting with "SPICE" letters (S, P, I, C & E) are considered to be the most important ones from the exam perspective.
Memorizing them does make a lot of sense.
However, it is noteworthy that this method has but limited efficacy in terms of improving one's overall verbal ability skills, such as word usage.
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Alexander Williams
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