Centaur Schools' Vocabulary Tips - Always study words that are related to one another. If you are studying words to describe the countryside e.g. valley, stream, meadow do not mix in words to describe things in the city (e.g. fire hydrant) or words to describe personality. Words that are related are usually seen together and are easier to remember together.
- Learn vocabulary in fields you are interested in. If you are interested in art or football, read about it. This may seem obvious, but many students do not learn the words that they often use in their own language. You probably know many words in your own language to describe a painting, or a football match, but do not know what these words are in English- find out what they are! Remember your interests are what you like to talk about and part of who you are- if you do not know how to express these things it should worry you.
- Get a picture dictionary. It is easier to remember things if you see pictures of what they are.
- Use videos. When you next watch a film, write down in your own language five or ten things that you see which you do not know the words for in English (it could be an object, or a facial expression- anything!). Look these words up in your dictionary, and then watch the film again, practicing using the new words. Once again, it is easier to remember the word for something if you can see it.
- Make an audio tape of vocabulary words. While you're walking or driving to work, or waiting at the bus stop, listen to vocabulary words. First say the word in your language, pause, then say the word in English. This pause will allow you time to respond before you get the correct answer. Make sure that you follow rule one when making your tape.
- Buy a thesaurus. A thesaurus is like a dictionary. It is a collection of words listed with their synonyms and antonyms. If you discover you are always using the same word e.g. 'He's nice', 'The film was nice' 'We had a nice time'- this should bother you. Try to use other words. Of course sometimes you will use an unsuitable word, but this should not stop you from using this valuable resource for building your vocabulary. If you have a computer you can find a thesaurus under 'Tools'.
- Practice new vocabulary when writing. If you have got a writing assignment, get out your new vocabulary and try to use some of the words in your assignment. If you do not use newly learned words when speaking or writing you will soon forget them.
- Practice new vocabulary when doing grammar exercises. Of course, the most important thing when practicing grammar is to make sure that you are using the correct forms, but don't waste a valuable opportunity to practice new vocabulary, too. If you have recently learned the words 'suspiciously' and 'penguin' and you need to write a sentence using the verb 'to go' in the past, why not write: 'The penguin suspiciously went inside.'
- Practice new vocabulary when speaking. Write down a list of five new words that you want to use in class. Try to use these words in discussion. Believe me, you will find a way to turn the conversation so that you can use at least a few of these words. Use this same strategy before you go out with friends who speak English.
- Read! Not only will you improve your reading skills, you will also build your vocabulary. In texts you see related words together, and you can use other words to try to figure out the meaning of new words. Remember that a great deal of the words that you know in your own language you did not learn from a dictionary, nor did anyone tell you what they meant.
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