You see it all the time; lists of 100, 500 or even 1,000 vocabulary words to learn in English. I’ve had students try to memorize words from lists only to find that they rarely remember them. Not to mention, it’s extremely frustrating and not very much fun to try and memorize a huge list of new vocab. Lucky for you, I’m gonna explain an easy, effective, FUN AND FAST way to build your vocabulary!
Context, context, context….I can’t say it more. It’s so much easier to understand the meaning of a word or expression when you experience it in real life. Understanding the situation the word is being used in will help you remember the word better than if it’s not in context. Watch videos, movies and series that you’re interested in. Read articles, blogs and books that are exciting and fascinating to you.
Review, review, review…try to look at new words after a day or two of learning them. Make sure to review them at least two or three times within one week (this only takes five or ten minutes per day). It’s important that you review these words by watching the video or reading the article where you first saw them. Once again, you’re seeing them in context so you’re more likely to understand AND remember the word.
Practice, practice, practice….create sentences or a story using these new words. You can do this by writing them down or using them when you’re speaking in English. This will help you get into the habit of actually using the new vocabulary you’ve learned on a regular basis.
Do you think these tips work? What's helpful for you to learn new vocabulary? Write in the comments below!