When you leave school or college [1], someone will inevitably point
out that this is not the end and that it is only the beginning. Of
course the speaker is right. No educational process is the end. It is
always the beginning of more learning and more living. And that is the
case here. What has happened to you as a result of your reaction to
the material and suggestion in this site is only the beginning of your
development. To stop increasing your vocabulary [2] is to stop your
intellectual growth. To continue to grow intellectually as long as you
remain alive with the momentum that your weeks of hard work have
provided, continuing will not be at all difficult.
You can maintain a clever, astute and erudite persona whether you're
adolescent or octogenarian. This article will spell out how to find,
learn, and use, ostentatious words so other people will kick up their
estimate of the level of your intelligence. And here is a little
secret. If you can learn to utilize words of this ilk, you doubtless
are pretty sharp to begin with.
!! Steps !!
_ Become actively receptive to new words. Every
time you read, there are opportunities to increase your vocabulary
[3]. Don't ignore these opportunities; many of us tend to form a
habit of skipping unknown words and gaining general understanding of
phrases or paragraphs from the whole context. If you're used to doing
this, it may require additional effort to remember to note down the
words that are unusual or that you really don't know the meaning of.
Train yourself to be on a constant lookout when reading and listening
[4] to others, and remember the words that are not known to you.
* Consider keeping a small notebook [5] with you and quickly jot
down unknown words as you come across them, for checking later. If
you hear someone using a word you don't know, be sure to look it
up.
* Let new words percolate in your mind. Learn the meanings [6] and
then add them into everyday speech as regularly as possible.
Provided you're using each new word in context and accurately, it
will begin to become second nature.
Read more. Once you leave school, you won't get
the new word drills and reading becomes a large
part of the way in which you increase the range
of words in your vocabulary. As well as aiming
to read well written magazines [7], essays, and
online material, read as many books as you have
the time and inclination for. Seek out the
tomes of Dickens, Austen, and Hawthorne.
Deliberately find books that are hard to read
like William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury_
and James Joyce's _Ulysses_.
* If your reading today is largely restricted only to the quick
perusal of daily newspapers [8], then change your habits. If your
aim is to have superior vocabulary, you will have to make the time
to read at least one book and several magazines every week. Not
this week and the next week, but every week for the rest of your
life. As well as improving your vocabulary, you'll also keep
updated and backdated, your general knowledge [9] will increase,
and you'll be a well-rounded person who knows a lot more than many
other people do.
* Add the new words you meet in your reading to
your own vocabulary. When you see an unfamiliar word in a book
[10], magazine, manual, etc., do not skip over it impatiently.
Instead, pause for a moment and say it to yourself. Get used to
its sound and its appearance. At first, try to puzzle out its
possible meaning in the context of the sentence. Whether you come
to the right conclusion or not, whether indeed you're even able to
come to any intelligent conclusion at all is of no importance.
What is important is that, by that process, you're becoming super
conscious [11] of the new word. As a result, you will suddenly
notice that this very word pops up unexpectedly again and again in
all sorts of places. For now your mind has been alerted to notice
it. Once you've tried this exercise, look it up in the dictionary
and confirm its meaning. After you've seen each newly learned word
a few times, you will know fairly accurately not only what it
means but the many ways in which it can be used; best of all,
it'll now form a part of your natural vocabulary.
Write more. The more you write [12], the more
your vocabulary increases as you're forced into
a position of expanding your word usage to
convey precisely what it is that you wish to
get across to the reader. When writing, aim to
replace commonly used words with less used and
more descriptive and interesting words; get out
the thesaurus [13] and use more challenging
words. Doing this can improve your fiction,
biographical [14], and some forms of work
writing a great deal.
* Most material written for public dissemination aims to avoid the
use of words that the average reader would not know. Keep this in
mind when flexing your new vocabulary – you'll still need to
keep your plain English in good usage for everyday writing,
especially in most work environments.
* Try to avoid falling back on buzzwords [15]. You can still say
what you mean without resorting to them and people will probably
have a far clearer understanding of your point.
Read the dictionary [16]. Expanding your
vocabulary will always be improved by regularly
diving into the dictionary and reading entries
for words you aren't yet familiar with. This
requires the ownership of a quality dictionary
to make it more interesting, so look for a
dictionary that has lengthy explanations on the
origins and uses of words, as these will go a
long way to helping you remember the word and
enjoy using your dictionary.
* Sign up to be emailed a "Word of the Day" using one of the many
online dictionaries. You can also procure for yourself a Word of
the Day calendar; be sure to read the word on the page each day
and aim to remember each day's word and even use it somewhere in
your day.
* Visit word building sites such as freerice.com and construct an
expansive vocabulary while nourishing the hungry or doing
something else useful.
* There are many online sites devoted to compiling alphabetical
lists of unusual, weird, old-fashioned, and difficult words. Avail
yourself of the search engine [17] to find these sites and to
learn from them. This is a great way to while away time waiting
for a bus or in the bank queue.
* Do word puzzles [18] and play word games.
Word puzzles are an excellent source of increasing your word
knowledge because the puzzle creators will often need to resort to
an array of unusual words to ensure that the words fit into their
puzzles and that they are interesting for the puzzle doer. There
are many varieties of vocabulary puzzles, including crosswords
[19], find-a-word and hidden word puzzles. As well as
strengthening your word knowledge, puzzles are also good for
improving your critical thinking skills. For word games, try such
games as Scrabble [20], Boggle, and Cranium to extend your
vocabulary.
* Learn a little Latin [21]. Although it might
seem like a dead and done language, knowing a bit of Latin is an
excellent way to learn the roots of many words in the English
language and can help you figure out the meaning of a wide range
of words that you don't yet know without having to resort to the
dictionary. There are online Latin learning resources, as well as
plenty of texts (check out your favorite used books bookstore).
* Read outside your usual realm of interestOpen your mind [22]
to new ideas. Every word you see is the translation of new idea.
Think for few minutes of the areas of human knowledge that may
possibly be unknown to you - psychology [23], semantics,
anthropology, science, art, music, management, etc. Then, attack
one of these areas methodically, by reading books on that
particular subject. In every field, from the simplest to the most
abstruse, there are several books for the average, untrained lay
reader, right through to those for experts in the field. Push
yourself with the reading as far as you can, to expose yourself to
new ways of using the vocabulary and forming ideas; doing this
will give you both a good grasp of the subject and, at the same
time, add new vocabularies to your existing knowledge.
* Learning is foreverSet a goal [24]. If you do nothing about
your vocabulary, you will learn, at most, twenty-five to fifty new
words in the next twelve months. With a conscious effort, you can
learn several thousands of new words. Set your self a goal of
finding and remembering several new words every day. While this
may sound ambitious, you will discover as soon as you start
actively looking for new words in your reading, and actively doing
reading of a more challenging type, that new words are all around
you and that this is an exciting goal to fulfill. And understand
this – vocabulary building snowballs. The results of each new
day search will be greater and greater. Once you provide the
necessary initial push, once you gain momentum, once you become
addicted to looking for new words, for finding new words and for
taking possession of new words, you'll find you can't stop.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* The more obscure the words you employ, the better - a slighter
number of people will discern the odd malaprop you may happen to
launch.
* Use flash cards for new words. These can aid with meaning and
pronunciation. Also, you can purchase pre-attached small blank
vocabulary cards which you can throw into your bag and carry
anywhere. Write the new words you're learning on them and pull out
the flashcards while you're on the bus, in a queue, waiting to
collect someone, etc., and brush up your learning.
* There are many websites devoted to improving vocabulary. Find your
favorites and make the most of them.
* Using protracted and lengthened words to deride others will
function superbly, if you are given to this kind of mischief.
After all, it gives you a ten to twenty minute lead time to
egress before the enemy party can ascertain that you've directed a
pretty spot of impertinence its way.
!! Warnings !!
* Never become obsessed with vocabulary. Vocabulary building should
be a fun activity, not something that you feel you have to do but
don't enjoy.
* People with choice vocabularies will not be caught unawares, and
might call you out, so don't be a pretender. Internalize the terms
you seek to utter and speak them well, and even more so, know how
to use them accurately with the correct context.
* Big words can, via various vicissitudes, become fascinating and
addictive.
* Using big words as invective against your nemesis won't ameliorate
your mood, nor will it mend your own insecurities, however
ephemerally gratifying their consternation.
!! Things You\'ll Need !!
* Dictionary
* Word cards and marker
* Notebook and marker
* Classic novels, difficult reads
* Wide range of reading material
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Collaborate in Lesson Planning [25]
* How to Assist Teachers to Include Students With Special Needs [26]
* How to Study for Model UN Credentialing [27]
* How to Encourage Your Child to Love Learning [28]
* How to Use Your Whole Brain While Studying [29]
* How to Make Letters of the English Alphabet [30]
* How to Enrich Your English Language Vocabulary [31]
!! Sources And Citations !!
* http://www.english-for-students.com [32] – research source
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
Links:
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[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-to-College
[2] http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-or-Make-Vocabulary-Index-Cards-for-School
[3] http://www.wikihow.com/Ace-Your-Vocabulary-Tests
[4] http://www.wikihow.com/Listen
[5] http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Notebook
[6] http://www.wikihow.com/Rename-Yourself-Using-Your-Name%27s-Real-Meaning
[7] http://www.wikihow.com/Easily-Bind-Magazines-Together
[8] http://www.wikihow.com/Read-a-Newspaper
[9] http://www.wikihow.com/Expand-Your-Knowledge-Using-the-Internet
[10] http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-a-Good-Book
[11] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Conscious-Mind
[12] http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Writing
[13] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Thesaurus
[14] http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Biographical-Sketch
[15] http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Bullshit-Bingo
[16] http://www.wikihow.com/Read-the-Dictionary
[17] http://www.wikihow.com/Search-the-Internet
[18] http://www.wikihow.com/Solve-Word-Puzzles
[19] http://www.wikihow.com/Solve-a-Cryptic-Crossword
[20] http://www.wikihow.com/Win-at-Scrabble
[21] http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Latin-Vocabulary
[22] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:He%27s-so-confused..jpg
[23] http://www.wikihow.com/Attain-a-Basic-Knowledge-of-Psychology
[24] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Frankenstein-Vocab-11-20-of-50.015-001.jpg
[25] http://www.wikihow.com/Collaborate-in-Lesson-Planning
[26] http://www.wikihow.com/Assist-Teachers-to-Include-Students-With-Special-Needs
[27] http://www.wikihow.com/Study-for-Model-UN-Credentialing
[28] http://www.wikihow.com/Encourage-Your-Child-to-Love-Learning
[29] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Whole-Brain-While-Studying
[30] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Letters-of-the-English-Alphabet
[31] http://www.wikihow.com/Enrich-Your-English-Language-Vocabulary
[32] http://www.english-for-students.com
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