To have good vocabulary is probably the most important thing in spoken and written English.To know the right word at the right moment is important. In fact, it is so important it can make or break your conversation or paper. It can be especially aggravating when you know the word but fail to recall it at the right moment. Coming up with the word minutes after you needed it only adds to the frustration.
Reading
This is the most obvious choice. Read as much as you can and whenever you see a word or a phrase you don’t quite understand — write it on a separate sheet of paper. If you can’t figure out the rough meaning of it then look it up in the dictionary. E-readers like Kindle are especially good for that as they have a built-in dictionary which makes learning new words effortless and pleasant experience.
After writing the new words out it is necessary to revise them. Morning is the best time to memorize new things — so have a quick read of your new list during breakfast for maximum efficiency. Writing sentences using the newly-memorized words is a great way to ensure you never forget them.
[su_box title=”Important” style=”soft” box_color=”#fffa8c” title_color=”#000000″ radius=”0″]Do not do this just for the sake of learning new words. It will turn into a chore that way. What you should do is pick a book that you are interested in — maybe a book you have already read in your mother tongue. Learning something new is easy as long as the reading is fun for you.[/su_box]
Movies
Movies can be as good as reading or even better. It takes almost no effort to watch a movie, With movies you get to memorize pronunciation — knowing a new word is almost useless unless you know how to pronounce it right.
Movies also help you improve your listening comprehension. If you struggle to understand what the characters are saying then you might need some time to adapt to their accents. If it doesn’t help then consider using subtitles. Another approach is to first watch it subtitled, write out all the unknown words, memorize them and then watch it again to test your knowledge.
Flash Cards
A flash card is a small piece of paper which has a word written on one side and it’s definition on the other. Alternatively, you can write the same word in your language.
It is a proven and effective way to learn new things — not just new words, but facts, technical data and much more. Not only do flashcards help learning, they also come very handy in revisions.
Anki is a great flashcard tool. It’s free and available for download both to PC and smartphones/tablets.
Dictionaries
Well, isn’t that an obvious one? Dictionaries are fun and easy way to increase your vocab. Good dictionaries have word lists, cultural reference sections, common mistakes reviews and much more! Not sure what dictionary to use? Check this entry that gives a few examples of both paper and online dictionaries.
Word Lists
This is handy when you need to prepare to a certain topic (i.e. “Family”, “Education”, “Hobbies”). A word list will contain most common words and phrases on this topic. Here is an example of a short list of words on “Education” from speaklanguages.com:
School classroom blackboard whiteboard chalk curriculum grade term spelling to spell headmaster head boy prefect school governor register assembly break
Related Verbs to sit an exam to fail an exam to pass an exam to revise to study up
As you can see the list has both single words and phrases as well as verbs. Most of the time it is easier to increase vocabulary if the new word share a theme.
Conclusion
Whichever way you choose, remember one thing — it’s not that difficult to learn ten new words in a day. It’s learning 10 words each day for a month, that is more. Keep following the “10 new words” rule for a 365 days and by this day next year you will have increased your vocabulary considerably!
How to Increase Your Vocabulary
Learn tips and tricks to increase your vocabulary. First learn how to pick up new words, then learn tips for memorization. Always study the pronunciation and practice words out loud!
Video Text:
In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to over how to increase your vocabulary.
One of the challenges in learning a foreign language is remembering all of the new vocabulary. In this video, we’re going to go over a few tips for learning new words, and for remembering them.
First, expose yourself to the language. For example, read. I still learn English words from reading. I find that every couple of months the New York Times uses a word that either I’ve never heard before, or that I’ve heard but I’m not totally solid on the meaning. So I look it up, learn the meaning, and then go back to the sentence and solidify it. One good idea is to think of another word that you know that you could replace it with in that sentence. A word that wouldn’t change the meaning. Then say the sentence with that word. Tying the new word to a word you already know, and studying it in the context of the sentence will help you remember it.
If you know my channel, you know it’s a pronunciation channel. Always learn the pronunciation when you learn a new word. When you look up a word in the dictionary, the pronunciation is always right there. Many online dictionaries also play an audio file so you can hear a native speaker say the word. Practice it out loud several times.
You want to read at the right level to learn. If it’s too easy, you won’t learn many new vocabulary words. If it’s too hard, you don’t really get the context because there’s too much that you don’t know. Try reading at a level where you look up, at most, one word per sentence.
As you discover new words in your reading, write them down, along with the meaning and the context. You can either use a notebook, or flashcards if you prefer that. Make a system that works for you so you know you’re going to actually go back and study the words again. Most words you won’t remember from just looking it up once.
When you look the word up, look for related words or other forms of the word. For example, let’s say you’re learning the word ‘adjust’, which is a verb. You may find in the dictionary that ‘adjustable’ is an adjective and ‘adjustment’ is a noun. Write these down too.
It’s also a good idea to look for one antonym or one synonym. An antonym is a word with an opposite meaning, and a synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning. So, let’s say you’re learning the word ‘blurry’. A synonym would be ‘fuzzy’. An antonym would be ‘clear’. If any of these words are unknown to you, write them down too. You can find synonyms and antonyms by looking in a thesaurus, like thesaurus.com.
Another great way to learn vocabulary is to watch TV, movies, and online videos. But you can’t just sit back, relax, and be entertained. You can do that sometimes, you’re going to learn more if you actively participate in learning. When I was in Germany, I watched a lot of TV with my notebook in hand. When I heard a word or phrase that I knew I could identify but didn’t know the meaning of, I immediately stopped paying attention to the television, or paused what I was watching, and wrote down the word. Then I looked up the meaning and wrote down the context. It was so easy to remember new words I picked up this way because I had the visual of what I had been seeing, I had the visual of the word written down, and I practiced out loud several times. The context of the situation helped solidify that word or phrase. If you can rewind and watch again, do this, and pay attention to the pronunciation. Imitate the pronunciation out loud 5 or 6 times. Make sure you write the pronunciation down, either using IPA or another system that works for you.
This is also great for learning phrases or sequences of words that are frequently used. When I was in Germany watching a drama, I heard the phrase: Es tut mir furchtbar leid. I had never heard this phrase before. I knew ‘es tut mir leid’, which means “I’m sorry”, so I recognized the phrase, and I learned a new way to intensify it with ‘furchtbar’. I’m terribly sorry.
When you learn a new phrase, write it down. Ok, so what do you do with all of these words and phrases you’re writing down? By learning them in the context of reading or video, you’re already helping yourself memorize them. But you’re still going to have to put in some work.
Try to memorize, really solidly memorize, 3-5 words a day. If you have a great memory, then maybe go for 10. But limit yourself to that.
Tip 1 for memorization: The Laura tip. I’m naming this after my friend who was studying Spanish abroad. Laura would write down and learn four or five new words that she heard in conversation throughout the day. At the end of the day, she would turn them into a song. This might involve gestures or movements to help her understand. It might contain just the word, if the gesture was clear, or the word and definition, or the word in a sentence. Adding music, adding a melody, really helps your brain hold onto information. She taught me one of her songs and I still remember it, 8 years later. And I wasn’t even trying to study Spanish at the time. Let’s come up with an example song. Let’s say you’re learning the words sprint, deceive, increase, and concern. Your song could go something like this:
Sprint! Don’t deceive me. Increase. I care because I’m concerned.
Don’t spend much time on it. It should be short and fun. Sing it 10 or 12 times. Then sing the one from yesterday a few times. Adding motion and melody will help you memorize. It doesn’t matter at all what the melody is, or even if you’re musical. It will still help you remember.
Tip 2 for memorization: Repetition and grouping.
Go over your vocabulary words many times. Practice them out loud. Repetition is extremely important. If it’s a tough word to pronounce, slow it down, don’t rush: immediately [4x]. Put the words in groups and drill the groups together. Then group them differently and drill again. For example, if you wrote down 10 words or phrases while watching one episode of the Sopranos, practice those words together and think about the episode and the context for each word. Or, group them by vowel sound in the stressed syllable, for example, furniture, unearth, burley, return, jury, blurt, curse. These words all had the UR vowel in the stressed syllable. Or, organize your words by stress: typical, period, numerous, everything, difficult, curious, DA-da-da. These were all three-syllable words with stress on the first syllable. Or, organize the words by meaning, grouping together words of similar meaning. Or group them by how well you know them, putting words you know really well in one group, words you kind of know in a second group, and words you need a lot of help with in a third group. Creating various groups will help you memorize, and will make drilling vocabulary more engaging.
Tip 3: Visualization. When you learn a word, come up with a picture for it, a mini-story in one picture in your mind that makes sense to you. This is a common mnemonic device, and you probably used it when learning vocabulary in your own language.
So, absorb as much of the language as you can through reading and watching video, or even writing down words from conversation around you. Organize these words in a system that works for you: maybe a notebook, maybe flashcards. And get creative when memorizing. The more often you come back and study your vocabulary words, the more you’ll be able to remember them and to use them yourself in writing and conversation.
Do you have other methods for learning vocabulary? Let me know in the comments below.
Also, I’m happy to tell you that my book, American English Pronunciation, is available for purchase. If you want an organized, step-by-step resource to build your American accent, click here to get the book. Or, see the description below. I think you’re going to love it.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
How to increase your English vocabulary
Updated February 9, 2021
No matter how well you know English grammar or how good your pronunciation is, you know you won’t get far without vocabulary. When you don’t have enough words to express your ideas, you’ll just end up frustrated and you may even feel like giving up.
But it can be hard to figure out how to increase English vocabulary: How do you know what’s useful and relevant? What kinds of activities will be fun and effective?
Below, we discuss how to increase English vocabulary with a few activities we’re sure you’ll find useful and engaging!
Top tips to increase your English vocabulary
1. Read anything and everything
To learn new vocabulary, reading is a really useful thing to do. The more you read, the more English words you’ll be exposed to. And, of course, you’ll see how the words are used in a sentence correctly.
The great thing is that reading materials are everywhere – you don’t have to stick to just books. You could read labels on food packages, advertisements, product reviews, blogs or news sites, just to name a few. If you do want to try a book but you’re worried it’ll be too hard, you have lots of options: Consider starting with a children’s storybook or even a comic book!
2. Play around with games and puzzles
Adding a bit of fun to your vocabulary practice will keep you interested and motivated – and word games can be a lot of fun.
3. Write it down
Here’s what to do: When you find a word or a phrase that sounds interesting (maybe on a blog post, in a movie or in a book), write it down in your word journal. Then, find its definition in the dictionary and write the meaning in your own words. If you can, include an example sentence. Then, every once in a while, go through your journal to review the words and quiz yourself!
Whatever you do, make sure you only write down words that you’ve actually read or heard throughout the day. Just copying words from a random vocabulary list is not helpful: You’ll waste a lot of time trying to memorise words that might be totally useless to you.
4. Watch some TV
Despite what our parents may have told us, TV can be educational. More specifically, by watching TV shows, online videos or movies in English, you’ll be able to pick up a lot of expressions that you can’t find in textbooks.
To do this correctly, make sure whatever you choose has the option of subtitles, just in case you can’t hear clearly. It’s also important to select a show that you’re able to watch more than once, so you can double-check how the word was used (i.e., in what situation or sentence).
5. Check your email
If you’d like to learn a little more than just ordinary English vocabulary, try signing up for “ word of the day ” emails (there are a lot of sites to choose from). When you do, you’ll start receiving one English word by email each day. This is a fun and easy way to start a collection of words you may not otherwise hear in your everyday life. And who knows – you might have the chance to use a few of them in a conversation and impress a few people!
Just keep in mind: Though they’re super interesting, these emails probably won’t be enough to increase your vocabulary on their own. Make sure you use them in addition to other everyday English practise activities!
6. Start talking
Talking is a great way to increase your vocabulary (even if it might feel a little scary at first, when your vocabulary is limited). Not only will talking to someone help you practise using the words you’ve already learned, but it will also give you a chance to learn new words from your speaking partner. On top of that, if they use a word you don’t understand, you can simply ask them what it means.
Try asking an English-speaking friend if they’ll have weekly chat sessions with you. If you don’t know anyone like that, do a quick Google search for free online English learners’ groups. You’ll find people of all different English levels to practise with and learn from!
7. Get help from the experts
All of the tips we discussed above will help you increase your English vocabulary, but why try to do it all on your own? To get the best results, start learning from Lingoda’s highly qualified, native-speaking teachers – they really know how to increase English vocabulary. You’ll learn useful English based on real-world topics no matter what your needs or your level.
How to increase english vocabulary
Knowing how to improve English vocabulary relevant to your English needs is one of the most important skills you can learn if you want to become fluent in English.
When you have an extensive vocabulary repertoire, you are able to express your opinions clearer and in more detail, you feel and sound more confident, you understand natives with greater facility, and others find it easier to comprehend you.
On the other hand, when you lack vocabulary it can make you feel frustrated and insecure about expressing your opinions in English.
In this article, I teach you a 5 step strategy on how to quickly improve English vocabulary for your immediate goals.
Step 1: Define the Vocabulary You Need
The first step is to define the vocabulary which is most relevant to your English needs and fluency goals.
Most English trainers advise their students to read more in order to improve English vocabulary. This is good advice because reading is really effective for this. But it doesn’t stop there…
It’s fundamental to choose reading material which is going to interest you, and even better, actually use the vocabulary related to the topic you are reading about in your day-to-day, because using and putting the vocabulary into practice is what makes you remember it.
When you read about a topic which is interesting and relevant, you are going to be more engaged. This will increase your chances of remembering the new vocabulary, as well as increasing your motivation to read more. This creates an ongoing cycle of more contact with English, leading to faster improvement.
How to define the vocabulary you are going to use
Start by asking yourself the following questions:
What situations do I have to use English for in my day-to-day and in the future? Is there specific vocabulary that I need for these situations? What do I want to be able to talk fluently about in English? What topics really interest me right now?
English needs will vary from person to person. Professional needs could include giving a business presentation, participating in a meeting, or preparing for a job interview. While other needs may range from having a general conversation with friends to preparing for an IELTS exam… The list goes on and on.
What is important is that you narrow down your specific need for improving English vocabulary, and focus your practice on that. Here are some simple examples of this:
If you negotiate in English, learn expressions for bargaining, making suggestions, and closing the deal.
For work presentations, learn specific vocabulary for the presentation topic, linking expressions and words and phrases to talk about increases and decreases.
For business meetings, learn more ways to agree and disagree, for making suggestions, and for expressing your opinions.
If you want to improve your English vocabulary for general conversation, choose a topic that interests you, such as Economics, then learn economics terms and vocabulary.
Step 2: Learn Vocabulary through Input Skills (Reading and Listening)
In this second step, we focus on where to find the vocabulary for your needs and then learn it through the ‘input’ skills, which are Reading and Listening.
The objective of this step is to build vocabulary through a reading source like an article, and then a listening source like a YouTube video.
Reading
Start by choosing one topic of interest, for example, the American Economy. Then search for an article about the American economy like this one in The Week.
You will find specific Economics terms like ‘GDP – Gross Domestic Product’, ‘recession’ ‘Presidential Election’, ‘long-term interest rates’, etc. Then take note of the new vocabulary (More about this in Step 3).
Listening
Next, do another search, but this time for listening material. This could include podcasts or YouTube videos, for example, this video from Fox Business.
Just like the article, you will come across lots of vocabulary related to the American Economy. And there is a good chance that some of the vocabulary which you saw in the article will also be in the video. This helps to reinforce the vocabulary because you are seeing it more than once in a slightly different context.
Step 3: Organize and Store the New Vocabulary
As you are learning new vocabulary, it’s useful to have somewhere to store and organize it all, so that you can refer back and review it.
There are a few different ways you can organize vocabulary.
The first is the traditional way which is writing it down in a notebook in the form of organized lists.
Another way is to use a spreadsheet, such as Google Sheets. Here you can create unlimited lists and keep on adding to them. Google Sheets are also useful in the way you can access them on an app in your smartphone as well as your computer.
The third option is to use a digital flashcard app, such as Anki, Flashcard Deluxe, or Quislet. With all these apps you can create a unique set of flashcards for different vocabulary topics and easily review the new vocabulary by testing yourself.
Step 4: Put the Vocabulary into Practice through Output Skills (Speaking and Writing)
In this step, your goal is to ‘produce’ the vocabulary through the ‘output’ skills (speaking and writing), which you have just learned through the input skills (reading and listening).
‘Produce’ means put into practice. Now the new vocabulary is going to go ‘out’ of you (Output), whereas before, the vocabulary was coming ‘in’ to you (Input).
This is a vital step because using the new vocabulary really helps you remember it.
Writing
For the writing, one option is to write a summary about the topic of the video or article. Another is to write an essay or your own article expressing your opinion about the topic.
The idea is to put to use the vocabulary you have learned, as writing helps you to internalize the vocabulary.
Ideally, you should then have an English trainer to have a look and give you feedback.
Speaking
Now you are going to speak about the topic to a friend, colleague or teacher. If you don’t have anybody to speak to, you can practice this on your own, record yourself, then listen back.
Just like the writing exercise, you are going to use the topic of the article or video as a base.
Speaking exercises include summarising, discussing the topic, and expressing your opinion about it. A very effective exercise is to give a presentation about it, using slides.
Giving presentations is a great way to remember new vocabulary because through the preparation you will be repeating the vocabulary a lot, which makes it stick.
At this point, you have read, listened, written, and spoken about the same topic. Imagine how much more prepared you are to speak about this topic now, as opposed to going into this topic without any prior exposure!
But this strategy for improving English vocabulary doesn’t stop there. There is still one more important step.
Step 5: Review the Vocabulary
To retain vocabulary you must review it or have contact with it in some way because t is incredible how quickly we can forget vocabulary when we stop using it.
The reason why Step 4 (Organize New Vocabulary) exists in this strategy for improving English vocabulary, is to make Step 5 happen. It is difficult to review vocabulary if it isn’t stored in an organized way.
First of all, choose the way you are going to organize the vocabulary, then decide how you are going to review it.
For me, the most effective way to review vocabulary is using one of the digital flashcard apps mentioned in Step 4. It is surprising how many words you can get through in 5 minutes. And honestly, 5 minutes a day is all you need to retain your new vocabulary.
Schedule a Daily Practice Routine
What learners struggle with most when it comes to reviewing vocabulary is determining a practice routine for it.
If you are able to choose a time during the day to spend 5 minutes reviewing vocabulary and stick to it so it becomes a habit, then your vocabulary repertoire is going to improve substantially after a few months.
So choose the best time for this. Is it after breakfast? On the tube to work? Before lunch? You just need to select a time and have the discipline to consistently do it.
Conclusion
Knowing how to improve English vocabulary is vitally important for your development as an English learner. Most learners recognize this and have the goal of increasing their vocabulary. In spite of this, most learners don’t have an appropriate strategy in place to optimize their vocabulary improvement.
Take action by trying this 5 step strategy for 1 month. For sure, you will improve your English vocabulary and feel more confident about your English!
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Author: Steven Hobson
Steven is a business English coach, a certified life coach, writer, and entrepreneur. He helps international professionals build confidence and improve fluency speaking English in a business environment.
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How to Improve English Vocabulary (4 Best Ways to Learn New Words)
No one can deny it.
The size of your vocabulary matters.
Having a large vocabulary allows you to understand and communicate in English (almost) like a native.
So in this guide, you will learn 4 proven ways to increase your English vocabulary.
This guide will teach you:
Of course, if you want to accomplish these things, you need multiple methods.
Here are the 4 best ways to improving English vocabulary:
In this article, we’ll examine these strategies in great detail.
This guide is long. If you just want a summary of what to do, click here to jump to the step-by-step action plan.
Where should I send the English course to?
Method #1: Read and Listen to English Regularly
Reading and listening are the most powerful duo in English learning.
The key is to do it as much as possible. I recommend you do it during mindless activities like commuting to work or waiting at the airport. It’s a great way to turn boring activities into productive time.
You can read or listen to anything you want, but the best place is to start are things you find interesting. (For example, if you’re a fitness fanatic, you may read English books about exercise, diet, and nutrition.)
Or you can start with these two resources:
The Pros of Reading and Listening
Let’s look at the advantages of this method. (We’ll discuss the limitation later.)
Pro #1: It’s a powerful way to learn word usage
Some students learn English words by simply memorizing their meanings.
DISCUSS (dəˈskəs) Talk about (something) with another person.
SECRET (ˈsēkrit, ˈsikrɪt) Something that is kept unknown or unseen by others.
There’s a problem with this approach; it doesn’t tell you how to use words correctly in a sentence.
On the other hand, when you read or listen to English, you learn not just the meanings, but also how the words are used in a sentence.
We discussed the problem until 3 PM.
Leaning words in context (with surrounding words) like this is effective.
Suppose that presently you use the word ‘discuss’ incorrectly, so you tend to say, “discuss about (the topic),” instead of “discuss (the topic).”
How do you fix this mistake?
The answer is a lot of reading and listening. If you see and hear native speakers use the word discuss enough times, eventually you’ll get used to the correct usage, and “discuss something” will start to feel right while “discuss about something” will start to feel wrong.
Let’s look at another example.
Which of the two sentences below is correct?
This one confuses a lot of beginners. They tend to think the first one is correct because they believe the preposition ‘to’ cannot be followed by verb+ing.
But for advanced students who have seen and heard the word ‘secret’ in various instances, they know that the second sentence is the correct one.
Pro #2: It improves your English grammar
When you expose yourself to English, your brain is learning English grammar behind the scenes.
When you read a novel or listen to a story, the brain is learning things like:
English grammar is complicated and confusing, but the more you take in correct input, the better your grammar.
Pro #3: It improves your English comprehension
This one is obvious.
The more you read and listen, the better you understand written and spoken English.
Do you see why reading and listening are so powerful? They improve multiple aspects of your English at the same time.
The Limitation of Reading and Listening
When it comes to building vocabulary, reading and listening focus on quality, not quantity.
They are good at helping you learn words deeply, but not quickly.
Although they are powerful, it takes a long time to notice an improvement.
This is especially true for learners who already have a large vocabulary. Even if they read and listen a lot, they don’t come across unknown words very often.
This means if you want to learn a lot of new words in a short period of time, you need a faster approach like using vocabulary building apps.
Important Note to Advanced Learners
Although reading and listening are a slow way to build vocabulary, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do them.
It’s actually the opposite.
If your vocabulary level is quite advanced, listening and reading are a great way to deepen your understanding of the words you already know (so you can use them correctly in speaking and writing).
Even if you read something that contains only the words you know, it’s still beneficial because you get to see how those words are used.
Method #2: Learn English Words using Vocabulary Apps
Do you want to learn a lot of vocabulary in a short time?
Are you preparing for an upcoming English exam in which your vocabulary will be tested?
If so, say hello to vocabulary building apps.
Vocabulary apps are the most convenient way to learn English vocabulary. You can grab your phone and learn some new words almost anytime and anywhere.
Of all the vocab apps I’ve reviewed, the best one is WordUp.
WordUp focuses on helping you learn English vocabulary deeply.
It accomplishes this by giving you a lot of usage examples.
In addition to word definitions, it shows video clips from movies and TV shows, songs, quotes, and news articles (lots of them).
Here are some screenshots:
By teaching words in context, with plenty of examples, it ensures that you’ll truly understand the words.
The app doesn’t have all the English words in the database (only the most frequently used ones). However, the number of words available is more than enough to keep you busy for a long time. Hopefully, they’ll add more words in the future.
There are many other vocabulary apps, but it’s hard to find one as good as WordUp. Some of the other apps show only one usage example for each word, or they show only one definition for multiple-meaning words.
So I only recommend WordUp for now. But feel free to try the other ones yourself.
Method #3: Imitate Native Speakers
Do you understand English well but are poor at speaking and/or writing?
Do you often have trouble finding the right words to use?
If so, you have a small active vocabulary.
Active vocabulary refers to the words that you’re able to use in speaking and writing, whereas passive vocabulary are words that you know but can’t use.
How do you expand active vocabulary?
Some teachers advise that you make sentences using the words that you want to turn into active vocabulary.
So if the target word is ‘resolve’ (to decide firmly on a course of action), you may write down something like, “After being diagnosed with diabetes, she resolved to stop eating sugar.”
This is a good way to build active vocabulary, right?
But there are two problems:
So I’d like to offer a different approach, which is imitating (copying) native speakers.
The strength of this practice is that it ensures you’re using words exactly like native speakers do (because you’re copying them).
There are two types of active vocabulary: writing and speaking vocabulary. Let’s discuss how to improve each of them using the Imitation practice.
How to Improve Your Writing Vocabulary
Are you bored with your own writing because you keep using to same words?
If so, you’ll love this writing practice.
The idea is simple: you read the writing of a native speaker, one sentence at a time. And without looking, try to write it down from memory.
This video demonstrates the process step-by-step:
Do you have a favorite English book? Pick a chapter and start copying.
Is there an English website that you read regularly? Pick an article from the site and start practicing!
The Imitation technique is not used only by language learners; it has been used by writers as well.
Some aspiring writers will take the works of their favorite writers and imitate them. This allows them to learn the writing style (word choice, sentence structure, etc.) of those accomplished writers.
In fact, a few famous people have also used this technique to improve their writing. In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin wrote about how he taught himself to write better by copying the writing he admired.
How to Improve Your Speaking Vocabulary
The process is similar to the writing practice.
Here are the steps:
The last step (5th one) is crucial. During this step, you will NOT be able to recall the exact words. You will forget a lot things. You will struggle to speak.
And that’s a good thing!
Why? Because research shows that “struggle” enhances learning.
You can experience it yourself. Take a look at the following words; spend the same amount of time on each column.
Column A
Column B
ocean / breeze
bread / b_tter
leaf / tree
music / lyrics
sweet / sour
sh_e / sock
movie / actress
phone / bo_k
gasoline / engine
river / b_at
school / college
pen_cil / paper
fruit / vegetable
be_r / wine
computer / chip
television / rad_o
chair / couch
l_nch / dinner
Now, without looking, open a text editor (or grab a piece of paper) and write down as many of the words as you can.
From which column did you recall more words?
If you’re like most people, you remembered more of the words in column B. In fact, studies show you probably remembered three times as many!
When you saw a word with a blank space, you stopped (very briefly) to figure out what it was. That tiny bit of struggle made you remember.
This phenomenon has been replicated in many studies. When learning is easy, people tend to forget what they learn. But when there’s some difficultly involved, the knowledge sticks with them long term.
So if you really want to increase your speaking vocabulary, don’t just mindlessly repeat after the speaker word for word. It’s too easy.
You must struggle!
Method #4: Prefer to Use English over Your Native Language
Your brain is efficient. It’s constantly sweeping out unused memories to make room for new and frequently-used ones.
So if you don’t recall certain information for a while, you forget it.
If you don’t perform a specific skill for a while, it gets worse.
The same goes for your English vocabulary.
Without constant exposure to the language, you forget the meanings of some words.
If you don’t speak and write in English frequently, it becomes harder to find the right words. (Imitation practice can help with this.)
This is why you should add English to your daily routine so that English vocabulary stays fresh and active in your mind.
The idea is simple. If something can be done in either your native language or in English, choose to do it in English.
For example, if you want to search for information on how to do something, search for it in English.
If you take a lot of notes (reminders, shopping lists), take notes in English.
If you enjoy TV shows of your native country, switch to American or British TV shows.
If you’re addicted to social media, follow English pages and groups related to your interests. (And make a lot of comments in English.)
Change the language of your phone, all the apps, and everything else you can think of to English.
Do you write a diary? Record your thoughts and feelings in English.
These are just random examples. The actual things to do “in English” depend on your routine.
So take a look at the things you do each day. Can some to them be done using the English language?
Don’t think that this is trivial. Don’t underestimate this process.
It may seem to not make much difference in the short term, but the habit of preferring to do things in English will definitely improve your English vocabulary in the years to come.
Summary: Action Plan to Improve Your English Vocabulary
As you’ve learned, there are multiple ways to build vocabulary, each has different strengths and weaknesses.
It can be confusing to figure out when to use each of these methods.
So here’s a practical, step-by-step guideline:
Step 1: read/listen to English during mindless activities
We all have nonproductive activities that take up a lot of our precious time:
This is the best time to read or listen to something in English.
The time you spend listening/reading should be at least 5 – 10 minutes long.
It takes time to fully shift your attention to something, so if the period is too short (like 2 – 3 minutes), that’s not enough time to fully concentrate on the material.
If you try to read or listen to something for just a few minutes, it will be hard to pay attention. You may see/hear the words but your mind will be occupied with something else.
Step 2: use vocabulary apps throughout the day
Our days are filled with hundreds of little moments:
These moments are very short (usually less than 5 minutes)…too short to read or listen to something in English. This is when most people browse social media or text messages.
But not you! If you want to increase your vocabulary fast, this is the time to open a vocabulary app and learn a few English words.
Each time you do this, it may not seem like much (maybe you learn only 1 – 2 words). But if you do it throughout the day, the words begin to add up!
Adopt this habit. You’ll be surprised how much English vocabulary you can learn.
Step 3: if you want to build active vocabulary, practice Imitation
As you know, nowadays it’s not enough to just “understand” English. You mush be able to communicate in English too (and do it well).
To achieve this, you need to expand your speaking and/or writing vocabulary.
So I suggest practicing the Imitation technique for at least 15 minutes a day. It’s the best way to train yourself to use new words (in the correct way).
Whether you practice writing or speaking depends on which skill is more important to you at the moment. If both are equally important, you can alternate between the two, so one day you practice speaking, the next day you practice writing, and so on.
Step 4: use English instead of your native language whenever possible
You forget things that you don’t recall or use often, so using English regularly is essential.
Do your best to use more English in your daily routine.
Do you keep track of your appointments in a calendar app? Write down the details in English.
Do you often write down a list of things to buy? Make a list in English.
Sometimes, you may not know the English word for something, that’s okay. You can use the word in your native language instead. (Or better yet, you can search for that English word online. It’s super easy. No big deal.)
And that is all you need to know about improving your English vocabulary. You can adjust my suggestions as needed to suit your goals.
Thanks for reading. I hope you found this article useful.
