Ten Ways to Enhance Your English Vocabulary
You can enhance your vocabulary in several ways. Before you choose a way to do so, you should know your goal. For example, you can increase your vocabulary by reading books, but this method is of no use if you are preparing for a test that is going to take place next week. Let us have a look at the various means you can use to expand your vocabulary.
Synonym and Antonym
The words that have similar meanings are known as synonyms. The words that have the opposite meanings are called antonyms. If you want to learn new words, learn two with the same import and two with opposite implications. Do this while enhancing your knowledge of adverbs and adjectives.
Take the Help of a Thesaurus
It provides a list of similar and opposite words and helps choose an appropriate one for a particular context. You can access a thesaurus on the internet to learn new words.
Vocabulary Trees
They help in providing a context. You can think of words in a group. For example, you can think of words like a fork, knife, dishes, plates, and other related things on seeing a cup.
Vocabulary Themes
Write down some vocabulary themes. Then write a definition for every new item. Also, write a sample sentence for it. When you do this, it will be easier to memorize new words connected to your selected themes.
Use Technology
Watch sitcoms or movies to understand English. You can watch just one scene in English. Then see it in your language. Next, see it with subtitles in English. Finally, see it in English (no subtitles). All this will help you learn idiomatic usage.
Vocabulary Lists
Do not waste time learning words that are not useful for you. Instead, make a list of specific words related to your school, work, or hobbies. For example, a list of business vocabulary is useful while dealing with a particular industry.
Charts to Display Word Formation
A word has different forms. This aspect is known as word-formation. For instance, there are four forms of the word satisfaction:
- Noun: satisfaction
- Verb: satisfy
- Adverb: satisfyingly
- Adjective: satisfied / satisfying
It is necessary to know word-formation to succeed in English exams like TOEFL and CAE.
Learn Vocabulary Related to Specific Positions
You can learn vocabulary related to specific jobs from the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This site gives a detailed description of particular jobs. You can note down the important words associated with each profession and use those words to describe a job.
Visual Dictionaries
It is easier to learn with the help of a picture. You can use visual dictionaries to learn and memorize new words more easily. Many excellent visual dictionaries are available for sale and also online. You can use them.
Learn Collocations Several words mostly go together. You can learn collocations with the help of corpora or collocation dictionaries. It is useful for learning business English.
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