How to Improve Your English Vocabulary? 10 Simple Advice
One of the first steps in learning English is to build your vocabulary. Self-studying English vocabulary will help you improve your English proficiency in 4 skills: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Because without a rich vocabulary, you will not be able to communicate in English or read and understand the content of texts, essays, etc.
However, due to the nature of "remembering first, forgetting later," memorizing vocabulary becomes difficult for learners. Therefore, we'll introduce you to 10 effective ways to learn English vocabulary!
Set Goals and Learn Vocabulary by Level
The way to learn English vocabulary super fast is to have a clear goal to strive for. It is related to the learner's psychology, helping you have the motivation to persevere in learning vocabulary. You should set a specific learning deadline, as well as the goal you want to achieve in the future. Setting a clear goal will guide you through the learning process clearly and shorten the learning time as much as possible.
At the same time, learning the right amount of knowledge for your level is considered one of the effective ways to learn English vocabulary. Because you cannot start learning English communication vocabulary that is beyond your ability.
Therefore, you should learn new words according to each level "basic - intermediate - advanced". This tip helps you avoid being "overwhelmed" when learning English communication.
Learn English Vocabulary by Topic
When learning English vocabulary by topic, you will accumulate related vocabulary. From there, you will communicate fluently and express your ideas better.
If you learn a large amount of vocabulary without dividing it by topic, it will be both difficult to grasp and time-consuming. On the contrary, if you divide it into logically related groups, it will help you learn quickly, remember it for a long time, and choose the topic you like.
For example, when you learn the topic of food, you can learn it in groups, such as a vocabulary group about vegetables, a vocabulary group about drinks, etc.
Method of Learning Vocabulary through Paragraphs or Scripts
When learning vocabulary through paragraphs or scripts, learners can link vocabulary together, thereby creating groups of words. It helps learners increase their ability to remember vocabulary.
At the same time, you will master how to use words and make sentences, from which you will easily converse in English without having to spend time thinking and arranging the position of words in sentences.
Master the Forms of Words
You cannot memorize a single vocabulary because the word can vary in many forms. Depending on the situation and sentence structure, a word can be in the form of a noun (n), adjective (adj), verb (v), adverb (adv), etc.
For example, the word "quick" can exist in several forms, such as quick (adj), quickness (n), quickly (adv). Therefore, you should understand the different forms of words to use vocabulary flexibly and accurately.
Tips for Memorizing English Vocabulary with Mind Maps
Designing a scientific mind map is an effective way to memorize English vocabulary, but it seems that people pay little attention to it. This learning method works based on the imagination and logical arrangement of the learner.
To implement this method, you should mark a prominent English topic in the middle as the center. Next, divide it into small branches and go into detail about each branch. This mind map will assist you in fully exploiting many new related words. Thanks to that, you can memorize words much more deeply. In addition, you can also learn how to make an English vocabulary notebook to memorize vocabulary.
Learn English Vocabulary Effectively through Flashcards
The most popular way to remember English vocabulary through flashcards is currently. Flashcards are small cards with information on both sides about words, numbers, definitions, and images. Each vocabulary will appear with the accompanying transcription. This method of learning English vocabulary will be suitable and convenient for those who have the habit of using notebooks. In addition, Flashcards can also be easily held, helping you learn vocabulary anytime, anywhere.
How to Learn Vocabulary Quickly and Remember It for a Long Time through Pictures and Songs
Learning vocabulary through pictures or songs is a method to learn and remember it quickly and for a long time without causing boredom for learners. You can freely create your drawings to help the human brain remember longer and more effectively. Besides, you can use music or watch movies to increase your vocabulary, especially to practice pronunciation and intonation in English like a native speaker.
Applying English Vocabulary in Daily Communication
It is a way to learn English vocabulary that will assist you in never forgetting and is extremely effective. A new English vocabulary that has just been learned will become meaningless if you just "remember it" without knowing how to use it. Therefore, immediately applying the words you have just learned to real-life examples is considered an effective method for remembering English vocabulary for you to learn.
You should learn about common communication topics in daily life, such as family, friends, work, study, etc. This method will help learners have a rich vocabulary and communicate more and more confidently.
At the same time, you can join English clubs or make friends with native speakers to practice communication.
Use English Vocabulary Learning Apps
To simplify the self-study process, you should combine it with English vocabulary learning apps. Below are some highly rated and popular English vocabulary learning apps:
Free vocabulary learning software Oxford Dictionary
Learn English communication LingoDeer
Practice with English Vocabulary Learning Websites
Are you looking for free, online English learning websites to enrich your vocabulary? Here are the best English vocabulary learning websites today.
Common Mistakes When Learning English Vocabulary
Learning English vocabulary can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can overcome common pitfalls and improve your language skills. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
“Cramming” Vocabulary
It can be seen that the effective way to learn English is not to “cram a bunch of vocabulary” into your head and then gradually remember it during communication. At those times, you will easily fall into a state of “confusion” when forced to remember too many new words. In addition, learning vocabulary by “remembering in a rush” like that will cause stress and pressure when learning English. Remember, study English is long-term.
Learning Vocabulary in Isolation Without Putting it in Context
An English word has many layers of meaning if placed with different phrases in each separate context.
For example, the word “look” (look at), when combined with other prepositions, has a completely different meaning and context, such as: “look up” (search in the dictionary), “look after” (take care of), etc.
Do not Learn Vocabulary by Topic
It can be seen that the treasure trove of English communication vocabulary is very vast. And just “filling vocabulary” in your notebook is certainly not an effective way to learn. Because this method is difficult to remember.
Therefore, we should divide vocabulary into different specific topics when learning, such as family, friends, class, fruit, weather, etc. This learning method will make your English communication learning process clearer and easier to apply words.
Learning Without Selection
To learn English vocabulary through conversations, you simply need to choose familiar, "easy to learn - easy to apply" vocabulary that is closely related to the life around you.
Therefore, knowledge will easily be "diluted" if you keep absorbing a large number of new words every day, even difficult words, but do not know how to filter out the necessary ones to learn and use in communication style.
Do not Use a Dictionary
There will be no effective way to learn if you do not look up the dictionary during the learning process. It can be said that a paper dictionary or an online dictionary is considered a useful and indispensable tool in the process of learning English.
Looking up a dictionary helps you understand more "thoroughly" the aspects of words such as semantics, transcription, synonyms, antonyms, etc. Thanks to that, you can use English words in the most accurate and effective way.
Lazy, not Willing to Create a Habit of Studying Every Day
Vince Lombardi said, "Practice does make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect". Learning English is similar. You will not be able to communicate fluently in English if you do not review the words you have learned every day, every week.
Therefore, the way to effectively increase your vocabulary is to be diligent and persistent in "accumulating - reviewing" regularly, so that conquering learning English becomes as easy as possible.
Conclusion
In the above article, Skilltrans has compiled popular ways to learn English vocabulary. In addition, you should combine some exercises, as well as supporting activities into the process of learning English more effectively!
To learn any language fluently, you need more than hard work. Find the most effective learning method by signing up for Skilltrans courses today.
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