William Shakespeare
once wrote "Brevity
is the soul of wit,"
(Hamlet, Act 2, Scene
II). A very true statement
indeed and it brings
us to one of the many
advantages in improving
your vocabulary. If
you do so, you'll have
greater options in both
speech and writing and
be able to in many cases,
say what you want in
a few words rather than
a few too many. Improve
your vocabulary and
begin to have fun with
language and see your
own wit rise!
Tip 1, Reading: Improving your vocabulary
begins with being exposed
to new words. Reading
books, newspapers, magazines,
plays, blogs, etc.,
will provide you with
new words daily, whether
they're in relation
to current affairs,
sports, entertainment,
or city government.
Each new word learned
helps to improve the
size of your vocabulary
reservoir.
Tip 2, Engage in
Conversation: Similar
to reading, conversation
can expose us to new
words. And also like
reading, it provides
ready-made context that
can help us learn the
meaning of words. For
instance if the person
you're speaking with
says, "His essay was
unfortunate, full of
malaprops." Then adds,
"I mean, he started
out by saying there
was a 'statue' of limitations.
From that point on,
it all fell apart."
Of course, since the
proper term is "statute
of limitations," you
could gather that a
"malaprop" is the misuse
of a word.
Tip 3, Look Up Words: If you happen to hear
a word that you're unable
to get a handle of,
write it down and save
it. When you look it
up later in a dictionary
or thesaurus, you'll
already have the context
to associate the new
word with. Plus, the
additional effort put
into learning it will
also help in retaining
its meaning.
Tip 4, Read Definitions
Completely: While
just reading a definition
is rarely enough to
truly learn a word,
it's important that
when you do look a word
up, that you read the
definition completely.
Don't give it a cursory
once-over, but allow
your brain to absorb
the word's meaning entirely.
To be remembered, a
word needs context and
reading a full definition,
which covers word origin,
part of speech, various
meanings, and proper
use, is a good first
step.
Tip 5, Create Your
Own Dictionary:
This applies to your
thesaurus as well. When
you research a word,
make some kind of mark:
in the margins, using
a tab, a slip of paper.
By doing so, you'll
be able to 1) return
to the word more easily
and 2) have a convenient
reference for future
use. It takes one minute
to jot down context,
but it can mean the
difference in retaining
a word for good. If
you're using a computer
dictionary, simply create
a document with all
the words you've looked
up. Index them and create
your own online resource.
Tip 6, Word of the
Day: Calendars or
websites that feature
a different word each
day are terrific ways
to build up your vocabulary.
By the end of one year,
you'll have expanded
your vocabulary by 365
words (at least) and
chances are, they've
stayed with you. Usually
accompanied by a cartoon,
a sample sentence, or
both, the new words
are given context right
from the start. Also,
if you're learning only
one word a day, it might
be easier to work it
into casual conversation:
"I agree. The 'dissonance'
between the two as the
debate went on didn't
ease up. I don't see
how they can be running-mates."
Tip 7, Use Your
New Words: Indeed,
do. This is of course
easier said than done
in some cases, as you
don't want to come across
as pretentious. However,
it's important that
you find some way to
put your new words into
use soon after you've
learned them. Retention
will come easier if
you're able to create
more associations for
your brain.
Tip 8, Word Parts
and Families: When
watching the National
Spelling Bee, it seems
that each young contestant
asks for a word's origin.
The reason why is because
the English language
is based on Greek, Latin,
and Anglo-Saxon. By
becoming familiar with
even some of the roots
and affixes of these
word families, you'll
be able to create links
between words you know
and those that are new
or unfamiliar. Indeed,
they may share a word
part in common. For
example, "anthropos"
is Greek for mankind,
which is where we get
words like anthropology,
philanthropy, and misanthropy.
Tip 9, Focus On
a Subject: If you're
interested in a subject,
it will likely be easier
for you to remember
the new words that are
part of its lexicon.
For example, a person
with a love of Shakespeare
will be more familiar
with the language and
as a result, be able
to better keep "thy,"
"thee," and "thou" straight
versus someone who is
unfamiliar. To focus
on a subject is a simple
and enjoyable way to
expand your vocabulary
and you're sure to pick
up some additional words
along the way, too.
Tip 10, Practice: Surely you've heard
of the brain being a
muscle and like any
muscle, it needs exercise.
Word puzzles, crosswords,
anagrams, rhymes, etc.,
all of these help create
word associations and
through this, fun practice
for you. It's quite
frustrating to know
you "know" a word, only
to not be able to recall
it when you need it,
to place it and use
it properly. The final
challenge of improving
your vocabulary is being
able to effectively
(and eloquently) use
your new words, whether
they be one-, five-,
or ten-dollar terms. |
