Improving one’s vocabulary is sometimes a necessary part of life. Those needing to improve their vocabulary can be from very different walks of life or in very different fields of employment. Those seeking strategies for improving vocabulary skills can be from both English and non-English speaking backgrounds. They can be highly educated professionals or they could be early school leavers.
Often, we consider ourselves to possess a rich vocabulary. When it boils down to it though, it is quite common to find we have a well-developed vocabulary in one specific area and are lacking in another (Curtis and Kruidenier, 2005).
Develop Your Vocabulary: It’s Easy
Dictionaries, contextual clues, and word games (such as crosswords) are all suggested strategies for improving vocabulary skills. These can help with spelling, pronunciation, meanings, and grammar. A dictionary will not only assist in developing your vocabulary, but it will help with supporting your instincts about word meanings. Another way of improving vocabulary – contextual clues – is to infer the meaning of a word by looking at a surrounding paragraph and the context in which the word is set. This will help understanding and enhance your ability to infer word meanings.
Word games also improve vocabulary by making the exercise fun and enjoyable. In these exercises, you obtain meanings and are required to remember and associate the right words with the right meanings.
Analyzing word parts is also a method that will help improve your vocabulary. It greatly assists when faced with unknown words. The word parts are examined for roots and affixes (Read Naturally, 2008). Working out meanings based upon 'verbal families' can be one of the most effective methods of increasing your vocabulary (Greever and Bachelor, 1922, p.89). For example, in order to work out the meaning of a word, look for other words or parts of words you know and use this as a foundation. Greever and Bachelor in the Century Vocabulary Builder (1922) provide an example of the word ‘good’ and other verbal family members: goody-goody, good-hearted, good-natured, goodwill, good-for-nothing and the Good Book. These all provide a clue as to what the words mean.
It is also important that you expose yourself to words actually being said in context and where you are able to reply (McAndrews, 2008). This process involves your hearing the word, analyzing its meaning, understanding it, and generating a response to it – all assisting with comprehension and long-term retention.
Surrounding yourself with rich vocabulary is one of the fundamental strategies for improving vocabulary skills. This means being in a setting where rich vocabulary is used a lot and in a variety of contexts. This offers increased exposure to a variety of perspectives and further develops your understanding of the word. Word knowledge is much more than the recognition of a word. It is also the actual in-depth understanding of a word.
In terms of experiencing rich vocabulary, Ultimate Vocabulary’s software component Word Discover™ offers the learner just that. The software supplies more than 50 usage examples. An instant message service (Word Messenger™) periodically reminds the user of their current wordlist and the Learning Curve component intelligently filters words that have already been learnt.
The positive news is it doesn’t matter who you are or your background; there are many strategies for improving vocabulary skills. It is just a matter of finding the right method for you and putting forth the effort. On an even better note, software programs incorporate many different learning strategies and offer the vocabulary student a rapid learning experience.
References
Curtis, ME & Kruidenier, JR 2005, A Summary of Scientifically Based Research Principles: Teaching Adults to Read, National Institute for Literacy.
Greever, G & Bachelor, JM, The Century Vocabulary Builder (1922).
Read Naturally, Inc. 2008, Take Aim! at Vocabulary: Research and Rationale.
McAndrews, SL 2008, ‘Language and Vocabulary Development: Understanding Language Development’, in Diagnostic Literacy Assessments and Instructional Strategies: A Literacy Specialist’s Resource. International Reading Association.
Source: write-better-english.com
