Strategies to Improve Your Vocabulary

The English language consists of more than 250,000 words. Here are some strategies that will help you remember words that come across in English books and magazines.

To learn a new word, of course, you first have to run across it. Therefore, you must read in English as much as you can. The best way to improve your vocabulary is to read routinely. The more you read, the more words you will encounter. The more words you run across, the more you will learn.

Once you have gotten into the habit of reading, you can systematically build your vocabulary by doing five things:

1. Analyze words parts.

2. Recognize grammatical forms.

3. Recognize word families.

4. Make your own personal dictionary.

5. Keep a daily reading log.

Things to keep in mind

It is important you read something in English every day. You should set aside as much time as you can spare, but try set aside at least 20 to 30 minutes every day just for reading and writing something in English. This time should not be used for reading text assigned from class or work. Select something that interests you and is appropriate for your level. It should not be too easy or too difficult. Here are samples of short passages you could read:

• the sports section of the newspaper
• an article from a popular magazine
• a chapter from a novel
• the label from an English/American product
• an advertisement in English

Try to vary the type of reading. Don’t read only science journals or mystery novels. You want to build your vocabulary on a variety of areas. If you need special vocabulary for your job or course work, you could focus on these types of articles.

Try to pick a time of day when your mind is alert. Don’t try to study when you are tired.

Follow these steps to build a reading log.

1. Read WITHOUT stopping for about ten minutes.

The first time you read a passage, do NOT stop to look up words, Native English readers often come across words that do not know in their reading. They get a general idea of the meaning of unknown words from the context. See if you can also get the gist of the idea without looking up words in a dictionary.

2. Reread the passage and highlight/underline unknown words or unclear words.

3. Choose five key words.

4. Summarize what you read.

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