Straggling how to learn English vocabulary? or How to Become Fluent in English?
The reason why you have this problem is because English language has got a lot of borrowed words and so many exceptions to the rules.
This is what makes harder to approach English vocabulary. And it’s because of this, you face problems with meanings and the spelling of the words.
In turn you feel limited to carry out a conversation with other speakers.
Fortunately, there is a solution. No need to panic:
Here is what you’ll learn in this post
- Helpful tips to learn English vocabulary faster and effectively:
- How to memorize English vocabulary faster;
- How to Learn Spelling by the Sound of a Word;
- How to Get Vocabulary Meanings by Reading English Stuff;
- Why learning English vocabulary in context matters;
- Use an English Dictionary and grammar to check how a given language item works
-What tricks help learn English vocabulary?
Are you ready?
Let’s dive in.
Helpful Tips to Learn English Vocabulary faster and Effectively:
#1: Vocabulary comes from “reading”, “speaking” from practicing:
There people who say – “I love English. I’d like to be a fluent speaker”, but then they hate reading English content.
This is a huge mistake, because if you want to learn a language, you need to cultivate the habit of reading.
It’s by reading that you lay the basis for language learning.
My advice is?
– Read as much as an hour a day, or more. Everyday.
#2: The Harder the Content the less Profitable it Becomes:
At the begging read topics you are familiar and interested in; read – books, newspaper, articles, magazines, blogs, websites etc..
#3: The Power of a Diary or Notepad:
Jot down every single phrase or sentence you are interested in. Use an easy to handle diary or a notepad. These structures, later make part of your useable language items.
#4: Use Words in Combination with other Words:
You came across an odd vocabulary while reading? And you want to know its meaning? – Jot down the sentence in which the word is inserted and then check the meaning and practice the pronunciation.
By doing so you not only underline the meaning of the vocabulary you also learn the collocation (a feature that the words have to come together to convey a specific meaning).
#5: Avoid to use a Bilingual Dictionary.
It’s better to use English English dictionary because from this you can learn meanings and practice sentence structure.
#6: Know a Word and Practice others:
Some English words are derived from others. “Beautiful” (adjective); “beautifully” (adverb); and “beautify” (verb), all come from the root “beauty” which is a noun. This means that if you happen to know one, you can easily learn others.
#7: Learn Words in 3 Dimensions:
You came across a word, that you liked the pronunciation? – Consult its meaning, then practice the spelling;
You loved the meaning? – Practice the pronunciation and the spelling;
You learned the spelling? – Practice the pronunciation and the meaning.
In this way you will not only master the meaning of the word. You will also learn the pronunciation and how to spell it accurately.
Words make part of our everyday life. So use the right techniques to learn English vocabulary because techniques lead to success when learning English vocabulary
How to Memorize English Vocabulary Faster, Without Forgetting?
Knowing how to memorize English vocabulary as well as tenses of English verbs, impacts potentially on the strategies on How to become fluent in English.
In some ways, words are like families; they have some relationships among them.
Learning English basing on this relationship can help you memorize English vocabulary faster and become fluent in English.
I see.
You are asking “how this can happen”.
Take few seconds doing the following exercise to see how this works: Read these two lists of words:
List A:
- Keyboard
- Monitor
- Mouse
- Printer
- Pen drive
List B
- Book
- Star
- Fish
- Apple
- Tiger
Are you through?
Right!
Keep the lists out of your sight.
Done it?
Good!
Now try to recall the words of both the lists.
Are you done?
That’s fine!.
Tell me now:
How many words of list ‘A’ do you still remember?
How about those of list ‘B’, how many can you recall?
Yes.
You straggled much to recall the words of list ‘B’ than those of list ‘A’.
Am I wrong?
Of course I am not.
Why do you remember easier the words of list ‘A’ than those in ‘B’?
Here is why:
The words on the list ‘B’ aren’t related to one another, and this didn’t help much your brain retain them. That’s why it was harder for you to recall them.
On the other hand, the words on the list ‘A’ are all about computer; so they are strongly related to one another and this helped much your brain retain the words.
That’s why learning English vocabulary by list of related words matters.
Now there is a question:
What to do next to make effective list that can help you learn English vocabulary faster and effectively?
Follow the instructions below:
Make a list of English vocabulary you want to practice the meaning. Make sure they all have at least one thing in common (all the English vocabulary on the list A, in the example situation above, have to do with computer).
Let’s say, if you are thinking of a traditional classroom, for instance, you look at words like black board/desks/chair/duster/piece of chalk and so on.
If your focus is on fruits, you may be looking at: apple/strawberry/orange/mango/lemon, and others.
Supposing that, your aim is to practice the meaning of the English vocabulary apple, instead of just exercising the meaning of that term (apple), include also words like: strawberry/orange/mango/lemon… as these have to do with fruits.
With regard to verbs, if you want to practice the meaning of “go”, you should include on the list, verbs such as “come”, “walk”, “run”, “arrive”… because apart from being verbs, they all express movement.
What is the point behind this strategy?
Our brain records thing easily when they are related to each other, remember this.
In other words, the more words are related to one another, the easier our brain manages to record.
This means, if you happen to remember the meaning of an English vocabulary on the list, you are likely to recall the meaning of the other vocabulary to which it relates on the same list.
This’s it.
So go ahead. Build your list and start practicing.
Learn English as a Second language: How can Sounds help you Learn Spelling of English Vocabulary?
What do we mean by ‘spelling’, first?
According to Study.com, spelling means “the sequence of letters that compose a given word”.
One of the most common problems that second language learners face, apart from lack of knowledge on how to learn English pronunciation, as discussed in Learn English Pronunciation: Techniques Leading to Success, has to do with how to go for spelling.
To work out the problem, learners end up choosing an approach which leads them to no success.
However, there is an easiest way for you to learn the spelling of English vocabulary through sounds of words.
How to do so?
Good questions.
Here is how:
Step 1: ‘Study’ the English vocabulary; this means identifying every single sound that makes up the word.
Step 2: Read the word slowly, sound by sound.
While reading, shift sometimes your eyes from the word to check if you can picture in your mind the sequence of the letters that compose the word.
Make sure you have in your mind this sequence.
Once you are through with the first sound go ahead…
Step 3: Repeat the process with other sounds, and then with the whole word, until you get the whole sequence of the word in your mind.
If you manage to spell the English vocabulary correctly without spotting it from where it’s written, congratulations!
You have learnt the spelling of such vocabulary.
If you fail, don’t worry.
Go over again the steps.
Don’t let anything distract you, while you picture mentally the letters that compose the sound of the English vocabulary.
#1: What to do, If you fail to memorize the sounds at the first attempt?
If that happens, don’t worry. Go over again the steps.
Don’t let anything distract you, while you picture mentally the letters that compose the sound of the English vocabulary.
You fail the second time?
This simple mental exercise underlines the particular features of the English vocabulary you are practicing the spelling and helps your brain draw more attention on the features and then record the word for long-term use.
Does this work? – Just try it.
#2: What to do Next, now that You’ve Learnt the Spelling of the Vocabulary?
Note that: up to this stage, the English vocabulary will’ve been stored in the short-term memory; in order to transfer the word from the short-term memory to long-term memory, for long-term use, you need to do additional exercise.
What should you do to make this happen?
Step 4: Two things you need to do to let the English vocabulary be moved from the short-term memory to long-term memory.
Before showing you the 2 things you need to do to move the English vocabulary from where it’s temporarily held, to the long-term memory storage, let me walk you through first what short-term memory and long-term memory mean.
a. How understanding short-term and long-term memory can help you improve your vocabulary learning strategy?
Do you remember a situation in which you were able to spell an English vocabulary, or you knew the meaning of a vocabulary, but then you forgot completely how to spell it or what it means?
Yes, sure.
It happens to every language learner. Mostly to second language learners or simply non-native speakers.
The question now is, why this does happen? Why did you forget to spell the word that once you were able to spell before?
The answer?
-The word had been held in the short-term memory. It hadn’t been yet stored in the long-term memory.
b. What’s the difference between Short-Term memory and Long-term memory
The expression ‘short-term memory’ is self-explanatory.
According to Google.com short-term memory is referred to as “the ability to store a small amount of information in the mind and keep it readily available for a short period of time”.
“The information recorded in the short-term memory doesn’t last long in your mind. It disappears after a period of time making it harder for the person to recall what they learnt”.
Source: arc.duke.edu
The same does not happen with long-term memory.
Long-term memory works as a repository of our accumulated knowledge.
Our whole life memories are stored in the long-term memory. To learn more on this check How Long Term Memory Works (verywellmind.com)
Now the next question is:
#3: How to move an English vocabulary, from the short-term memory into long-term memory for a long-term use so as you achieve fluency?
Here is what you need to do:
Practice the word.
One way I like to practice to learn a new English vocabulary so that I can remember not only the spelling but also the meaning and the pronunciation, is by using the word in a sentence.
The technique is simple, but it works.
The example situation below shows exactly how to do this:
Imagine you have just learnt the spelling of the English vocabulary, “always” and “English”, and that you master the sentences “I get up at 6 o’clock every morning” and “I love learning”.
You know well the meaning of these sentences. What should you do next?
Apply the English Vocabulary you are targeting (English and always) in the statements “I get up at 6 am” and “I love learning” to add clear meanings to these statements, like this:
I get up always at 6 AM.
I love learning English.
Practice saying this alone or with a conversational partner.
Do the same exercise with other words, phrases and sentences.
The more you do this, the better you help your brain retain the words for a long-term use.
How Reading English Stuff Helps get Meanings of English Vocabulary
Reading is one of the most powerful tools for learning English vocabulary.
The literature say that “While you read, you keep your brain actively working due to the real language-learning environment”.
Source: www.fastinfoclass.com
However there is a question: how to do a successful reading if your aim is to learn the English vocabulary?
The following strategy can help you cope with the problem:
Read English content under the topics you are familiar with
Let me put it this way:
Imagine that someone places two wrapped things into your hands, and then ask you to guess what they are.
You have no idea of course what they are.
The object in the right hand, although covered, you believe you’ve seen it somewhere.
The shape of the object in the left hand, doesn’t suggest you anything in terms of what the object could be.
Now I ask you.
Which of the two objects you think could be able to guess?
The former, it’s obvious. The one you believe having seen somewhere.
Here is the thing:
The same happens when seek to learn English Vocabulary by reading English content based on a topic you know.
The issue is that, when you read content over topics you are familiar with, you get easily the overall idea of the content, and this leads to guessing the meaning of specific words.
And that’s it.
My advice:
You love sport? You understand this better than technology? – Read English sport-related content.
You love technology? You understand it better than sport? –Read technology-based content to learn English vocabulary.
The point is to combine the useful with the pleasant which will enhance your motivation to language learning.
Tricks on how to Learn English Vocabulary: How Context can help You Achieve this, as Second Language Learner
Learning the meanings of English vocabulary through reading a content, can be compared to a journey to a place you have never been before.
After arriving to the destination, the impression you use to have is that the journey had been longer.
However, after going to such place for the second time, you realize that you were mistaken; the place isn’t so far away, as you thought to be.
This happens almost to everyone. Maybe you might be the unique person who has not experienced it.
What the above situation has to do with learning meanings of English vocabulary basing on written content like a story or something else?
In fact is has.
As second language learner, when you read an English content for the first time, some of the words sound strange.
However, when you read the same content more than one time, the meaning of such English vocabulary becomes obvious.
Why does this happen?
The answer is the power of ‘REPEATED READING’ + CONTEXT.
When you encounter a new word more than one time while reading, occurring in different context, it signals you the meaning of the vocabulary.
This is because the words surrounding the new vocabulary provide you with clues about the meaning of such new word.
Want proof of what I’m saying?
Check out the statements below.
2 quick notes before reading the statements:
– While reading, imagine you’ve no idea about the meaning of the word in bold.
-Read the statements twice or 3 times, if necessary
Here you are:
- “Last year David admonished his son for bad behavior, now the child behaves well”.
- “She admonished them to be quiet”.
Oops! Hard to guess the meaning, isn’t it?
Not really.
The meaning is what’s popping up in your mind, right now –Warned.
That’s it. “To admonish” means to warn someone to do or not do something.
The question now is: how did you manage to guess that?
And the answer is: -The expressions around the English vocabulary (last year David… “his son for…” “now the child…” – in sentence 1, and “She”…“them to be quiet” –sentence 2), provided you clues that the vocabulary “admonished” means warned.
The expressions guided you to relate the term “admonished” to “warned”, and then you managed to guess the meaning.
This is the power of leaning meanings of English vocabulary in context.
What if the word you want to know the meaning isn’t included in a context?
If this the case, no way. You’ll have to look up it in a dictionary and in today digital world you don’t have to Panic to get one.
Internet will help you do this through the play store from your mobile phone. I hope you have already one. But if you don’t, it’s time you had.
With a dictionary in your hand, you will be able to check meanings of English vocabulary you feel stuck and by doing, so you’ll be increasing your English vocabulary.
How to Learn English as Second Language: Use English Dictionary as Source of Meanings and Pronunciation
As a second language learner, a Dictionary and a Grammar book ( be that digital or physical) are both extremely important tools that you’ll never regret having.
This is because along the journey, your language learning experience will pose you questions, which you’ll need to find the answer for.
Some of these questions could be: “What’s the meaning of this word?” “Why or how this language item appears in this way?”
This is where having an English Dictionary and a ‘Grammar book’ comes in handy.
Here are some of them:
English Dictionary apps
Source: Google.com
The screenshot below shows some English Grammar apps for language learning purposes.
Source: Google.com
With this language learning tool you can practice skills including pronunciation.
And for the English Dictionary apps check this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.orangeannoe.englishdictionary
And here you are.
Enjoy the results of your search.
Another English language learning tool that you will definitely need is a grammar book. According to Google “a grammar book provides a structured and systematic approach to learning English language”.
How to Learn English Vocabulary?
I know.
Learning English vocabulary is a challenging task.
It requires knowledge of effective learning skills and a lot of practices.
However, with the experience you have gained in this article, all you need to do is follow the steps we listed out; soon you will achieve your goals.
Have a question? – Check our FAQs on the contact page.
Need to read everything in one check our Blog.
The comings posts have to do with fluency, pronunciation and tenses.