You are reading the Original Version (CLB5+) Read Simple Version (CLB3-4) You are talking to someone or you’re giving a presentation. In the middle of explaining something, you forget the English word that you are about to say. You have a clear idea of what it means and you know the word in your native tongue but can’t remember it in English. Has this ever happened to you? You know it’s frustrating! Not to mention embarrassing. If you’re like me and your first language is not English, you may be familiar with this situation. It’s instances like these that push me to work continuously on my vocabulary. Let me share with you some of the things that have worked so far: Reading is proven to increase your vocabulary more than talking or classroom instruction. Read anything and everything! If you don’t have time to sit down and read a book (or if you don’t like reading), go for newspapers, comic books, or even brochures. There are magazines for every interest under the sun! Just choose one. You can also read: Doing this constantly will lead you to discover new words, idioms and expressions. It may even help you cultivate the habit of reading. There are more than 600,000 words in the English language. You can’t expect to know them all at once! So don’t rush. When setting learning targets, three to five new words a week is manageable. You can choose a theme and learn related words for each set. Learning in small chunks will also help you remember words better. Watch English lessons with Adam below to know how to learn words in groups. Knowing words is the first part. What is harder is remembering and knowing when to use them. You can: Make learning fun to encourage you to keep at it. There are many engaging quizzes, puzzles and word searches online. Here are great ones to try: Sometimes knowing the root word (it holds the most basic meaning of any word) allows you to know more related words and the meaning of these words in the group. For instance, audio means sound or hearing. It is related to words like AUDible (able to be heard), and AUDibly (loud enough to be heard). The root word nov means new. So you have words like NOVel (new), NOVative (of the nature of a renewal) and inNOVate (to bring in something new). Write these words down on a card or a board for you to remember. You can check this site to get root words and their meanings (plus suffixes and prefixes). You will also need a good dictionary. Adam also has lessons on related topics like IELTS vocabulary, internet vocabulary, or a reviewer for those studying for the IELTS. You will find them at EngVid. Check out our Canadian Idioms published regularly. Please login to tell us what you think.Skip to:
Read
Do it in small chunks
Keys to remembering
Play games and puzzles
Get to the root of the matter
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