WORDS; NOTHING BUT WORDS 

Words are passport to success. Through words, we can achieve great success in both academic and practical life. It is been important in this world to have a wide vocabulary to help you express yourself more. For non-native English speaker, vocabulary plays a very important role in English learning. It creates an intelligent impression at workplaces when you speak or write a good set of words. It is why most people want to improve and widen their vocabulary. So, here are some things and steps to help you add more words into your vocabulary.

Read Books – It is the most simple and cheapest way on improving your vocabulary skills. Reading books will make you encounter words that are not common but as you read by you will understand what those words mean. Many words can be easily understand when use in the sentence. If you meet words that you do not know even after reading the whole book, list those words and take time to look their meaning in dictionary. Reading dictionary may sound dreadful but memorizing unknown words through it is the quickest way to broaden your vocabulary. Not all books are very beneficial on your vocabulary so be careful on choosing the right books to read. Comic books won’t help much. Try to read books about literature, these are rich in language and rife with beautiful prose. Get into the habit of reading. Instead of watching television at night, why not pick some books. It will also help you reduce your electric bill. Reading books is the best exercise for your vocabulary.

Word Games – One of the most fun ways to learn and broaden your vocabulary is to play word games such as scrabble, word factory, word puzzles etc. Computer games like text twist might also help. There are many online sites where you can play games and improve your vocabulary give yourself time to search.

Mnemonic Devices – Try to create some mnemonic devices to help you easily remember new words.  You can try to make those words into a song. There are lots of strategies that you could use. Think of one for you.

Flash Cards – Get some card boards and write the new word on one side and the meaning on the other side. Then, pick a card board everyday and the word written could be your word of the day. As days goes by, those words in your card boards will become common words to you.

Review – At the end of the day or week, depending on your preference, list all the words you have learned and make some brief review. The more often you encounter the word, the more you become familiar to it.

In learning new words, it is important that you should be willing on doing it. If you have a drive on doing it, it would be easier for you to learn. Do not force yourself to learn quickly, especially when you are not a fast learner. Just take it easy. Things will go smooth when you take it lightly. Also, remember that having a wide vocabulary is not the base of a person’s intelligence.