Links

A good vocabulary is a crucial factor to your success in your professional career and social life. There are several ways to build a good vocabulary, from taking dedicated courses to entirely spontaneous techniques such as constant reading. The following discusses some informal ways in which you can expand your vocabulary.

One of the most natural ways to improve your vocabulary is to read a lot of materials; anything from books to magazines to newspapers to journals. In general, the more you read, the more words you will be exposed to, and consequently the more likely you are to have a large vocabulary.

Also make sure that you read good quality articles such as books from famous authors, and reputed magazines and newspapers. You are not only likely to find words of higher quality, but also better content, and better structuring of the phrases and sentences. Reading also enhances your ability to decipher the meaning of a word from its context. ‘Decoding skill might mediate a relationship between reading volume and a variable like vocabulary size in numerous ways,’ (Cunningham, A E & Stanovich, K E 2001, p. 142).

Acquiring vocabulary by just reading, without any additional help, is a long and imperfect process. You can greatly improve your vocabulary acquisition by using supplementary materials to assist your reading process. Two of the best and most commonly used materials are dictionaries and thesauri.

As you read, keep a dictionary or a thesaurus, a printed version or a software version, nearby. And use it whenever you want to know the meaning of, or require further clarification about a word. Utilisation of additional materials to complement your reading can highly expand your vocabulary and comprehension skills.

A very good way to find the full implications of a word, and to better understand its different forms and usages is to study the root of the word, especially for words derived from Greek and Latin. The method helps you have not just words, but entire groups of related words in their different forms and contexts, at your disposal. ‘English is a reservoir of classical languages. It has taken over to itself and has absorbed for its own use more than 25 percent of the Greek language and more than 50 percent of the Latin language. It is obvious, then, that a knowledge of Greek and Latin roots is invaluable in any program of vocabulary building,’ (Funk, W & Lewis, N 1991, p. 56).

Once you have learned new words, start using them in conversation and writing. This enables you to expand your vocabulary by helping you with retention of the words, and to familiarise yourself with them, so you can use them naturally, without conscious effort.

REFERENCES

Cunningham, A E & Stanovich, K E 2001, ‘What Reading Does for the Mind,’ Journal of Direct Instruction, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 137-149.

Funk, W & Lewis, N 1991, 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary, Revised edn, Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, NY.