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1062 Vocabulary Words, Page 5 |
Robert A.
Harris
February 22, 2012
|
Tips for Building Your Vocabulary
Try these ideas for learning the words above and
how to use them.
Learn the words by using flash cards
Create a set of flash cards with the word on one
side and the
definition
on the other.
- Study each word and its definition until you know
the word well. Keep
studying
after you know the word in order to build fluency (or
automaticity)--that
is, the ability to define the word instantly.
- Next, study the flash cards backwards. That is,
look at the definition
and name the word defined. Once again, continue to study until you
reach
fluency.
Use the Leitner method for learning flash cards. The Leitner method
uses several stacks (or you can use boxes) to keep the cards. Four
stacks is about right, but you can vary it from two or three to seven
or eight. All the cards are put into the first stack or box. Whenever
you can say the definition of the word, and later, give an example
sentence using it, the card is promoted to the next box. As the cards
rise to the next box, the frequency of testing diminishes. H
ere's a sample table showing the possible relationships to studying:
| Stack
1 Review |
Stack
2 Review
|
Stack
3 Reiew
|
Stack
4 Review
|
four times a day
|
three times a day
|
two times a day
|
once a day
|
three times a day
|
two times a day
|
once a day
|
every other day
|
two times a day
|
once a day
|
every other day
|
twice a week
|
once a day
|
every other day
|
twice a week
|
once a week
|
Your goal is to get all the cards retired out of the system--having
learned all the definitions. Whenever you can't remember the meaning of
a word, the card goes back to the first stack or box, regardless of how
many times it got you to move the card to the top box.
Find the words in context
After you know the meaning of the words, you now
want to be able to use
them correctly in your writing and speaking. This is often more
challenging
than it seems, which is why thoughtless users of a thesaurus often go
so
wrong. "He was dead drunk," and "He was deceased inebriated" just are
not
synonymous expressions no matter what the thesaurus seems to say.
To find words used in context, download some good
writing from
the Web.
One way to start is to Google "free full text books" or name a book, as
in "Great Expectations full text" and see what you can locate.
- Choose books that have the entire book in one text
file.
- Then open the book in your word processor and
perform a search on one
of
the words you have learned.
- Copy the sentence for later study.
- Continue the search ("Find Next") until you have
several examples of
the
same word, so that you can see the variety and nuances of usage (by
that
author at least).
- Change authors and get additional examples.
Write the words in sentences
Now that you know the dictionary meaning of the
words and have studied
how they are actually used through several examples, write sentences
using
the words. Keep the example sentences in mind as you write, paying
attention
to the context of usage.
Find the words as you read
If you aren't extremely worried about what others will think of you,
try writing poetry using some of your new words.
By now the words you have studied this way will be
quite familiar to
you.
As you read, then, notice these words when you come across them. Mark
them
and their sentences and paragraphs and again study how they are used in
context.
If you follow this learning path, you'll soon know
many new
words and--even
better--be able to use them appropriately in your writing. You'll also
have a lot of fun.
Other Strategies
Here are some additional fun ways to build your
vocabulary, learning words beyond the list here. Find something that
appeals to you or find several things.
1. Word Games. Play Scrabble or my own word game, DO DOT HOT. Work crossword puzzles and look
up the strange words puzzles use (adit, ort, olio).
2. Dictionary attack. Pick a page in a college dictionary and see how
many of the words you know and how many of the others you can learn in
20 minutes. Work with a partner and quiz each other. Pick the page at
random. You'll find this activity is actually fun because you'll be
laughing together over some of the words on the page.
3. Vocabulary Software. A package like Ultimate Vocabulary offers many
ways to learn words and the fun is in the variety.
4. Use the search function with etexts. Remember that the best way to
learn words is to see them in context. See how they are actually used.
So find a word you want to learn and search for it in some books you
own or have access to. There are thousands of free public domain works
you can download and use to search with.
Learn creatively! For even more ways to learn vocabulary words, see Creative Ways to Learn Vocabulary Words.
It's really fun. I'm not kidding. This is the last time I'm going to
tell you. Or maybe not.
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About the author:
Robert
Harris is a writer
and educator with more than 25 years of teaching experience at the
college
and university level. RHarris at virtualsalt.com