If you are practicing your English on a regular basis, you'll probably be coming across lots of new words but what is the best way of remembering them?
Each day we have so much new information to contend with and the brain is very good at forgetting things - it needs to be otherwise it would be completely overloaded. This can be frustrating though if you want your brain to remember certain things. So, if you want to remember something, you have to persuade your brain that it is important. You do this by working with the new information - thinking about it, linking it to what you already know, writing it down and coming back to review it.
The simplest and most effective tip in terms of learning vocabulary is to use the words you want to learn. The more you do this, the better.
This can be easier said than done though, so here are 10 effective tips which might set you on the right path.
Be interested in words – guess the meaning of new words and then look them up in a dictionary to check if you are right.
Exercise your brain each day – think of a word and find synonyms for it.
Read widely and highlight the words that you find interesting and want to use.
Do some writing each day, and edit it – aim to improve your vocabulary choices.
Listen to audio books and read along at the same time (this will help with pronunciation).
Work with a vocabulary book such as Destination or The Vocabulary Builder Workbook.
Start your own vocabulary book and remember not only to write words in the book but also to review them.
Talk to your friends and family about the meaning of words and how to use them.
Use flash cards or a flash card app such as Quizlet, Memrise or Anki.
Use the words you've learned.
Vocabulary cards
To be honest, I don't use vocabulary cards to learn German but I know that some of my students do like them. If you want to use vocabulary cards, here is some information worth including:
The target word in English
The word in your first language (on the other side)
The definition in English
A sentence using the word in the right context based on the meaning
The word class (noun, verb, adjective)
A picture or photo if possible
Pronunciation tips
Synonyms (words with a similar meaning)
Antonyms (words with an opposite meaning)
Word transformation e.g present - presentation
Basically the more you work with a word, the better. The more connections that your brain can make, the more likely you are to remember something.
Can you think of any other ideas? If so, let me know!
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