Note: If you are really serious about improving your vocabulary, we highly recommend you check out the popular Ultimate Vocabulary Builder

HOW TO BUILD VOCABULARY: THE BEST METHODS

If you want to increase your English vocabulary, chances are you have tried most basic methods: cramming in word lists and using flash cards. And while both these activities are effective to a degree when you want to build vocabulary, they will not help in taking your learning to the next level. Vocabulary building is a formidable task that can be exhausting and laborious but if you do it smartly, you can take the edge off it. With a few particularly great tricks, you can learn more words easily and quickly. Here we have rounded up for you some of the most intuitive and effective methods for enhancing your vocabulary learning experience:

1. USE VOCABULARY TREES

Grouping plays a very important role in the process of learning. Our mind comprehends and retains input better if it’s provided in context and/or is organized according to a certain parameter. You can use groups to aid your vocabulary as well. Start learning words in groups: for instance, you could learn a group of words that relate to ‘crockery’ (think cup, spoon, plate etc.) or ‘gardening’ (think ‘fertilizer’, ‘hose’ etc.) It will be easier for you to remember all the words in the group and any mention of one of the words will automatically make you recall all the other group members in that ‘word group’.

2. LEARN THEMATICALLY!

Once you discover the power of grouping for improving your English vocabulary, you will want to keep utilizing it to your benefit. A great way to build vocabulary using grouping is creating ‘vocabulary themes’. These ‘themes’ basically involve taking your ‘word groups’ and expanding on them for better retaining. On a sheet of paper, you could write down the definition of every word in the group and also put down a sentence that uses the word. For example, on your ‘Automobile’ theme page, you could define the word ‘engine’ (motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work) and also write a sentence below it that uses it (We were late because our car’s engine broke down).

3. LET VISUALS HELP YOU

A great way to remember any new words permanently is by attaching visuals to them (that’s why childhood books carried so many pictures). Learning new words through a visual dictionary (there are many of those out there) has been proven to increase retention rates dramatically.