Building Vocabulary

Why should you work on expanding your vocabulary? Most of the words you encounter when reading are not technical terms that only appear in limited contexts (e.g. DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid ) but words that appear across many reading contexts. Words such as delve, liberate, and impertinent appear in every day reading contexts. As you learn more and more of these common and sometimes less common vocabulary words, you will be able to understand a wider range of texts. When you understand the particular words being used, you will be able to understand the author’s point more precisely.

 

Begin by building your word awareness (McWhorter, p. 260). Read widely and start paying attention to words that you are less familiar with. When you encounter such words, look them up in an online dictionary.  Along with definitions, dictionaries usually provide a way to listen to the correct pronunciation of the word. Try using Dictionary.com.

 

Consider using vocabulary cards (also known as flashcards) to remember the meaning of new words. You can use 3x5 inch cards or smaller cards. On one side write down the new word. On the other side write a short definition and/or synonyms.  If English is not your first language,  consider adding a definition or synonym in your first language.  

 

Vocabulary cards provide an efficient way to cement definitions in memory. You can drill using the cards when you have a few minutes to study them.   You can also use vocabulary cards to efficiently memorize the technical terms that appear in your textbooks and other sources in a particular content area (e.g. biology).

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If you prefer,  you can build vocabulary cards online.  Dictionary.com has a section for building and studying vocabulary cards.  

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For a clear and more extensive discussion of vocabulary building, see McWhorter, Chapter 12. (see Resources ). 

For a systematic and structured approach to learning new vocabulary, look here.