How can I improve my Vocabulary? (3 Viewers)

[MATHmaster]

Hey there. What are the most effective ways to learn new words? How can I grasp the meaning of the word and use it appropriately? I ask this because I'm doing English Advanced + Extension next year, which I will need a great variety of words to use...
Thank you!

 

[Kimyia]

Dictionary/thesaurus is your best friend. Reading a lot of books also helps you pick up on new/different/better words and helps put them in context, so it helps you with their definition. You could also try asking your teacher if a word makes sense in the context you've put it in like an essay or something.

 

[Shadowdude]

Read books. Proper books - adult-level literature.

 

[Amaranth_]

read my poetry.
I joke.

Read heaps of books, adult-level books as shadowdude mentioned.
I recommend crime fiction books because the authors use a wide variety of words to get the idea across in detail.

Something like "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay

 

[megan_p]

Read books! It's the best way, take notes of words you don't know and look them up in the dictionary then challenge yourself to use them - make a list of these new words and continually refer to them.

Another good thing to do, something my teachers have tried to force into us, is reading the newspaper daily!

 

[Lina3]

Read, read, read! Preferably novels from the Victorian era (published 1837-1901). Authors like George Eliot, W.M Thackeray, the Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy (highly recommended!), Nathaniel Hawthorne etc etc
While being rather prolix, these novels have a wonderful array of words. Also, in my experience, in order to remember the meaning of a word really well it helps to see it several times in different contexts.

The reason I mainly recommend books written over 100 years ago is because since then the average person's vocabulary has gradually diminished -_- Back then words like capricious, prestidigitation or amalgamate were the norm, now if you use them in a conversation the person will most likely raise an eyebrow and ask what the heck they mean.
Reading some of today's adult books (don't get me started on teenage novels!), it's ridiculous how limited the word range is. Not to say they are bad, just less suited for your particular purpose.

 

[Eg155]

Read, read, read! Preferably novels from the Victorian era (published 1837-1901). Authors like George Eliot, W.M Thackeray, the Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy (highly recommended!), Nathaniel Hawthorne etc etc
While being rather prolix, these novels have a wonderful array of words. Also, in my experience, in order to remember the meaning of a word really well it helps to see it several times in different contexts.

The reason I mainly recommend books written over 100 years ago is because since then the average person's vocabulary has gradually diminished -_- Back then words like capricious, prestidigitation or amalgamate were the norm, now if you use them in a conversation the person will most likely raise an eyebrow and ask what the heck they mean.
Reading some of today's adult books (don't get me started on teenage novels!), it's ridiculous how limited the word range is. Not to say they are bad, just less suited for your particular purpose.

^ this! Omg, finalllyy someone whom thinks the same as I do!
#stay away from teen novels- absolutely useless for vocab in most cases...although Stephanie Myers wrote some good words in the Twilight Saga...
#Also reading old plays can prove to be beneficial.

 

[zombies]

I agree with the people saying to read books, however I personally find old books from the Victorian era really boring to read.. and not something I would do out of enjoyment... only when I have to at school.
But adult books or good young adult books are great!

 

[Lina3]

I agree with the people saying to read books, however I personally find old books from the Victorian era really boring to read.. and not something I would do out of enjoyment... only when I have to at school.
But adult books or good young adult books are great!

This is going to sound majorly nerdy, but I read in depth analysis notes on Victorian era classics (or other Classics for that matter). That way, I get some moral benefits if there isn't a fun plot to follow...

Not all are boring, gothic novels from the past have great plots AND an impressive vocab! The Monk by Matthew Lewis (1796) is one example. When it came out it caused an outrage because of its licentiousness (*ahem* it's certainly not for kids), but the ladies of the day couldn't put it down
I still remember the word 'perfidious' from it. The author used it so many times I got so annoyed and HAD to eventually look it up...

 

[zombies]

This is going to sound majorly nerdy, but I read in depth analysis notes on Victorian era classics (or other Classics for that matter). That way, I get some moral benefits if there isn't a fun plot to follow...

Not all are boring, gothic novels from the past have great plots AND an impressive vocab! The Monk by Matthew Lewis (1796) is one example. When it came out it caused an outrage because of its licentiousness (*ahem* it's certainly not for kids), but the ladies of the day couldn't put it down
I still remember the word 'perfidious' from it. The author used it so many times I got so annoyed and HAD to eventually look it up...

Haha well it's good that you're interested in older books.. I more like Agatha Christie myself, and young adult books cos they're easy to read and just really interesting to me.

 

[jnney]

also, by reading critical essays on your core texts

 

[Alkanes]

Read more books but there is no time to read in Yr 12 for some of us. So just try and read w/e you can e.g. Newspapers

 

[D94]

What I did was ask my English teacher for past student essays (A range, 20/20 etc.) and looked at how those students used certain vocabulary in different situations. Learnt from that and did reasonably well. You will also be killing two birds with one stone; learn the vocabulary and learn the essay/text/ideas/techniques etc.

 

[broncos123]

I watched/watch all my movies with subtitles... Worked pretty well...

 

[aussienerd]

Dictionary.com has this thing called word dynamo... It has a vast range of words and definitions to learn while playing word games. It's quite fun actually.

 

[Shadowdude]

I remember I read a book called 'Mrs. Dalloway'. Learned tons of words from there... like pulchritudinous, antediluvian, etc.

Really, any 'classic' novel should have a few words there - and not just that, but they are used properly. Like in a sentence, in context, so you can already see how the word is to be properly used.

 

[Lina3]

Dictionary.com has this thing called word dynamo... It has a vast range of words and definitions to learn while playing word games. It's quite fun actually.

^ This. Totally agree!!

 

[such_such]

Read or watch movies with subtitles, and most importantly, when you come cross a word you don't know, look it up. Don't be lazy and ignore the word like I do sometimes :L Keep a handy dictionary next to you.

 

[doug003]

I am trying to do the same, what i did was before the end of term I found out who my English teacher for year 11 was and asked her what books we will be studying next year.. She was so happy i asked she went out of her way to get me a whole bunch. anyway I suggest reading a wide range of books and try contacting your teacher via email? so you have a guide on what books to read because that will boost your relationship with the teacher, get you prepared for next year and widen your vocabulary. ;D

 

[aussienerd]

I am trying to do the same, what i did was before the end of term I found out who my English teacher for year 11 was and asked her what books we will be studying next year.. She was so happy i asked she went out of her way to get me a whole bunch. anyway I suggest reading a wide range of books and try contacting your teacher via email? so you have a guide on what books to read because that will boost your relationship with the teacher, get you prepared for next year and widen your vocabulary. ;D

LOL you suck up!