STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A POWERFUL VOCABULARY

What do you do when you encounter a new word in your reading? Ask another student about the meaning Try to guess the meaning of the word from the context Look up the definition in a dictionary Skip over the word and continue reading Analyze the word for clues to its meaning

Strategies for building a powerful vocabulary Strategy 1: Check your knowledge of the words used most frequently in English Strategy 2: Focus on the words used in academic texts Strategy 3: Use the dictionary effectively Strategy 4: Keep a vocabulary notebook Strategy 5: Use study cards

Strategy 1: Check your knowledge of the words used most frequently in English The research shows that a small percentage of words-about 2000- are used much more frequently than all the other words. If you know these words, you have a much better chance of understanding what you read

Strategy 2: focus on the words used in academic texts Research on academic texts has shown that certain words are used very frequently in these texts, regardless of the subject matter. Learning these 570 academic words can improve your comprehension of academic materials

Strategy 3: use the dictionary effectively Along with the definition, a dictionary provides a great deal of other information about a word. It tells you the part of speech of the word, how to pronounce it, and how to divide it into syllables. An example sentence is often included as well

Strategy 4: keep a vocabulary notebook When you encounter new words, write them in a notebook that you use only for vocabulary and not for other course work. This notebook will help you study vocabulary more effectively. You can easily check your knowledge of words you have studied before.

Strategy 5: use study cards Add new words that you encounter and want to learn. You should not remove a word from your set until you are completely sure of the meaning and can recall it instantly

Learning new words from your readings Read a lot. Each time you see the word in context, you build up a stronger sense of its meaning. Work with a new word in a way that requires active thinking. You need to analyze the word and use it in speaking and writing. Note how a new word is used. If you look closely at the context and write down the sentence where you found the word, you are more likely to remember it.