LEARNING VOCABULARY-2
21 / 09 / 2004
LEARNING VOCABULARY-2: meaning and examples
Good morning.
Yesterday I gave you two important general suggestions if you want to improve your vocabulary:
1) MAKE ENGLISH A PART OF YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.
2) FOCUS ON THE WORDS YOU NEED.
Today we will look at some practical ways to carry out these two suggestions.
3) GET A GOOD DICTIONARY. There's nothing more frustrating than trying to look up a word in your mini-English travel dictionary and not finding it. If you're serious about learning, you need the right tools. So, find a dictionary that's appropriate for your level of English.
4) KEEP A RECORD OF THE WORDS YOU SEARCH FOR.
To help you find out what words you need to study (Suggestion 2), here's an idea: The first time you look up a new word in the dictionary, put a cross (X) or an asterisk (*) in pencil next to the word. The next time you look up that same word, put a second cross (XX). If you look up that word a third time, put a third cross (XXX). Now you know that it is a word you need to know, and that you have trouble remembering it; therefore, you should make a special effort to learn it.
Example:
look up --> to consult a dictionary (X)
look up --> to consult a dictionary (XX)
look up --> to consult a dictionary (XXX)
I need to learn this word!
5) KEEP A VOCABULARY NOTEBOOK OR "WORD BANK." Many students make a list of new words in a notebook as they come across them. However, if that list is not organized or used in some way, it is not usually very helpful.
How many of you have word lists in old notebooks from past English courses? If so, how often do you actually consult them or do something with them?
We suggest not just writing new vocabulary words down, but organising them by meaning (for example, "vegetables") or word class (for example, "adverbs of frequency") in a notebook, or what we like to call a Word Bank. There's nothing magic about a Word Bank, but sometimes just the effort you make to organise the words is enough to pass a word to long term memory.
Last February we offered Daily Vitamin recipients a copy of a sample Ziggurat Word Bank by Email. If you are interested in receiving the Word Bank today, please contact me and I will send it to you by Email.
Tomorrow we will look at some activities that you can do with new words to learn them. If you have any questions or comments about today's Daily Vitamin, or you would like a sample of a Ziggurat Word Bank, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Yesterday I gave you two important general suggestions if you want to improve your vocabulary:
1) MAKE ENGLISH A PART OF YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.
2) FOCUS ON THE WORDS YOU NEED.
Today we will look at some practical ways to carry out these two suggestions.
3) GET A GOOD DICTIONARY. There's nothing more frustrating than trying to look up a word in your mini-English travel dictionary and not finding it. If you're serious about learning, you need the right tools. So, find a dictionary that's appropriate for your level of English.
4) KEEP A RECORD OF THE WORDS YOU SEARCH FOR.
To help you find out what words you need to study (Suggestion 2), here's an idea: The first time you look up a new word in the dictionary, put a cross (X) or an asterisk (*) in pencil next to the word. The next time you look up that same word, put a second cross (XX). If you look up that word a third time, put a third cross (XXX). Now you know that it is a word you need to know, and that you have trouble remembering it; therefore, you should make a special effort to learn it.
Example:
look up --> to consult a dictionary (X)
look up --> to consult a dictionary (XX)
look up --> to consult a dictionary (XXX)
I need to learn this word!
5) KEEP A VOCABULARY NOTEBOOK OR "WORD BANK." Many students make a list of new words in a notebook as they come across them. However, if that list is not organized or used in some way, it is not usually very helpful.
How many of you have word lists in old notebooks from past English courses? If so, how often do you actually consult them or do something with them?
We suggest not just writing new vocabulary words down, but organising them by meaning (for example, "vegetables") or word class (for example, "adverbs of frequency") in a notebook, or what we like to call a Word Bank. There's nothing magic about a Word Bank, but sometimes just the effort you make to organise the words is enough to pass a word to long term memory.
Last February we offered Daily Vitamin recipients a copy of a sample Ziggurat Word Bank by Email. If you are interested in receiving the Word Bank today, please contact me and I will send it to you by Email.
Tomorrow we will look at some activities that you can do with new words to learn them. If you have any questions or comments about today's Daily Vitamin, or you would like a sample of a Ziggurat Word Bank, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
