In this day and age, global integration has been happening at a faster pace than ever before. Consequently, international languages, especially English, have increasingly gained their importance in every aspect in modern life, ranging from daily conservations to economic and politic issues.
However, this causes several obstacles to many people, in particular, non-native speakers. You cannot get access and comprehend any word of your favorite topics just because publishers and writers use English? Speaking with foreigners or raising your voice in global forums seems to be impossible missions as you find it hard to get your ideas across?
So here are your solutions. This article provides you with seven easy and effective ways to expand your English vocabulary!
1. Set up a studying strategy!
The key to mastering something is a thorough preparation for it.
All you should do is to determine what keeps you interested and relaxed. Every time you come across new words, write them down with their meanings and uses in colorful flashcards and make some decorations if you like.
Then stick these notes wherever around your house that you frequently visit, for example, studying zones, refrigerators, or even blank spaces on your laptop! Thanks to this method, you can memorize new phrases without your awareness.
As regard more complicated and lengthy words, prepare a small and portable notebook. Jot them down with their meanings, uses, and simple synonyms and keep it company so that you can flick through whenever you have any free time.
2. Read authentic English articles!
If you want to acquire any subject or language, not only English, you definitely have to devote your time and much reading to having a deeper insight.
Start with some short stories or your favorite articles on official websites like CNN, BBC, The New York Times, etc. and acquaint yourself with the way new words are naturally used by native speakers. Then read different topics on these sources of information so that you can learn topic- related new words such as economics, politics.
Also, remember not to skip new words if they are suitable for your level (even a level higher than yours is okay). Stop being lazy and pay great attention to these and look them up. The more you read, the more you learn.
3. Watch movies and listen to music in English
This method is called auditory learning and has been proved to be very useful. Fortunately, films and songs in English are common on the internet, so you can search for them whenever you want. Moreover, most of them are free! Their contents are sometimes excellent, too! Don’t be surprised to find yourself hooked on them and can’t get your eyes off the screen.
What you get from this activity is a whale of time to relax your mind with all genres of music or movies, namely romantic films and science fiction. At the same time, still, your vocabulary is enhanced a lot, and you even understand how native speakers apply words and expressions to different contexts.
4. Practice on your own by “reading out loud”.
Instead of gazing at your smartphone all day long surfing the web, let’s spare some time to revise your new words that you have jotted down.
Focus and repeat the word three times in a continuous pattern and try to imagine it in a particular situation.
Don’t be afraid to say it aloud because this practice helps check pronunciation on one’s own and memorize words with their usages at the same time.
5. Devote your time to revision by practicing regularly.
Remembering new words and phrases by means of irregularly reading them seems pointless as they are only stored in your short-term memory and you will quickly forget them in several days to come. So don’t congratulate yourself too early.
Review newly learned words by repeating them at different times. For example, revise what you have acquired in 30 minutes after you learnt. Then, you should go over it in the next 8 hours and the next day.
This technique enables you to etch new and complex words into your long-term memory, and you can understand their meanings better and more effectively.
6.Engage in conservations
It is a pity that non-native people have few opportunities to meet and interact with English speakers.
However, the development of tourism and globalization has been attracting more and more foreigners to spend time in various tourist attractions all around the world.
As a result, the locals stand a golden chance of practicing speaking English, putting what you have learned theoretically into use, and checking up on their accuracy.
So you should seize every opportunity whenever possible if you want to make marked progress in your English learning process.
You can also improve your English ability by interacting with your teachers and classmates in English sessions as much as possible.
7. Adopting healthy and balanced lifestyles
This practice may sound ridiculous to some readers, but good sleep, and healthy eating habits are crucial to a good memory.
As proven by most scientists, sufficient sleep helps people improve their memory and have a refreshing mind. However, this is what most people neglect, and as a consequence, they have decreased memory and find it challenging to remember daily activities, not to mention new knowledge. Therefore, sleep in time and try to repeat new words before bedtime may be effective.
Besides a good night, according to scientific articles, some kinds of vegetables and food are particularly beneficial to your health and memory. Fish, eggs, dairy products, and green vegetables are just a few to name. Start cutting down on fatty food like snacks or beverages and adopt a healthy diet right now!
All seven techniques, as mentioned above, are highly recommended and can be applied in any other field or language. Choose the strategies that suit you most.
Make every effort to learn, have a good command of English and become a global citizen.
Good luck with the above strategies to expand your vocabulary. Feel free to comment any question, and we will give you advice on your learning route. And don’t forget to share your story with us! We look forward to your progress!
