If you are trying build vocabulary, you’d find suggestions galore. Everyone, irrespective of the state of their own vocabulary is an expert on how to build vocabulary! What really builds vocabulary? Learn a new word everyday, or two or five! Subscribe to word a day SMS’s! Read “How to get mindboggling vocabulary in 12 hours”! Listen to English news. Read, “Tales from Shakespeare” or, “Wuthering Heights” or Chetan Bhagat! Cram the entire GMAT word list! Answer 5 quiz questions everyday! Write 5 words on a piece of paper, dissolve it in a glass of water and gulp down in one swig! Anything goes! Do any of these methods really work? You wouldn’t be very hopeful if you go by the state of vocabulary of people making these suggestions – most of them know all about building vocabulary while their own vocabulary would hardly match that of a class X school kid. Vocabulary is not just the knowledge of the meaning of a word. Vocabulary is your ability to use words to express what you want to. Vocabulary is not “to know”. Vocabulary is “to do”. It’s a very important distinction. And how do we learn things which are “to do”? Right! By doing. Singing, dancing, swimming, painting are all “to do” – you only learn them by doing. Thus, how do you develop the “to do” vocabulary? Here’s how: a) Become word aware Tell yourself you want to build vocabulary. Activate your “look out for cool words” radar on high alert. Wherever and whenever you hear or see a new word or an interesting way of saying something, make a mental note. Get in the mental state of noticing the usage of new words and phrases. Remember, seeing a word in action is worth seeing 10 in a word list. b) Increase English exposure – Read regularly At least 2 pages, ideally 5 or 10. Whatever you like – newspaper, books, story books, gossip columns, blogs anything. Just make sure your word antenna is on while reading. c) Increase English exposure – Listen regularly News, movies, BBC radio – anything. Listen for at least 15 minutes. Be word aware when listening. There really is only a two step mantra for fabulous vocabulary – absorb more (like a sponge) and see more (read and listen). All else is nice sounding school kid lecture which may feel good but doesn’t work.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 09:16:24 +0000
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