1. Use the new word in a sentence
After you have read the word and understood its meaning, use that new
word in your own sentence. It is best to try and create a sentence that has
some type of relationship or connection with your life.
2. Look for grammatical variations of
the word
Look for the different ways (grammatical forms) the word can appear. For
example if the word to suspect (a verb) is given to you, you can look for its
noun form (suspicion), its adjective form (suspicious) etc. Suspect can also be
a noun (a suspect). Remember that not all words have all grammatical forms. It
pays to have a good English dictionary to help you with this.
Once you have the different forms of the new word, you can then try and make a
sentence with each one.
3. Do Word Associations
Try and associate the word with other things (like a mind map). Not only
will it help you remember the new word but it will also increase your knowledge
(vocabulary) of other things associated with the word.
For example if you have the new word CAR (a noun),
Think of nouns associated with the word (parts of a car: windscreen, steering
wheel…)
Think of verbs associated with the word (to Brake, to accelerate, to crash…)
Think of adjectives to describe it (Fast, rusty… )
Think of examples of the word (Limousine, Jeep…)
If the word is an adjective for example BIG
Think of synonyms or words with a similar meaning (large, enormous,
huge…)
Think of antonyms or opposites (small, tiny…)
Think of examples of the adjective (Big: Elephant, a continent, Jupiter…)
4. Carry a list or a notepad with you
Write the new word and its meaning (and maybe an example too) in a small
notepad that you can carry with you and read whenever you have a spare moment
(or some people keep them in their smartphone). This can be read while you are
sitting on a bus, on the underground/subway, or while you are in a waiting
room. This will help you see the words more than once and will help them stick
in your mind.
5. Make flash cards
Make little cards with each new word on one side and the meaning of that
word on the other side. Put them on the ground and if the meaning is face up,
then try and think of the word. If the word appears face up, then think of its
meaning. When you start to have a lot of cards you can shuffle them and
randomly pick out 10 or so every day.
6. Look for examples on the internet
Type the word in a search engine (such as Google) and write down 7
different sentences that contain an example of that word. This way you will see
the word in context and maybe other vocabulary associated with it. For better
results, look for one sentence every day over 7 different days.
7. Learn the word again on other days
Don’t just learn or practice a word one day and then forget about it.
You may think you have learned the word (since you have just been using it) but
if you try to remember/use the new word a couple of weeks later, you may find
it difficult. To really remember a word you need to reuse that word over and
over before it sticks in your long-term memory.
There is a saying in English “Use it or lose it.” Basically this means
if you don’t use (or practice) something you have learned, you will eventually
forget how to use it properly.
Reference:Woodward English
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