7 Tips for learning an English Word a day

[abdellatif-boudia]

7 Tips for learning an English Word a day:

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.

[Krrizal]

Thanks for the advice! I also recommend simply getting into the habit of listening to and reading English, such as following TV shows, tuning into radios, and reading random signs along the road. Assimilation is the best way to learn!

[maryannballeras]

I agree with you, Krizzal. These seven tips are wonderful (thank you so much for sharing it, by the way) but in my opinion, it would be better if there would be some exposure. Aside from the suggestions added by Krizzal, I also recommend listening to podcasts and audio books.

[NATASHA]

Great advice here and it will definitely work this way. It is easy to learn step by step rather than learning many things at once.

[Determined2014]

7 Tips for learning an English Word a day:

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.

Thank you for the advice, it is a good way to learn new words, I will keep it in practise.

[sidney]

Thank you for sharing these tips, it will certainly help us when we are studying a foreign language. Also having a language practice buddy can help us learn faster, so we have to find one as soon as possible, lol.

[Trellum]

This is a really nice list of advice, I am already using some of those methods to learn new dutch words. I really recommend to keep using those new words as much as you can.  Try to create 5 phrases using that word, write them down in a notebook. Also simple thinking of the word ''car'' and visualizing it in your mind can help a lot.  I try to visualize most new words that way, and most of the time it works wonders for me

[JasleenKaur]

Great advice thank you for sharing. 

[kurdapia]

They say if you use that new word six times it will be yours forever. I had done that before and I think it worked for me.

[xTinx]

Those are very helpful tips. I would like to add another one: read a lot English books that use basic and simple grammar. This will not only widen one's vocabulary but also help him/her understand implied grammar and sentence construction rules.

[foolsgold]

Perfect advice. Somewhat related to number 7 is to play a game of sorts where you will try to drop the word into a conversation no matter how unrelated. It helps you be more creative as well

[JasleenKaur]

Thank you for the advice! 

[LeesaJohnson]

Nice advice and I would like to thank you for sharing with us.

[frankfurt]

Thank you. My English is pretty good if I can say so myself, but it was still an intuitive list that could be useful

[VinayaSpeaks]

These are great tips.I am already doing some of these tips such as #1, #4 and #7. I will take care of #5 because this will help me learn more words.