How to build your English vocabulary – and Why?

There is no denying the fact that communication is a must for any kind of human interaction or collaborative efforts. The quality of your communication, however, be it written or spoken, depends on the strength of your vocabulary. Your ability to use the right words to convey exactly what you mean makes you a better communicator and holds you in good stead in general conversations.


Here we shall look at a few tips that can help you improve your English Vocabulary over time.


1) Make Reading a Habit





Reading is one of the easiest ways to begin with on improving your English vocabulary. Start with newspapers or magazines. The idea is to learn new words and understand what they mean in the context of the sentence they are used in. If you still cannot get the picture, a look into your dictionary will help. Once you get a hang of regular reading, you can move on to novels and literary classics.



2) Befriend the Dictionary and Thesaurus

Whenever you come across an unfamiliar word – be it in the hard print format or online, make a note of the same. Then use the dictionary or thesaurus to figure out the meaning, the pronunciation, synonyms (similar words) and even its antonyms (having opposite meaning). This exercise on a regular basis is a sure-fire way of improving your vocabulary.


3) Watch the English News

This will help you understand pronunciations better and will also give you a better sense of the conversational flow when speaking. When you do come across new words – look them up and make a mental note of the same quickly so that your brain registers and remembers the new word it just learnt. It would also be a good idea to note the differences in accent and news reading styles across different world channels like CNN, BBC etc.


4)Maintain a Journal




Once you start following a routine of reading and learning, you will start coming across more and more fascinating words. So, maintaining a journal to document your journey would be a good idea. It can also serve as a good gift later to someone else who is seeking vocabulary improvement.


5) Have conversations

There is no better way to put your vocabulary to test than to have real-time conversations with people. Start with the ones who know you well enough to not judge you for your initial attempts. But eventually the idea is to be able to have a choice of words at your mental disposal, so that you may use the words that most aptly convey your thoughts, in any given scenario.

Now that we have looked at a few ways to improve your English vocabulary with time and practice, let us see what you stand to gain once you have an improved vocabulary.

a. Increased Confidence in Public Speaking with an array of words at your disposal.

b. You will begin to read even seemingly complex articles with better understanding of the language.

c. Improved comprehension of what others write or say, with minimal scope for misunderstanding.

d. You will be able to communicate your thoughts more effectively, be it written or in conversations.

e. Last but not the least, your personal and professional image is enhanced when you display a wide range of your vocabulary.

So, there you have it – the advantages are many but it is important to stay motivated and keep learning daily. So, start reading, making notes, reviewing and try to make use of the newly learnt words in actual conversations. Soon you will be on your way to become a good communicator and will understand others better.


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- By Chander Madan


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