Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Creating associations
• Part 2 of 3: Creating an interactive learning environment
• Part 3 of 3: Practicing your technique
• Tips

Many people dread the prospect of learning new vocabulary because they fear it can only come by stomping. Fortunately, this is far from the truth - whether you're learning a new language or looking to expand your current vocabulary, there are multiple tools you can use to help you really absorb the words and not just memorize them. to learn. Take advantage of the many resources available and practice with them as often as you can!

To step

Part 1 of 3: Creating associations

1. Create word associations. Whether you are learning new vocabulary in your native language or another language, associations can help you memorize new words. Absurd, lively, or ridiculous associations usually help best in memorizing new vocabulary.
   • If you are learning a new language, associate the new one with words in your own language. If a new word resembles a word in your native language, create a mental image that links the two words together. For example, the French word “vin,” or wine, sounds the same as the English word “ven,” so create a visual association of a small fen full of wine to help you remember.
   • Word associations are also useful when learning a new word in your own language. For example, the beginning of the word "girdle," a type of belt, resembles the beginning of the word "curtain," so you can make a mental association of a curtain that you use as a belt to remember the word "girdle."
   • While creating word associations, make sure that you make the images as vivid as possible and repeat it in your mind several times a day so that the association is anchored in your memory.
2. Make use of mnemonics. A variation on the technique that uses “word matches” are mnemonics that use patterns to help you memorize.
   • For example, the word "abrogate," meaning abrogate or abolish, can be broken down into a pattern of images based on the syllables that make up the word. So, you can break "abrogate" into "a" + "broge" + "ren" after which you visualize a race between brooches, which has to be "canceled".
   • Like word associations, mnemonic techniques work best when they relate new concepts to concepts you already know.
3. Be as creative as possible. It is often much easier to remember unusual or bizarre things than the mundane things, so get creative in your associations.
   • For example, the term “banal” means “boring or mundane,” so to help you remember the meaning of this word, imagine a banana peel (because the beginning of “banal” is like the beginning of “Banana”), floating in a channel (because “channel” rhymes with “banal”). A banana peel floating in a channel is a vivid enough image to remember, but also portrays something banal, allowing you to associate "banal" with the definition "boring or uninteresting."

Part 2 of 3: Creating an interactive learning environment

1. Integrate the new words into your environment. Place sticky notes on large sheets of blank paper in frequent areas, such as the bathroom or kitchen. When you see the sheets of paper, write new words on it and their meaning. That way you will often be confronted with it during the day.
   • Include a description of the word if you find it difficult to remember.
   • You can also draw a small picture next to it to show the meaning of the word and help you make an association.
   • For foreign vocabulary, you can try writing words for everyday objects, such as "mirror" and "table" on sticky notes. Attach the notes to the objects the words refer to to make the association between the word and the object more powerful.
2. Make the new words a part of your life. Using the new words in sentences relevant to your own life can help make strong and relevant associations.
   • For example, if you want to use the word “azure blue,” a term for a deep blue color, write it in several sentences related to your current situation or environment: “My new shampoo bottle has a striking azure color” or “ the sky this summer is of a particularly lively, azure blue color. ”
3. Make learning a game. The more fun you can make learning vocabulary, the more likely you are to do it and learn something from it.
   • There are several games online for learning vocabulary. To get a taste of the educational apps for tablets and smartphones, go here. For a list of games for your browser, go here. For a discussion of various educational software in this field, go here.
   • If you prefer to play a game offline, check out EdHelper's Board Game Generator or here with the word: bingo creator.
4. Make a visual recording of your work. This technique is especially useful if you are a visual student.
   • Make a vocabulary journal or a notebook and write in it the new words with their meanings. Write them down as often as you need to to remember them.
   • Create stories with the new words. You can start writing stories using just the new words, or you can challenge yourself to write a story using only the new vocabulary.
   • Make drawings that show the meaning of the new vocabulary to guide the definitions. Create a storyboard if you enjoy expressing yourself artistically.

Part 3 of 3: Practicing your technique

1. Determine which methods work best for you. You may have to try a number of different study techniques to find the one that works best for you.
2. Practice with flash cards. One of the long-used techniques, the use of flash cards, remains a simple yet powerful vocabulary practice tool.
   • Write each new word you learn on the front of a piece of paper and the meaning on the back.
   • Go through the flash cards several times a day, trying to remember the meaning of the words before looking at the back.
   • There are a diverse number of flash card apps available for tablets and smartphones, making the use of flash cards even more portable and accessible. Go to this website for a short list of Android apps or this one for a list of Apple apps.
3. Read as many new words as possible. Read texts in the target language at the desired level. Reading and looking up - and writing down! - new words is an excellent way to learn vocabulary.
   • If you are trying to expand your vocabulary in your native language as well, for example, to a university level, read scientific articles and magazines such as Natural Science and Engineering, New Scientist, etc.
   • If you are trying to learn a new language, read texts that match your current level. So if you're just starting out, read books for young children to help you build the foundation. If you read at an intermediate level, read books for young adults, and so on.
   • Reading a translated book that you already know from your own language can be a fun and effective way to practice your vocabulary and language skills.
4. Test yourself. By regularly testing yourself for vocabulary, you can work on words that present a special challenge.
   • A number of websites offer online vocabulary quizzes to help you practice. There are some like this one where you can choose a level, the length of the quiz and the word category. In addition, there are also others, such as this one where it is possible to put together a quiz yourself using a specific list of words that you enter.
5. Use the new words as often as possible. Use new vocabulary in your daily conversations, in what you write, and in any other opportunity you have.
   • The more you use the new words, the better you will fully understand and remember them.

Tips

• Know your limits. Limit yourself to a maximum of 10 new words per day; 3-4 is optimal for retention.
• Pay attention to prefixes and suffixes. As you learn these standard parts, it will help you remember or even deduce the meaning of other words that use the same prefixes and suffixes.
• Learn whole sentences rather than single words. When learning a new language, learning whole sentences is a great way not only to familiarize yourself with common sentence constructions, but also to learn useful everyday phrases. That way, you have a variety of standard phrases available when you want to say something, rather than just individual words.
• Repetition is crucial. Repeated exposure to new words, whether because you have words pasted up all over the house or through regular quizzes, is vital to learning them.