Jul 19 2023
Learning words out of context can be daunting and often less rewarding. This is why employing contextual learning is one of the best strategies. Reading is a brilliant way of doing this; whether it's novels, newspapers, or educational texts, they all provide invaluable exposure to new words, illustrating how they are used in sentences, which often provides clues to meanings. More so, language is dynamic, and reading a variety of sources helps you understand the versatile usage of vocabulary.
Incorporating technology into your learning journey can greatly enhance the process. There are countless applications designed to improve vocabulary, such as Anki, Quizlet, etc. They use the concept of 'spaced repetition'. A technique which involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time to move the knowledge from short-term memory to long-term memory. Similarly, traditional flashcards are an excellent tool that follows the same concept, with the added benefit of being portable.
Regularly conversing in the language you are trying to learn is not just essential for improving spoken skills, but it also introduces you to new vocabulary organically. You learn to understand words in a natural and contextual manner while getting immediate feedback on your usage. Joining conversation clubs or language exchange programs could be a good idea for this.
Mnemonics are memory devices that help learners recall larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages or vocabulary. For instance, you might associate a word with an image or a song to remember it conveniently. A popular mnemonic technique is to connect the word with a personal encounter or event.
Improving vocabulary might seem challenging at the start, but by implementing some, or all, of these strategies, you're sure to overcome this hurdle in a more enjoyable way.
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