Rabu, 08 Juli 2009

How to keep up your new vocabularies

1. Note down the new word or expression in your notebook.
2. Find the meaning of the word from the context and by looking up in the dictionary.
3. Find the other meaning(s) of the word; remember one word may convey more than one meaning.
4. Categorize the word into its class (is it a verb, noun, adjective, etc.?). By knowing the category of the word, hopefully you can use it correctly.
5. Use the new word in your writing (examples: a short paragraph, a note, a story, or a diary etc.) and in speaking (if you have no chance to speak with someone, you can write a dialogue in which the new word/expression is used), then read what you have written until you feel familiar with the new word/expression.
6. Find the similar words and see how they are used in different contexts. You can look up the similar words in a dictionary or thesaurus.
7. Don’t forget to learn how to pronounce the word. Make sure that you don’t mispronounce it, especially when you get the word from written sources. When you find the new word from a film or a song, it is easier for you to repeat the correct pronunciation of the word.
8. Finally, never get bored of searching more new words or expressions so that your vocabulary will improve.

from http://www.elti.co.id/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=30&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0