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Why do large
vocabularies characterize executives and
possibly outstanding men and women in other
fields? The final answer seems to be that words
are the instruments by means of which men and
women grasp the thoughts of others and with
which they do much of their own thinking. They
are the "tools of thought." -Johnson
O'Connor -
Learning how to build a better vocabulary can be
a pleasurable and profitable investment of both
your time and effort. At least fifteen minutes a
day of concentrated study on a regular basis can
bring about a rapid improvement in your
vocabulary skills, which in turn can increase
your ability to communicate by writing,
conversing, or making speeches. Acquiring a
large vocabulary can benefit you in school, at
work, and socially. It will enable you to
understand others' ideas better and to have the
satisfaction or getting your thoughts and ideas
across more effectively.
Of course, you already know thousands of words,
and you will continue to learn more whether you
work at it or not. The fact is that many of the
words you know were probably learned simply by
coming across them often enough in your reading,
in conversation, and even while watching
television. But increasing the pace of your
learning requires a consistent, dedicated
approach. If you learned only one new word a day
for the next three years, you would have over a
thousand new words in your vocabulary. However,
if you decided right now to learn ten new words
a day, in one year you would have added over
three thousand to what you already know, and
probably have established a lifetime habit of
learning and self-improvement.
While there are not any magic shortcuts to
learning words, the larger your vocabulary
becomes, the easier it will be to connect a new
word with words you already know, and thus
remember its meaning. So your learning speed, or
pace, should increase as your vocabulary grows.
What
are the steps ?
Be Aware of
Words
Many people are surprised when they are told
they have small vocabularies. "But I read all
the time!" they protest. This shows that reading
alone may not be enough to make you learn new
words. When we read a novel, for instance, there
is usually a strong urge to get on with the
story and skip over unfamiliar or perhaps
vaguely known words. But while it is obvious
when a word is totally unknown to you, you have
to be especially aware of words that seem
familiar to you but whose precise meanings you
may not really know.
Instead of avoiding these words, you will need
to take a closer look at them. First, try to
guess at a word's meaning from its context-that
is, the sense of the passage in which it
appears; second, if you have a dictionary on
hand, look up the word's meaning immediately.
This slows down your reading somewhat, but your
improved understanding of each new word will
eventually speed your learning of other words,
making reading easier. Make a daily practice of
noting words of interest to you for further
study whenever you are reading, listening to the
radio, talking to friends, or watching
television.
Read
When you have become more aware of words,
reading is the next important step to increasing
your knowledge of words, because that is how you
will find most of the words you should be
learning. It is also the best way to check on
words you have already learned. When you come
across a word you have recently studied, and you
understand it, that proves you have learned its
meaning.
What should you read? Whatever interests
you--whatever makes you want to read. If you
like sports, read the sports page of the
newspapers; read magazines like Sports
Illustrated; read books about your favorite
athletes. If you are interested in interior
decorating, read a magazine like House
Beautiful--read it, don't just look at the
photographs.
Often people with very low
vocabularies don't enjoy reading at all. It's
more of a chore for them than a pleasure because
they don't understand many of the words. If this
is the way you feel about reading, try reading
easier things. Newspapers are usually easier
than magazines; a magazine like Reader's Digest
is easier to read than The Atlantic Monthly.
There is no point in trying to read something
you simply are not able to understand or are not
interested in. The important idea is to find
things to read you can enjoy, and to read as
often and as much as possible with the idea of
learning new words always in mind.
Use a Dictionary
Most people know how to use a dictionary to look
up a word's meaning. Here are some pointers on
how to do this as a part of a
vocabulary-building program:
Have your own
dictionary
Keep it where you usually do your reading at
home. You are more likely to use it if you do
not have to get it from another room. At work,
there may be a good dictionary available for
your use. At home, most people do not have a
big, unabridged dictionary; however, one of the
smaller collegiate dictionaries would be fine to
start with.
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