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Circle the words you
look up
After you have done this for a while, your
eye will naturally move to the words you have
circled whenever you flip through the
dictionary. This will give you a quick form of
review.
Read the entire entry for the word you look up
Remember, words can have more than one meaning,
and the meaning you need for the word you are
looking up may not be the first one given in
your dictionary. Even if it is, the other
meanings of the word will help you understand
the different ways the word is used.
Also, the word's "history," usually given near
the beginning of the entry, can often give a
fascinating picture of the way the word has
developed its current meaning. This will add to
the pleasure of learning the word as well as
help you remember it. .
Study and Review Regularly
Once you have begun looking up words and you
know which ones to study, vocabulary building is
simply a matter of reviewing the words regularly
until you fix them in your memory. This is best
done by setting aside a specific amount of time
each day for vocabulary study. During that time
you can look up new words you have noted during
the day and review old words you are in the
process of learning. Set a goal for the number
of words you would like to learn and by what
date, and arrange your schedule accordingly.
Fifteen minutes a day will bring better results
than half an hour once a week or so. However, if
half an hour a week is all the time you have to
spare, start with that. You may find more time
later on, and you will be moving in the right
direction.
In order to review words effectively, all the
information on a word should be kept in one
place - in a notebook, for example, or on an
index card. Index cards are convenient because
the words can be placed in alphabetical order,
which makes them easy to find when reviewing;
and the cards can be carried around with you, so
you can study them anywhere. You should try to
be systematic about studying, so that you are
sure to review each word at least once every
couple of weeks.
Do not throw cards away, though-you can get a
great feeling of accomplishment by looking at
the growing stack of words you have learned and
by occasionally glancing at an old card and
thinking, "Once I actually didn't know the
meaning of this word!"
The steps we have just discussed to not
involve the use of vocabulary-building aids such
as books, tapes, or slides; all that is required
is a dictionary. But what about such materials?
Are they worth using? We say yes.
The first advantage of vocabulary-building books
is that they present you with words generally
considered important to know, thus saving you
time. Another advantage of many of these books
is that they will use the words in several
sentences, so that you can see the words in
different contexts. A third advantage is that
they usually have exercises that test what you
have learned, which gives you a clear sense of
progress.
The major disadvantage of many of these books is
that the words in them may sometimes be too
difficult for the person who does not have a
large vocabulary. Such a person would have a
hard time learning these words and could quickly
become discouraged. We suggest, therefore, that
you scan the materials you are interested in
before buying. If most of the words are totally
unfamiliar to you, you will probably not get
very much out of it. If, however, you recognize
many of the words but do not quite know them,
then the material is probably at the right level
for you.
Many books approach vocabulary building by
teaching you word parts - prefixes, suffixes and
roots - and showing you how these parts can go
together to form many different words. You might
find this approach useful, because it will make
you sensitive to how words are formed, and this
can often be a help in figuring out a word's
meaning from its context.
The important thing to keep in mind is that
these materials are not a complete substitute
for the process we have been talking about. One
book will not give you all the words you need to
know. Besides, you are establishing a lifetime
interest in building your vocabulary, and just
selecting one way to approach it may not be
enough. However, the use of vocabulary-study
materials as a supplement to the "Four Basic
Steps" will reinforce your learning and speed
your progress immediately.
Perhaps the most important factor in a
successful vocabulary-building program is
motivation. It will be very difficult for you to
study words month after month without a strong
feeling that it is worth doing, that a larger
vocabulary will help you in school and on the
job, and that it can well lead to a more
exciting and fulfilling life. We certainly feel
that this is true, for nothing we measure at the
Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation contributes
to success in life more than vocabulary. Your
time could not be better spent.
We know you can expand your vocabulary almost as
fast as you wish. There are countless examples
of people who have done so. Remember, you
started out in life knowing no words, and now
you know thousands. You can learn many more. Why
not start today?
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