Tips to learn new English vocabulary

There are many ways to learn English vocabulary words and every teacher has a favourite tip or tips. The methods vary greatly from dictionary osmosis to memorised lists to simply reading and they all work for somebody! I am going to discuss this my way. I love lists and I teach so here are five ways for ESL learners to learn vocabulary.

5. Create a word journal.

This may seem like an obvious thing but grab a notebook and jot down words as you learn them. Add a definition and an example sentence and you have got a personal dictionary. The good thing about this method is that you can check exactly what you have recorded and learned.

4. READ!!!!

I know this sems obvious but for a lot of learners it is not! The first rule of reading is to find a book you will actually enjoy. Reading takes time and you won't get anything out of a book you don't enjoy. Second rule is to pick a book that is at your skill level. A great deal of students that I have interacted with try to read books far beyond their capabilities. This doesn't work because you will spend hours per page looking up every single word!!! The third rule is to read something you would read in your own language, even if it is something like a comic, that way you can be sure to enjoy.

3. memorise

I am personally not a fan of memorisation to learn long lists of vocabulary and that is for a simple reason: it's short term. If you are cramming for a test this method will work, but a month later try to remember the definition or use of those words. You probably can't remember many at all.

2. Communicate

Big surprise word when you talk to people you learn new stuff. I just blew your collective minds I know. Talking to native speakers or other learners can expand your vocabulary as different people hold different skill sets, knowledge, and experiences. So why not just hang out and chit chat... when people ask what you are doing you can say you are learning.

And here is the moment you have been waiting for....

1. Use a DICTIONARY!!!!!

So you all want to kill me for having an obvious choice at number one but really dictionaries are overlooked and under-rated as a tool these days. Call me old fashioned but having an actual paper dictionary is one of the best ways, in my opinion, to learn new words. The reasoning is pretty simple... as you are scanning for your intended word you will flip past other words and you will read their definitions. That is pretty much a bonus if you are a learner.

So there you have it five strategies to try and evaluate. See what works best for you!

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